Opinion ID: 2625007
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: analysis

Text: ¶ 15 Defendant claims that his constitutional right to a unanimous verdict, under article I, section 10 of the Utah Constitution, was violated because the jury instructions concerning attempted aggravated murder set forth alternative theories on which the jury could convict defendant, but the instructions did not explain that the jury must be unanimous as to the theory relied upon for the conviction. [1] The instructions given to the jury were those requested by defendant. ¶ 16 Defendant neither objected to the absence of a specific instruction on jury unanimity, nor did he propose such an instruction. Because defendant did not object to the absence of a unanimity instruction, defendant relies on the doctrine of plain error in seeking review of the jury instructions. Under the plain error doctrine, defendant must demonstrate that failure to give an instruction on unanimity was not only error, but also that the error should have been obvious to the trial court, and that the error was of such a magnitude that there is a reasonable likelihood of a more favorable outcome for the defendant. See State v. Saunders, 1999 UT 59, ¶ 57, 992 P.2d 951. ¶ 17 A majority of this court has interpreted article I, section 10 to require jury unanimity with respect to each element of an aggravated murder charge. See id. at ¶¶ 59-62. At the time of defendant's trial in 1998, the issue was arguably unclear. See State v. Tillman, 750 P.2d 546 (Utah 1987) (containing four different opinions discussing jury unanimity). Nevertheless, in Saunders, a majority of this court explained that three justices clearly indicated agreement on the fundamental proposition that unanimity was necessary as to all elements of an offense, and [t]he only disagreement among those three was whether the instruction in that particular case in fact required less than unanimity as to the various elements of the offense. Saunders, 1999 UT 59 at ¶ 61, 992 P.2d 951. Even accepting the notion that failure to instruct the jury as to unanimity was an obvious error at the time of defendant's trial, we are not convinced that the instructions requested by defendant and given by the trial court, in this case, rise to the level of the non-unanimity instruction [2] at issue in Saunders. More importantly, we are unconvinced that the slight confusion that may have arisen from the wording of the instructions used here presents a reasonable likelihood of a more favorable result for defendant.
¶ 18 Defendant argues that the trial court erred in failing to instruct the jury on the lesser-included offense of attempted manslaughter for Count I, the attempted aggravated murder of Officer Idle. Under State v. Baker, 671 P.2d 152, 159 (Utah 1983), a defendant is entitled to a requested lesser-included offense instruction if (1) the two offenses are related because some of their statutory elements overlap, and the evidence at trial of the greater offense involves proof of some or all of those overlapping elements; and (2) the evidence provides a rational basis for a verdict acquitting the defendant of the offense charged and convicting the defendant of the lesser-included offense. ¶ 19 Defendant asserts that the first test of Baker was met in this case because the elements of attempted aggravated murder and attempted manslaughter overlapped in that both require proof of an attempted intentional killing. Defendant claims that the second requirement of Baker was also satisfied because defendant's testimony provided a rational basis for the jury to acquit him of attempted aggravated murder and convict him of attempted manslaughter. The evidence defendant put forth in support of this contention is that defendant did not see the emergency equipment (i.e. flashing lights) on Officer Idle's car, he did not know that Officer Idle was a police officer, and he grabbed his gun and began to fire only after he saw Officer Idle begin walking towards him with his gun raised. ¶ 20 We agree with defendant that the Baker requirements were satisfied and that the trial court erred in refusing to instruct the jury on the lesser-included offense of attempted manslaughter. However, we hold that this error was harmless. As we have previously explained, harmless error is an error that is sufficiently inconsequential that there is no reasonable likelihood that it affected the outcome of the proceedings. State v. Robertson, 932 P.2d 1219, 1227 (Utah 1997). Put differently, an error is harmful only if the likelihood of a different outcome is sufficiently high that it undermines our confidence in the verdict. Id. ¶ 21 In this case, the State offered testimony from several witnesses that contradicted defendant's sole testimony that he did not realize he had been pulled over by or had shot a police officer. First, Alepino Lavaka and Shiloh Griffin, passengers in defendant's car, testified that they knew they were being pulled over by police. Lavaka testified that before defendant stopped the car, defendant said, Oh . . . we're getting pulled over. Lavaka also said that he saw flashing red and blue lights reflected in the rearview mirror. Griffin said that she thought she saw red and blue flashing lights. The testimony of defendant's companions was consistent with the testimony of the police officers and passers-by also offered by the State to show that defendant had to have known that he was being pulled over by an officer. Officers Evans, Newbold and Idle all testified that the red and blue emergency lights and the wig-wag headlights on Officer Idle's car were engaged when Officer Idle pulled over defendant's car. Furthermore, three passing motorists also testified that they saw a car being pulled over by a police car with its red and blue lights flashing. ¶ 22 Only the testimony of defendant, that he was unaware that the driver of the car pursuing him was an officer, stands counter to this evidence. He offers no explanation as to how he saw Officer Idle, gun in hand, standing in front of the police car with its red and blue flashing lights, but failed to see the lights when looking carefully enough to see the gun in the officer's hand. Defendant's observation of Officer Idle, according to defendant's testimony, occurred prior to defendant reaching for his gun, cocking it, and firing. Additionally, for the jury to have accepted defendant's theory that he believed that he was being pursued by a sinister individual intent on harm without lawful motive, the jury would have also had to disbelieve or reconcile the contradictory testimony, of defendant's companions and their report of defendant's own statement that they were being pulled over. ¶ 23 Defendant asks much of the jury. Given this evidence, our confidence in the jury's verdict for attempted aggravated murder is not undermined, and we conclude that it was harmless error for the trial court to fail to instruct the jury on the lesser-included offense of attempted manslaughter.
¶ 24 On the fourth day of trial, the court learned that juror Hanseen failed to answer a voir dire question correctly. In a jury questionnaire, potential jurors were asked whether any family members or friends were employed by the county sheriff's office or the District Attorney's office, among other places. Hanseen answered that her husband was a volunteer in search and rescue for the sheriff's office, but she did not disclose the fact that her uncle by marriage was the chief deputy in the prosecutor's office. After this was discovered, defendant moved the trial court to declare a mistrial. The trial court interviewed Hanseen at length and denied defendant's motion. ¶ 25 This court has adopted the two-pronged test set forth in McDonough Power Equipment, Inc. v. Greenwood, 464 U.S. 548, 104 S.Ct. 845, 78 L.Ed.2d 663 (1984), to determine when a juror's conduct entitles a party to a new trial. See State v. Thomas, 830 P.2d 243 (Utah 1992). Under the McDonough test, a party must show that the juror failed to answer honestly a material question on voir dire, and that a correct response would have provided a valid basis for a challenge for cause. 464 U.S. at 556, 104 S.Ct. 845. In this case, the trial court applied the McDonough test and concluded that the first part was satisfied because Hanseen, albeit inadvertently, had failed to disclose the fact that her uncle is an attorney in the prosecutor's office. However, the trial court found that the second part was not satisfied because, based on the interview with Hanseen, she would not have been stricken for cause had the relationship been discovered during voir dire. ¶ 26 The trial court's conclusion that the McDonough test was not satisfied is a legal conclusion that we review for correctness, while the trial court's decision to deny defendant's motion for a new trial is reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard. ¶ 27 When the trial court learned of the relationship between Hanseen and the chief deputy in the prosecutor's office, it conducted, on the record, an extensive interview of Hanseen with counsel present. During this interview, Hanseen explained that she was related to the chief deputy by his marriage to her mother's sister. She said that she had lived with her aunt and uncle, the chief deputy, while she was a freshman in college, twenty-five years earlier. However, she now saw her uncle possibly every other year at family parties. Hanseen also said that she knew her uncle was an attorney, but she did not know whether he prosecuted or defended, nor did she ever talk to him about his work. She said that her involvement with her uncle was very far removed. When questioned about her ability to be fair and impartial, Hanseen said that she felt very strongly that she could be fair to both sides in the case. The trial court also asked Hanseen if she would feel that she had to explain herself to either her aunt or her uncle if the jury in this case found the defendant not guilty. Hanseen replied, Not at all . . . . I don't feel like I have that kind of relationship where I have to explain anything to them. Based on this interview, the trial court determined that Hanseen would not have been stricken for cause had she disclosed the relationship with her uncle during voir dire. ¶ 28 Under rule 18(e) of the Utah Rules of Criminal Procedure, a challenge for cause may be based on: (4) the existence of any social, legal, business, fiduciary or other relationship between the prospective juror and any party, witness or person alleged to have been victimized or injured by the defendant, which relationship when viewed objectively, would suggest to reasonable minds that the prospective juror would be unable or unwilling to return a verdict which would be free of favoritism. Utah R.Crim. P. 18(e) (emphasis added). Here, the trial court correctly noted that under rule 18(e) the existence of a familial relationship . . . between a juror and a member of the . . . District Attorney's office, in and of itself, . . . is not necessarily the basis for a challenge for cause. There's got to be some more to it. The trial court determined that there was nothing to suggest that Hanseen could not return a verdict free of bias. The trial court found that Hanseen was an independent person, who would be capable of exercising careful and analytical analysis of the evidence in this case. The trial court concluded that had a challenge for cause been made during voir dire, it would have been denied. On this basis, the trial court concluded that the second prong of McDonough was not satisfied and denied defendant's motion for a mistrial. In doing so, the trial court correctly applied the law. As a result, the trial court was within the range of permitted discretion in denying defendant's motion for mistrial. ¶ 29 Defendant further argues that had he known of the relationship between Hanseen and the chief deputy, Hanseen would have been removed from the panel with a peremptory challenge. Although this may be true, defendant has failed to show how his inability to use a peremptory challenge to remove Hanseen resulted in prejudice. In State v. Menzies, 889 P.2d 393, 400 (Utah 1994), we held that the fact that the defendant had to use peremptory challenges to remove jurors that the trial court refused to remove for cause did not constitute grounds for reversal because defendant had not asserted that the jury that sat was partial or biased. The same reasoning applies in this case, and reversal is not appropriate when defendant has not shown that the jury that sat in his case was partial or biased. ¶ 30 Finally, defendant argues that in addition to committing error with regard to juror Hanseen, the trial court committed other errors related to the jury that this court should review on a cumulative basis to determine whether there is reversible error. However, defendant offers little analysis or argument in support of the cumulative errors he alleges, and he has failed to show that the jury in his case was not impartial or that the alleged errors resulted in prejudice to defendant. Therefore, there is no basis for reversal. ¶ 31 Defendant's conviction is affirmed. ¶ 32 Chief Justice HOWE, Associate Chief Justice RUSSON, Justice DURHAM, and Justice DURRANT concur in Justice WILKINS' opinion.