Florida Standard Jury Instructions-Criminal (FSJI-Cr)
Part 2. Instructions on Crimes
FLJI 6.4 ATTEMPTED SECOND DEGREE MURDER
§§ 782.04(2) and 777.04, Fla.Stat.
To prove the crime of Attempted Second Degree Murder, the State must prove the following two elements beyond a reasonable doubt:
- (Defendant) intentionally committed an act which would have resulted in the death of (victim) except that someone prevented (defendant) from killing (victim) or [he] [she] failed to do so.
- The act was imminently dangerous to another and demonstrating a depraved mind without regard for human life.
Definitions
An “act” includes a series of related actions arising from and performed pursuant to a single design or purpose.
An act is “imminently dangerous to another and demonstrating a depraved mind” if it is an act or series of acts that:
- a person of ordinary judgment would know is reasonably certain to kill or do serious bodily injury to another, and
- is done from ill will, hatred, spite, or an evil intent, and
- is of such a nature that the act itself indicates an indifference to human life.
In order to convict of Attempted Second Degree Murder, it is not necessary for the State to prove the defendant had an intent to cause death.
It is not an attempt to commit second degree murder if the defendant abandoned the attempt to commit the offense or otherwise prevented its commission under circumstances indicating a complete and voluntary renunciation of [his] [her] criminal purpose.