Opinion ID: 2575468
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Issue 6: Were Pham's convictions of aggravated kidnapping and felony murder multiplicitous?

Text: Pham also argues that the charges of felony murder, based upon the underlying felony of aggravated burglary, and aggravated kidnapping were multiplicitous because the same act of force, i.e., the fatal gunshot was the aggravating factor supporting both convictions. In response, the State argues that in State v. Grissom, 251 Kan. 851, 840 P.2d 1142 (1992), the court rejected as a matter of law the defendant's argument that his aggravated kidnapping conviction was multiplicitous with the first-degree murder conviction. The resolution of this issue  where Pham received multiple convictions of different statutes  is controlled by the analysis in State v. Schoonover . There we stated that the test to determine whether charges in a complaint or information under different statutes are multiplicitous is whether each offense requires proof of an element not necessary to prove the other offense; if so, the charges stemming from a single act are not multiplicitous. 281 Kan. at 495. Because aggravated burglary and aggravated kidnapping each require proof of an element not necessary to prove the other (see K.S.A. 21-3716 and 21-3421), one gunshot may serve as the aggravating factor in both the aggravated burglary (the underlying felony for the felony-murder charge) as well as the aggravated kidnapping. On a related issue, Schoonover also recognized that a legislature can authorize cumulative punishments under felony-murder and underlying felony statutes. We concluded that through K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 21-3436, the inherently dangerous felony statute, the legislature stated its intent as to when cumulative punishments can be imposed. 281 Kan. at 491. Because K.S.A. 2005 Supp. 21-3436(a)(10) lists aggravated burglary as an inherently dangerous felony, Pham can be punished cumulatively for felony murder and aggravated burglary as the underlying felony. See, e.g., State v. Dunn, 243 Kan. 414, 758 P.2d 718 (1988) (convictions for felony murder and underlying offenses of aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping are constitutionally permissible). Accordingly, Pham's convictions of aggravated kidnapping and of felony murder based upon the underlying felony of aggravated burglary are not multiplicitous.