Opinion ID: 2519799
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Jury Instructions and Shondel Doctrine

Text: ¶ 18 At the close of all the evidence, Bluff moved to dismiss all charges on grounds of insufficient evidence, and alternatively, to reduce the felony murder charge to third-degree child abuse homicide. Bluff also objected to the trial court's jury instructions pertaining to felony murder. The trial judge denied the motions and overruled the objection. Bluff contended that the felony murder and child abuse homicide charges consist of the same elements and that therefore the jury should have been instructed on only the lesser crime, according to State v. Shondel, 22 Utah 2d 343, 453 P.2d 146 (1969). Bluff also argued that the jury instructions were erroneous in failing to instruct that a felony murder conviction required a finding of intent to commit the actual murder, not just intent to commit the underlying felony.