Opinion ID: 758787
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Mr. Pearson's requested lesser included offense instructions

Text: 28 Mr. Pearson asked the district court to instruct the jury on second degree murder and manslaughter as lesser included offenses to felony murder. The district court refused. Whether an offense for which an instruction is sought actually qualifies as a lesser included offense of the offense charged is a question of law that we review de novo. However, we review the district court's decision as to whether there is enough evidence to justify a lesser included offense instruction for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Duran, 127 F.3d 911, 914 (10th Cir.1997) (citation omitted), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 118 S.Ct. 1389, 140 L.Ed.2d 648 (1998). 29 [A] [d]efendant is entitled to a lesser included offense instruction if (1) there was a proper request; (2) the lesser included offense includes some but not all of the elements of the offense charged; (3) the elements differentiating the two offenses are in dispute; and (4) a jury could rationally convict the defendant of the lesser offense and acquit him of the greater offense. 30 United States v. Moore, 108 F.3d 270, 272 (10th Cir.1997) (citing Fitzgerald v. United States, 719 F.2d 1069, 1071 (10th Cir.1983)). The district court properly denied Mr. Pearson's requested lesser included offense instructions because both fail the first half of the fourth Moore requirement: A jury could not rationally convict him of either second degree murder or manslaughter. 31 After 18 U.S.C. § 1111(a) defines first degree murder, it describes second degree murder as [a]ny other murder. Replacing the word murder with its definition, found in the first sentence of § 1111(a), results in the reconstituted statutory expression of second degree murder as any other unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. However, we must again look to the common law to satisfy the definition of malice aforethought as a term of art used to satisfy second degree murder. 32 Malice aforethought as an element of second degree murder is, as in felony murder, a type of constructive or implied malice. See LaFave & Scott, supra, at 606-07; Torcia, supra, at 246-50. However, whereas the commission of the specified felony supplies the constructive or implied malice necessary to satisfy the malice aforethought element of § 1111(a) felony murder, second degree murder's malice aforethought element is satisfied by: (1) intent-to-kill without the added ingredients of premeditation and deliberation; (2) intent-to-do-serious-bodily-injury; (3) depraved-heart; or (4) commission of a felony when the felony in question is not one of those specified in the first degree murder paragraph of § 1111(a). See LaFave & Scott, supra, at 648. 33 Under the facts of this case, a jury could not rationally convict Mr. Pearson of second degree murder because the robbery and accidental killing do not satisfy any of the types of implied malice aforethought required to prove the crime. Mr. Martin testified, and neither Mr. Pearson nor the government disputed, that he accidentally fired the shot that killed Ms. Montgomery. Thus, the only reason the government was able to convict Mr. Pearson of first degree murder was because Mr. Pearson's commission of the robbery constructively supplied the malice aforethought required to satisfy the definition of murder in § 1111(a). While the underlying robbery is constructive or implied malice aforethought for first degree felony murder, neither the robbery nor the accidental killing satisfies the types of constructive or implied malice aforethought described above that are required to prove second degree murder. Because Mr. Pearson's criminal acts do not satisfy any of the types of implied second degree murder malice aforethought, Mr. Pearson cannot be guilty of that crime. 34 His request for a manslaughter instruction also fails Moore 's fourth requirement. Title 18 U.S.C. § 1112 defines manslaughter: 35 (a) Manslaughter is the unlawful killing of a human being without malice. It is of two kinds: 36 Voluntary-Upon a sudden quarrel or heat of passion. 37 Involuntary-In the commission of an unlawful act not amounting to a felony, or in the commission in an unlawful manner, or without due caution and circumspection, of a lawful act which might produce death. 38 18 U.S.C. § 1112(a). The accidental discharge of the gun in the commission of the robbery (1) does not constitute voluntary manslaughter under § 1112 because there was no sudden quarrel or heat of passion and (2) does not constitute involuntary manslaughter under § 1112 because robbery is an unlawful act that is a felony. Thus, a jury could not rationally convict Mr. Pearson of either type of manslaughter. 39 Because we conclude that both of Mr. Pearson's requested lesser included offense instructions fail Moore 's fourth requirement, we need not consider whether they satisfy Moore 's other prongs. The district court did not err in refusing to submit to the jury Mr. Pearson's requested lesser included offense instructions.