Opinion ID: 2624120
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: responses to two jury questions

Text: The trial court's response to the jury's questions about aiding and abetting was the following: Members of the Jury, In response to your Questionsthere is no further definition or guidance the Court can give you on these questions. Defendant contends that the trial court erred in refusing to answer the second questionIs having knowledge of a murder before it is committed and not reporting it aiding and abetting as in Jury instruction 11. He relies on State v. Bandt, 219 Kan. 816, 823-24, 549 P.2d 936 (1976), in which the court concluded that the trial judge's failure to give additional information to the jury was prejudicial. Bandt should be distinguished from the present case on its facts. During deliberations in Bandt the jury sent word to the trial judge that it had a question, and, in accord with then-current practice, the jury returned to the courtroom. The question was whether defendant's guilt depended on whether he knew at the time of receiving stolen property that it was stolen. The trial judge refused to give further instruction but permitted counsel to present their conflicting statements of the law to the jury, including the prosecutor's erroneous opinion that defendant would be guilty under the statute if at any time while the defendant had possession of the stolen articles he obtained knowledge that the items were stolen. 219 Kan. at 823, 549 P.2d 936. Thus, rather than directing the juror's attention to the instructions, which accurately stated the law, the trial judge aggravated their confusion by exposing them to conflicting statements of the law, one of which was incorrect. In contrast, in the present case, the trial judge told the jurors that he could give them no further guidance in the matter. With no further guidance forthcoming, the jurors' recourse was to return to the guidance already given themthe instructions. Francis also cites K.S.A. 22-3420(3), which provides: After the jury has retired for deliberation, if they desire to be informed as to any part of the law or evidence arising in the case, they may request the officer to conduct them to the court, where the information on the point of the law shall be given, or the evidence shall be read or exhibited to them in the presence of the defendant, unless he voluntarily absents himself, and his counsel and after notice to the prosecuting attorney. `Under K.S.A. 22-3420(3) a trial court has a mandatory duty to respond to a jury's request for further information as to the law of the case. The manner and extent of the trial court's response rest in the sound discretion of the trial court.' State v. Sperry, 267 Kan. 287, 311, 978 P.2d 933 (1999) (quoting State v. Myers, 258 Kan. 51, Syl. ¶ 1, 899 P.2d 1036 [1995]). In this case, the trial judge believed that the second jury question sought further information on application of the law to the facts rather than further information as to the law of the case. The trial judge told counsel he would advise the jury he could give them no further assistance on their questions because [f]or the Court to answer the second question would be I think invading the province of the jury. That is their decision to make as applying the law to the facts of the case. The trial judge correctly perceived that the question whether certain facts constituted aiding and abetting asked the judge to do the jury's job of applying the law to facts; it did not request further information about the law. In the circumstances, the trial court did not have a mandatory duty to respond to the jury's request. And the response the trial court made was not one with which no reasonable person would agree. See State v. Moore, 274 Kan. 639, 643, 55 P.3d 903 (2002). Thus, there was no abuse of discretion by the trial court.