Holmes v. State

I respectfully dissent. The admission of the irrelevant evidence of Appellant’s involvement with drugs and the State’s emphasis on this evidence at trial denied Appellant a fair trial on the charges. While Appellant was not entitled to a perfect trial, he was entitled to a fair one. See Matthews v. State, 772 So.2d 600 (Fla. 5th DCA 2000).

A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. In contrast to the legal systems of some nations, “[i]n this country, a person ... must be tried for his conduct, not his character — i.e., for ‘what he did, not for who he is.’ United States v. Myers,…