Opinion ID: 2538643
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Instructions for Lesser Included Offenses

Text: For his first issue, Hoge argues that the trial court should have given an instruction for intentional second-degree murder as a lesser included crime. He requested several lesser included homicide instructions at trial. However, the trial court denied his request, finding that lesser included offense instructions were unnecessary because Hoge was charged with felony murder and the evidence of the underlying felony was neither weak nor inconclusive. Because Hoge requested the instructions, this court must review the matter in a light most favorable to Hoge. See State v. Douglas, 274 Kan. 96, 103, 49 P.3d 446 (2002). Hoge claims that the trial court should have given the lesser included offense instructions under the premeditated-murder theory even though the instructions were not warranted under the felony-murder theory. In his argument, he stresses the fact that the jury convicted him under the combined theories of premeditated murder and felony murder without reaching agreement on the underlying theory. Because the jury was divided regarding the theory for Hoge's first-degree murder conviction, we review each theory separately to determine whether the jury should have been instructed on lesser included crimes. Under the felony-murder theory, lesser included offense instructions are unnecessary unless the evidence of the underlying felony is weak, inconclusive, or conflicting. State v. Jones, 257 Kan. 856, 871, 896 P.2d 1077 (1995). Hoge does not argue that the evidence of the underlying felony was weak or inconclusive. Instead, he argues that the instructions should have been given under the premeditated-murder analysis. As a result, we need not consider whether the instructions were required under the felony-murder theory. Under the premeditated-murder theory, the general rules for lesser included offense instructions apply. Jones, 257 Kan. at 872. If the defendant requests the instructions, the trial court has a duty to instruct the jury regarding all lesser included crimes that are established by the evidence, regardless of whether the evidence is weak or inconclusive. K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 22-3414(3); State v. Davis, 268 Kan. 661, 681, 998 P.2d 1127 (2000). An instruction on a lesser included crime, however, is not required if the jury could not reasonably convict the defendant of the lesser crime based on the evidence presented. Douglas, 274 Kan. at 103; Davis, 268 Kan. at 681. Hoge argues that the evidence supports a conviction for intentional second-degree murder. Pursuant to K.S.A. 2002 Supp. 21-3402, second-degree murder is the killing of a human being committed: (a) Intentionally; or (b) unintentionally but recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life. The difference between first-degree murder and second-degree murder is premeditation. Hoge argues that there is no evidence of premeditation. Premeditation may be inferred from `(1) the nature of the weapon used; (2) lack of provocation; (3) the defendant's conduct before and after the killing; (4) threats and declarations of the defendant before and during the occurrence; and (5) the dealing of lethal blows after the deceased was felled and rendered helpless.' [Citation omitted.] State v. Murillo, 269 Kan. 281, 286, 7 P.3d 264 (2000). The evidence in this case supports an inference of premeditation. Hoge and Hadley entered Winn's house with a gun. Six gunshots were fired either directly at the bed or within a few feet of the bed where Winn was sleeping. The shooter fired two bullets from the doorway between the dining room and Winn's bedroom, penetrating Winn's mattress. Two shots were fired from the foot of Winn's bed, with one of the bullets passing through a CD player that was laying on the bed and the other entering the wall at the head of the bed. The final two shots were fired near the closet door in the bedroom, with those bullets entering the wall on the right side of the bed and the victim. The fatal shot hit the victim in the left cheek, nearly severing his spinal cord and causing him to immediately drop to the floor. There was no evidence of a struggle or any other disturbance in the house, other than a box fan that had been knocked over on the floor of Winn's bedroom. At the foot of the bed, near Winn's leg, police found a sack filled with 13 bottles of alcohol, Hoge's alleged target for the burglary. Hoge did not rebut the State's evidence or present any evidence that Winn was shot accidentally. Instead, he raised compulsion as a defense, claiming that he had to participate in burglarizing Winn's home or risk being beaten or shot by Hadley. This defense does not negate the evidence of premeditation in support of second-degree murder. The State could not prove whether Hoge or Hadley fired the shots but proceeded on an aiding and abetting theory. Consequently, Hadley's premeditation transfers to Hoge, whether Hoge thought about killing Winn or not. Either Hoge was guilty of premeditated murder as an aider and abetter, or he was innocent because he was forced to participate. By finding Hoge guilty, the jury clearly rejected Hoge's compulsion defense. Because there is no evidence to support a conviction for second-degree murder, the trial court did not err when it failed to give the lesser included offense instructions. Although the trial court relied on the wrong analysis, it reached the right result based on the facts of this case. The judgment of the trial court will be upheld even though the trial court relied on the wrong reason for its decision. See State v. Bryant, 272 Kan. 1204, 1209-10, 38 P.3d 661 (2002).