Filed: Feb. 22, 2016
Latest Update: Mar. 02, 2020
Summary: IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA FIFTH DISTRICT NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE MOTION FOR REHEARING AND DISPOSITION THEREOF IF FILED NICHOL PHELPS, Appellant/Cross-Appellee, v. Case No. 5D14-2128 STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellee/Cross-Appellant. _/ Opinion filed February 26, 2016 Appeal from the Circuit Court for Orange County, Michael Murphy, Judge. James S. Purdy, Public Defender, and David S. Morgan and Nancy Ryan, Assistant Public Defenders, Daytona Beach, for Appellan
Summary: IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA FIFTH DISTRICT NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE MOTION FOR REHEARING AND DISPOSITION THEREOF IF FILED NICHOL PHELPS, Appellant/Cross-Appellee, v. Case No. 5D14-2128 STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellee/Cross-Appellant. _/ Opinion filed February 26, 2016 Appeal from the Circuit Court for Orange County, Michael Murphy, Judge. James S. Purdy, Public Defender, and David S. Morgan and Nancy Ryan, Assistant Public Defenders, Daytona Beach, for Appellant..
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IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF FLORIDA
FIFTH DISTRICT
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO
FILE MOTION FOR REHEARING AND
DISPOSITION THEREOF IF FILED
NICHOL PHELPS,
Appellant/Cross-Appellee,
v. Case No. 5D14-2128
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellee/Cross-Appellant.
________________________________/
Opinion filed February 26, 2016
Appeal from the Circuit Court
for Orange County,
Michael Murphy, Judge.
James S. Purdy, Public Defender, and
David S. Morgan and Nancy Ryan,
Assistant Public Defenders, Daytona
Beach, for Appellant/Cross-Appellee.
Pamela Jo Bondi, Attorney General,
Tallahassee, and Andrea K. Totten,
Assistant Attorney General, Daytona
Beach, for Appellee/Cross-Appellant.
PALMER J.
Nichol Marie Phelps (defendant) timely appeals her convictions and sentences,
challenging the trial court's denial of her motion to interview an alternate
juror. Determining that the motion raised sufficient allegations to require a juror interview,
we reverse that ruling. The State cross-appeals, challenging the defendant's downward
departure sentences. Because the State failed to preserve this issue for appeal, we affirm
the sentences without further discussion. See State v. Hamner, 816 So. 2d 810, 812 (Fla.
5th DCA 2002) (“Because the state failed to timely object to the departure sentence after
it was imposed, or to the absence of reasons for its imposition, this sentencing issue was
not preserved for appeal.”).
At trial, the court ordered the jury not to deliberate before the close of evidence.
After the jury entered its verdict, the defendant filed a motion seeking to interview an
alternate juror.1 She referenced an affidavit from her mother, Ms. Horn, which asserted,
in part:
I had a conversation with the male alternate juror after he was
excused from the jury. During that conversation, this juror
indicated that the jurors had discussed the case during the
trial even though they had been instructed not to by the Judge.
He also stated that several jurors indicated that they wanted
to hear [the defendant] testify and further that some of these
jurors made statements to the affect [sic] that they could not
understand why the defendant would not testify if she was not
guilty.
The trial court granted a hearing on the motion. During the hearing, Ms. Horn testified
that an alternate juror had approached her and stated:
I'm not going to tell you that we didn't talk during lunches and
breaks; you know we did.
1
See Fla. R. Crim. P. 3.575 (“A party who has reason to believe that the verdict
may be subject to legal challenge may move the court for an order permitting an interview
of a juror or jurors to so determine. The motion shall be filed within 10 days after the
rendition of the verdict, unless good cause is shown for the failure to make the motion
within that time. The motion shall state the name of any juror to be interviewed and the
reasons that the party has to believe that the verdict may be subject to challenge. After
notice and hearing, the trial judge, upon a finding that the verdict may be subject to
challenge, shall enter an order permitting the interview, and setting therein a time and a
place for the interview of the juror or jurors, which shall be conducted in the presence of
the court and the parties. If no reason is found to believe that the verdict may be subject
to challenge, the court shall enter its order denying permission to interview.”).
2
Further, Ms. Horn stated that the alternate juror told her that
[the defendant is] going to have a hard time convincing a
couple of the jurors that she's not guilty. They stated that – he
– he [sic] stated that they said they wanted to hear her
testimony, and why wouldn't a person who's not guilty testify
for themselves.
Denying the motion, the trial court ruled:
[N]either the allegation in the affidavit nor the statement made
in the hearing indicate that jurors had discussed the case and
formed an opinion as to guilt before the close of evidence. Had
the statement been, for example, that two of the jurors
indicated they were going to find the Defendant guilty if she
did not testify, then that statement would have been sufficient
to require a juror interview of at least the alternate.
The defendant challenges this ruling, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion in
denying her motion. We agree.
“A trial court's decision on a motion to interview jurors is reviewed under an abuse
of discretion standard.” Gray v. State, 72 So. 3d 336, 337 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011) (internal
quotation marks omitted). “ '[A] claim of premature deliberations may be asserted
following an adverse jury verdict' . . . because '[t]he timing of deliberations does not inhere
in the verdict.' Accordingly, the issue of whether deliberations were undertaken
prematurely is an appropriate subject of judicial inquiry.' ”
Id. at 337 (quoting Williams v.
State,
793 So. 2d 1104, 1106 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001)).
In Gray, the Fourth District held that the trial court abused its discretion in denying
the defendant’s motion to interview jurors where the following had occurred:
According to the allegations of the [defendant’s] motion, after
the jury retired to deliberate, the alternate juror spoke to
defense counsel as he was walking to the elevator. The
alternate juror, who had been released, explained that several
jurors felt “extremely” strongly that the defendant was guilty.
3
One juror said [to] the alternate juror, “[W]hat was the
defendant doing walking with a gun at one o'clock in the
morning?” The alternate juror mentioned that other jurors felt
there was no physical evidence to convict and that several
jurors had strong personalities.
....
The defendant's allegations suggested that multiple jurors
were improperly discussing the case during trial and were
expressing opinions as to the defendant's guilt before the
close of the evidence. This was not merely an allegation of a
lone juror attempting to discuss the case prematurely, as
occurred in Reaves [v. State, 826 So. 2d 932, 943 (Fla.
2002)]. Rather, the facts alleged in the defendant's motion, if
true, would constitute an agreement among multiple jurors to
disregard their oaths and deliberate prematurely.
Id. at 337-38.
Similarly, in Ramirez v. State, the First District held that the trial court abused its
discretion in denying a motion to interview jurors where the alternate juror told a bailiff
“words to the effect that the jury was split as to the defendant's guilt until after they heard
his testimony.” 922 So. 2d 386, 387-88 (Fla. 1st DCA 2006).
Additionally, in Williams v. State, 793 So. 2d 1104 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001), the First
District held that the defendant had set forth a prima facie case entitling him to interview
the jurors based upon the following facts:
[On] day 2 of the trial of Eduardo Williams there were two
jurors freely talking about the case. They had already found
him guilty of the offense. They said it was a waste of time and
money. And it was an act. They did not follow the judge's
directions.
....
[Two women jurors] discussed the case after being sworn by
the judge. When Mr. Williams was first seen by the jury he
was unshaven and rough looking. After he was shaven, the
two women [jurors] said he, Mr. Williams, is just trying to look
innocent.
....
4
The two women did not want to be on the jury and stated that
the trial was a waste of time and money. This was said before
the state ever finished putting on their case. The atmosphere
of the jury was that Mr. Williams was guilty before the defense
ever put on their case.
Id. at 1105-06.
Here, the alternate juror allegedly stated to Ms. Horn that he was "not going to tell
[her] that we didn't talk during lunches and breaks; you know we did", and "that [the
defendant was] going to have a hard time convincing a couple of the jurors that she's not
guilty.” These facts demonstrate that, as in Gray, Ramirez, and Williams, at least two
jurors allegedly talked about the defendant's case before the case was submitted to the
jury, in violation of the trial court’s instruction, and at least two jurors were allegedly
disposed to find the defendant guilty, even before the jury deliberated. Accordingly, the
trial court abused its discretion in denying the defendant’s motion to interview the
alternate juror; therefore, we reverse that ruling and remand for reconsideration of the
defendant's motion.
AFFIRMED in part; REVERSED in part; and REMANDED.
LAWSON, C.J. and BERGER, JJ., concur.
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