Holmes v. State

374 So. 2d 944
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedApril 26, 1979
Docket48392
StatusPublished
Cited by39 cases

This text of 374 So. 2d 944 (Holmes 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
Holmes v. State, 374 So. 2d 944 (Fla. 1979).

Opinion

374 So.2d 944 (1979)

Monroe HOLMES, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.

No. 48392.

Supreme Court of Florida.

April 26, 1979.
Rehearing Denied October 4, 1979.

*945 Richard L. Jorandby, Public Defender, and Craig S. Barnard, Asst. Public Defender, West Palm Beach, for appellant.

Jim Smith, Atty. Gen., and Carolyn M. Snurkowski, George R. Georgieff and Richard W. Prospect, Asst. Attys. Gen., Tallahassee, for appellee.

ADKINS, Justice.

This is a direct appeal from a judgment adjudging defendant guilty of murder in the first degree and a sentence of death.

Defendant Holmes was arrested April 5, 1974, for the homicide of police officer Meredith Runck. An indictment was returned charging defendant with murder in the first degree and arraignment was held on April 25, 1974. Defendant tendered a plea of guilty to the offense of murder in the first degree.

Defendant presented witnesses regarding a factual basis for the plea on April 26, 1974, and the trial court then accepted the plea of guilty. Defense counsel stated that defendant waived the jury in the advisory sentence proceeding, so testimony regarding aggravating and mitigating circumstances was presented without a jury on June 6, 1974.

On August 13, 1974, defendant filed a suggestion of insanity and motion for mental examination. The motion was granted.

Arguments on sentencing were not heard until March 21, 1975.

On September 5, 1975, new defense counsel filed a motion to withdraw the guilty plea. This motion was based primarily upon the reports of the court-appointed psychiatrist, which defendant says indicated that he was not competent at the time of the offense and raised a doubt as to his competency to enter the plea of guilty. The motion to withdraw the guilty plea was denied by the trial court on October 15, 1975.

On November 7, 1975, defendant was adjudged guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to death.

The findings of fact by the trial judge contained the following:

"This Defendant, MONROE HOLMES, was indicted for the crime of murder in the first degree. On arraignment, he plead guilty to this charge, and waived jury trial of the issue of the imposition of sentence. The Court reluctantly determined that this was a matter of right and that it could not compel Defendant to submit to a jury trial as to imposition of sentence. Thereafter, approximately one hour was spent in advising Defendant of his rights to jury trial, and of the sentences which might be imposed by the Court, as well as his right, in any trial, to *946 remain silent and not testify. Defendant was further interrogated as to whether he had been made any promises, or subjected to any threats, which he denied. He further repeatedly stated that he understood what he was doing. Finally, Defendant testified that he had discussed his case with the attorney representing him and that he was satisfied with the attorney's services and representation.
"Thereafter, the Court held two evidentiary hearings wherein eye witnesses testified as to the commission of the crime. Later, argument of counsel as to the sentence was heard.
"Chapter 921 Florida Statutes governs sentencing in capital felonies. It requires the Court to make findings upon circumstances enumerated therein, which circumstances are divided into two categories.
"First, aggravating circumstances, subsections (a) thru (h); and second, mitigating circumstances, subsections (a) thru (g).
"As to aggravating circumstances the Court finds: subsection (e), that the capital felony was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest or affecting an escape from custody. Subsection (g), the capital felony was committed to disrupt the enforcement of laws. Subsection (h), the capital felony was especially heinous and atrocious.
"As to mitigating circumstances the Court finds: subsection (a) that the Defendant has no significant history of prior criminal activity, but that none of the other mitigating circumstances listed in the statute were present. It is thereupon,
"ORDERED AND ADJUDGED that you, MONROE HOLMES, having plead guilty to the charge of murder in the first degree are found to be guilty of such offense. The Court having heretofore heard arguments of counsel as to sentencing, it now asks if you have any lawful reason why the sentence of the law should not be imposed.
"It is the Judgment of this Court that, for your adjudication of guilt of the crime of murder in the first degree, you are hereby sentenced to the penalty of death, the sentence to be carried out in accordance with the laws of the State of Florida."

The victim, Meredith Runck, was a police officer and the homicide was committed after defendant was arrested at the home of Dorothy Campbell, the mother of defendant's girl friend, Mary. Defendant had gone to the home, entered, created a disturbance, and asked to see Mary. The police were called and defendant refused to leave the home. The victim spoke with the defendant for about twenty minutes and asked him to leave. The officer told defendant not to go into the house or he would be arrested. Defendant, nevertheless, came to the door of the house and the arrest resulted. Defendant and the officer walked peacefully to the police cruiser, but, when they reached the cruiser, they began to wrestle. The defendant got on top of the officer and began hitting him. He grabbed the officer's gun, stood up, and fired more than four shots. Other officers then arrived and took defendant into custody.

Defendant contends that the plea of guilty was accepted without an affirmative showing that it was voluntarily and intelligently made, as the court only personally addressed defendant twice and relied on representations of defense counsel and the prosecutor for the majority of the determination. When the plea was tendered, the attorney for defendant stated that he had consulted a privately retained psychiatrist and had received a verbal report leading him to believe that "the move we are taking at this time is proper." An eye witness to the homicide testified at the hearing determining the factual basis for the plea. The intense and exhaustive care with which the trial court advised defendant of his rights, and determined that defendant understood the effect of his plea of guilty, was clearly established.

*947 Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274 (1969), does not require that the exhaustive inquiry comes from the lips of the trial judge. The court stated in Church v. State, 299 So.2d 649 (Fla. 4th DCA 1974):

"It would seem quite acceptable that as to a defendant desiring to plead guilty, the trial judge simply add to his repertoire of questions such additional ones concerning the accused's participation in the charged offense as to make certain that there is shown on the record a factual basis in sufficient detail to show every element of the crime charged. Of course, it is not mandatory that the court personally conduct the interrogation of the accused for this purpose.

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374 So. 2d 944, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/holmes-v-state-fla-1979.