ROBERT RYAN, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.
Ryan, a prisoner serving a 25-year sentence for second-degree murder, robbed a deputy warden at gunpoint, took approximately $50, and escaped in a vehicle. After being apprehended in Illinois and returned to Florida, he was convicted of robbery and escape and sentenced to consecutive terms. He appealed on speedy trial and joinder grounds.
The court affirmed the convictions. First, no speedy trial violation occurred because Florida law requires timely written requests for trial in three consecutive trial periods before the speedy trial statute is triggered, and the defendant made no such request while in custody. Second, joinder of the robbery and escape charges was proper because the crimes were part of the same transaction and sufficiently related and connected to constitute a single act, and no objection to joinder was raised at trial.
“our courts have on many occasions determined that there must be a timely request for trial for three consecutive trial periods before this statute takes effect”
Establishes the legal requirement for invoking Florida's speedy trial statute—a defendant must make a timely request for trial in three consecutive periods, not merely the passage of time.
Previewing 1 of 3 key quotes on this case — the court’s exact language, pinpointed for members.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceWhile incarcerated on a 25-year second-degree murder conviction, Ryan held up the deputy warden at gunpoint, took approximately $50, and escaped from …
The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.
Explore caselaw by topic → Browse Larceny Of An Automobile cases and more on FLexlaw
Appellant was in custody serving a twenty-five year commitment upon a conviction of second degree murder. While so incarcerated, he held up the deputy warden at gun-point, took from him approximately $50.00 and escaped from prison, allegedly in the warden’s step-daughter’s automobile. He subsequently left the State of Florida and either was apprehended or turned himself in while in the State of Illinois.
After being returned to Florida, he was charged by way of information on three charges, i. e., robbery, escape and larceny of an automobile. On June 29, 1961 appellant was arraigned and entered a plea of nolo contendere. He waived formal arraignment on January 17, 1964 and entered a plea of not guilty. He was formally arraigned on July 16, 1965 and entered a plea of not guilty. A trial by jury followed on September 23, 1965 on all three counts. The jury found him guilty of robbery and escape. The trial judge sentenced him to be confined in the state prison for a, term of six months to ninety-nine years on the charge of robbery and for a term of one year on the charge of escape, both sentences to run consecutively.
*38Appellant was represented by public defender at the arraignments and at the trial; however, he advised the trial judge that he chose to conduct his own defense but the trial judge ordered the public defender to be present and sit with the defendant at all stages in the heárings and trial. This appeal followed.
Again by representation of the public defender two questions have been posed for our consideration. First, it was contended that the trial judge committed reversible error when he refused to dismiss the charges on the grounds that a period of four and one-half years had elapsed between the filing of the information and the trial, and thus the defendant was denied a speedy trial. Section 915.02 of the Florida Statutes F.S.A. provides the manner in which a speedy trial, as guaranteed by Sections 4 and 11, Declaration of Rights, F.S. A., may be secured. However, our courts have on many occasions determined that there must be a timely request for trial for three consecutive trial periods before this statute takes effect. Loy v. Grayson, Fla.1957, 99 So.2d 555; Kelly v. State ex rel. Morgan, Fla.1951, 54 So.2d 431; Kemp v. State, Fla.App.1965, 177 So.2d 58; and Wilson v. State, Fla.App.1967, 194 So.2d 33.
In the instant. case the appellant was in custody serving a twenty-five year sentence and was in jail during the four and one-half year period. At no time did defendant make written request for trial. Thus, there can be no claim of harm.
Appellant contends that the trial court committed reversible error by trying the charge of escape and robbery together and before the same jury. However, the record fails to show any objection raised by appellant to his being tried for both offenses at the same time and before the same jury. Moreover, the robbery and escape took place as one transaction and were so closely related and connected as to be considered part of the same act Thus it cannot be said that the trial court committed fundamental error so as to afford this court an opportunity to review the alleged error.
We therefore affirm.
ALLEN, C. J., and LILES and PIERCE, JJ., concur.
Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus
Citator
Cited By
-
Panzavecchia v. State, 311 So. 2d 782 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975)…rd to such prior offense. In the circumstances of this case we are impelled to conclude that denial of the defendant’s motion for severance of the offenses did not represent an abuse of discretion by the trial court. See Ryan v. State, Fla.App.1967, 197 So. 2d 37; Eagle v. State, Fla.App. 1971, 249 So. 2d 460, 465-466. Cf. Spencer v. Texas, 385 U.S. 554, 87 S.Ct. 648, 17 L.Ed.2d 606. Also the prior conviction of the defendant was brought out by defendant’s counsel in his direct examination of a witness. The…
-
Finney v. State, 220 So. 2d 673 (Fla. 3d DCA 1969)…ot file three successive demands for a speedy trial [he being incarcerated], in accordance with the statutes of this State. Kelly v. State ex rel. Morgan, Fla.1951, 54 So. 2d 431; Loy v. Grayson, Fla.1957, 99 So. 2d 555; Ryan v. State, Fla.App.1967, 197 So. 2d 37; § 915.02, Fla.Stat., F.S.A. Error has not been made to appear in the ruling on the motion to suppress. Bonner v. State, Fla.1955, 80 So. 2d 683; Smith v. State, Fla.App.1966, 182 So. 2d 461; State v. Lemmon, Fla.App.1968, 212 So. 2d 322. There was…
Authorities Cited
- Kelly v. State Ex Rel. Morgan, 54 So. 2d 431 (Fla. 1951)
- Alton LOY v. Grayson, 99 So. 2d 555 (Fla. 1957)
- Kemp v. State, 177 So. 2d 58 (Fla. 3d DCA 1965)
- Wilson v. State, 194 So. 2d 33 (Fla. 2d DCA 1967)