McKenzie v. State
McKenzie v. State
Opinion of the Court
Appellant appeals from his conviction, after jury trial, of the crime of rape and
Appellant’s chief defense was that he was insane at the time of the offense. When appellant sought to present Dr. Meadows as his first witness, the state, relying on Cirack v. State,
The court did allow a Dr. Ron Knaus to testify, however, and his opinion was that appellant could not distinguish right from wrong at the time of the offense. Two other psychiatrists testified for the state. They agreed that appellant suffered from schizophrenia but was able to distinguish between right and wrong at the time of the offense. So without Dr. Meadows, appellant was on the short end of a two on one situation; obviously to his prejudice.
The state relies here, as it did below, on Cirack v. State, supra. In that case a psychiatrist’s opinion that the defendant was insane at the time of the offense, which opinion was based upon his assumption that the defendant was truthful when he told the doctor that he had been drinking for three days while eating only snacks, was excluded. In its ruling, the trial court in that case said that the doctor’s opinion must be based upon his tests, examinations, and observations, and “not on the factual matters stated by the defendant to you, which are not in evidence and which you assumed to be true.” In affirming, the Supreme Court held that under the circumstances the ruling was correct since the opinion was based on the unsupported factual assumption that the' defendant actually consumed the alleged quantities of alcohol.
But here, Dr. Meadows stated that his opinion was not dependent upon the truth or falsity of the account given by the defendant. His evaluation was based on the actions, demeanor and manner of recollection of the appellant. This alone materially distinguishes this case from Cirack, supra; so it is unnecessary to consider the continued viability of Cirack in light of Jones v. State
In view of the necessity for a new trial we need not consider appellant’s other point on appeal. However, alluding thereto, we do note that once hearsay evidence is admitted without objection there does not appear to be any reason why it cannot be considered as part of a hypothetical question propounded to an expert witness.
In view whereof, the judgment and sentence appealed from is reversed and the appellant is awarded a new trial.
Reversed.
. (Fla. 1967), 201 So.2d 706.
. (Fla. 1974), 289 So.2d 725.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.