Opinion ID: 1677910
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: WHETHER THE COURT ERRED IN ALLOWING ANY OF THE STATE INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDING JURY INSTRUCTION S-4 (THE VOLUNTARY INTOXICATION INSTRUCTION) WHICH VIOLATED LEE V. STATE, 403 So.2d 132 (Miss.1990) AND WHETHER THE ERROR WAS COMPOUNDED BY THE COURT'S REFUSAL TO GIVE D-15 WHICH WAS THE RESPONSE TO THE STATE'S S-4?

Text: ¶ 17. Bagget argues the trial court erred in allowing a jury instruction that voluntary intoxication is not a defense to a criminal act. The jury instruction reflected the rule in McDaniel v. State, 356 So.2d 1151 (Miss.1978) and read as follows: The Court instructs the jury that voluntary intoxication is not a defense to a criminal act and therefore, if you believe from the evidence in this case beyond a reasonable doubt that the Defendant was intoxicated on October 3, 1998, and that this intoxication was voluntary on his part and if you further find beyond a reasonable doubt that the Defendant committed the acts charged herein, then you are hereby instructed that intoxication is no defense to said acts. ¶ 18. This Court held in Lee v. State, 403 So.2d 132 (Miss.1981), that generally speaking a jury should not be instructed on the question of voluntary intoxication because such instructions can be confusing and misleading to the jury. Baggett claims such an instruction is particularly prejudicial in this case where he has raised both the insanity and manslaughter defenses and the defenses rest in part on his addiction to drugs or alcohol. ¶ 19. The State argues S-4 was a permissible instruction under McKnight v. State, 738 So.2d 312, 318-19 (Miss.Ct. App.1999) (citing Davis v. State, 684 So.2d 643, 653 (Miss.1996)). See also Norris v. State, 490 So.2d 839, 841-43 (Miss.1986). A voluntary intoxication instruction is proper when the defendant has made intoxication an issue. The State notes that nearly all of Baggett's testimony dealt with his intoxication the day of the murder. The State also notes that S-4 was even modified at the request of defense counsel in order to alleviate some of his concerns. The trial court did not violate the Lee standard or abuse its discretion by giving a voluntary intoxication instruction in this case due to the facts surrounding the murder and the nature of Baggett's defense. ¶ 20. Baggett proposed instruction D-15 as a response to S-4. The proposed instruction (a copy of which is not in the record before this Court) apparently provided that Baggett's intoxication negated the specific intent required to find murder. The State contends proposed instruction D-15 was contrary to the law as declared in McDaniel. There is no error in the denial of an instruction that contains an incorrect statement of the law. Evans v. State, 725 So.2d 613, 693 (Miss.1997). The lower court enjoys considerable discretion regarding the form and substance of jury instructions. Rester v. Lott, 566 So.2d 1266, 1269 (Miss.1990). The trial court did not abuse its discretion in giving jury instruction S-4 or in denying D-15. This assignment of error is without merit.