Rogers v. State
Rogers v. State
Opinion of the Court
Ronnie Rogers (Appellant) appeals the summary denial of his Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850 motion for post-conviction relief. Concluding that Ground One of the motion states a facially sufficient claim that is not conclusively refuted by the trial court’s attachments from the record, we reverse the order as to that claim and remand either for an evidentiary hearing or for proper attachments. Fla. R.Crim.P. 3.850(d). We affirm the denial of Appellant’s remaining “ineffective assistance” claims.
The State charged Appellant with one count of attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer. He was found guilty of aggravated battery of the officer. Absent an evidentiary hearing, Appellant’s factual allegations in the motion that are not conclusively refuted by the attachments from the record must be taken as true. Freeman v. State, 761 So.2d 1055, 1061 (Fla. 2000). Ground One alleged that defense counsel was ineffective for failing to move for dismissal of the charge upon learning that the State and/or
Correctly concluding that Ground One states a facially sufficient claim, the trial court issued a show-cause order. In its response, the State acknowledged that a key factor in the defense theory was governmental destruction of possible evidence. However, the State described the allegation that Appellant’s fingerprints would be on the gun butt if the State’s charge was true as “without scientific basis” and “merely speculative.”
In its order, the lower court denied this claim on the ground that defense counsel had moved for a judgment of acquittal “after the close of the State’s evidence citing to all of the arguments set forth by the Defendant.” The attachments demonstrate that trial counsel moved for acquittal by challenging the sufficiency of the evidence relating to premeditation. The attachments do not conclusively refute the allegation of ineffective assistance of counsel.
In accordance with the fundamental fairness to which a criminal defendant is entitled under the Due Process Clause, Appellant “is entitled to access to relevant and material evidence which is necessary for him to prepare his defense.” United States v. Herndon, 536 F.2d 1027, 1029 (5th Cir. 1976). Whether Appellant was denied the right of due process “will depend upon the materiality of the evidence, the likelihood of mistaken interpretation of it by governmental witnesses or the jury, and the reasons for its nonavailability to the defense.” Id.
The presence or absence of Appellant’s fingerprints on the gun, the butt or handle of which he was alleged to have grabbed, could have been a key factor in determining whether or not Appellant ever touched the weapon. The motion alleged that possible exculpatory evidence was concealed and then destroyed as a result of government misconduct in the handling of the gun after its removal from the crime scene and before the defense could examine it. Further, the motion alleged that without the concealment and mishandling of the gun, the material evidence could have shed light on the defense theory.
Relying on the due process guarantees set forth in article I, section 9, of the Florida Constitution, the Supreme Court of Florida has stated “that governmental misconduct which violates the constitution
We REVERSE the order as to Ground One, AFFIRM as to the other claims, and REMAND for an evidentiary hearing or for attachments that conclusively refute the allegations.
. Although Appellant's motion characterized the government misconduct as a violation of the type contemplated in Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963), "Brady requires that the defendant not be aware of the withheld evidence before or during trial.” Smith v. State, 445 So.2d 323, 326 (Fla. 1983). In the case at bar, the defense knew the gun had been washed after being removed from the crime scene.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.