Opinion ID: 1734875
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Effect of Step and Criminal Intent Instructions.

Text: It is true, of course, that jury instructions must be read together, and if, taken as a whole, they correctly state the law, are not misleading, and adequately cover the issues supported by the pleadings and the evidence, there is no prejudicial error necessitating a reversal. State v. Lowe, 248 Neb. 215, 533 N.W.2d 99 (1995). The separate criminal intent instruction, which defined the intent referred to in the step instruction as a mental process determinable from White's words, acts, and the facts surrounding his conduct, merely referred the jury to the step instruction to determine if White had the criminal intent required by the step instruction. The fact that malice was included as an element of first degree murder does not overcome the deficiency in defining second degree murder. Absent evidence to the contrary, it is presumed that a jury followed the instructions given in arriving at its verdict. Schluter v. State, 151 Neb. 284, 37 N.W.2d 396 (1949); Webber v. City of Scottsbluff, 150 Neb. 446, 35 N.W.2d 110 (1948). Under that presumption, the jury would have understood that once it determined that White was not guilty of first degree murder, it was no longer concerned with the matter of malice.