Opinion ID: 900409
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Instruction Explaining Acquittal of Codefendant

Text: [¶ 16.] New next claims that Molstad's representation was deficient because he did not request an instruction informing the jury that White Horse's verdict of not guilty was not necessarily a finding of innocence, but merely an indication that guilt was not proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The acquittal, contends New, gave the jury the impression that White Horse, was, in fact, innocent. If the jury believed White Horse was innocent, New asserts, then there would be no possible guilty individual other than New, since Black Bear had already been convicted and White Horse acquitted. New argues that this inference deprived him of a fair trial. The habeas court found that Molstad's actions did not deprive New of the assistance of effective counsel. [¶ 17.] Simply from reading the instructions in New's case, jurors would understand that an acquittal could be based on reasonable doubt, not absolute innocence. We see no prejudice from the absence of the limiting instruction. In our view, Molstad's cross-examination adequately attacked White Horse's credibility. We conclude that New was not prejudiced by Molstad's failure to request an instruction explaining the significance of White Horse's acquittal.