Cannady v. State

620 So. 2d 165, 1993 WL 143780
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedMay 6, 1993
Docket76262
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 620 So. 2d 165 (Cannady v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cannady v. State, 620 So. 2d 165, 1993 WL 143780 (Fla. 1993).

Opinion

620 So.2d 165 (1993)

Douglas CANNADY, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.

No. 76262.

Supreme Court of Florida.

May 6, 1993.
Rehearing Denied June 23, 1993.

*166 Nancy A. Daniels, Public Defender and David A. Davis, Asst. Public Defender, Second Judicial Circuit, Tallahassee, for appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen. and Mark C. Menser, Asst. Atty. Gen., Tallahassee, for appellee.

PER CURIAM.

Douglas Cannady appeals his convictions of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder and the corresponding sentences, including two sentences of death. We have jurisdiction pursuant to article V, section 3(b)(1), of the Florida Constitution. We affirm all of Cannady's convictions and his sentence for attempted murder, but we reduce his death sentences to life imprisonment without parole for twenty-five years.

This tragic incident occurred on October 1, 1989, when Cannady murdered Georgia Cannady, his wife, and Gerald Boisvert, who he believed raped his wife, and attempted to murder Steve Russ, who previously was involved in a dispute with Cannady. Cannady was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder. The evidence at trial established that Cannady was married to Georgia Cannady and that together they had two children, Christopher, fifteen, and Angela, eighteen. The Cannadys lived in a double-wide mobile home behind a gasoline station, which Cannady ran, in Greenwood, Florida. Cannady also owned a bar. In the spring of 1989, Steve Russ got into a fight in front of Cannady's bar. Cannady broke up the fight by firing his gun. Russ was placed on community control for the incident and filed a complaint against Cannady for shooting the gun at him. Russ later dropped the complaint.

*167 On Sunday, July 23, 1989, Cannady and his family went over to a friend's house for dinner. At some point during the evening, Cannady passed out. At about 9 p.m., Cannady came to and asked for his wife, but no one knew where she was. Cannady, too drunk to drive, had his daughter pick him up and take him to various places to look for his wife. When he could not find her, Cannady called the sheriff's office and reported her missing. The next morning, Gerald Boisvert told him he had let Georgia Cannady out of his car at a truck stop. About noon, someone brought Georgia home and she told Cannady the same story Boisvert had given him. She added that, after Boisvert had left her, she left the truck stop with another woman.

Over the next few days, Cannady noticed several scratches on Georgia's shoulders and that she did not want to have sexual intercourse with him because she was "hurting." Cannady suspected that Boisvert had raped his wife and he took her to the sheriff's office to file a complaint. During the interview at the police station, Cannady dominated the conversation, and the officer had to ask Cannady to leave the room. After some time alone with the officer, Georgia Cannady emerged from his office without pressing charges against Gerald Boisvert. During the next two months, Georgia was despondent and on several occasions expressed that she wished that she were dead. Cannady continued to suspect that Boisvert and other men had raped his wife and at one point lured Boisvert into his house and beat him.

Cannady testified that on the day of the murders he had drunk at least fourteen beers. He stated that on that day he and his wife were in the living room and that she was depressed over what he believed was the rape by Gerald Boisvert. Cannady stated that he got his .38 caliber pistol from a hiding place in the trailer and began to clean it. Cannady testified that his wife asked that he sit next to her on the living room couch and, as he started to get up with the gun in his hand, he tripped or his ankle gave out from under him and the gun fired. The bullet hit his wife in the chest, killing her.

The defendant's son, Christopher, testified that on that day he was watching a football game on television and heard a commotion in another part of the mobile home. He stated that his parents were fussing loudly and that, as he passed his parents on his way to the bathroom, his mother was sitting on the couch and his father was seated at the dining room table, doing something with his gun. While he was in the bathroom, Chris heard a gunshot and came out to find his mother lying on the floor. Christopher testified that at that point Cannady told him, "I had to do it," and that she was "gone" and "she's not suffering."

Cannady then told Christopher to get into the truck and they drove to Boisvert's house. On the way, Cannady told Christopher that he was going to kill Boisvert as he loaded his gun. When they arrived, Boisvert was standing in his front yard with another man and his two children. Cannady asked Boisvert for a beer to lure him to his truck. When Boisvert approached the truck, Cannady shot him in the head several times. Cannady then reloaded his gun, got out of his truck, and shot Boisvert again. In all, Cannady shot Boisvert seven times.

As Cannady drove away, he asked Christopher to reload his gun. Christopher refused. Cannady then drove to where Steve Russ lived. During the trip, Cannady told Christopher that he was going to kill Russ because of the problems he had caused at his bar. When Cannady got to Russ's house, he asked Russ for a beer but Russ did not have any. Cannady then shot at but missed Russ, who was standing in his front doorway. Russ fled through the house and Cannady ran after him and shot again, missing him. Russ was able to escape. As Cannady and Christopher returned home, Cannady placed the gun and bullets under the truck seat. Before doing so, he told Christopher that he knew he was going to prison. A police car followed Cannady home, where he was arrested.

The jury found Cannady guilty of the first-degree murder of his wife and Boisvert *168 and the attempted murder of Russ. In the penalty phase, Cannady testified on his own behalf and asked the jury to impose the death penalty.

During the penalty phase, a mental health expert, who had initially examined Cannady at the public defender's request, was called as a court witness. The expert testified that Cannady had advanced cerebral atrophy, in a more advanced state than would be expected in an individual his age. The expert also stated that the electroencephalogram test of Cannady's brain waves was normal and that there was no indication of a seizure disorder. He stated that Cannady was suffering from a major depression with suicidal tendencies. He also noted in his testimony that Cannady had a severe alcohol dependency problem, but that, in his opinion, he was sane under the M'Naghten test.[1] He explained Cannady's conduct by stating that Cannady believed that he would be unable to get any justice with regard to his wife. He stated that Cannady's mental condition led him to four suicide attempts, two of which were very serious. He believed that Cannady truly intended to kill himself. Other evidence was presented regarding Cannady's alcoholism.

At the conclusion of the penalty phase, the jury recommended the death sentence by a ten-to-two vote. In imposing the death sentence for each of these murders, the trial judge found that each murder was (1) heinous, atrocious, or cruel, pursuant to section 921.141(5)(h), Florida Statutes (1989), and (2) committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification, pursuant to section 921.141(5)(i), Florida Statutes (1989).

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

McCoy v. State
132 So. 3d 756 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2013)
Diaz v. State
945 So. 2d 1136 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2006)
Valencia v. State
937 So. 2d 1145 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2006)
Hodges v. State
885 So. 2d 338 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2004)
Patton v. State
878 So. 2d 368 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2004)
State v. Torresgrossa
776 So. 2d 1009 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2001)
Wallace v. State
766 So. 2d 364 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2000)
State v. Johnson
751 A.2d 298 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 2000)
State v. Saxton
724 So. 2d 77 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1998)
San Martin v. State
717 So. 2d 462 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1998)
Lawrence v. State
698 So. 2d 1219 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1997)
Jackson v. State
680 So. 2d 615 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1996)
Profita v. State
664 So. 2d 1176 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1995)
Judah v. State
654 So. 2d 994 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1995)
Peterka v. State
640 So. 2d 59 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
620 So. 2d 165, 1993 WL 143780, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cannady-v-state-fla-1993.