Justin A. Martinez v. State of Florida
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
Date FiledApril 26, 2021
Docket1D19-1145
StatusPublished
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Full Opinion
FIRST DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL
STATE OF FLORIDA
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No. 1D19-1145
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JUSTIN A. MARTINEZ,
Appellant,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA,
Appellee.
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On appeal from the Circuit Court for Leon County.
Angela C. Dempsey, Judge.
April 26, 2021
PER CURIAM.
Justin A. Martinez appeals the trial court’s denial of his
motion for postconviction relief filed under Florida Rule of
Criminal Procedure 3.850 following an evidentiary hearing. We
affirm.
First, Mr. Martinez argues the trial court erred in denying his
claims of ineffective assistance of counsel. To prevail on such a
claim, a defendant must demonstrate that defense counsel’s
performance was deficient, and that the defendant was prejudiced
by that deficiency. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984).
To satisfy the first prong, “[t]he defendant must allege specific
facts that, when considering the totality of the circumstances, are
not conclusively rebutted by the record and that demonstrate a
deficiency on the part of counsel which is detrimental to the
defendant.” Blackwood v. State, 946 So. 2d 960, 968 (Fla. 2006)
(citing LeCroy v. Dugger, 727 So. 2d 236, 239 (Fla. 1998)). And to
succeed on the prejudice prong, the defendant must demonstrate a
reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s errors, the result of
the proceeding would have been different. See Strickland, 466 U.S.
at 694. “A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to
undermine confidence in the outcome.” Id. The defendant must
demonstrate a likelihood of a different result which is substantial
and not just conceivable. Harrington v. Richter, 562 U.S. 86, 112
(2011). On the record before us, we conclude Mr. Martinez failed to
satisfy this standard, and we affirm the trial court’s denial of his
ineffective assistance claims.
Second, Appellant argues the trial court erred in denying his
claim for relief based on newly discovered evidence. To grant a new
trial on the basis of newly discovered evidence, the postconviction
court must find, first, that the evidence was not known at the time
of trial and could not have been known at the time of trial by the
use of due diligence. Preston v. State, 970 So. 2d 789, 797 (Fla.
2007). Second, the evidence at issue must be “of such nature that
it would probably produce an acquittal on retrial.” Id. (citing Jones
v. State, 709 So. 2d 512, 521 (Fla. 1998)). Given this standard, we
conclude the trial court properly denied Mr. Martinez’s claim.
AFFIRMED.
ROBERTS, NORDBY, and TANENBAUM, JJ., concur.
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Not final until disposition of any timely and
authorized motion under Fla. R. App. P. 9.330 or
9.331.
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Michael Ufferman, Michael Ufferman Law Firm, P.A.,
Tallahassee, for Appellant.
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Ashley Moody, Attorney General, and Virginia Chester Harris,
Assistant Attorney General, Tallahassee, for Appellee.
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