Case Title: State v. Jensen

Citation: 282 N.W.2d 55

Docket Number: 554-C

State: north-dakota

Court: North Dakota Supreme Court

Date: 1979-07-18T00:00:00Z

Document:
282 N.W.2d 55 (1979) STATE of North Dakota, Plaintiff and Appellee, v. Herbert O. JENSEN, Defendant and Appellant. Crim. No. 554-C. Supreme Court of North Dakota. July 18, 1979. Rehearing Denied August 2, 1979. Clifford C. Grosz, former Wells County State's Atty., Harvey, and Calvin N. Rolfson, former Asst. Atty. Gen., Bismarck, for plaintiff and appellee at trial in lower court; Aloys Wartner, III, Wells County State's Atty., Harvey, and Gail Hagerty, Asst. Atty. Gen., Bismarck, for plaintiff and appellee on appeal; argued by Gail Hagerty. Irvin B. Nodland, of Lundberg, Conmy, Nodland, Rosenberg, Lucas & Schulz, Bismarck, and Robert J. Snyder, of Bickle, Coles & Snyder, Bismarck, for defendant and appellant; argued by Irvin B. Nodland. ERICKSTAD, Chief Justice. This is the fourth time we have considered matters involving Herbert O. Jensen. See State v. Jensen, 265 N.W.2d 691 (N.D.1978); State v. Jensen, 241 N.W.2d 557 (N.D.1976); and particularly State v. Jensen, 251 N.W.2d 182 (N.D.1977), for background information leading to this appeal. *56 More specific facts relative to the issues in this case follow: Between 3:30 a. m. and 4:00 a. m. on November 16, 1974, a passing motorist discovered the bodies of two deceased male American Indians lying on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 52, approximately four miles west of Harvey, North Dakota. The bodies were subsequently identified as Dale Abraham and Ernest Vivier, both of the Devils Lake area, and an autopsy disclosed that both victims died of gunshot wounds. A number of law enforcement personnel were summoned to the scene as well as an ambulance and the county coroner. One of the officers on the scene, Deputy Sheriff Curtiss Pellett of Wells County, recognized the bodies as being persons he had seen earlier in the evening at a bar in Fessenden, North Dakota. Pellett recalled that the decedents had been in the company of a white male and a description of this person and the car in which he was believed to be traveling was immediately broadcast on the law enforcement network. While transporting the bodies to Minot for an autopsy, the ambulance passed a vehicle that matched the description of that being sought by the law enforcement officers parked on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 52, approximately two miles west of Balfour, North Dakota, or approximately 30 miles northwest of where the bodies were found. The ambulance driver gave this information to state radio, and officers Arden Johnson and L. A. Fontaine of the State Highway Patrol subsequently arrived at the scene. They found the defendant, Herbert Jensen, slumped over the steering wheel in the driver's seat, apparently asleep. The officers read Jensen his rights and placed him under arrest. In Jensen's vehicle, the officers found a billfold of one of the victims, blood, a wine bottle containing a fingerprint of one of the victims, and Jensen's pistol, which a subsequent ballistics test identified as the weapon that inflicted the lethal wounds. At the trial it was disclosed that Jensen, a retired veteran of the United States Air Force, left Fargo, bound for Minot, North Dakota, on November 15, 1974, after being released from the Veterans Administration Hospital on that day with supplies of tranquilizers and other drugs. At Pingree, North Dakota, about 20 miles north of Jamestown, Jensen picked up Vivier and Abraham, who were hitchhiking. He treated them to hot brandy and wine at three different establishments, leaving the third one at about 1:00 a. m. on November 16, 1974. The trio also consumed two bottles of wine while driving. Jensen testified that he remembered almost nothing of what happened after he and the decedents left the last bar at which they stopped until being awakened by the police in his parked car. The part of his testimony pertinent to his memory after leaving the Artos Supper Club near Harvey at about 1:00 a. m. follows: After a trial lasting approximately two weeks, the jury, on October 19, 1977, found Jensen guilty of two counts of murder in the second degree. Jensen was subsequently *57 committed to the North Dakota State Penitentiary for the term of two concurrent thirty-year sentences pursuant to the classification of the defendant as a special dangerous offender. Jensen appeals to this court from the jury verdicts of guilty and the judgments and sentences of the court. In this appeal there are two issues: (1) whether or not there is substantial evidence to justify the two verdicts of guilty, and (2) whether or not the trial court erred in receiving certain evidence concerning a prior altercation between Jensen and one Al Kontos. The first issue, counsel asserts, should be decided in favor of Jensen because the deaths occurred while Jensen was either (a) intoxicated, or (b) insane, or (c) in self-defense. Let us first consider the defense of intoxication. At the time of the alleged murders, the Legislature had enacted the new criminal code, but its effective date had not been reached. Jensen was thus charged and tried under the homicide provisions of the old criminal code, which read as follows: At the time of trial, the effective date of the new criminal code having been reached, Jensen elected pursuant to Section 12.1-01-01, N.D.C.C., to be tried under the defense and sentencing provisions of the new criminal code. The pertinent section relative to the defense of intoxication is: Under the old criminal code, Section 12-27-08, N.D.C.C., both the State and the defense seem to agree that an essential element of the crime of murder in the second degree is malice, either express or implied. State v. Carter, 50 N.D. 270, 195 N.W. 567 (1923). That being the case, it is asserted by counsel for the defense that if Jensen, through the effects of alcohol, was unable to harbor malice at the time of the alleged killings, the element of culpability was not present and accordingly he could not be found guilty. *58 Counsel for the defense asserts that the evidence in this case shows that, after having picked up the two decedents, Jensen stopped in three bars and consumed alcohol in each and that he also participated in the drinking of two bottles of wine while driving. He further asserts that the evidence shows that at the time of the killings, in addition to consuming alcohol, Jensen was also taking prescriptions for several drugs, the most notable of those being valium. He points out that Dr. Daniel Nusbaum, a defense psychiatrist, testified that valium tends to aggravate the effects of alcohol, and that according to Nusbaum the combined effects of valium and alcohol consumed by the defendant on the night of the killings would have been equivalent to eight shots of whiskey. Actually, Jensen testified that on the 15th of November, 1974, the day on which he left the V.A. Hospital in Fargo and journeyed to Jamestown and ultimately picked up the two decedents as hitchhikers near Pingree, North Dakota, that he took no valium after 5:00 or 5:30 p. m. on that date. The bodies of the decedents were found along highway 52 between Harvey and Martin between 3:30 and 4:00 a. m. on November 16, 1974, by Emanuel Volk who was enroute from Knox, North Dakota, to his home at Martin, North Dakota. Jensen was seen entering his red Volkswagen stationwagon and driving away from the Artos Supper Club near Harvey, North Dakota, with the decedents at about ten minutes to 1:00 in the morning of November 16, 1974, by Albert Wentz of Harvey. On cross examination by counsel for the defense, Wentz was asked this question: "Were the walk and the conduct of the people you saw, Mr. Jensen and the two people with him, such that you thought there was anything other than ordinary about it?" He answered: "No. It seemed like they walked okay to me." Counsel for Jensen asserts that Dr. Hubert Carbone, the psychiatrist called by the prosecution, testified that it was his opinion that Jensen may very well have consumed sufficient alcohol and drugs to impair his ability to understand and to have an intent to do the things that he did. To arrive at this conclusion, counsel had to rephrase what Dr. Carbone said at pages 888 and 889 of the transcript. We believe that the jury, however, could have arrived at a completely different view of Dr. Carbone's view after listening to that part of his testimony which is covered by pages 878 to 880.[1] *59 The essence of that testimony is that Dr. Carbone concluded that Jensen did not lack substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct, notwithstanding that he may have consumed intoxicating liquors. In this case, the trial court gave an instruction to the jury on the defense of intoxication.[2] It has not been asserted by defense counsel that the instruction was erroneous. We assume that the issue of intoxication was argued by defense counsel to the jury and we accordingly conclude that the jury properly met and decided that issue. Intoxication as a defense was an issue for the jury. There was ample evidence to substantiate the verdict of the jury from which it can be inferred that the jury concluded that Jensen was not so intoxicated at the time he took the lives of the two hitchhikers that he did not have the intent necessary to commit the crime of second degree murder. In instructing the jury on the essentials of the offense of murder in the second degree, the court, among other things, instructed the jury that the burden of proof resting upon the State is satisfied only if the evidence shows, beyond a reasonable doubt, "that the defendant, with malice and in disregard of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual, perpetrated the killing of an individual by means of one or more bullets discharged from a firearm, an act imminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind." We may properly assume that the jury, when considering the elements of the offense, took into consideration the requirement of malice in conjunction with Jensen's defense of intoxication and the instructions on intoxication.[3] In People v. Cheary, 48 Cal. 2d 301, 309 P.2d 431 (1957), the California Supreme Court, in a decision written by Justice Traynor, affirmed a conviction of murder in the first degree where the defendant argued that the evidence established that he was so intoxicated that he did not have the specific intent to commit rape and that therefore the death resulting could not be murder in the first degree, saying this was a matter for the jury. We likewise so conclude in this case. The second defense argued within the issue of the sufficiency or the insufficiency *60 of the evidence to support the verdict which we shall consider is the defense of self-defense. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 12.1-01-01, N.D.C.C., Jensen elected to come under the provisions of Chapter 12.1, N.D. C.C., providing a defense, and thus contends that under the defense of self-defense contained in Section 12.1-05-03, N.D.C.C., he should be absolved in this case.[4] Jensen relies upon the testimony of a number of people who observed Abraham and Vivier during the last few days of their lives and of some who had known them over the last 10 years of their lives in support of his argument that the lives of Vivier and Abraham were taken in self-defense. We quote from his brief as follows: The State, in response to these arguments on self-defense, asserts that there are limits on the use of force, even in self-defense, and refers us to Section 12.1-05-07, N.D. C.C.[5] The record discloses that Jensen admitted that from the time he picked up the decedents Vivier and Abraham and until the time his vivid memory lapsed, the decedents made no threatening gestures toward him and that he did not feel threatened by them. The State contends that the assertion of self-defense is based solely on evidence concerning the characters of the decedents and their propensity for violence especially when intoxicated. Incidentally, there is nothing in the record to indicate that Jensen had any knowledge of decedents' propensity for violence. This evidence was coupled with Jensen's testimony that on the night of the shootings, his recollection was of a demand being made, and of his head going forward and of seeing stars. The State stresses the fact that the jury was permitted to take account of the fact that Jensen had, from the time he left Jamestown and during the time that he was in the company of the two decedents, a loaded pistol in a shoulder holster strapped underneath his left arm concealed from view. Although the State did not in argument in this court stress the testimony of Dr. John C. Smith II, a pathologist who examined the bodies of Abraham and Vivier, we think his testimony may have been of significance to the jury on the issue of self-defense. *62 His testimony was that Abraham was shot twice in the left chest and that a third shot entered near the left pocket on his buttocks area. He further testified that Vivier was shot twice in the back, the one being the fatal wound and the other being a soft tissue wound. Dr. Smith also testified as to the alcoholic contents of the blood of Vivier and Abraham, saying that Vivier had .24 percent alcohol by weight in his blood, and that Abraham had .25 percent alcohol by weight in his blood. Whether or not Jensen acted in self-defense was a jury question and we believe that from the verdicts of the jury finding Jensen guilty of second degree murder in connection with the death of Vivier and Abraham, the jury concluded that he did not act in self-defense. Our view of the evidence, some of which we have related here and some of which we have not, causes us to believe that the jury had substantial evidence upon which to conclude that Jensen did not act in self-defense. The jury may have completely rejected the possible inference from Jensen's vague recollections that he acted in self-defense, and this is within the province of the jury. The third defense we shall consider, asserted in conjunction with the issue of the sufficiency or insufficiency of the evidence to support the verdict, is the defense of insanity. Again, under the election provision of Section 12.1-01-01, N.D.C.C., Jensen elected to come under the provision of Section 12.1-04-03, N.D.C.C., which reads: Counsel for Jensen points out that two psychiatrists, Dr. Sherman Severson of Rugby, North Dakota, and Dr. Daniel Nusbaum of Minot, North Dakota, both found Jensen to be suffering from the phenomenon known as pathological intoxication at the time of the shootings. Quoting from Noyes' and Kolb, Modern Clinical Psychiatry, Dr. Severson read as follows: Upon concluding his reading of the symptoms that exist with pathological intoxication, he compared the textbook symptoms with Jensen's situation prior to, during, and following the shootings. Dr. Carbone, who was called on behalf of the State in rebuttal, who is also a psychiatrist and who has been the superintendent of the State Hospital since 1963, testified that his opinion was that Jensen was not suffering from a mental disease or defect at the time of the shootings. When asked to explain why he believed the diagnosis made by the other two psychiatrists of pathological intoxication was incorrect, he explained: During Dr. Carbone's testimony, he relied on a number of textbooks, including the textbook on Specialties in General Practice, edited by Dr. Cecil, Professor of Clinical Medicine, Emeritus, Cornell University Medical College, New York City. The quote from page 563 thereof, reads: Although counsel for the defense indicated that Jensen's psychiatrists each spent three to four hours interviewing Jensen personally in contrast to the half an hour which Dr. Carbone apparently spent interviewing Jensen personally, Dr. Carbone defended his opinion on the basis that with the aid of his staff at the hospital, Jensen was observed over a 16-day-period and that the advantage in that type of a process is that the one being examined does not feel that he is under specific examination which results in a more "comprehensive and global evaluation." Dr. Nusbaum testified that "no one in this room, perhaps other than myself, could, in my opinion, cook up a mass of symptoms that would indicate they had an organic disease of the brain." Dr. Carbone testified, "I think anybody who is intelligent and studied can easily describe symptoms to fit the picture." Dr. Awad Ismir, a psychologist, when testifying concerning certain tests which he gave Jensen, said: In light of the amount of the alcohol ingested by Jensen and the fact that not only Dr. Carbone but also Dr. Severson testified that pathological intoxication occurs after minimal ingestion of alcohol, we believe that the jury could very reasonably have concluded that Jensen was not suffering from pathological intoxication at the time of the shootings. In conjunction with all three defenses, we think what we have recently said in State v. Olmstead, 246 N.W.2d 888, 890 (N.D.1976), is pertinent in this case. Having concluded that none of the three defenses are meritorious, we must conclude that the contention that the evidence is insufficient to support the verdict is also without merit. We are now left with the final issue which is the issue over whether or not the trial court erred in receiving certain evidence concerning a prior altercation between Jensen and one Al Kontos in the City of Minot during May of 1974. Counsel for the defendant admits that the first references to this incident were from the mouths of defense witnesses. The first reference was during the testimony of the first defense psychiatrist, Dr. Sherman Severson of Rugby. In relating the medical history, Dr. Severson said: The second reference was during the testimony of the second defense psychiatrist, Dr. Daniel Nusbaum, of Minot. During the recitation of Jensen's medical history, Dr. Nusbaum said: The third reference to this incident was made by Jensen himself during cross-examination by the State. Note that this cross-examination took place without objection from defense counsel. *65 It is contended that prejudicial error occurred when the court permitted the State, on rebuttal, to call two witnesses for the express purpose of going into greater detail relative to this prior incident in the City of Minot between Jensen and Al Kontos. The first such witness called was Michael Knoot, a Minot police officer, who apparently was summoned by someone who observed the altercation. Officer Knoot testified that when he arrived on the scene the first thing he saw was Jensen standing and Mr. Kontos on his knees holding onto Jensen telling him to stop. He further testified in detail as to the injuries suffered by Mr. Kontos. The second rebuttal witness called in relation to this incident was Al Kontos. Kontos testified in effect that on the day in question he made a left hand turn with his car in front of the car being driven by Jensen. That Jensen then began following him and ramming the back end of his car. Part of the testimony relating what subsequently transpired, follows: After the police arrived, Kontos was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. Defense counsel particularly also objects to the fact that Kontos, when he appeared to testify, wore dark glasses and when questioned as to the reason for the glasses he stated that as a result of this altercation he has since suffered headaches and has a problem with the light hurting his eyes even in a darkened room. *66 Counsel for the defense concedes that a number of witnesses were called by the defense for the purpose of testifying to the good character of Jensen. He concedes that the general rule is that once the defense has opened the door in this manner, the prosecution can counter with evidence tending to rebut the character evidence of the defense[6] but that this does not permit the defense to introduce evidence of a specific instance of prior conduct of the defendant. During the trial, the State argued that the evidence of the incident with Mr. Kontos should be admitted under Rule 405(b) of the North Dakota Rules of Evidence, which reads: It apparently was on that basis that the court permitted the evidence to be received. Counsel for defense contends, however, that this is a misinterpretation of the purpose of Rule 405(b) inasmuch as the character of Jensen was not an essential element of any charge, claim, or defense in this case. Counsel relies on encyclopedia authority. The defense contends that the above quotation shows that the character of the accused is not an essential element of a prosecution charge or claim because the prosecution cannot even bring up the subject until the accused first raises the issue by introducing evidence of good character. Defense further submits that the introduction of character evidence is not an essential element of a defense and that it is not a defense at all. In support thereof, reference is made to the following: Defense asserts that the proper rule governing the admissibility of evidence in this instance is Rule 404(b), N.D.R.Ev.: Reliance is placed by the defense upon a recent decision of this court entitled State v. Stevens, 238 N.W.2d 251 (N.D.1975). In Stevens, a man was convicted of beating an infant to death. During the trial, evidence was introduced tending to show that this man had previously inflicted injuries on the same infant. In reversing the conviction on the grounds that the evidence of prior acts was improperly admitted, we said: For this general rule, we relied on McCormick on Evidence, 2d Ed., § 190 and State v. Schlittenhardt, 147 N.W.2d 118 (N.D. 1966). Counsel points out that we have taken this position subsequently in State v. Frye, 245 N.W.2d 878 (N.D.1976); and State v. Jelliff, 251 N.W.2d 1 (N.D.1977). He refers us to decisions from other states upholding this principle. State v. Forsman, Minn., 260 N.W.2d 160 (1977); State v. Pickering, 88 S.D. 230, 217 N.W.2d 877 (1974); and Harris v. State, 52 Wis.2d 703, 191 N.W.2d 198 (1971). The defense places particular emphasis upon the following quote: A part of the Wisconsin decision of State v. Spraggin, 77 Wis.2d 89, 252 N.W.2d 94 at 97 (Wis.1977), follows: The State responds to these arguments with its contention that the provisions of Rule 405(b) and Rule 404(b) of the North Dakota Rules of Evidence apply to sustain the trial court in the admission of this testimony in this case. State asserts that the character or trait of character of the defendant which the State sought to have introduced pursuant to Rule 405(b) was his propensity for hostility and aggressiveness. The State asserts that in giving his version of the incident, Jensen implied that he was not the aggressor and in fact, acted only in self-defense. The State asserts that upon raising the claim of self-defense, Jensen brought into focus the allegedly aggressive and hostile nature of the decedents. The State points out that no specific aggressive or hostile acts by the decedents against Jensen were described or testified to by anyone, but from testimony submitted on behalf of the defense referred to earlier in this opinion, the jury might have concluded that the decedents were likely the aggressors in the instant case and that the defendant was not. In order to overcome that inference in conjunction with Jensen's claim of self-defense, the State asserts that it properly offered evidence of a trait of his character (apparently a quick and uncontrollable temper) to overcome the inference. *68 The State also asserts that the evidence which the State sought to have admitted relative to the altercation with Kontos in Minot was evidence which indicated, not that he was a criminal, but that he had a propensity for hostility and aggressiveness. The State asserts that evidence of such propensity might prove intent, knowledge, or absence of mistake or accident, and thus be admissible under Rule 404(b), N.D.R.Ev. Our view is that the testimony submitted by the State through Kontos and Knoot would have been inadmissible under Rule 404(b), N.D.R.Ev., had it not been for the fact that the other acts involved in the altercation with Kontos were first brought out by the defense, and not only brought out first by the defense, but brought out in a light favorable to the defense. See People v. Westek, 31 Cal. 2d 469, 190 P.2d 9 (1948). We think also pertinent in this case, the fact that defense counsel was permitted not only to offer evidence of various traits of the character of the decedents, but was permitted to submit testimony of crimes and acts of the decedents such as the records of the decedents tribal court convictions for disorderly conduct, all under defense counsel's argument that Rule 404 of the North Dakota Rules of Evidence applied. All this was permitted in this case without first requiring the defendant to submit evidence that the victims' character for turbulence was known to the defendant. Such a prior showing is sometimes required before a victim's character or reputation for turbulence may be testified to. 1 A.L.R.3d 571 at 577. But see: 40 Am.Jur.2d Homicide, § 305. Further, in light of the fact that the defense was permitted to offer evidence, over strenuous objection of the State, of specific acts of Vivier not a part of the res gestae and not connected therewith, through Deputy Sheriff Walford that Vivier caused fights when in jail by his homosexual advances, all contrary to the general rule that prohibits proof of specific acts of the deceased in a homicide case,[7] we believe that no prejudice was suffered by Jensen in this case. We think that the facts in this case are so exceptional that they present a case necessitating an exception to Rule 404(b) of the North Dakota Rules of Evidence, and accordingly conclude that the trial court was not in error in permitting the testimony of Kontos and Knoot. In so concluding, we wish to stress that we are not, by this opinion, varying our support for the general rule applied and stated in State v. Stevens, supra, and the cases decided subsequent thereto in accordance therewith. What we have approved today in permitting receipt of otherwise incompetent evidence, is something similar to what some courts have permitted and certain authorities have described as fighting fire with fire; or permitting receipt of incompetent evidence when the adversary has opened the door; or permitting receipt of incompetent evidence under the doctrine of curative admissibility. See McCormick on Evidence, 131 (2d Ed. 1972); 1 Wigmore, Evidence *69 § 15; 31A C.J.S. Evidence § 190; 29 Am. Jur.2d, Evidence § 267; State v. Mercer, 13 Ariz.App. 1, 473 P.2d 803, 805 (1970); Lucas v. State, 479 S.W.2d 314, 315 (Tex.Cr.App. 1972); Kroger Company v. Puckett, Ala. Civ.App., 351 So. 2d 582, 588 (1977); Busch v. Busch Const., Inc., Minn., 262 N.W.2d 377 (1977). For the reasons stated in this opinion, the verdicts, judgments and sentences in the two cases consolidated for trial and consolidated on appeal, are affirmed. SAND, PEDERSON and PAULSON, JJ., and ILVEDSON, District Judge,[*] concur. [1] "Q. Dr. Carbone, are you familiar with the law of this State that permits in some limited circumstances that may or may not be applicable to this case, that permits a defense of self-induced intoxication if that intoxication can be shown to negate the required elements of culpability? "A. Yes. "Q. With respect to that defense, and based upon your history of the defendant, I would like to ask you a hypothetical question and ask for your conclusion. To do this I am going to set the stage with some facts that have already been presented in evidence in this case and would ask you to listen to those and then I will ask you a question. If a person claims to be so intoxicated that he could not form any necessary intent to commit a crime, if in fact that should be the case under the law, and he claims to have blacked out, when he also recalls a number of things during this blackout period, a number of which are as follows: that he drove a car at a specific speed, that he recalls driving a car, that he recalled someone talking to him, he recalled someone asking something or telling him something, he recalls that someone by a specific name had asked for something, he recalls being startled, moving his head forward twice; he recalls feelings of anger, fear, panic and rage; he recalls his bowels moving improperly; he recalls putting two victims in a certain position on the ground; he recalls placing one in a specific easterly direction and another in a westerly direction or northerly direction; he recalls going down a long corridor; he recalls seeing two people; he recalls that those two people are one a male and the other a female; he recalls them being elderly; he recalls them wearing night clothes; he recalls certain specific feelings of shame and disgust from seeing them and disturbing those old people; and he recalls leaving that corridor. My question is, with those admitted recollections in mind, and based upon your training and experience as a psychiatrist, is it medically probable that the defendant was so intoxicated that he could not form any criminal intent at that time? "A. In my opinion the answer is no. "Q. Can you explain why? "A. If he were sufficiently intoxicated so that he had lost the capacity to control his actions or to conform to the law, he would not have been capable of specific and clear recollections as you stated in your hypothetical question. "Q. Okay. With those additional facts in mind if they should be found to be true or have been admitted, does that affect your diagnosis of the defendant as you had stated earlier that if he was so intoxicated that certain things could have happened to him or in that area would you explain that, please, with that additional information? "A. With that additional information, if that were true, would change my opinion to the extent I would now be of the opinion that he was not sufficiently intoxicated at the time to impair his capability of controlling his behavior. "Q. Is it your opinion then, based upon that additional information, that the defendant did not lack substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct? "A. Yes. "Q. Is it also your opinion with that additional information that at the time in question, of these offenses, that the defendant was not suffering from a mental disease or defect and could control hisdid appreciate the criminality of his conduct? "A. Yes." [2] "Intoxication is a defense to the criminal charge only if it negates the culpability required as an element of the offense charged. "For your information the words `negate' and `culpability' used above are defined as follows: "`Negate' means to deny, contradict, or rule out. "`Culpability' means fault or blameworthiness. "If you find the intoxication, which is claimed by the defendant in this case, to be such that it rules out the fault or blameworthiness of his act, or if you have a reasonable doubt in this respect, in that event your verdict must be not guilty." [3] For background on the defense of intoxication, see "Working Papers of the National Commission on Reform of Federal Criminal Laws", Vol. I, July 1970, pp. 223-25; and the Final Report of the National Commission on Reform of Federal Criminal Laws, Proposed New Federal Criminal Code, 1971, § 502 Intoxication, pp. 38 and 39; and Voluntary IntoxicationDefense, 8 A.L.R.3d 1236 (1966). [4] "12.1-05-03. Self-defense.A person is justified in using force upon another person to defend himself against danger of imminent unlawful bodily injury, sexual assault, or detention by such other person, except that: "1. A person is not justified in using force for the purpose of resisting arrest, execution of process, or other performance of duty by a public servant under color of law, but excessive force may be resisted. "2. A person is not justified in using force if: a. He intentionally provokes unlawful action by another person to cause bodily injury or death to such other person; or b. He has entered into a mutual combat with another person or is the initial aggressor unless he is resisting force which is clearly excessive in the circumstances. A person's use of defensive force after he withdraws from an encounter and indicates to the other person that he has done so is justified if the latter nevertheless continues or menaces unlawful action." [5] "12.1-05-07. Limits on the use of forceExcessive forceDeadly force.1. A person is not justified in using more force than is necessary and appropriate under the circumstances. 2. Deadly force is justified in the following instances: * * * * * * b. When used in lawful self-defense, or in lawful defense of others, if such force is necessary to protect the actor or anyone else against death, serious bodily injury, or the commission of a felony involving violence. The use of deadly force is not justified if it can be avoided, with safety to the actor and others, by retreat or other conduct involving minimal interference with the freedom of the person menaced. A person seeking to protect someone else must, before using deadly force, try to cause that person to retreat, or otherwise comply with the requirements of this provision, if safety can be obtained thereby. But, (1) a public servant justified in using force in the performance of his duties or a person justified in using force in his assistance need not desist from his efforts because of resistance or threatened resistance by or on behalf of the person against whom his action is directed; and (2) no person is required to retreat from his dwelling, or place of work, unless he was the original aggressor or is assailed by a person who he knows also dwells or works there." § 12.1-05-07(1), (2)(b), N.D.C.C. [6] "The prosecution may introduce evidence attacking the character or reputation of the accused where he first puts his good character in issue by introducing evidence to sustain his good character or reputation. In other words, where the accused undertakes to strengthen his case by proof of good character, he opens the door to evidence by the prosecution that his character or reputation is, in fact, bad." 29 Am.Jur.2d Evidence § 340. [7] "When evidence of the character or reputation for violence of the deceased is admissible in evidence, the proof is generally restricted to proof of the general reputation of the deceased in the community in which he or she lived, and excludes particular acts or instances which are not a part of the res gestae or connected therewith. In accordance with the policy of the law to confine the evidence to the issues on trial, it is the rule of some courts that the turbulent, violent, or bloodthirsty character of the deceased cannot be established by proof of specific acts of violence on his part against persons other than the defendant. Moreover, it may be presumed that the general reputation of an individual in the community where he has lived is always susceptible of proof of defense, whereas nobody can be ready at a moment's notice to defend himself against accusations relating to particular transactions of his life. Clearly, evidence of specific acts of violence by the deceased is inadmissible where the defendant had no knowledge or had not been informed of such acts prior to the homicide, since, naturally, his mind could not have been materially affected in the absence of such knowledge." 40 Am.Jur.2d Homicide § 306. [*] ILVEDSON, District Judge, sitting in place of VANDE WALLE, J., disqualified.