Opinion ID: 2062104
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Kidnapping Instruction

Text: The court instructed the jury that the State must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant knew or should have known that the forcible confinement of [the victim] was practically certain to result from his conduct, whatever his conscious desire may have been. And ... that he knew he had no legal right, justification or authority to do so. (Emphasis added.) After the jury began deliberations, defendant informed the court that he objected to the instruction, pointing out that the words or should have known impermissibly allowed the jury to convict defendant based on constructive as opposed to actual knowledge. The court refused to change the instruction because the language was inserted in a quote in State v. Audette, 149 Vt. 218, 220, 543 A.2d 1315, 1316 (1988). In Audette, we held that a jury charge for kidnapping must include the element of intent, and noted that general intent is proved if the defendant consciously desires the result, or ... `he knows [or should have known] that the result is practically certain to follow from his conduct, whatever his desire may be as to that result.' Id. (quoting 1 W. LaFave & A. Scott, Substantive Criminal Law § 3.5(a), at 304 (1986)). After the trial in this case, Audette was overruled in this respect. State v. Sargent, 156 Vt. 463, 465, 594 A.2d 401, 402 (1991) (While the `should have known' language appears in dicta in Audette itself, a closer examination of Audette makes clear that the inquiry into defendant's intent is a subjective one.). The objection was untimely. V.R.Cr.P. 30 (objection to jury charge must be made before jury retires to consider its verdict). Because the issue was not preserved, a reversal is warranted only upon a finding of plain error. State v. Dion, 154 Vt. 420, 424, 578 A.2d 101, 103 (1990). Plain error has not been shown. Here, the only significant issue was defendant's sanity. No serious dispute over what happened to the victim was in issue. She was abducted at gunpoint, tied up, sexually assaulted, and forcibly confined for eight and a half hours. We believe the instruction on constructive knowledge had no impact on the verdict.