Opinion ID: 2613212
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Requirement of Reasonable Doubt Instruction at the End of the Case

Text: On the first day of trial, the trial judge preliminarily instructed the jury that in order to convict defendant, the state had to prove defendant guilty of every element of the crimes charged beyond a reasonable doubt. At that same time, the then three-count indictment was read to the jury, but the crimes charged were not defined as they were at the end of the trial. Four days and 26 witnesses later, the lawyers made closing arguments. Both mentioned the state's burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial judge then gave additional instructions to the jury, but did not repeat those previously given. There was no reinstruction on the reasonable doubt standard. The judge did provide the jury with a written copy of the instructions that had been given the first day of trial, as well as a copy of those given at the end. Defendant argues that the trial judge's practice of refusing to instruct the jury on the reasonable doubt standard at the close of the evidence is reversible error. It is well-settled that failure or refusal to instruct the jury at the close of the evidence on the state's burden of proof after a request by the defendant is error. The appellate courts of this state have so held in five cases: State v. Johnson, 173 Ariz. 274, 276, 842 P.2d 1287, 1289 (1992); State v. Jackson (Robert), 144 Ariz. 53, 54, 695 P.2d 742, 743 (1985); State v. Kinkade, 140 Ariz. 91, 94-95, 680 P.2d 801, 804-05 (1984); State v. Jackson (Richard), 139 Ariz. 213, 217, 677 P.2d 1321, 1325 (App. 1983); State v. Marquez, 135 Ariz. 316, 321, 660 P.2d 1243, 1248 (App. 1983). Each of these five published opinions involved the same trial judge that presided over defendant's trial here. Four of the five opinions were issued before the trial in this case. The state necessarily acknowledges the clear rule requiring instruction on reasonable doubt at the close of the case. The state argues, however, that the jury in this case was in fact instructed on the reasonable doubt standard at the close of the evidence, and that only a definition of reasonable doubt, which is not required, is lacking. See State v. Bracy, 145 Ariz. 520, 535, 703 P.2d 464, 479 (1985), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 1110, 106 S.Ct. 898, 88 L.Ed.2d 932 (1986). In support of this claim, the state relies on the following instruction given at the end of the case: You may not find the defendant guilty of first degree murder unless you find beyond a reasonable doubt that at the time of the killing, the defendant was engaged in the commission of a robbery as defined in these instructions. This instruction was given immediately following the felony murder instruction. This, however, falls short because the jury was told only that the reasonable doubt standard applied to robbery. The jury was not instructed that the standard applied to every element of robbery or of felony murder. The jury was not told that the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the killing was done in the course of and in furtherance of or in flight from the robbery and that defendant or another person involved in the robbery caused the death. See A.R.S. § 13-1105(A)(2). The state correctly asserts that it is not necessary for the trial court to define reasonable doubt for the jury, Bracy, 145 Ariz. at 535, 703 P.2d at 479. However, under our cases, the jury must be instructed concerning the application of the doctrine to each element at the close of the case. See, e.g., State v. Pederson, 102 Ariz. 60, 68, 424 P.2d 810, 818 (1967).