Opinion ID: 2313776
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Trial Court's Failure to Charge on Involuntary Manslaughter

Text: Appellant's next claim is based on the trial court's supposed error in failing to issue an involuntary manslaughter instruction while charging the jury. A person is guilty of involuntary manslaughter when, as a direct result of the doing of an unlawful act in a reckless or grossly negligent manner ... he causes the death of another person. 18 Pa.C.S. § 2504(a). Reiterating the defense theory of the case underlying his sufficiency argument, appellant argues that an involuntary manslaughter instruction was justified because the medical experts agreed that Raymond's death was caused by a seizure, and not by appellant's most recent assault on the child. In appellant's view, an involuntary manslaughter charge would have been appropriate because the jury could reasonably have found that appellant engaged in merely reckless, rather than malicious, conduct. The Commonwealth responds that appellant's claim is waived because he did not request an instruction on involuntary manslaughter. The Commonwealth's waiver argument is correct. Despite being asked by the trial court if he had anything to add at the close of the jury charge, appellant did not request an involuntary manslaughter instruction. See N.T., 11/16/00, at 100. Indeed, although appellant fails to acknowledge his waiver in the portion of his brief alleging the trial court error, in Claim IX of the brief  which raises a series of claims of ineffective assistance of counsel  appellant admits the default when he alleges his counsel was ineffective for failing to request a jury charge on involuntary manslaughter. Appellant's Brief at 58. Because appellant did not raise his claim of trial court error below, it is defaulted. Pa.R.A.P. 302(a).