Opinion ID: 1886412
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Decedents' Behavior Challenged

Text: To prove that Stickel was guilty of Vehicular Homicide in the First Degree, the State had to establish that: (1) Stickel was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident and (2) his criminally negligent driving caused the decedents' deaths. [14] Throughout the trial, Stickel attempted to create doubt about the second element by arguing that the decedents' possible speeding, drag racing or otherwise dangerous behavior while driving their motorcycles caused the accident. In his counsel's opening statement, Stickel referred to the decedents' motorcycles as speed bikes, noted that a witness heard the motorcyclists crank it up before the accident, and alleged that the decedents were driving at a high rate of speed at the time of the accident. Counsel also told the jury that it becomes very vital, very vital in this case, for you to determine whether the State has proven to you that the motorcyclists were not speeding at a high rate of speed which nobody could anticipate and that they were looking [ahead,] watching where they were going, and not looking at each other and talking to each other. During cross-examination of the State's witnesses, Stickel's counsel continued to ask questions that put the decedents' behavior at issue. Counsel asked one witness for the State whether he knew which way the decedents were looking prior to the crash, whether or not he remembered if there was any noise associated with the motors of the motorcycles, and whether he overheard someone at the accident scene claim that the motorcycles had been drag racing and doing wheelies. Stickel's counsel asked another State's witness questions regarding looking at his speedometer. He asked a third witness questions about the sound of motorcycles cranking the throttle, the specifics of the type of motorcycles the decedents were driving and whether the witness heard someone at the scene claim that the motorcycles had been drag racing. And, he asked a fourth witness whether he had talked to the police officer about the motorcycles speeding.