John Thomas Dorsey v. State

Thomas Dorsey (“defendant”) appeals his conviction and sentence on two counts of manslaughter. Because we find the jury instructions given at trial regarding Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law created fundamental error, we reverse and remand for a new trial. 1

This is defendant’s second appeal. The facts adduced from defendant’s second trial are nearly identical to the facts of defendant’s first trial, as detailed in this court’s prior opinion. In the prior opinion, this court reversed defendant’s convictions for second-degree murder because of insufficient evidence and improper jury…