Source: http://openjurist.org/666/f2d/966
Timestamp: 2015-05-05 01:14:12
Document Index: 287305394

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 782', '§ 2254', '§ 782', '§ 782', '§ 782', '§ 782']

666 F2d 966 Cobb v. L Wainwright | OpenJurist
666 F. 2d 966 - Cobb v. L Wainwright	Home666 f2d 966 cobb v. l wainwright
666 F2d 966 Cobb v. L Wainwright 666 F.2d 966
William D. COBB, Petitioner-Appellant,v.Louie L. WAINWRIGHT, Secretary, Department of OffenderRehabilitation, Respondent-Appellee.
No. 80-5488.
Unit B*Feb. 4, 1982.
Warner S. Olds, Channing F. Brackey, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for petitioner-appellant.
Robert L. Bogen, Asst. Atty. Gen., West Palm Beach, Fla., for respondent-appellee.
Before GODBOLD, Chief Judge, KRAVITCH, Circuit Judge, and THOMAS**, District Judge.
It is ordered that the petition for rehearing filed by the petitioner is DENIED. However, because of an inadvertent error in quoting a statute, we withdraw our original opinion 656 F.2d 982 (5th Cir.), and substitute the following in its place:
Appellant William D. Cobb was convicted by a jury in Florida District Court of unnecessarily killing to prevent an unlawful act in violation of Fla.Stat. § 782.11 (1975) and was sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment. After exhausting state court remedies, he petitioned the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida for habeas corpus relief pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254, alleging that he was denied due process because Fla.Stat. § 782.11 (1975) is unconstitutionally vague and because the prosecution's evidence was insufficient to prove that the killing was unnecessary.1 The District Court denied the appellant's petition. We affirm.
On June 16, 1976, Cobb, then a police officer, received a report that two trespassers had entered a pasture in Parkland, Florida, known to contain hallucinogenic mushrooms. Cobb drove to the pasture, accompanied by a Parkland resident, and entered it with the intention of arresting the trespassers. The resident remained in the car and was unable to see the ensuing events.
Cobb's testimony and other evidence introduced at trial2 indicate that shortly after entering the pasture he came upon Donald Eldridge, whom he attempted to arrest. Eldridge willingly permitted Cobb to handcuff his left wrist, but before Cobb could secure the right one, Cobb was jumped from behind and knocked to the ground by the second trespasser, Roger Daugherty. After getting to his feet and while maintaining his hold of Eldridge, Cobb observed Daugherty once again approaching and pulled his revolver. When Daugherty failed to respond to an order to stop and a warning shot, Cobb fired twice at Daugherty, mortally wounding him. Eldridge and Cobb then began to scuffle, during which time Eldridge grabbed Cobb's gun. Cobb managed to wrest the gun from Eldridge's grasp and purposely shot Eldridge. The medical examiner found that two bullets entered the back of Eldridge's head, followed a 35o downward path, and exited the right frontal bone, immediately killing him. The bullets also passed through a straw hat that remained on the victim's head despite the scuffle. At the time of the shootings, Cobb was aware that both victims were unarmed. The jury found Cobb guilty of unnecessarily killing Eldridge in violation of Fla.Stat. § 782.11 (1975), but acquitted him of unnecessarily killing Daugherty.3
Petitioner first claims that Fla.Stat. § 782.11 (1975), Unnecessary Killing to Prevent An Unlawful Act, is unconstitutionally vague. Fla.Stat. § 782.11 (1975) provides that:
Whoever shall unnecessarily kill another, either while resisting an attempt by such other person to commit any felony, or to do any other unlawful act, or after such attempt shall have failed, shall be deemed guilty of manslaughter, a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s.775.082, s.775.083, or s.775.084.
The essence of petitioner's vagueness claim is that the phrase "unnecessaril