Case Name: Brandon X. STARLING, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2014-12-23
Citations: 152 So. 3d 868
Docket Number: No. 1D13-3900
Parties: Brandon X. STARLING, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: WOLF, ROWE, and OSTERHAUS, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Third Series
Volume: 152
Pages: 868–869

Head Matter:
Brandon X. STARLING, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 1D13-3900.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
Dec. 23, 2014.
Jeffrey E. Lewis, General Counsel, and Melissa Joy Ford, Assistant Regional Conflict Counsel, Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Tallahassee, for Appellant.
Pamela Jo Bondi, Attorney General, and Kristen Lynn Bonjour, Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
Branden Starling appeals his conviction for robbery with a weapon on the basis of a'legally inconsistent guilty verdict. We agree and conclude that his conviction must be reduced to simple robbery.
There is little question that the jury's verdict in this case was inconsistent on its face. The jury found Appellant guilty of robbery with a firearm, but made a separate finding that Appellant did not "actually possess a firearm" during the commission of the offense. Recognizing the verdict's inconsistency, the trial court reduced Appellant's conviction to the lesser included offense of robbery with a weapon. This inclination to reduce the offense was correct. The problem is, however, that the only weapon referenced in the record as being involved in the crime was the firearm allegedly wielded by Appellant, which the jury affirmatively concluded Appellant did not possess. We cannot reconcile Appellant's reduced conviction for robbery with a weapon with the jury's specific finding that he did not possess the only weapon referenced in the record.
Circumstances like this one raise a "true" inconsistent verdict which may not be excused under the general rule permitting inconsistent verdicts. See Gerald v. State, 132 So.3d 891 (Fla. 1st DCA 2014); Nettles v. State, 112 So.3d 782 (Fla. 1st DCA 2013). Thus, we remand this case to the trial court to reduce Appellant's conviction from robbery with a weapon to simple robbery and for resentencing.
REVERSED and REMANDED.
WOLF, ROWE, and OSTERHAUS, JJ., concur.