Opinion ID: 1607200
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 16

Heading: Demetrius Jones

Text: On direct examination, Jones testified that he had been selling and using drugs for more than ten years; he was currently incarcerated for fifteen years; he had eleven previous felony convictions stemming from six different cases; he had plea agreements with both the federal government and the State of Florida, which required him to testify truthfully at this trial; and he had agreed to lie for Smith about the Johnson shooting and perjured himself in his deposition. On cross-examination, defense counsel was able to elicit that Jones had not been charged in the indictment in this case; had never been indicted for any drug offenses in federal court; was incarcerated for carjacking; had lied to a police officer about his name and went to prison under an alias; had committed perjury with regard to his plea bargain with the State; had made prior inconsistent statements in his deposition; and had removed a gun, money, and drugs from Johnson after he was shot but before the police arrived. When defense counsel began to inquire about the factual basis of Jones' convictions, the trial court sustained the State's objection and explained that defense counsel could not ask questions about the nature of the charges when impeaching the witness with his prior convictions. The court further held that defense counsel could inquire about Jones' plea bargains related to his testimony and his bias for his testimony.