Opinion ID: 853800
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Attempted Murder Instruction Was Inadequate

Text: Metcalfe correctly contends that the attempted murder jury instruction was erroneous. The instruction reads in pertinent part: A person who knowingly kills another human being commits murder, a felony. The elements of this offense are that the defendant must: 1. Knowingly 2. Kill 3. Another human being. A person attempts to commit a crime when, acting with the intent required for the commission of the crime, he engages in conduct that constitutes a substantial step toward commission of the crime. (R. at 97-99 (internal quotation marks omitted).) To sustain a conviction for attempted murder, the jury must be instructed that the accused intended to kill the victim and took a substantial step to do so. See, e.g., Spradlin v. State, 569 N.E.2d 948 (Ind.1991). Any jury instruction suggesting a lesser mens rea is inadequate. See Beasley v. State, 643 N.E.2d 346 (Ind.1994). The attempted murder instruction given in this case is clearly insufficient, because it permits a conviction if Metcalfe knowingly attempted to kill.