Opinion ID: 198585
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Jury Instructions on Malice

Text: 21 The Commonwealth contends that the district court erred in ruling that the SJC gatekeeper's denial of Moore's motion for leave to appeal under § 33E does not impose a procedural bar that precludes our review of Moore's challenge to the jury instructions on malice. We disagree and hold that no procedural bar precludes federal consideration of this claim. On the merits, we find that the jury instructions on malice were constitutionally deficient, but conclude that the error was harmless.
22 As discussed above, a procedural rule may bar federal consideration of a claim in a habeas petition only if the state consistently applies that rule. See Burks, 55 F.3d at 716. In contrast to their treatment of challenges to jury instructions on reasonable doubt, Massachusetts courts have chosen to waive the contemporaneous objection requirement when reviewing challenges to erroneous jury instructions on malice which were given before the Supreme Court announced its decision in Sandstrom v. Montana, 442 U.S. 510 (1979). See, e.g., Commonwealth v. Sires, 542 N.E.2d 580, 581 n.2 (Mass. 1989) (The defendant did not object to the burden-shifting language at his trial. However, because the defendant's trial and direct appeal both occurred prior to the Sandstrom decision, he did not have a genuine opportunity to raise his constitutional claim on those occasions. (internal quotation marks and alterations omitted)); see also Libby v. Duval, 19 F.3d 733, 735 n.5 (1st Cir. 1994) ([A]lthough petitioner did not object to the challenged instruction at the time it was given, Massachusetts has waived its contemporaneous objection rule in the Sandstrom error context where the error occurred prior to the Sandstrom decision.); Commonwealth v. Adrey, 493 N.E.2d 875, 877 (Mass. 1986) (We have previously held that . . . constitutional theories [regarding the impropriety of mandatory presumptions in jury instructions on malice] were not sufficiently developed for a defendant to be chargeable with knowledge about them until the Supreme Court's decision in [Sandstrom].). Because Massachusetts courts overlook the contemporaneous objection requirement in pre-Sandstrom cases, the state court's reliance on a procedural bar to preclude review of this issue constitutes an inconsistent application of its procedural rules and cannot prevent federal review of this claim. We, therefore, proceed to analyze the merits of Moore's claim of error.
23 Moore contends that the trial court's jury instructions on malice created an improper mandatory presumption that violated his due process rights. The Commonwealth concedes that a portion of the jury instructions on malice contained an improper mandatory presumption, but argues that other language in the instructions cured this defect or, in the alternative, that the defect was harmless error. We conclude that the trial court's instructions on malice were constitutionally deficient, but find that the error was harmless. 24 Evidentiary charges in jury instructions that relieve the government of its burden of proving each element of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt violate the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. See Sandstrom, 442 U.S. at 520-24. Accordingly, jury instructions that create mandatory presumptions--which instruct a jury that it must infer an elemental fact, such as malice, 6 from a basic fact, such as a knowing act--may result in such a violation. See Hill v. Maloney, 927 F.2d 646, 648-49 (1st Cir. 1990). The challenged portion of the jury instructions on malice stated, [w]here the fact of killing is shown and there are no circumstances to disclosed [sic] tending to show justification or excuse, there is nothing to rebut the natural presumption of malice. Trial Tr. at 2015. The Commonwealth concedes that this portion of the instruction created an impermissible mandatory presumption on the malice element. 25 Even if a jury instruction creates an impermissible mandatory presumption, we must still consider whether other parts of the instruction explained 'the particular infirm language to the extent that a reasonable juror could not have considered the charge to have created an unconstitutional presumption.' Hill, 927 F.2d at 649 (quoting Francis v. Franklin, 471 U.S. 307,315 (1985)). To make this assessment, we must determine whether other language in the charge explains the infirm language sufficiently so that there is no reasonable likelihood that the jury believed it must find malice if it found petitioner did the [killing without excuse or justification]. Id. at 651. 26 Although other portions of the instructions correctly described the malice element, nothing in those statements informed the jury that the presumption was permissive rather than mandatory. Thus, we conclude that the instructions on malice created an impermissible mandatory presumption that was not cured by other language in the instructions. 27 Although we conclude that the jury instructions on malice were constitutionally deficient, we must still consider whether the trial court's error was harmless. See Libby, 19 F.3d at 738. We conclude that it was. 28 A Sandstrom error may be considered harmless if the Commonwealth shows that the error did not have a substantial and injurious effect or influence on the jury's verdict. See id. at 739-40. After reviewing the record, we conclude that the jury instructions on malice did not have such an effect. 29 The record provides substantial evidence that the defendant killed Rimer with the requisite state of mind to establish murder in the first degree. The undisputed evidence showed that Rimer was killed as a result of several blows to the head with a blunt object. Testimony also showed that Rimer was asleep at the time of the attack. At trial, the parties disputed the identity of the killer, not whether he possessed the requisite state of mind for a murder conviction. Cf. Neder v. United States, ___ U.S. ___, 119 S.Ct. 1827,1837,144 L.Ed.2d 35(1999) (recognizing that trial court's failure to instruct jury on element of offense is harmless when existence of element is uncontested and supported by overwhelming evidence). The jury also found that Moore killed Rimer with deliberate premeditation, a prerequisite to first degree murder. This court has recognized that a jury's finding of deliberate premeditation is generally inconsistent with a finding that the jury relied on presumed intent. See Douchette v. Vose, 842 F.2d 538, 542-43 (1st Cir. 1988). In light of these considerations, we conclude that the trial court's erroneous instructions on malice did not have a substantial or injurious effect on the jury's verdict. The error was therefore harmless and does not provide a basis for habeas relief.