Opinion ID: 2534158
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sufficiency of the Evidence Showing Premeditation

Text: Twilegar contends that the trial court erred in concluding that the evidence is sufficient to support premeditation. We disagree. Premeditation is a factual issue for the jury, Asay v. State, 580 So.2d 610, 612 (Fla.1991), and several standards of review are applicable. The following standard applies where the evidence of premeditation is direct, whether in whole or in part: as with other factual findings, a jury's finding of premeditation will be sustained if supported by competent, substantial evidence in the record. See, e.g., Wheeler v. State, 4 So.3d 599, 605 (Fla.), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 130 S.Ct. 178, 175 L.Ed.2d 112 (2009). Where the evidence of premeditation is wholly circumstantial, on the other hand, the following standard applies: not only must the evidence be sufficient to support the finding of premeditation, but the evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to the State, must also be inconsistent with any other reasonable inference. Cochran v. State, 547 So.2d 928, 930 (Fla.1989). The issue of inconsistency is a jury question and the verdict will be sustained if supported by competent, substantial evidence. Id. In the present case, the evidence of premeditation is circumstantial, and the latter standard of review applies. In the absence of an underlying statutorily enumerated felony, premeditation is the key element that separates first-degree murder from second-degree murder. Randall v. State, 760 So.2d 892, 901 (Fla.2000). More than a mere intent to kill, premeditation is a fully-formed conscious purpose to kill. Wilson v. State, 493 So.2d 1019, 1021 (Fla.1986). This purpose to kill may be formed a moment before the act but must exist for a sufficient length of time to permit reflection as to the nature of the act to be committed and the probable result of that act. Id. Premeditation is a factual issue to be determined by the jury and, like other factual matters, may be established by circumstantial evidence. Id. Evidence from which premeditation may be inferred includes such matters as the nature of the weapon used, the presence or absence of adequate provocation, previous difficulties between the parties, the manner in which the homicide was committed, and the nature and manner of the wounds inflicted. It must exist for such time before the homicide as will enable the accused to be conscious of the nature of the deed he is about to commit and the probable result to flow from it in so far as the life of his victim is concerned. No definite length of time for it to exist has been set and indeed could not be. Larry v. State, 104 So.2d 352, 354 (Fla. 1958). Where premeditation is sought to be proved by circumstantial evidence, the evidence must be inconsistent with every other reasonable inference. Cochran v. State, 547 So.2d 928, 930 (Fla.1989). This question of inconsistency is for the jury to determine. Id. Applying the above law to the present case, we conclude that Twilegar has failed to show that the trial court erred in determining that the evidence is sufficient to support premeditation. First, competent, substantial evidence supports the finding of premeditation: (1) Twilegar was seen digging a hole near his tent at approximately 4 p.m. on what was probably August 7, 2002, the last day Thomas was seen alive; (2) when Thomas was last seen later that night, he told his girlfriend he was going to go meet with Twilegar, and he had in his possession an unusually large amount of cash; (3) Thomas's body was later found buried in the same spot where Twilegar had been digging; (4) Thomas had been shot in the upper back at close range with a twelve-gauge shotgun, at a downward angle; (5) Thomas had been shot in close proximity to the grave site; (6) crime scene evidence supports the conclusion that the burial hole had been dug prior to the shooting; and (7) immediately after the disappearance of Thomas, Twilegar was involved in a series of uncharacteristic and extensive retail purchases that totaled thousands of dollars, all of which were paid in cash. And second, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, competent, substantial evidence supports the conclusion that the evidence is inconsistent with any reasonable inference other than premeditation. Any inference that the killing may have been accidental or impulsive is belied by three evidentiary facts: (1) Thomas was shot in the upper back at close range with a twelve-gauge shotgun, at a downward angle; (2) Thomas was killed and buried at the same spot outside Twilegar's tent where Twilegar had been seen digging a hole earlier on what was probably August 7, 2002, the last day Thomas was seen alive; and (3) crime scene evidence supports the conclusion that the burial hole was dug prior to the shooting. There is no reasonable way to reconcile these evidentiary facts with any reasonable inference of an accidental or impulsive killing. Further, the totality of the evidentiary facts noted above is inconsistent with any such inference. Accordingly, Twilegar has failed to show that the trial court erred with respect to this claim.