Opinion ID: 2358953
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: analysis

Text: The State maintains in Ely's case, and now concedes in Bowers's case, that there are no lesser-included offenses to felony murder. [3] It points out that the offense of felony murder requires no culpable mental state. See Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-13-202(b) (No culpable mental state is required for conviction under subdivision (a)(2) or (a)(3) [the felony murder provisions] except the intent to commit the enumerated offenses or acts in such subdivisions.). However, each of the lesser offenses of second degree murder, reckless homicide, and criminally negligent homicide respectively requires proof of either a knowing, reckless, or negligent mental state. Thus, because each of the lesser offenses requires an element that the greater does not, none can be a lesser-included offense of felony murder under part (a) of the Burns test. Furthermore, the State asserts that because felony murder requires no mental state, and because each of the lesser offenses requires proof of either a knowing, reckless, or negligent mental state, these lesser offenses do not meet the requirements of part (b) of the test because they evince a greater, not lesser, degree of culpability than felony murder. Finally, the State argues that facilitation of felony murder is not a lesser-included offense because the defendant was not charged with criminal responsibility for the conduct of another. Defendant Bowers, of course, agrees with the State's position that second degree murder is not a lesser-included offense of felony murder. Fully adopting the concept that felony murder does not require proof of a culpable mental state, Bowers additionally argues that the indictment charging him with felony murder did not place him on notice that he would be called on to defend a knowing killing. Contrary to the positions taken by the State and Bowers, defendant Ely argues that the offenses of second degree murder, reckless homicide, criminally negligent homicide, accessory after the fact, and facilitation of felony murder are all lesser-included offenses under the facts of his case. He makes three different arguments in support of his position that instructions should have been given on these lesser offenses. First, he argues that the evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to the State, supports a finding that he beat the victim to death with a brick. Such conduct constitutes a knowing, reckless, or at the very least, criminally negligent mental state on his part. Because the evidence would support finding the existence of one of these mental states, the trial court erred in failing to instruct the jury on these lesser offenses. Alternatively, Ely argues that because no culpable mental state is required to prove felony murder, proof of any mental state would suffice, whether intentional, knowing, reckless, or negligent. Hence, as there was adequate proof in the record to support a finding of one of these mental states, he argues that the concomitant lesser offenses should have been charged. Ely's third alternate argument revolves around the common law doctrine of transferred or supplied intent. Under this doctrine, the intent to commit the underlying felony substitutes for the mental state required for the commission of first degree murder, that is, intent and premeditation. Therefore, the mental culpability required to prove first degree murder, whether felony or premeditated, is greater than that required for either second degree murder, reckless homicide, criminally negligent homicide, or facilitation. Accordingly, he argues that the latter offenses are included within the former under section (b) of the Burns test.