Opinion ID: 2638977
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Child Abuse Jury Instructions

Text: {52} Defendant also challenges the jury instructions for child abuse. Even though an outdated instruction was given, Defendant did not object or tender different instructions. Therefore, we review for fundamental error. See Rule 12-216(B)(2) NMRA 2005; State v. Sosa, 1997-NMSC-032, ¶ 23, 123 N.M. 564, 943 P.2d 1017. The doctrine of fundamental error applies only under exceptional circumstances and only to prevent a miscarriage of justice. State v. Jett, 111 N.M. 309, 314, 805 P.2d 78, 83 (1991). Error that is fundamental must go to the foundation of the case or take from the defendant a right which was essential to his defense and which no court could or ought to permit him to waive. State v. Garcia, 46 N.M. 302, 309, 128 P.2d 459, 462 (1942). {53} Defendant argues and the State concedes that the district court gave the jury the former elements instruction for child abuse, rather than the new one. Under the old instruction, the jury was required to find that Defendant knew or should have known of the danger involved and acted with a reckless disregard for the safety or health of the child. See UJI 14-602 NMRA 1999. Under the new instruction, the jury is required to find that Defendant acted with reckless disregard, which means the jury must find that Defendant knew or should have known his actions created a substantial and foreseeable risk, that Defendant disregarded that risk and was wholly indifferent to the consequences and to the welfare and safety of the child. See UJI 14-602 NMRA 2005. {54} In Mascareñas, this Court was concerned that the jury could have applied an ordinary negligence standard rather than a criminal negligence standard because the terms negligence and reckless disregard were used in the same element without clarifying the difference. 2000-NMSC-017, ¶¶ 12-13, 129 N.M. 230, 4 P.3d 1221. A similar mistake occurred in Defendant's case. The jury was instructed, To find that [Defendant] negligently caused child abuse to occur, you must find that [Defendant] knew or should have known of the danger involved and acted with a reckless disregard for the safety or health of David O'Brien. As in Mascareñas, we acknowledge the potential for juror confusion. {55} Under a fundamental error analysis, however, we consider any possible confusion in the context of jury instructions as a whole. See State v. Cunningham, 2000-NMSC-009, ¶ 21, 128 N.M. 711, 998 P.2d 176. The State argues that this situation differs from Mascareñas because the jury here was given a definitional instruction of reckless disregard stating that [f]or you to find the defendant acted with reckless disregard in this case, you must find that the defendant acted with willful disregard of the rights or safety o[f] others and in a manner which endangered any person or property. The State contends that this definitional instruction adequately corrected the omission of the definition of reckless disregard in the elements instruction. {56} Ordinarily, we would agree with the State and conclude that the definition corrected any potential for juror confusion. Only the child abuse instruction referred to reckless disregard, and we would presume that the jury would understand the connection regardless of the order in which the jury instructions were read. However, because the possibility exists that the jury read the reckless disregard instruction in the context of the other instructions for homicide, we cannot assume that the misplaced definition corrected any potential for juror confusion. Thus, we conclude that the existence of the jury instruction for reckless disregard did not correct any shortcomings in the child abuse instruction. {57} However, even assuming that the reckless disregard instruction did not correct the improper child abuse instruction, and that juror confusion persisted due to the order the instructions were given, any error in the child abuse instruction was harmless and not fundamental error. A definitional instruction is not necessary if, as matter of law, no rational juror could find that a defendant acted with less than criminal negligence. See Magby, 1998-NMSC-042, ¶ 11. Without acquitting Defendant, no rational juror could have found that Defendant shot David under the circumstances presented in this case without meeting the standard of criminal negligence. At the very least, Defendant was guilty of criminal negligence under the facts presented. We therefore affirm the conviction for child abuse resulting in death.