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339 So. 2d 172

Docket No. 48091.

King v. State

William James KING, Petitioner, v. STATE of Florida, Respondent.

Supreme Court of Florida

Decided October 7, 1976.

Supreme Court of Florida · decided 1976-10-07

Key passage — most relied on by later courts

“If a crime is itself an attempt to do an act or accomplish a result, there can be no attempt to commit that crime.”

quoted by 3 later decisions, including Longval v. State, 359 So. 2d 923 - Milazzo v. State

“uttering is proved as fully by an attempt to negotiate a forged instrument as it is proved by a completed negotiation.”

quoted by 1 later decision, including Longval v. State

Relies on Harrell v. State · King v. State · 90 So. 2d 123 - Hazen v. Mayo

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1976-10-07

How this case has been cited

Cited by 18 later decisions — most recently August 2017

18 state decisions

8019761980199020002010decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

View the full empirical analysis of this case →

¶1Richard W. Ervin, III, Public Defender, for petitioner.

¶2Robert L. Shevin, Atty. Gen., and Raymond L. Marky, Asst. Atty. Gen., for respondent.

¶3PER CURIAM.

¶4We have granted certiorari without oral argument in this case because of conflict between the opinion of the District Court of Appeal, First District, reported at 317 So.2d 852, and Edwards v. State, 223 So.2d 746 (Fla.3d DCA 1969). We have jurisdiction under Article V, Section 3(b)(3), Florida Constitution.

¶5After examining the briefs submitted by the parties to this cause, we conclude that there is a conflict in decision. Upon review of the authorities and reasoning relied on by the First and Third District Courts of Appeal in reaching the inconsistent results demonstrated by the two opinions, we are persuaded to the conclusion reached by the First District Court of Appeal. Accordingly, we adopt in its entirety the relevant portion of the opinion filed by the District Court of Appeal, First District:

"BOYER, Chief Judge.
"We here consider the issue of whether there exists under Florida law the offense of attempted uttering of a forged instrument. Appellant, defendant below, was charged with and convicted of uttering a forged instrument as defined by F.S. 831.02. He argued unsuccessfully in the court below that the jury should be instructed as to a lesser included offense of attempted uttering, pursuant to Rule 3.510, RCrP.
"Appellant realizes that in order for the trial judge to instruct the jury on the attempt, he must establish that attempted uttering is an offense cognizable under Florida law. In support of this proposition, appellant relies on Edwards v. State, Fla.App.3rd 1969, 223 So.2d 746. For reasons expressed below, we refuse to follow the reasoning of the Third District as revealed in the Edwards case. As recognized by the Third District in its decision, ` an uttering is proved as fully by an attempt to negotiate a forged instrument as it is proved by a completed negotiation. Harrell v. State, 79 Fla. 220, 83 So. 922 (1920); Hazen v. Mayo, 90 So.2d 123 (Sup.Ct.Fla. 1956).' Nevertheless, the Third District held that merely because attempted uttering is not a separate crime from the offense of uttering itself, attempted uttering may be considered a separate offense for the purposes of F.S. 919.16.[1] Logic dictates to us a different conclusion. If a crime is itself an attempt to do an act or accomplish a result, there can be no attempt to commit that crime. (22 C.J.S. `Criminal Law' § 74) We, therefore, hold that there is no offense nor crime under Florida law of attempt to utter a forged instrument. Accordingly, the trial court was correct in refusing to give the standard jury instruction *173 on attempt as requested by the appellant.
"[1.] The language in F.S. 919.16 is virtually identical to the language contained in Rule 3.510, RCrP."
*
"Affirmed.

¶6"RAWLS and McCORD, JJ., concur."

¶7It is so ordered.

¶8OVERTON, C.J., and ROBERTS, ADKINS, BOYD, ENGLAND, SUNDBERG and HATCHETT, JJ., concur.

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