State v. Duque

472 So. 2d 758, 10 Fla. L. Weekly 1316, 1985 Fla. App. LEXIS 14946
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedMay 22, 1985
DocketNo. 84-1490
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 472 So. 2d 758 (State v. Duque) 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
State v. Duque, 472 So. 2d 758, 10 Fla. L. Weekly 1316, 1985 Fla. App. LEXIS 14946 (Fla. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

CAMPBELL, Judge.

Appellant, the State of Florida, appeals the trial court’s order granting the motion to dismiss filed by appellee, Excilia Duque, pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.190(c)(4). The information dismissed by the trial court charged appellee with solicitation to commit the murder of her former husband, Louis Angel Duque, in violation of section 777.04(2), Florida Statutes (1982). We reverse.

Louis Angel Duque was murdered on September 9, 1982. Tammy Ann Duque, the daughter of appellee and appellee’s deceased former husband, and Stanley Smith, were both indicted for murder in the first degree in regard to the death of Mr. Du-que. Subsequently, Smith agreed to become a witness for the state.

In support of her motion to dismiss, ap-pellee attached a statement of facts as an “Exhibit ‘A’ ” to the motion. Appellant did not traverse, but relied on the same statement of facts to support its prima facie case.

Those portions of Exhibit “A” essential to our determination are set forth as follows:

EXHIBIT “A”
The facts upon which this motion is based have been taken from various sources. The key witnesses for the State are Stanley Smith, Anthony Huffman and Sandra Fields. They have all testified at deposition and at the trial of Tammy Ann Duque. The facts as established are as follows:
5. Stanley Smith first met Tammy Duque and Excilia Duque during the summer of 1982, when he and Anthony Huffman went to the Duque residence to [760]*760work upon an automobile owned by the Duque family.
6. Thereafter, Smith and Huffman visited the Duque residence regularly, both to work on the Duque cars and as friends.
7. A romantic relationship evolved between Huffman and Tammy Duque.
8. What has been described as a flirtatious relationship developed between Smith and Excilia Duque. However, these individuals never dated nor had any type of sexual relationship.
9. As the friendship developed among them, both Tammy Duque and the Defendant, Excilia Duque, began telling Smith and Huffman about the relationship that the family had with the deceased, Louis Angel Duque.
10. Louis Angel Duque was the ex-husband of Excilia Duque and the father of Tammy Ann Duque.
11. Both women, at various times, told Smith and Huffman of the deceased’s serious alcohol abuse problem. They also told of beatings that the deceased had inflicted upon all members of the family. Both women told Smith and Huffman about how the deceased had almost raped Tammy Duque on one occasion because he thought that she was Excilia. This last statement seemed to particularly upset Huffman.
12. There were statements made between Smith, Huffman, Tammy Duque and Excilia Duque regarding how the family would be better off if Louis Du-que were dead.
13. Both women stated that if Louis Duque were dead, the Duque family would be the beneficiary of a large insurance policy. With the proceeds, the house could be fixed up and things would be better for Tammy, Excilia, and the young sons.
14. Excilia Duque personally made these statements on repeated occasions to both Smith and Huffman.
15. On May 29, 1982, Louis Duque unkowingly [sic] signed a deed relinquishing to Excilia all of his right, title and interest in the residence and real property upon which Excilia, her sons and Tammy were living.
16.Tammy and Excilia Duque had devised a plan by which they would “trick” the deceased into unknowingly signing this quit-claim [sic] deed.
23. In mid August, 1982, Tammy and Excilia Duque returned to Stewart Title Company with an acknowledgment that they hoped would cure any defect in the preparation of the quit-claim [sic] deed. However, Excilia Duque was again informed that the acknowledgment was insufficient to properly record the deed. Excilia Duque left the documents there and insisited [sic] that they be filed.
24. On September 2, 1982, Louis Du-que had his attorney send Excilia a letter advising her that Mr. Duque was planning to move a trailer onto the rear of said property and that he would be living in the trailer.
25. Upon receiving this letter, Excilia borrowed a car from Smith, traveling to the title company. Once at the title company, Excilia angrily accused the title company of failing to properly do the work that they had promised to do, getting very angry with the employees there.
26. She phoned the title company early the following week of September 6, 1982, and told them she wanted the documents filed by Friday, September 10, 1982, (before the weekend) or somebody was going to burn.
27. Louis Duque was murdered September 9, 1982. The documents were recorded by the title company on September 10, 1982, the day on which his body was found.
28. In the latter part of August, 1982, Sandra G. Fields was the Duque’s next door neighbor. She lived there with George Duque, the brother of the deceased.
29. During that time, Sandra Fields visited Excilia Duque. There were other persons in the room during that visit, [761]*761notably Stanley Smith, Tammy Dnque and the youngest child.
30. The discussion turned to Mr. Du-que, concerning two matters.
33. The second item of discussion pertained to Mr. Duque’s attempt to move the trailer back onto the real estate.
34. According to Sandra Fields’ testimony, she advised Excilia that Louis Du-que could do that because Louis and Ex-cilia owned the property jointly.
35. Fields further testified that Exci-lia said that she would live to see him dead; that she may not do it, but she knew someone who would do it and it wouldn’t cost her a penny.
36. Thereafter, Tammy, Smith, and Huffman began planning Duque’s death.
37. In early September, on or about the Wednesday after Labor Day, Smith came to the Duque household and was met at the door. She1 said, “I want the sucker dead by the weekend.” They briefly discussed the murder in the house and then left, going to Huffman’s house to pick him up.
38. While Tammy and Smith were discussing the matter at the Duque’s house, Excilia was sitting watching television. According to Smith’s testimony, the television was on rather loudly, and he and Tammy, while not whispering, were speaking softly.

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172 So. 3d 893 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2015)
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645 So. 2d 438 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1994)
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498 So. 2d 1334 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
472 So. 2d 758, 10 Fla. L. Weekly 1316, 1985 Fla. App. LEXIS 14946, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-duque-fladistctapp-1985.