Opinion ID: 2358953
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: APPLICATION TO STATE v. BOWERS

Text: Although we have concluded that second degree murder is a lesser-included offense of felony murder under our present statutory scheme, that conclusion does not end our inquiry. The question remains whether the evidence in these respective cases justified a jury instruction on those offenses. In Burns , we acknowledged that whether a lesser-included offense must be charged in a jury instruction is a two-part inquiry: first, whether the lesser offense is included in the greater under the test adopted, and second, whether a charge is justified by the evidence. Burns, 6 S.W.3d at 467. The second step of the analysis adopted in Burns requires a determination of (a) whether any evidence exists that reasonable minds could accept to prove the existence of a lesser-included offense, and (b) whether the evidence is legally sufficient to support a conviction for the lesser-included offense. Id. at 469. The evidence must be viewed liberally in the light most favorable to the existence of the lesser-included offense without making any judgments as to the credibility of such evidence. Id. Bowers argues first, that he did not have notice that he would have to defend against a lesser charge of homicide, and second, that because the State failed to present any proof of intent to commit the underlying felony of robbery or theft, he cannot be convicted of the offense of felony murder. We reject Bowers's claim that he did not have notice of the lesser homicide offenses. At the time his case was tried, State v. Trusty was the controlling legal authority on lesser-included offenses. Under Trusty , defendants were entitled to jury instructions on both lesser included offenses as defined under the statutory elements approach of Howard , and on all offenses that were a lesser grade or class of the charged offense, assuming that sufficient evidence existed supporting a finding of those offenses. Because second degree murder and the remaining lesser homicide offenses were clearly lesser grade offenses under Chapter 13 of the criminal code, the defendant was clearly on notice that he might have to defend against such lesser offenses. As for his contention that he cannot be convicted of a lesser homicide offense when there lacks proof of his intent to commit the underlying felony, we think Bowers misconstrues the procedure outlined in Burns for determining when a lesser-included offense instruction should be given. Burns outlined a two-part procedure: first, the trial court must apply the adopted test to decide whether a particular offense is lesser-included within the greater. Burns, 6 S.W.3d at 466-67. This test focuses on the statutory elements of the respective greater and lesser offenses to determine whether the lesser is legally included in the greater and not on the proof actually presented at trial. Id. at 467. If a lesser offense is not included in the offense charged, then an instruction should not be given, regardless of whether evidence supports it. Id. Once this determination is made, the second part of the inquiry is whether there is any evidence that reasonable minds could accept as to the existence of the lesser-included offense and, if so, whether that evidence is legally sufficient to support a conviction for the lesser-included offense. Because we deem second degree murder a lesser-included offense of felony murder, we are compelled to sustain the trial court's finding in that regard. The only questions remaining are whether there is any evidence in Bowers's case of knowledge, recklessness, or negligence in the killing of Peter Whatmough, and whether this evidence is sufficient to support a conviction for the respective lesser offenses requiring these mental states. Knowing conduct results when the person is aware of the nature of the conduct or that the circumstances exist. A person acts knowingly with respect to a result of the person's conduct when the person is aware that the conduct is reasonably certain to cause the result. Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-302(b) (1997). Reckless conduct is defined as when the person is aware of but consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances exist or the result will occur. The risk must be of such a nature and degree that its disregard constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care that an ordinary person would exercise under all the circumstances as viewed from the accused person's standpoint. Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-302(c). Criminal negligence is defined as when the person ought to be aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the circumstances exist or the result will occur. The risk must be of such a nature and degree that the failure to perceive it constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care that an ordinary person would exercise under all the circumstances as viewed from the accused person's standpoint. Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-302(d). The mental states of recklessness and criminal negligence are encompassed within the definition of knowing. Tenn.Code Ann. § 39-11-301(a)(2). The evidence in this case includes testimony by Artis Bonner that the face he saw in the window of the van at the time the victim was shot was that of the defendant Bowers. A careful review of the evidence shows that the likely motive for the shooting in this case stemmed from a drug deal gone bad, and that the likely target of this shooting was Bonner, not Whatmough. Nevertheless, the law is well settled that criminal liability is the same regardless of whether the third-party victim is unintended. See Millen v. State, 988 S.W.2d 164, 168 (Tenn.1999). The evidence shows that the defendant aimed and fired a handgun in the general direction of a van containing three people. Such conduct clearly falls within the definition of knowing conduct because Bowers had to be aware that he was reasonably certain to strike and kill one of those people. We therefore conclude that the evidence was sufficient to support a conviction for second degree murder. It was entirely proper for the trial court to instruct the jury on that offense and on the lesser offenses of reckless homicide and criminally negligent homicide under the principles and procedures espoused in Burns . Bowers's conviction for second degree murder is therefore affirmed.