ALAN B. HEPFER, JR., APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE
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Hepfer was convicted of attempted second-degree murder with discharge of a firearm, burglary, grand theft, and firearm-related charges. The appellate court reversed the conviction for count V (use of a firearm in commission of a felony) because the trial court's written judgment did not match its oral pronouncement, and remanded to correct errors in the burglary conviction.
The appellate court reversed the conviction on count V (use of firearm in commission of felony) because the trial court orally pronounced Hepfer not guilty of that charge, but the written judgment reflected a conviction. The court remanded to correct the written judgment on count III to reflect third-degree burglary instead of first-degree burglary while armed, consistent with the trial court's oral pronouncement that the State failed to prove Hepfer was armed during the burglary.
[1] A written judgment that does not conform to a trial court's oral pronouncement is erroneous and must be corrected.
[2] A motion to correct a sentence filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(b)(2) is deemed denied if the trial court fails to rule on it within sixty days.
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“When a written order does not conform to the trial court's oral pronouncement, the oral pronouncement controls.”
Establishes the fundamental principle governing the appellate court's correction of the written judgment to match what the trial judge actually said at trial
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceHepfer and a friend burglarized a day-care center and left the scene. When police officers arrived and investigated, Hepfer and his friend returned wh…
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SILBERMAN, Judge.
Alan B. Hepfer, Jr., appeals his convictions and sentences for two counts of attempted second-degree murder with discharge of a firearm, burglary of a structure while armed (designated as count III), grand theft, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony (designated as count V)- We reverse the conviction and sentence for count V and remand for the trial court to correct errors contained in the written judgment with respect to count III. We affirm in all other respects.
At a bench trial, the State established that Hepfer and a friend had burglarized a day-care center and then left. Police officers responded to the burglary scene and investigated for over an hour. Hepfer and his friend returned to the scene while the officers were still there. One officer observed Hepfer with a gun and ordered him to drop it. Hepfer and his friend fled, and the officer pursued them toward a wooded area. Hepfer shot at the officer, and then when another officer arrived, Hepfer fired another shot.
At the conclusion of the trial, the trial court found Hepfer guilty of the two at tempted murders with discharge of a firearm and grand theft. The court also found Hepfer guilty of burglary of a structure but concluded that the State failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Hepfer was armed when he committed the burglary. Finally, the court did not find Hepfer guilty of count V, the separate charge of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. The written judgment and sentences are inconsistent with the trial court’s pronouncements as they reflect a conviction for first-degree burglary of a structure while armed pursuant to section 810.02(2)(b), Florida Statutes (2002), as to count III and a conviction and sentence as to count V concerning the firearm.
Although Hepfer filed a motion to correct sentence pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.800(b)(2), the trial court failed to rule on the motion within sixty days. Thus, the motion is deemed denied. See Fla. R.Crim. P. 3.800(b)(2)(B); Jones v. State, 898 So. 2d 209, 210 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005). The State properly concedes that the written judgment and sentences do not conform to the trial court’s oral pronouncement. See Driver v. State, 710 So. 2d 652, 653 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998) (“When a written order does not conform to the trial court’s oral pronouncement, the oral pronouncement controls.”). Accordingly, we reverse the conviction on count V and remand for the trial court to enter a corrected judgment and sentence eliminating that count. On remand, the trial court shall also correct the judgment by changing Hepfer’s conviction with respect to count III from “First Degree Burglary WThile Armed,” “Punishable by Life” to third-degree burglary of a structure. The court shall correct the statute cited in support of the burglary conviction from section 810.02(2)(b) to section 810.02(4)(a). The sentence remains unchanged as to the burglary conviction because the trial court pronounced a sentence of five years’ imprisonment and the written sentence conforms to the oral pronouncement.
Affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded.
CANADY and WALLACE, JJ., Concur.
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Citator
Authorities Cited
- Driver v. State, 710 So. 2d 652 (Fla. 2d DCA 1998)
- Jones v. State, 898 So. 2d 209 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005)