Opinion ID: 2450640
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Failure to Instruct on Defendant's Age at Time of Offenses

Text: Race argues that he could not be convicted or sentenced under Jessica's Law, K.S.A. 21-4643, unless the judge's instructions required the jury to find that he was 18 years old or older at the time of the offenses. The instructions to the jury did not include Race's age as an element of the crimes. This issue raises questions of statutory interpretation and constitutional interpretation; thus, this court's review is unlimited. State v. Bello, 289 Kan. 191, 195-96, 211 P.3d 139 (2009) (citing State v. Bryan, 281 Kan. 157, 159, 130 P.3d 85 [2006], and State v. Allen, 283 Kan. 372, 374, 153 P.3d 488 [2007]). Because Race failed to object to the elements instructions on this basis at trial, he must meet a clearly erroneous standard on appeal. See K.S.A. 22-3414(3); State v. Daniels, 278 Kan. 53, 57, 91 P.3d 1147 (2004). Clear error occurs if the reviewing court is firmly convinced there is a real possibility that the jury would have rendered a different verdict if the error had not occurred. State v. Davis, 275 Kan. 107, 115, 61 P.3d 701 (2003). Race is correct that his age of 18 or over was an element of the off-grid crimes with which he was charged. See K.S.A. 21-3502(c); K.S.A. 21-3504(c); K.S.A. 21-3506(c). It was error for a district judge to fail to instruct the jury to examine that element. See State v. Morningstar, 289 Kan. 488, 494-95, 213 P.3d 1045 (2009); State v. Gonzales, 289 Kan. 351, 371, 212 P.3d 215 (2009); Bello, 289 Kan. at 199-200, 211 P.3d 139. However, in circumstances where there is unrebutted evidence of the defendant's age of 18 or over, we have been willing to hold that the error committed here is harmless. See State v. Colston, 290 Kan. 952, 976, 235 P.3d 1234 (2010) (citing State v. Reyna, 290 Kan. 666, Syl. ¶ 10, 234 P.3d 761 [2010]) (When a reviewing court concludes beyond a reasonable doubt that the omitted element was uncontested and supported by overwhelming evidence, such that the jury verdict would have been the same absent the error, the erroneous instruction is properly found to be harmless.). Here, as the State points out, Race himself gave unrebutted testimony on this topic. His testimony demonstrated that he was well over the age of 18 at the time of the charged offenses. The district judge's failure to instruct on this element of the crimes was harmless. Race is not entitled to reversal or sentence modification on this ground.