Hunt v. State

613 So. 2d 893, 1992 WL 289670
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedOctober 15, 1992
Docket76692
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 613 So. 2d 893 (Hunt 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
Hunt v. State, 613 So. 2d 893, 1992 WL 289670 (Fla. 1992).

Opinion

613 So.2d 893 (1992)

Deidre Michelle HUNT, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.

No. 76692.

Supreme Court of Florida.

October 15, 1992.
Clarification Denied March 18, 1993.

*894 Gerard F. Keating, Daytona Beach, for appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen. and Kellie A. Nielan, Asst. Atty. Gen., Daytona Beach, for appellee.

PER CURIAM.

Deidre Michelle Hunt, a prisoner under two sentences of death, appeals her numerous convictions and sentences. We have jurisdiction, article V, section 3(b)(1), Florida Constitution, and affirm the convictions but vacate the death sentences and remand for resentencing.

Hunt pled guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, two counts of solicitation to commit first degree-murder, one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, and one count of burglary of a dwelling while armed. At the time of her plea, Hunt waived a penalty-phase jury.

The following is a brief summary of the facts developed during the sentencing hearing before the trial court. On October 20, 1989, Hunt, her lover, Konstantino Fotopoulos, and Kevin Ramsey drove out to an isolated wooded rifle range. Upon arrival, Ramsey, who had been led to believe he was being initiated into the "hunter and killer club," was tied to a tree. While Fotopoulos videotaped, Hunt shot Ramsey three times in the chest and once, at point blank range, in the head with a .22. The videotaping stopped and Fotopoulos shot Ramsey once in the head with an AK-47. According to Hunt's confession, each member of the "hunter and killer club" would be videotaped killing someone; the members then would exchange tapes. The tapes were considered "insurance policies." They served to insure that the members of the "club" would not report each other's activities to the police. According to testimony, one of the reasons that Ramsey was chosen as the victim was because he was blackmailing Fotopoulos concerning Fotopoulos' alleged counterfeiting activities and his affair with Hunt. The videotape of the Ramsey murder, which was recovered from Fotopoulos' residence pursuant to a search warrant, was shown to the trial court during the sentencing phase.

After the Ramsey murder, at Fotopoulos' request Hunt began soliciting acquaintances to kill Fotopoulos' wife, Lisa. The videotape of the Ramsey murder was used by Fotopoulos to insure Hunt's participation in his plan to murder his wife. Hunt told friends that by killing Ramsey, she had proven that she could have Lisa killed. Prior to enlisting Bryan Chase to do the job, Hunt offered three different individuals $10,000 to murder Lisa. For various reasons, either the plans never materialized or the assassins were unsuccessful in their attempts. Hunt eventually got Chase to agree to do the job. After several botched attempts to murder Lisa, Chase managed to enter the Fotopoulos residence on November 4, 1989. He shot Lisa once in the head; the shot was not fatal. After Chase shot Lisa, in accord with Fotopoulos' and Hunt's plan to get rid of the assassin and to make Lisa's murder appear to have occurred during a robbery, Fotopoulos fatally shot Chase. Hunt and Fotopoulos were eventually indicted for the murders of Ramsey and Chase, as well as the other offenses for which Hunt was convicted.

After the sentencing hearing, the trial court found four aggravating factors in connection with the Ramsey murder: 1) Hunt was previously convicted of a violent felony; 2) the murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest; 3) the murder was committed for pecuniary gain; and 4) the murder was committed in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification. As to the Chase murder, the trial court found five aggravating factors: 1) prior conviction of a violent felony; 2) the murder was committed while Hunt was an accomplice to a burglary; 3) the murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest; 4) the murder was committed for pecuniary gain; and 5) the murder was committed in a cold, calculated and *895 premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification. In mitigation as to both murders, the court found 1) Hunt was physically, emotionally, and sexually abused as a child, she entered into physically and emotionally abusive relationships with men and was a prostitute for a while; 2) Hunt is a sociopath, is somewhat unstable and has a history of alcohol and drug abuse; and 3) the plea is a minor mitigating factor in view of the overwhelming evidence against Hunt. The trial court rejected Hunt's contention that she acted under extreme duress and the substantial domination of Fotopoulos, who masterminded the murder plots. The court imposed the death penalty as to both murders.

Hunt raises the following six claims on appeal: 1) Hunt's plea agreement was a contract and, under various and alternative contract theories, she is entitled to a trial on the merits or the specific performance of a life sentence; 2) the trial court erred in denying Hunt's motion to vacate and set aside her guilty plea; 3) the trial court erred in denying defense counsel's motions to withdraw and Hunt's pro se motions to discharge counsel; 4) the trial court erred in failing to find statutory and nonstatutory mitigating factors; 5) there was no voluntary waiver of a penalty phase jury; and 6) the trial court erred in denying Hunt's motion to continue the sentencing hearing.

The facts pertinent to Hunt's first and second claims concerning her guilty plea are as follows. On May 7, 1990, the State announced it was ready for trial and that Hunt wished to withdraw her previously entered plea of not guilty and enter a guilty plea. Hunt's attorney agreed that Hunt wanted to enter a guilty plea and stated that she wanted to testify at the Fotopoulos trial. Both parties waived a penalty-phase jury and agreed to leave sentencing entirely within the trial court's discretion. It was also agreed that Hunt's sentencing would be deferred until after the Fotopoulos trial so that any information coming to light during the Fotopoulos trial could be considered in Hunt's sentencing. Hunt stipulated as to the factual allegations setting up a prima facie case for the entry of the plea. Hunt's attorney stated that it had been explained to Hunt that, notwithstanding her plea and future cooperation, it was still a possibility that the death penalty would be imposed. The prosecutor reiterated that the State was in no way waiving its intent to seek the death penalty, that there had been no backroom negotiations and no understanding that the State would not seek the death penalty. Hunt's attorney explained that he had discussed the plea at length with Hunt and that they both agreed that "this plea and her offer to testify and cooperate in view of the facts and circumstances is really the only sensible and logical choice under this scenario." The prosecutor further stated that the State had not agreed that it, in fact, would call Hunt as a witness at the Fotopoulos trial.

In formally accepting her guilty plea, the trial judge outlined the plea agreement to Hunt as follows:

You would plead guilty as charged to all of the counts in the Information and the Indictment.
The sentencing phase in your case would be postponed until the Fotopoulos matter was tried and disposed of, and, ma'am, I am not sure if that is going to be one trial, two trials... . Those are things that have yet to be decided.
We would postpone the sentencing phase of your case until after the Fotopoulos trial.

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Bluebook (online)
613 So. 2d 893, 1992 WL 289670, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hunt-v-state-fla-1992.