Seccia v. State

786 So. 2d 12, 2001 WL 328562
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedApril 5, 2001
Docket1D97-3046
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 786 So. 2d 12 (Seccia v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Seccia v. State, 786 So. 2d 12, 2001 WL 328562 (Fla. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

786 So.2d 12 (2001)

Richard SECCIA, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.

No. 1D97-3046.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.

April 5, 2001.

Nancy A. Daniels, Public Defender; Carl S. McGinnes, Assistant Public Defender, Tallahassee, for Appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General; Sherri T. Rollison, Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee.

*13 OPINION ON REMAND

WEBSTER, J.

In Seccia v. State, 720 So.2d 580 (Fla. 1st DCA 1998), we held, among other things, that an argument regarding an alleged sentencing guidelines scoresheet error could not be considered on appeal because it had not been preserved, and it did not constitute fundamental error. The supreme court has remanded that scoresheet issue to us for further consideration in light of its decision in Maddox v. State, 760 So.2d 89 (Fla.2000). Seccia v. State, 764 So.2d 573 (Fla.2000).

I.

Appellant was convicted of sexual battery upon a child younger than age 12 and a lewd, lascivious or indecent act upon a child. Both offenses were committed sometime between August 1 and September 12, 1995. The sexual battery conviction is a capital felony. § 794.011(2)(a), Fla. Stat. (1995). It requires a sentence of life imprisonment. § 775.082(1), Fla.Stat. (1995). The sentencing guidelines in effect when appellant committed the offenses expressly state that they do not apply to capital felonies. § 921.001(4)(b)2, Fla.Stat. (Supp.1994). The lewd act conviction is a second-degree felony. § 800.04, Fla.Stat. (1995). The sentencing guidelines do apply to it. § 921.001(4)(b)2, Fla.Stat. (Supp. 1994). Appellant received a concurrent six-year sentence for the lewd act conviction. The sentencing guidelines scoresheet prepared for the lewd act conviction includes 40 victim injury points for sexual penetration attributable to the capital sexual battery of which appellant was convicted.

Appellant argues that it was error to score on the lewd act guidelines scoresheet 40 victim injury points for sexual penetration attributable to the capital sexual battery, rather than 18 points for sexual contact attributable to the lewd act conviction; and that the error resulted in a sentence for the latter offense significantly longer than would have been permitted pursuant to a correct scoresheet. The state responds, first, that no error occurred. It argues, further, that even if error did occur, it was not sufficiently serious to be treated as fundamental pursuant to Maddox because it affects only the sentence for the lewd act conviction, which was ordered to run concurrently with the life sentence for the capital sexual battery conviction. Finally, it contends that, even if there was error that is reviewable pursuant to Maddox, it is harmless because of what is known as the "concurrent sentence doctrine."

II.

Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.703(d)(9) provides, in pertinent part:

(9) "Victim injury" is scored for physical injury or death suffered by a person as a direct result of any offense pending before the court for sentencing.... Sexual penetration points are scored if an offense pending before the court for sentencing involves sexual penetration. Sexual contact points are scored if an offense pending before the court for sentencing involves sexual contact, but no penetration ....
. . . .
Victim injury resultant from one or more capital felonies before the court for sentencing is not to be included upon any scoresheet prepared for non-capital felonies also pending before the court for sentencing. This in no way prohibits the scoring of victim injury as a result from the non-capital felonies before the court for sentencing.

(Emphasis added). However, the above is part of the rule titled "Sentencing Guidelines *14 (1994 as amended)," and applies only to offenses committed on or after October 1, 1995. Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.703(a). Because appellant's offenses were committed before October 1, 1995, the rule does not apply. The parties agree that Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.702(d)(5), which is part of the rule titled "Sentencing Guidelines (1994)," applies in this case. That rule provides, in pertinent part:

(5) "Victim injury" is scored for physical injury or death suffered by a person as a direct result of any offense pending before the court for sentencing. If an offense pending before the court for sentencing involves sexual penetration, victim injury is to be scored. If an offense pending before the court for sentencing involves sexual contact, but no penetration, victim injury shall be scored.
. . .

Notably, this rule, unlike rule 3.703(d)(9), does not contain any provision which prohibits the scoring of victim injury resulting from a capital felony also pending before the court for sentencing. Thus, the question arises whether victim injury resulting from a capital felony pending before the court for sentencing can be scored on the scoresheet under rule 3.702(d)(5). To answer this question, it will be helpful to survey how scoring for "victim injury" has been handled under the various versions of Florida's sentencing guidelines.

When the Florida legislature first adopted the sentencing guidelines in 1984 (see ch. 84-328, Laws of Fla.), the applicable rule provided that "[v]ictim injury shall be scored if it is an element of any offenses at conviction." Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.701(d)(7). The Florida Bar: Amendment to Rules of Criminal Procedure (3.701, 3.988—Sentencing Guidelines), 451 So.2d 824, 826 (Fla.1984). The committee note to this provision states:

(d)(7) This provision implements the intention of the commission that points for victim injury be added only when the defendant is convicted of an offense (scored as either primary or additional offense) which includes physical impact or contact. Victim injury is to be scored for each victim for [sic] whom the defendant is convicted of injuring and is limited to physical trauma.

Id. at 828. Under this definition of "victim injury," Florida courts held that victim injury arising from capital felonies could not be scored because capital felonies were explicitly exempted from the sentencing guidelines, and could not be scored as an offense at conviction. Torres-Arboledo v. State, 524 So.2d 403, 414 (Fla.1988); Smith v. State, 501 So.2d 139 (Fla. 2d DCA 1987). See also § 921.001(4)(a), Fla.Stat. (Supp. 1984).

In 1987, rule 3.701(d)(7) was amended to provide that "[v]ictim injury shall be scored for each victim physically injured during a criminal episode or transaction." Florida Rules of Criminal Procedure re Sentencing Guidelines (Rules 3.701 and 3.988), 509 So.2d 1088, 1089 (Fla.1987). The accompanying committee note explained:

(d)(7) This provision implements the intention of the commission that points for victim injury be added for each victim injured during a criminal transaction or episode. The injury need not be an element of the crime for which the defendant is convicted, but is limited to physical trauma. However, if the victim injury is the result of a crime for which the defendant has been acquitted, it shall not be scored.

Id. at 1089-90. The supreme court appears to have suggested that, under this definition of "victim injury," victim injury points for death arising from the capital felony of murder could be scored on a *15

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786 So. 2d 12, 2001 WL 328562, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/seccia-v-state-fladistctapp-2001.