Opinion ID: 2489306
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Interplay between Faison and Section 787.01(1)(a)2., Florida Statutes

Text: In Florida, the crime of kidnapping requires a specific intent on the part of the defendant. See Crain v. State, 894 So.2d 59, 69 (Fla.2004); Sochor v. State, 619 So.2d 285, 290 (Fla.1993). Section 787.01(1), Florida Statutes (2006), codifies this offense and sets forth four separate categories of specific intent, the establishment of any one of which will support a conviction under the statute. See Justus v. State, 438 So.2d 358, 367 (Fla.1983). The Legislature defines the criminal act of kidnapping, in relevant part, as follows: (1)(a) The term kidnapping means forcibly, secretly, or by threat confining, abducting, or imprisoning another person against her or his will and without lawful authority, with intent to: 1. Hold for ransom or reward or as a shield or hostage. 2. Commit or facilitate commission of any felony. 3. Inflict bodily harm upon or to terrorize the victim or another person. 4. Interfere with the performance of any governmental or political function. § 787.01(1)(a), Fla. Stat. (emphasis added). Further, under section 787.01(1)(b), [c]onfinement of a child under the age of 13 is against her or his will within the meaning of this subsection if such confinement is without the consent of her or his parent or legal guardian. § 787.01(1)(b), Fla. Stat. [5] In this case, Delgado was convicted of kidnapping with the intent to commit or facilitate commission of the underlying felony of auto theft pursuant to section 787.01(1)(a)2. While the statutory definition of section 787.01(1)(a)2. appears relatively straightforward, the inquiry into whether a kidnapping has occurred under this provision does not end with a plain reading and application of its elements. Instead, this Court has recognized that the statute's literal interpretation would result in a kidnapping conviction for `any criminal transaction which inherently involves the unlawful confinement of another person, such as robbery or sexual battery.' Berry v. State, 668 So.2d 967, 969 (Fla.1996) (quoting Mobley v. State, 409 So.2d 1031, 1034 (Fla.1982)); see also Lynch v. State, 2 So.3d 47, 62 (Fla.2008) (recognizing that the plain text of section 787.01, Florida Statutes, could lead to potentially absurd results). Therefore, in an effort to limit the scope of that particular subsection so as to prevent any crime that involves some level of confinement or detention from also constituting a kidnapping, Lynch, 2 So.3d at 62, this Court in Faison looked beyond Florida jurisprudence and adopted a three-part test promulgated by the Supreme Court of Kansas in State v. Buggs, 219 Kan. 203, 547 P.2d 720 (1976), wherein that court interpreted a similar, but not identical, kidnapping statute. See Faison, 426 So.2d at 965-66. Faison provided the framework for analyzing the facts of a case to determine whether a defendant's conduct amounts to a confinement crime under section 787.01(1)(a)2. distinct from other criminal charges involving forcible felonies. Pursuant to Faison, [I]f a taking or confinement is alleged to have been done to facilitate the commission of another crime, to be kidnapping the resulting movement or confinement: (a) Must not be slight, inconsequential and merely incidental to the other crime; (b) Must not be of the kind inherent in the nature of the other crime; and (c) Must have some significance independent of the other crime in that it makes the other crime substantially easier of commission or substantially lessens the risk of detection. Faison, 426 So.2d at 965 (quoting Buggs, 547 P.2d at 731) (alteration in original). Since our decision in that case, we have adhered to the principle that proof of each factor adopted in Faison is necessary for a kidnapping conviction under subsection 787.01(1)(a)2. to be upheld. See, e.g., Lynch, 2 So.3d at 62-63 (applying the Faison test to section 787.01(1)(a)2.); Boyd v. State, 910 So.2d 167, 183-84 (Fla.2005) (same); Chavez v. State, 832 So.2d 730, 764 (Fla.2002) (same). However, by adopting the Buggs three-part test in Faison, we did not hold that the test's three elements would supplant, or stand in lieu of, the statutory language of section 787.01(1)(a)2. Rather, we recognized that because a literal application of section 787.01(1)(a)2. would convert any forcible felony into two distinct felonies kidnapping and the underlying felony applying the statutory language in addition to the three-part test would justifiably serve to limit that provision's broad scope. Under the proper analysis, to establish the offense of kidnapping pursuant to section 787.01(1)(a)2., the State must first demonstrate that every element of the statute has been satisfied before turning to the three-part test we adopted in Faison.