Opinion ID: 182659
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Voluntary Manslaughter Instruction

Text: Begay argues that the district court erred by declining to instruct the jury on the lesser crime of voluntary manslaughter. See 18 U.S.C. § 1112(a); United States v. Paul, 37 F.3d 496, 499 (9th Cir.1994). We review the refusal to instruct on a lesser included offense for abuse of discretion. See United States v. Naghani, 361 F.3d 1255, 1262 (9th Cir. 2004). A murder defendant is not automatically entitled to a voluntary manslaughter instruction. The defendant must produce evidence that the defendant was acting out of passion rather than malice before the burden shifts to the government to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the absence of sudden quarrel or heat of passion. Quintero, 21 F.3d at 890 (citing United States v. Lesina, 833 F.2d 156, 160 (9th Cir.1987)). Begay relies on United States v. Hernandez, 476 F.3d 791 (9th Cir.2007), but that case is inapposite. In Hernandez, the evidence at trial was sufficient to allow a rational jury to find the defendant guilty of a lesser included offense, so the defendant had no obligation to introduce additional evidence. See id. at 801. Here, Begay's trial counsel conceded that there was no evidence of provocation. Begay failed to meet his burden of production, so the district court did not abuse its discretion by refusing to give the requested instruction. See United States v. Wagner, 834 F.2d 1474, 1487 (9th Cir. 1987).