In Re Jury Inst. in Cr. Cases (No. 2005-4)

930 So. 2d 612, 2006 WL 1471998
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedMay 25, 2006
DocketSC05-1621
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 930 So. 2d 612 (In Re Jury Inst. in Cr. Cases (No. 2005-4)) 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
In Re Jury Inst. in Cr. Cases (No. 2005-4), 930 So. 2d 612, 2006 WL 1471998 (Fla. 2006).

Opinion

930 So.2d 612 (2006)

In re STANDARD JURY INSTRUCTIONS IN CRIMINAL CASES (NO. 2005-4).

No. SC05-1621.

Supreme Court of Florida.

May 25, 2006.

Honorable Terry David Terrell, Chair, Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases, First Judicial Circuit, Pensacola, FL, for Petitioner.

Honorable Carey Haughwout, Public Defender, Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, West Palm Beach, FL, and Paula S. Saunders, Co-Chair, Office of the Public Defender, and Michael Ufferman, P.A., Co-Chair, the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (FACDL) Amicus Curiae Committee, Tallahassee, FL, Responding with comments.

PER CURIAM.

The Supreme Court Committee on Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases (the Committee) petitions this Court to amend the Florida Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 2(a), Fla. Const.

On September 6, 2005, the Committee filed Supplemental Report No. 2005-4, proposing changes to Florida Standard Jury Instructions 3.6(f), "Justifiable Use of Deadly Force," and 3.6(g), "Justifiable Use *613 of Non-deadly Force." The Committee had originally submitted proposals for changes to the instruction on the justifiable use of deadly force after publishing the proposed changes in The Florida Bar News on December 1, 2003. However, after those proposed changes were submitted to the Court, the 2005 Florida Legislature changed the law of self-defense in Florida by amending portions of chapter 776, Florida Statutes, and creating section 776.013, Florida Statutes (2005). See ch. 2005-27, Laws of Fla. Accordingly, the Court declined to adopt the Committee's proposed amendments. See In re Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases (No.2004-1), 911 So.2d 766 (Fla.2005). After submission, the proposed amendments before the Court were published for comment in The Florida Bar News. Two comments were received by the Court: one from the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and one from the Florida Public Defender Association.

With regard to Standard Jury Instruction 3.6(f), "Justifiable Use of Deadly Force," the Committee recommended the following changes: (1) substituting the words "deadly force" for "force likely to cause death or great bodily harm" in the various parts of the instruction; (2) adding an instruction defining "deadly force" as "force likely to cause death or great bodily harm"; (3) combining subparts 3 and 4 into a new subpart 3 in the portion of the instruction dealing with claims of self-defense predicated on section 782.02, Florida Statutes (2005); (4) expanding the explanation of when the first part of the "aggressor" exception should be given; (5) deleting those subparts of the instruction concerning the necessity to avoid the use of deadly force, the necessity to retreat, the defense of the home, and the defense of the home against a co-occupant; (6) adding new subparts concerning the lack of a duty to retreat and the presumption of fear when the defendant was in a dwelling, residence, occupied vehicle, or place where he had a right to be; (7) adding definitions of "dwelling," "residence," and "vehicle"; (8) amending the subpart addressing prior threats to make it mesh with the absence of a duty to retreat; (9) adding the current year of revision to the comment section; and (10) deleting the second sentence in the comment, which refers to the instruction for defense of the home against a co-occupant, which instruction was deleted.[1]

With regard to Standard Jury Instruction 3.6(g), "Justifiable Use of Non-deadly Force," the Committee recommended the following changes: (1) substituting the words "non-deadly force" for "force not likely to cause death or great bodily harm" in the various parts of the instruction; (2) adding an instruction defining "non-deadly force" as "force not likely to cause death or great bodily harm"; (3) substituting the words "another person" for "other person" in the "In Defense of Person" instruction; (4) adding the words "to be" to the instruction for "In Defense of Person"; (5) adding new subparts on the lack of duty to retreat when the defendant is in a dwelling, residence, vehicle, or place where he has a right to be; (6) adding definitions of the words "dwelling," "residence," and "vehicle"; and (7) adding the current year of revision to the comment.

Upon consideration of the Committee's report and the comments filed, we hereby authorize the publication and use of the revised instructions without change from those recommended by the Committee and as set forth in the appendix attached to this opinion. In doing so, we express no opinion on the correctness of the instructions *614 and remind all interested parties that this authorization forecloses neither requesting additional or alternative instructions nor contesting the legal correctness of the instructions. We further caution all interested parties that the notes and comments associated with the instructions reflect only the opinion of the Committee and are not necessarily indicative of the views of this Court as to their correctness or applicability. The instructions as set forth in the appendix shall be effective when this opinion becomes final. New language is indicated by underlining, and deletions are indicated by struck-through type.

It is so ordered.

PARIENTE, C.J., and WELLS, ANSTEAD, LEWIS, QUINCE, CANTERO, and BELL, JJ., concur.

APPENDIX

3.6(f) JUSTIFIABLE USE OF DEADLY FORCE

Because there are many defenses applicable to self-defense, give only those parts of the instructions that are required by the evidence.

Read in all cases.

An issue in this case is whether the defendant acted in self-defense. It is a defense to the offense with which (defendant) is charged if the [death of] [injury to] (victim) resulted from the justifiable use of deadly force likely to cause death or great bodily harm.

Definition.

"Deadly force" means force likely to cause death or great bodily harm.

Give if applicable. § 782.02, Fla. Stat.

The use of deadly force likely to cause death or great bodily harm is justifiable only if the defendant reasonably believes that the force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to [himself] [herself] while resisting:

1. another's attempt to murder [him] [her], or
2. any attempt to commit (applicable felony) upon [him] [her], or
3. any attempt to commit (applicable felony) upon or in any dwelling house, residence, or vehicle occupied by [him] [her], or.
4. any attempt to commit (applicable felony) in any dwelling house occupied by [him] [her].

Insert and define applicable felony that defendant alleges victim attempted to commit.

Give if applicable. §§ 776.012, 776.031, Fla. Stat.

A person is justified in using deadly force likely to cause death or great bodily harm if [he] [she] reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent

1. imminent death or great bodily harm to [himself] [herself] or another, or
2. the imminent commission of (applicable forcible felony) against [himself] [herself] or another.

Insert and define applicable forcible felony that defendant alleges victim was about to commit.

Aggressor. § 776.041, Fla. Stat.

However, the use of deadly force likely to cause death or great bodily harm is not justifiable if you find:

Give if applicable

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Related

In Re Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases-Report No. 2009-01
27 So. 3d 640 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2010)
Cancel v. State
985 So. 2d 1127 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2008)
In Re Standard Jury Inst. in Crim. Cases No. 2007-03
976 So. 2d 1081 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2008)
Martinez v. State
981 So. 2d 449 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2008)
McWhorter v. State
971 So. 2d 154 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2007)
Johnson v. State
963 So. 2d 730 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2007)
Standard Jury Inst. in Crim. Cases (2006-3)
947 So. 2d 1159 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2007)

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930 So. 2d 612, 2006 WL 1471998, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/in-re-jury-inst-in-cr-cases-no-2005-4-fla-2006.