Title: Finney v. State

State: florida

Issuer: Florida Supreme Court

Document:

Supreme Court of Florida 
 
 
____________ 
 
No. SC18-1495 
____________ 
 
CHARLES WILLIAM FINNEY, 
Appellant, 
 
vs. 
 
STATE OF FLORIDA, 
Appellee. 
 
December 28, 2018 
 
PER CURIAM. 
We have for review Charles William Finney’s appeal of the postconviction 
court’s order denying Finney’s motion filed pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal 
Procedure 3.851.  This Court has jurisdiction.  See art. V, § 3(b)(1), Fla. Const.   
Finney’s motion sought relief pursuant to the United States Supreme Court’s 
decision in Hurst v. Florida, 136 S. Ct. 616 (2016), and our decision on remand in 
Hurst v. State (Hurst), 202 So. 3d 40 (Fla. 2016), cert. denied, 137 S. Ct. 2161 
(2017).  Finney responded to this Court’s order to show cause arguing why 
Hitchcock v. State, 226 So. 3d 216 (Fla.), cert. denied, 138 S. Ct. 513 (2017), and 
 
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Finney v. State, 235 So. 3d 279 (Fla.), cert. denied, 139 S. Ct. 197 (2018), should 
not be dispositive in this case.   
After reviewing Finney’s response to the order to show cause, as well as the 
State’s arguments in reply, we conclude that our prior denial of Finney’s 
postconviction appeal raising similar claims is a procedural bar to the claim at 
issue in this appeal, which in any event, does not entitle him to Hurst relief.  See 
Finney, 235 So. 3d at 279-80; Hitchcock, 226 So. 3d at 217; see also Foster v. 
State, No. SC18-860, 2018 WL 6379348, at *2-4 (Fla. Dec. 6, 2018) (explaining 
why the “elements of ‘capital first-degree murder’ ” argument derived from Hurst 
and the legislation implementing Hurst “has no merit”).  Accordingly, we affirm 
the denial of Finney’s motion.  
It is so ordered. 
LEWIS, POLSTON, LABARGA, and LAWSON, JJ., concur. 
CANADY, C.J., and PARIENTE, J., concur in result. 
QUINCE, J., recused. 
 
NO MOTION FOR REHEARING WILL BE ALLOWED. 
 
An Appeal from the Circuit Court in and for Hillsborough County,  
Michelle Sisco, Judge - Case No. 291991CF001611000AHC 
 
Neal Dupree, Capital Collateral Regional Counsel, Suzanne Keffer, Chief 
Assistant Capital Collateral Regional Counsel, and Scott Gavin, Staff Attorney, 
Southern Region, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 
 
 
for Appellant 
 
 
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Pamela Jo Bondi, Attorney General, Tallahassee, Florida, and Christina Z. 
Pacheco, Assistant Attorney General, Tampa, Florida, 
 
 
for Appellee