Opinion ID: 1801744
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 16

Heading: Felon in Possession of a Handgun Instruction

Text: Testimony adduced at trial reveals that a handgun with a barrel less than 18 inches in length was in the van the night Wilson was murdered. The State stipulated that Hughes had a previous felony conviction. The following instruction No. 3 requested by Allen, for the purpose of demonstrating Hughes' alleged motive to shoot Wilson, was refused by the district court: You are advised that the Laws of the State of Nebraska applicable on August 20, 1995, included the following: 28-1206: Any person who possesses any firearm with a barrel less than 18 inches in length ... and who has previously been convicted of a felony ... commits the offense of possession of a firearm by a felon... [this] is a Class IV felony. It is the duty of the trial court to instruct the jury on the issues presented by the pleadings and the evidence and on the pertinent law of the case. State v. Adams, 251 Neb. 461, 558 N.W.2d 298 (1997); State v. Plant, 248 Neb. 52, 532 N.W.2d 619 (1995). All the jury instructions must be read together, and if, taken as a whole, they correctly state the law, are not misleading, and adequately cover the issues supported by the pleadings and the evidence, there is no prejudicial error necessitating a reversal. State v. White, 249 Neb. 381, 543 N.W.2d 725 (1996); State v. Mantich, 249 Neb. 311, 543 N.W.2d 181 (1996). Whatever alleged motive Hughes may have had to shoot Wilson is simply not pertinent to the law of the case against Allen who had the opportunity to introduce evidence and to argue Hughes' motive to the jury. As a result, the district court was under no duty, and Allen was not prejudiced by the district court's refusal, to give Allen's requested instruction. See, State v. Adams, supra ; State v. McBride, 250 Neb. 636, 550 N.W.2d 659 (1996); State v. White, supra .