Opinion ID: 1691522
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Butler Error

Text: As previously stated, the trial court's jury instructions violated the well-established rule of State v. Butler, 322 So.2d 189 (La. 1975), which requires that in order to find a defendant guilty of attempted second degree murder, the State must prove that the defendant had the specific intent to kill. The intent to inflict great bodily harm, while an element of second degree murder, may not be used to support a conviction of attempted murder. Id. at 192-93. In the instant case the trial court, when instructing the jury as to the elements of the crime, simply read from the definition of second degree murder, La. R.S. 14:30.1(A)(1), followed by the definition of attempt. La. R.S. 14:27. Consequently, the court included the intent to inflict great bodily harm in the definition of second degree murder. [1] The instant case is therefore dissimilar to Butler, wherein the State specifically argued intent to commit great bodily harm with numerous supporting rulings from the trial court. Notwithstanding this distinction, the trial court did issue erroneous instructions to the jury by including the intent to inflict great bodily harm along with the proper and required intent to kill and such an instruction is error.