Johnson v. State

I respectfully dissent. I believe the decision under review is in conflict with Williams v. Dickenson, 28 Fla. 90, 9 So. 847 (1891), disapproved on other grounds, Abraham v. Baldwin, 52 Fla. 151, 42 So. 591 (1906), and is controlled by the principle there established.

In the instant case, the state was permitted to introduce in evidence the nature of a prior conviction of a defense witness as affecting the credibility of that witness in the absence of his denial of such conviction.1 Under section 90.08, Florida Statutes (1977),2 evidence of the exact nature of a witness’s prior conviction may…