Opinion ID: 835917
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: pretrial assignments of error

Text: Defendant raises eight assignments of error respecting matters that he raised in pretrial motions. Three of those assignments raise constitutional challenges to the Oregon death-penalty statute that this court previously has considered and rejected. Another presents a constitutional challenge to the exclusion of convicted felons and nonregistered voters from the jury pool that this court previously has considered and rejected. None of those assignments of error warrants additional discussion. Defendant also demurred to the form of the indictment in this case on the ground that the six aggravated murder counts that alleged that he had committed murder to conceal the crime of third-degree sexual abuse and to conceal the identity of the perpetrator of the crime of third-degree sexual abuse (counts 20, 21, 27, 29, 35, and 37) were impermissibly vague. [2] Specifically, defendant argued to the trial court that [defendant] is entitled to notice of the particulars of the offenses he is alleged to have committed. The offenses of sexual abuse in the third degree    are not charged anywhere in the indictment. The indictment does not say who is or were the victims of the offense of sexual abuse in the third degree. That's not set forth anywhere in the indictment. There are three decedents who are all potential victims of that crime. There's also Jonathan Susbauer, who is claiming to be a victim of some sort. The indictment does not say in what county the offense of sexual abuse in the third degree was committed. The indictment does not say when the offense of sexual abuse in the third degree was committed. The indictment does not say who the perpetrator or perpetrators of the offense of sexual abuse in the third degree are or were.         This indictment can't go to the jury in the form it's in, suggesting that some sexual abuse in the third degree was committed somewhere at sometime by some persons and allowing the jury to return a verdict of guilty to that count without agreeing among themselves what sexual abuse we're talking about   . Defendant asked the court to send the matter back to the grand jury for clarification of the specific facts and circumstances that constituted third-degree sexual abuse in each of the aggravated murder counts in which that crime was the aggravating factor. [3] The state responded by arguing that an indictment is sufficient if it tracks the wording of the statute, which the indictment in this case did. The trial court denied the demurrer. This court addressed a similar issue in State v. Lotches, 331 Or. 455, 17 P.3d 1045 (2000), cert. den., 534 U.S. 833, 122 S.Ct. 82, 151 L.Ed.2d 45 (2001). There, the defendant was charged with three counts of aggravated murder of one victim, based on three separate aggravating factors: that the murder was committed in the course of and in the furtherance of and in the immediate flight from the crime of attempted robbery; that the murder was committed in the course of and in the furtherance of and in the immediate flight from the crime of attempted second-degree kidnapping; and that the murder was committed in an effort to conceal the identity of the perpetrator of the crime of attempted murder. The defendant in Lotches asserted that the state and federal constitutions, as well as a state statute, give criminal defendants the right to be informed of the charges against them [4] and argued that the aggravated murder charges in the indictment failed to meet that standard because they failed to state the particular elements and circumstances that made up the offenses charged. Specifically, he contended that the vagueness of the aggravated murder charges in the indictment impermissibly would force the trial court and the defendant to guess what factual and legal theories the grand jury had used, and impermissibly would permit the state to shift theories of the case after indictment. The defendant in Lotches had not demurred to the indictment, but nonetheless argued on direct review that the trial court should have stricken the aggravated murder charges on its own motion. In considering that matter, this court observed that the defendant had not been charged with attempted second-degree kidnapping, although facts adduced at trial would have supported more than one such charge. Moreover, the indictment itself indicated that the defendant was alleged to have committed more than one attempted robbery and more than one attempted murder, each involving more than one victim. Under those circumstances, this court stated, the defendant would have been entitled to require the state to specify which particular facts and circumstances made up the underlying crimes on which the charges of aggravated murder were based. Id. at 465, 17 P.3d 1045. However, the court did not go on to indicate precisely the manner in which the defendant was entitled to receive the information that he sought. In the final analysis, the court declined to overturn the indictment in Lotches on the ground that the deficiency of the aggravated murder counts was error apparent on the face of the record because, normally, objections to the sufficiency of the indictment not timely raised are waived, and because this court previously had stated repeatedly that an indictment that tracks the wording of the statute is sufficient. Id. at 465-66, 17 P.3d 1045. In this case, by contrast, defendant timely raised the issue by demurring to the indictment. Accordingly, this case presents squarely the question left unanswered in Lotches, viz., whether defendant was entitled to require the state to make the indictment more definite and certain, and, consequently, whether the trial court's failure to grant defendant's demurrer was error. Lotches proceeded with its analysis on the basis that omitting the specifics of certain alleged underlying offenses in the indictment might be error, but it never was required to, and did not, so hold. We continue to agree with defendant that, in this case, where the record would support more than one incident of third-degree sexual abuse, defendant was entitled to know the state's precise theory of the case and which facts and circumstances the state was relying on to support the aggravated murder counts. However, we do not agree that requiring the trial court to sustain defendant's demurrer to the indictment is the proper (or only) vehicle for ensuring that defendant obtains the information that he seeks. Defendant had other avenues available to him for acquiring that information, such as later moving the court to require the state to elect a specific incident of third-degree sexual abuse, or requesting special jury instructions that clarify the matter. [5] In light of the foregoing, we now confirm that, as this court so many times has held, an indictment generally is sufficient if it charges an offense in the words of the statute. See, e.g., State v. Fair, 326 Or. 485, 490, 953 P.2d 383 (1998) (stating and relying on rule; indictment for racketeering sufficient although did not set out specific nexus between predicate offenses); State v. Montez, 309 Or. 564, 596-97, 789 P.2d 1352 (1990) (aggravated murder; indictment alleging aggravating factor of concealment of other crimes sufficient, although did not set out elements of such other crimes). Here, there is no question that the indictment used the words of the pertinent aggravated murder statute; in fact, it went on to allege the underlying offenses. That was sufficient. [6] We find no error. [7] We have considered defendant's other assignments of error respecting pretrial matters. None is well taken. We turn to defendant's assignments of error pertaining to the guilt phase of the trial.