Case Name: James PAYTON, Appellant, v. The STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1967-06-13
Citations: 200 So. 2d 255
Docket Number: No. 66-813
Parties: James PAYTON, Appellant, v. The STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: Before CHARLES CARROLL, BARK-DULL and SWANN, JJ.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 200
Pages: 255–256

Head Matter:
James PAYTON, Appellant, v. The STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 66-813.
District Court of Appeal of Florida. Third District.
June 13, 1967.
Rehearing Denied July 19, 1967.
Robert L. Koeppel, Public Defender, and Ronald Gomez, Sp. Asst. Public Defender, for appellant.
Earl Faircloth, Atty. Gen. and Herbert P. Benn and Gus Efthimiou, Asst. Attys. Gen., for appellee.
Before CHARLES CARROLL, BARK-DULL and SWANN, JJ.

Opinion:
PER CURIAM.
The defendant was indicted for second degree murder and appeals from an adjudication of guilt and sentence of five years for the crime of manslaughter.
He contends on appeal that reversible error was committed by the court's denial of his motions for directed verdict and not finding as a matter of law that the death for which he was charged was justifiable as self-defense.
The record reflects that both parties were migrant farm workers; that they had had an altercation on a bus and were separated; that after departing from the bus the decedent struck the defendant with a bottle; that the decedent was stabbed six times with a regular pocket knife by the defendant; and that one of the stab wounds, in the heart, caused his death. There was evidence that there were two episodes of fighting and that both parties stated that they would kill each other. There was also evidence that both parties had been drinking and that the decedent had a blood alcohol content of .160.
The question of self-defense is ordinarily one of fact to be determined by the trier of facts. Scholl v. State, 94 Fla. 1138, 115 So. 43 (1927). We find from an examination of the record that there was sufficient evidence presented to withstand a motion for directed verdict. See Holland v. State, 129 Fla. 363, 176 So. 169 (1937) ; 32 Fla.Jur. Trial, § 100.
The judgment appealed herein is therefore
Affirmed.
BARKDULL, Judge, dissents.