Opinion ID: 2179259
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: standard of review

Text: Whether jury instructions given by a trial court are correct is a question of law. State v. Bao, 263 Neb. 439, 640 N.W.2d 405 (2002). In an appeal based on a claim of erroneous jury instructions, the appellant has the burden to show that the questioned instructions were prejudicial or otherwise adversely affected a substantial right of the appellant. State v. Gartner, 263 Neb. 153, 638 N.W.2d 849 (2002). To establish reversible error from a court's refusal to give a requested instruction, an appellant has the burden to show that (1) the tendered instruction is a correct statement of the law, (2) the tendered instruction is warranted by the evidence, and (3) the appellant was prejudiced by the court's refusal to give the tendered instruction. State v. Brouillette, 265 Neb. 214, 655 N.W.2d 876 (2003). In proceedings where the Nebraska Evidence Rules apply, the admissibility of evidence is controlled by the Nebraska Evidence Rules; judicial discretion is involved only when the rules make such discretion a factor in determining admissibility. Where the Nebraska Evidence Rules commit the evidentiary question at issue to the discretion of the trial court, the admissibility of evidence is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. State v. McPherson, 266 Neb. 715, 668 N.W.2d 488 (2003). When reviewing a criminal conviction for sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the conviction, the relevant question for an appellate court is whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Faber, 264 Neb. 198, 647 N.W.2d 67 (2002).