Opinion ID: 1890374
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Aiding and abetting charge

Text: The verdict form submitted to the jury and signed by the jury foreperson states that Dobbins is guilty of murdering Lavender in violation of Minn.Stat. § 609.185(a)(1) and Minn.Stat. § 609.05. Dobbins argues that appellate counsel's representation was ineffective because counsel did not challenge the fact that Dobbins was convicted of aiding and abetting murder under Minn.Stat. § 609.05. Underlying Dobbins's ineffective assistance of counsel claim is his argument that he was wrongly convicted of aiding and abetting the Lavender murder because the State's theory at trial was that Dobbins shot Lavender. This argument lacks merit. While the State's primary theory at trial was that Dobbins shot Lavender, it alternatively argued that if Dobbins did not actually shoot Lavender, Dobbins orchestrated the murder. Moreover, accomplice liability is a theory of criminal liability, not an element of a criminal offense or separate crime. In State v. Britt we said that there is no separate crime of criminal liability for a crime committed by another person. State v. Britt, 279 Minn. 260, 263, 156 N.W.2d 261, 263 (1968). The jury concluded that the State proved the elements of first-degree murdereither because it found that Dobbins himself committed murder, or because it found he aided and abetted another in committing murder and convicted Dobbins of first-degree murder, not the crime of aiding and abetting. We have held that appellate counsel's representation is not ineffective because counsel fails to raise a meritless claim. See Schleicher, 718 N.W.2d at 449. Because the claim that Dobbins was improperly convicted of aiding and abetting murder lacks merit, we conclude that this ineffective assistance of appellate counsel fails on the performance prong.