Case Name: Nekeisha ALEXANDER, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2005-09-08
Citations: 911 So. 2d 182
Docket Number: No. 1D04-3538
Parties: Nekeisha ALEXANDER, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
Judges: WOLF and BENTON, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 911
Pages: 182–183

Head Matter:
Nekeisha ALEXANDER, Appellant, v. STATE of Florida, Appellee.
No. 1D04-3538.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, First District.
Sept. 8, 2005.
James C. Banks, Tallahassee, for Appellant.
Charlie Crist, Attorney General, and Alan R. Dakan, Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee.

Opinion:
ALLEN, J.
The appellant was convicted of an aggravated battery and a simple battery, based on her involvement in two incidents when her husband was in a fight with another man. As to the aggravated battery, the appellant asserted that she became involved in that incident in order to protect her husband from being attacked by the other man. There was evidence at trial which could support this assertion, and the appellant requested a jury instruction as to the justifiable use of force in defense of another. This was a necessary instruction for the jury's proper consideration of the issues in the case, and the trial court abused its discretion in declining to give the requested instruction. Langston v. State, 789 So.2d 1024 (Fla. 1st DCA 2001); see also, e.g., Beachy v. State, 837 So.2d 1152 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003).
Because the requested instruction did not impact the simple battery, that conviction is affirmed. However, the aggravated battery conviction is reversed, and the case is remanded.
WOLF and BENTON, JJ., concur.