Opinion ID: 2358953
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: APPLICATION TO STATE v. ELY

Text: Having concluded that facilitation of felony murder, second degree murder, reckless homicide, and criminally negligent homicide are all lesser-included offenses of felony murder, we must determine whether, under the second part of the Burns analysis, the evidence in Ely's case warranted a jury instruction on such offenses. Burns, 6 S.W.3d at 467. If so, the failure to instruct such offenses was in error. As previously summarized, the evidence in this case shows that Ely and co-defendant Carden entered the home of William Bond, repeatedly beat Bond over the head with a brick, and then stole several pieces of electronic equipment. By Ely's own admission to several witnesses, this was a joint enterprise. While there was some question as to whether it was Carden or Ely who actually killed the victim, the evidence was clear that the commission of the underlying felony of robbery was a joint undertaking. Ely's defense was that he was not present; therefore, he was either guilty of some degree of homicide or wholly innocent of any wrongdoing. Applying the Burns analysis to the evidence in this case to determine whether facilitation of felony murder should have been instructed, we find that no reasonable juror could have believed that although Ely was present, knew that Carden intended to commit the robbery, and furnished substantial assistance in the commission of the robbery, he nevertheless did not intend to promote or assist the commission of the offense or to benefit in the proceeds or results of the offense. Therefore, no instruction on the lesser-included offense of facilitation was warranted. See Burns, 6 S.W.3d at 470-71 (stating that where the facts were susceptible to only two interpretations, neither of which encompassed a theory of facilitation, no instruction on the lesser-included offense of facilitation was warranted). Our review of the record leads us to conclude that there was, however, sufficient evidence from which reasonable jurors could have convicted Ely of second degree murder, reckless homicide, or criminally negligent homicide. If the jury believed that Ely was present, it may have reasonably concluded that his actions in either repeatedly striking the victim over the head with a brick, or assisting co-defendant Carden as he did so, constituted at least criminally negligent homicide, reckless homicide, or second degree murder. Certainly one who participates in beating another person over the head with a brick ought to be aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk [death] will occur. If the jury believed this theory of the offense, it could have convicted Ely of criminally negligent homicide. Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-302(d). Alternatively, an ordinary person engaging in such conduct would be aware of the substantial and unjustifiable risk that [death] will occur. If the jury believed that Ely was aware of, but consciously disregarded, such risk, it could have convicted him of reckless homicide. Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-302(c). Similarly, participation in beating a victim over the head with a brick is conduct reasonably certain to cause [death]. Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-02(b). If the jury believed that Ely was aware...that [his] conduct [was] reasonably certain to cause [death], i.e., a knowing killing, it may have convicted him of second degree murder. We believe that a conviction for any of these three lesser-included offenses was supported by the evidence, and that failure to instruct these offenses was error.