Opinion ID: 2630897
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Step 2Did the Trial Court Err?

Text: Because we have identified multiple acts supporting the rape conviction in Count I, we must proceed with the second step of the Voyles test, which is to determine whether error was committed. In a multiple acts case, either the State must inform the jury which act to rely upon in its deliberations or the court must instruct the jury to agree on the specific criminal act. The failure to either elect or instruct is error. Voyles, 284 Kan. 239, Syl. ¶ 2, 160 P.3d 794. Here, the trial court did not instruct the jury to agree on the specific criminal act supporting the rape charge in Count I. Thus, the question becomes whether the State properly informed the jury which act to rely upon to support the conviction. In the closing argument, the State relied upon the act of penile penetration on August 11 to support the rape charge in Count I. Even though the State argued only one act to support Count I, the State failed to properly elect the act it was relying upon as required by Voyles . The second part of the Voyles analysis appears to be derived from State v. Timley, 255 Kan. 286, 289, 875 P.2d 242 (1994), which, in turn, utilized the rule applied in State v. Kitchen, 110 Wash.2d 403, 409, 756 P.2d 105 (1988). The Kitchen court held: [W]hen the prosecution presents evidence of several acts that could form the basis of one count charged, either the State must tell the jury which act to rely on in its deliberations or the court must instruct the jury to agree on a specific criminal act. 110 Wash.2d at 409, 756 P.2d 105. Here, as we have discussed, the State presented evidence of three separate acts which could have supported the rape charge in Count I based on the on or about language in the charging document and the jury instruction. Although the State argued that only one act supported the charge, this is not the same as informing the jury that it could not consider evidence of other acts supporting the same charge or that it must agree on the same underlying criminal act. We conclude that as to Count I, error occurred because there was a failure to elect or instruct on the underlying act supporting the charge.