THE STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLANT,
v.
ROSARIO AGUILAR, APPELLEE
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The State appealed a trial court's downward departure from sentencing guidelines in a case involving attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping, and child abuse. The appellate court affirmed the departure, finding no abuse of discretion where both the state and defendant agreed a departure was appropriate, even though they disagreed on the extent.
The court affirmed the downward departure, holding that where both the state and defendant agree a departure from sentencing guidelines is appropriate, the extent of the departure is within the sound discretion of the trial judge, and no abuse of discretion occurred on this record.
[1] A trial court's failure to provide written reasons or a written transcript of orally stated reasons for a downward sentencing departure within the statutorily prescribed…
[2] When the state and the defendant agree that a departure from the sentencing guidelines is appropriate, the extent of the departure is within the sound discretion of the t…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“Where the state and the defendant agree that a departure from the sentencing guidelines is appropriate, the extent of the departure is within the sound discretion of the trial judge.”
Establishes the governing legal principle that when prosecution and defense both support departure, the judge has discretion over the amount
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceThe defendant pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping with a weapon, and two counts of aggravated child abuse. The sentencing guid…
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SORONDO, J.
The state appeals the trial court’s downward departure from the sentencing guidelines on two grounds. First, the state asserts that the trial court did not provide written reasons or a written transcript of orally stated reasons within seven days after the date of sentencing as required by section 921.0016(l)(c), Florida Statutes (1997); or within fifteen days as required by rule 3.702(d)(18)(a), Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure. Second, the state argues that the grounds argued by the defendant and accepted by the court for the departure were insufficient.
The defendant in this case entered a plea of guilt to the charges of attempted first degree murder, kidnaping with a weapon, and two counts of aggravated child abuse. She filed a motion for downward departure from the permissible sentencing guideline range, the bottom of which was 24.12 years in state prison, based upon the fact that she was remorseful, see § 921.0026®, Fla. Stat. (1997); and that she required specialized treatment for a mental disorder and was amenable to treatment, see section 921.0026(d). The state objected to the downward departure arguing that under State v. Gitto, 731 So. 2d 686 (Fla. 5th DCA 1999), the trial court could not offer the defendant a plea over the state’s objection.1 This objection was predicated on a plea conference conducted in chambers prior to the sentencing hearing, where both the prosecutor and defense counsel were present.
At that conference the state offered the defendant a plea bargain to ten years in state prison to be followed by a probationary period of ten to fifteen years. After hearing from both sides, the judge advised defense counsel that she was considering a sentence of five years to be followed by a lengthy probationary period. The court, however, did not offer the defendant a plea bargain. The defendant entered her plea of guilt without any guaranteed sentence, and after having been warned that she was facing a potential life sentence. Ultimately, after hearing from both sides at the sentencing hearing, the court imposed a total sentence of six years in state prison to be followed by twenty years of probation. The court further imposed several special conditions, among them that defendant not care for any children, nor have contact with her own children without the trial court’s prior consent, and ordered the defendant to participate in therapy one time per week during the probationary period.
We do not reach the validity of the reasons for the trial judge’s downward departure because at the hearing, the state asked the trial court to sentence the defendant to a term of fifteen years in prison to be followed by ten years of probation. The state was, therefore, also seeking a downward departure sentence. At no time did the state ask the trial court to impose a guideline sentence. The record clearly establishes that everyone involved, the prosecutor, the defendant and the judge, believed that a downward departure was appropriate. The disagreement was not on the propriety of the departure but on the magnitude. Where the state and the defendant agree that a departure from the sentencing guidelines is appropriate, the extent of the departure is within the sound discretion of the trial judge. See State v. Collins, 482 So. 2d 388 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985); see also State v. Cure, 760 So. 2d 243 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000). We can find no abuse of discretion on this record.
Affirmed.
. Gitto was subsequently disapproved in State v. Warner, 762 So. 2d 507 (Fla.2000).
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State v. Laffayette Berry, 976 So. 2d 645 (Fla. 3d DCA 2008)…ent in concept, on a shorter sentence than the State had offered. Had the State’s downward departure offer remained open, then the trial court could have accepted the defendant’s plea and imposed an even greater downward departure. State v. Aguilar, 775 So. 2d 994, 996 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000). The State timely withdrew its offer, however, and objected to the imposition of sentence below the guidelines minimum. Over objection, the trial court imposed a downward departure sentence without stating written reasons.…
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State v. Reyard Leggett, 792 So. 2d 646 (Fla. 3d DCA 2001)…court’s attention to the need for downward departure reasons. We also affirm because the State had initially offered a departure sentence and had never withdrawn that offer at the time the trial court made its offer to Leggett. See State v. Aguilar, 775 So. 2d 994, 996 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000) (“Where the state and the defendant agree that a departure from the sentencing guidelines is appropriate, the extent of the departure is within the sound discretion of the trial judge.”). Affirmed.…
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State v. Mildreda Ruiz Andrews, 778 So. 2d 1100 (Fla. 3d DCA 2001)…PER CURIAM. Affirmed. State v. Aguilar, 775 So. 2d 994 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000) (“mere the state and the defendant agree that a departure from the sentencing guidelines is appropriate, the extent of the departure is within the sound discretion of the trial judge.”).…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- State v. Warner, 762 So. 2d 507 (Fla. 2000)
- State v. Collins, 482 So. 2d 388 (Fla. 5th DCA 1985)
- State v. Gitto, 731 So. 2d 686 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998)
- State v. Cure, 760 So. 2d 243 (Fla. 3d DCA 2000)