FREDERICO HERNANDEZ, PETITIONER,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, RESPONDENT
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Frederico Hernandez petitioned for relief alleging ineffective assistance of appellate counsel for failing to challenge a jury instruction on justifiable use of force. The court granted the petition, finding the instruction was reversible error, and reversed Hernandez's convictions for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, ordering a new trial.
The court held that appellate counsel rendered ineffective assistance of appellate counsel by failing to argue that the justifiable use of deadly force instruction constituted fundamental error. The instruction was reversible error because it improperly precluded a self-defense claim for the very acts with which the defendant was charged.
[1] Appellate counsel renders ineffective assistance by failing to argue that a jury instruction precluding justifiable use of deadly force if the defendant was committing th…
[2] A jury instruction stating that the use of force likely to cause death or great bodily harm is not justifiable if the defendant was attempting to commit, committing, or e…
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence“The instruction improperly told the jury that the very act Giles sought to justify itself precluded a finding of justification. Essentially, the jury was instructed that [section] 776.041(1) would apply to preclude a self-defense claim, when it is claimed that the acts with which the defendant is charged are themselves committed in appropriate self-defense.”
Establishes that the jury instruction was reversible error because it logically precluded the defendant's self-defense justification for the very acts charged
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Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceHernandez was charged with four counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon; one count was nolle prossed. He was tried by jury and convicted on …
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NORTHCUTT, Judge.
Frederico Hernandez, in his petition filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Appellate Procedure 9.141(c), raises two grounds alleging ineffective assistance of appellate counsel. We grant the petition as it relates to one of the grounds raised therein, and we deny, without comment, the remaining ground.
Hernandez was charged by information with four counts of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, a firearm. The State nolle prossed one of the counts, and Hernandez was tried by jury and convicted, as charged, on the three remaining counts. Hernandez’s defense at trial was that he was justified in using deadly force to defend himself and his brother Cruz Hernandez, and he presented evidence to support this theory of defense. He alleges in his petition that appellate counsel rendered ineffective assistance of counsel when he failed to argue that the trial court’s instruction on the justifiable use of force constituted reversible error. The trial court instructed the jury as follows:
However, the use of force likely to cause death or great bodily harm is not justifiable if you find:
1. Frederico or Cruz Hernandez were attempting to commit, committing, or escaping after the commission of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
(Emphasis added.) Thus, the jury was instructed that the justifiable use of deadly force would not apply if Hernandez was committing the offense for which he was charged. Trial counsel strenuously objected to this instruction, arguing that the instruction was confusing and illogical and advised the jury that the very actions Hernandez was attempting to justify could not be considered self-defense.
In Baker v. State, 877 So. 2d 856 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004), this court held that appellate counsel was ineffective in failing to argue that such an instruction, as given to the jury in the present case, constituted fundamental error. In Baker, we cited to Giles v. State, 831 So. 2d 1263 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002). The court in Giles held that the giving of a similar instruction was reversible error where the defendant was claiming self-defense. The court stated:
The instruction improperly told the jury that the very act Giles sought to justify itself precluded a finding of justification. Essentially, the jury was instructed that [section] 776.041(1) would apply to preclude a self-defense claim, when it is claimed that the acts with which the defendant is charged are themselves committed in appropriate self-defense.
Id. at 1266. The opinion in Giles was issued prior to the filing of the initial brief in the present case1 and was available to appellate counsel. We conclude that appellate counsel’s failure to argue that the justifiable use of deadly force instruction was reversible error constituted ineffective assistance of appellate counsel.
Accordingly, we grant the petition alleging ineffective assistance of appellate counsel as to this ground only. In the present case, the State attached the entire trial record to its response to the petition. Our review of the record leads us to conclude that the error was not harmless and, had appellate counsel raised this issue on direct appeal, we would have been compelled to reverse Hernandez’s convictions. Because a new appeal would be redundant in this instance, we reverse Hernandez’s convictions, vacate his sentences, and direct that he be retried. See Johnson v. State, 498 So. 2d 938, 939 (Fla.1986).
Petition denied in part, and granted in part.
ALTENBERND, C.J., and CASANUEVA, JJ„ Concur. . This court in Zuniga v. State, 869 So. 2d 1239 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004), and the Fourth District in Rich v. State, 858 So. 2d 1210 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003), have since held that the giving of a jury instruction, such as the one given in the present case, could constitute fundamental error.
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Citator
Cited By (15 total)
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Whitmore v. State, 27 So. 3d 168 (Fla. 4th DCA 2010)…bility in imposing sentence. Because a new appeal would be redundant in this case, we vacate the sentence and direct that Whitmore be resentenced before a different judge. See Sanders v. State, 959 So. 2d 1232 (Fla. 2d DCA 2007); Hernandez v. State, 884 So. 2d 281, 282 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004) (citing Johnson v. Wainwright, 498 So. 2d 938, 939 (Fla.1986)). We affirm the summary denial of Whitmore’s Rule 3.850 motion. POLEN, J., concurs. FARMER, J., dissents with opinion. . Whitmore’s total sentencing points amou…
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York v. State, 932 So. 2d 413 (Fla. 2d DCA 2006)…damental error. See Houston v. State, 919 So. 2d 489 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005); Brown v. State, 909 So. 2d 975 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005); Bevan v. State, 908 So. 2d 524 (Fla. 2d DCA 2005); Velazquez v. State, 884 So. 2d 377 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004); Hernandez v. State, 884 So. 2d 281 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004); Bates v. State, 883 So. 2d 907 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004). Other courts have done likewise. See Grier v. State, 928 So. 2d 368 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006); Estevez v. State, 901 So. 2d 989 (Fla. 4th DCA 2005); Cleveland v. State, 887 So. 2d 362 (…
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Sanders v. State, 959 So. 2d 1232 (Fla. 2d DCA 2007)…econd element of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer was fundamental error. Because a new appeal would be redundant in this case, we reverse the conviction, vacate the sentence, and direct that Sanders be retried. See Hernandez v. State, 884 So. 2d 281, 282 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004) (citing Johnson v. Wainwright, 498 So. 2d 938, 939 (Fla.1986)). Petition granted. KELLY and WALLACE, JJ., Concur.…
Previewing 3 of 15 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.
Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligenceAuthorities Cited
- Lamonda D. Giles v. State, 831 So. 2d 1263 (Fla. 4th DCA 2002)
- Rich v. State, 858 So. 2d 1210 (Fla. 4th DCA 2003)
- Zuniga v. State, 869 So. 2d 1239 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004)
- Johnson v. Louie L. Wainwright, 498 So. 2d 938 (Fla. 1986)
- Baker v. State, 877 So. 2d 856 (Fla. 2d DCA 2004)