Opinion ID: 1711877
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: assignments of error concerning manslaughter and second degree murder

Text: Bao assigns that the district court erred in the manner in which it instructed the jury on manslaughter and second degree murder. Whether jury instructions given by a trial court are correct is a question of law. State v. Thomas, supra . To establish reversible error from a court's refusal to give a requested instruction, an appellant has the burden to show that (1) the tendered instruction is a correct statement of the law, (2) the tendered instruction is warranted by the evidence, and (3) the appellant was prejudiced by the court's refusal to give the tendered instruction. State v. Thomas, supra . Likewise, in an appeal based on a claim of an erroneous jury instruction, the appellant has the burden to show that the questioned instruction was prejudicial or otherwise adversely affected a substantial right of the appellant. Nebraska Nutrients v. Shepherd, 261 Neb. 723, 626 N.W.2d 472 (2001). Before an error in the giving of instructions can be considered as a ground for reversal of a conviction, it must be considered prejudicial to the rights of the defendant. State v. Derry, 248 Neb. 260, 534 N.W.2d 302 (1995). Here, the court properly administered a step instruction in which the jury was instructed to consider only the crimes of second degree murder and manslaughter if the jury first found that the State failed to prove that Bao was guilty of first degree murder. In State v. Derry, supra , we examined similar circumstances and noted that we will presume that the jury followed the court's instruction and did not consider any of the purported lesser-included offenses after the defendant was found guilty of the primary charge against him. The jury found Bao guilty of first degree murder. Under the step instruction administered by the district court, the jury never reached the question of whether he committed the crimes of second degree murder and manslaughter. Assuming the court erred in the manner in which the jury was instructed, an issue we do not decide, Bao could not have been prejudiced because the jury did not reach the issues of second degree murder and manslaughter. See State v. Derry, supra . Accordingly, we determine that all of Bao's assignments of error relating to manslaughter and second degree murder are without merit.