Opinion ID: 2164543
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Conviction for Aggravated Assault upon Mr. Richard

Text: As the State has commendably conceded on appeal, defendant's conviction for the aggravated assault upon Mr. Richard must be vacated. Defendant was indicted for the attempted murder of Mr. Richard, in that he intentionally or knowingly engag[ed] in conduct which, in fact, constituted a substantial step toward the commission of the crime of murder by intentionally or knowingly discharging a loaded firearm at one Robert R. Richard. To prove defendant guilty of attempted murder, it was unnecessary for the State to prove that defendant in fact inflicted any physical injury at all upon Mr. Richard. Having been charged with attempted murder, defendant could alternatively have been found guilty of any lesser offense necessarily included in that offense as charged. As this court recently reaffirmed: To be necessarily included in the greater offense, the lesser offense must be such that it is impossible to commit the greater without having committed the lesser. State v. Goodall, Me., 407 A.2d 268, 279 (1979), quoting State v. Leeman, Me., 291 A.2d 709, 711 (1972). Here, the Superior Court justice erred in his apparent belief that aggravated assault, whose basic ingredient is the element of bodily injury, is necessarily included in the crime of attempted murder as charged here. See State v. Carmichael, Me., 405 A.2d 732, 734 (1979); 17-A M.R.S.A. § 208 (Supp.1979). It is possible to commit attempted murder as charged without causing bodily injury, an essential element of the lesser offense of aggravated assault. In contrast to aggravated assault, attempted aggravated assault is a lesser included offense to attempted murder because the actual consummation of bodily injury is not a requisite element either of attempted assault or attempted murder. See State v. Howard, Me., 405 A.2d 206, 212 n. 6 (1979). [4] The entry must therefore be: Appeal denied in part and sustained in part. Judgment of conviction for the murder of Diane Bridges affirmed. Judgment of conviction for aggravated assault upon Robert R. Richard vacated. All concurring.