Opinion ID: 877465
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: determining jury unanimity where statutory theories of the crimes are charged alternatively in the same count

Text: If only one crime is charged in one count, and if only one statutory theory of that crime is pleaded, the unanimity requirement normally presents no problem. It is sufficient to instruct the jury that it must reach a unanimous verdict. But the problem is entirely different where a defendant is charged with one crime in one count, but where in the same count, he is charged with committing that crime alternatively in several different ways. For example, if a defendant is charged with aggravated kidnapping with a purpose to commit the felony of sexual intercourse without consent, or the felony of aggravated assault, it is not sufficient if six jurors believe that the defendant kidnapped the woman for the purpose of sexual intercourse without consent, and the six other jurors believe that the defendant kidnapped the woman for the purpose of committing aggravated assault upon her. If a jury returns a verdict on this basis, they are not in unanimous agreement, and the verdict cannot stand. In this situation, it is not a question of whether substantial evidence supports both theories, it is a question of whether the jury unanimously agreed to at least one theory. It is up to the jury to reach unanimity and the function of the appellate court is to determine if the jury in fact reached unanimity.