Zolache v. State
| Decision Date | 22 January 1997 |
| Docket Number | No. 95-3689,95-3689 |
| Citation | 687 So.2d 298 |
| Parties | 22 Fla. L. Weekly D254 Catalino ZOLACHE, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee. |
| Court | Florida District Court of Appeals |
Richard L. Jorandby, Public Defender, and Tatjana Ostapoff, Assistant Public Defender, West Palm Beach, for appellant.
Robert A. Butterworth, Attorney General, Tallahassee, and Sharon A. Wood and Joan L. Greenberg, Assistant Attorneys General, West Palm Beach, for appellee.
Following a jury trial, Appellant, Catalino Zolache, was convicted of attempted first degree murder (Count I) and attempted second degree murder (Count II). On appeal, this Court affirmed Appellant's convictions, rejecting his argument that the court erred when it denied his motion for new trial. However, this Court remanded this cause for resentencing pursuant to a corrected guidelines scoresheet, since his conviction for attempted second degree murder was erroneously scored as a life felony instead of a first degree felony. Appellant's motion for rehearing was denied specifically without prejudice for him to present new evidence on his motion for new trial to the trial Court. Zolache v. State, 657 So.2d 25 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995).
At the time of the scheduled resentencing hearing, Appellant filed a notice of substitution of new counsel for his original trial counsel. The trial judge refused to allow the substitution of counsel and proceeded with the resentencing hearing with Appellant being represented by his original trial counsel.
At the conclusion of the resentencing hearing, the trial court entered an order vacating Appellant's original sentence and resentencing him to serve the same consecutive terms of twenty-seven years in prison on Count I and twenty-five years in prison on Count II as had been previously imposed, with consecutive three year mandatory minimum terms for the use of a firearm. The sentencing guidelines scoresheet was corrected as ordered by this Court, so that the permitted sentencing range was twelve to twenty-seven years in prison. The stated reason for departure was that the second shooting (Count II) was done to eliminate an eyewitness even though Appellant had been convicted of only attempted second degree murder on that count. The trial judge relied on his previously rendered order justifying the departure from the guidelines sentence. Appellant then brought this appeal, contending that the trial court erred in denying his request to substitute counsel and in departing from the sentencing guidelines as it applied to Count II.
As to the first point on appeal we find that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in denying the defense request for a substitution of counsel. Weems v. State, 645 So.2d 1098 (Fla. 4th DCA 1994); rev. denied, 654 So.2d 920 (Fla.1995); McKay v. State, 504 So.2d 1280 (Fla. 1st DCA 1986).
As to the second point on appeal we agree that the trial court erred in departing from the sentencing guidelines as they applied to Count II. The reason given by the trial court for its departure was that the offense was committed to eliminate a witness. This reason does not, however, support the departure in the instant case. In order to substantiate an aggravation of the sentence, the State must establish...
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State v. Sigler
...the issue in Sigler I and concluded that such a conviction was proper. Sigler, however, countered that pursuant to Zolache v. State, 687 So.2d 298, 299 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997), appellate courts have the power to correct significant mistakes in spite of the law of the case doctrine. See Sigler I......
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Brumit v. State
...injustice" doctrine should overcome the law of the case presented by this court's prior opinion in her direct appeal, Zolache v. State, 687 So.2d 298 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997); Line v. State, 722 So.2d 853 (Fla. 4th DCA 1998); Sigler v. State, 881 So.2d 14 (Fla. 4th DCA 2004), aff'd, 967 So.2d 83......
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Sigler v. State
...that appellate courts have the power to correct significant mistakes in spite of the law of the case doctrine. Zolache v. State, 687 So.2d 298, 299 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997) (appellate court has power to reconsider and correct erroneous rulings, in spite of the fact that such rulings have become ......
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Wilson v. State, 5D99-2318.
...on the previous decision would result in manifest injustice. State v. Owen, 696 So.2d 715 (Fla.1997); see also Zolache v. State, 687 So.2d 298 (Fla. 4th DCA 1997) (appellate court has power to reconsider and correct rulings which have become law of the case, where reliance on previous decis......