Supreme Court of Florida
In Re: Standard Jury Instructions in Criminal Cases - Report 2018-08
December 13, 2018259 So. 3d 754
Summary
The Court authorized amended standard jury instructions for first-degree felony murder, second-degree murder, and destructive-device offenses resulting in death. The homicide amendments require juvenile-case juries to make specified factual findings beyond a reasonable doubt when those findings affect sentencing, while the destructive-device instruction was revised to add possession and reflect resulting death. The Court also cautioned that authorization does not resolve the instructions’ legal correctness or preclude requests for alternative instructions.