Opinion ID: 2588599
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Failure to object to content of limiting instruction.

Text: [¶ 38] The appellants next claim relates to defense counsels failure to object to the adequacy of the limiting instruction regarding the uncharged misconduct evidence given to the jury at the end of the trial. The instruction, drafted and submitted by the appellant, read as follows: You have heard evidence about prior acts committed by [the appellant] against Jennifer Randel, [and two other girlfriends]. The Court permitted the State of Wyoming to introduce this evidence for the purpose of showing the [appellant]s motive, intent, the relationship of the parties, lack of mistake or accident, and to show a course of conduct between [the appellant] and Jennifer Randel. You are hereby instructed that you may not consider this as evidence of the [appellant]s bad character and that he acted in conformity therewith on the night of November 3rd and 4th, 2007. You may only consider this evidence to bear on the issues of the [appellant]s motive, intent, the relationship of the parties, lack of mistake or accident and to show a course of conduct between [the appellant] and Jennifer Randel. [¶ 39] The appellant asserts that the instruction only applied to prior acts committed against Jennifer Randel and two other of the appellants prior girlfriends. The appellant then argues that other individuals testified to uncharged misconduct, and failure of the instruction specifically to include each of those individuals was prejudicial to the appellant because the jury could have reasonably assumed that other testimony was beyond the scope of the limiting instruction. Although the appellant claims that defense counsels failure to provide a more comprehensive jury instruction was prejudicial, he does not point to a single instance of uncharged misconduct evidence that was admitted, yet not covered by the limiting instruction. [6] Therefore, the appellant fails in his burden to demonstrate how he was, or even could have been, prejudiced by his defense counsels failure to object to the jury instruction. Because we are unable to discern any prejudice arising from the instruction, it is unnecessary to address the matter further. Floyd v. State, 2006 WY 135, ¶ 13, 144 P.3d 1233, 1238 (Wyo.2006) (If we conclude that a defendant fails to satisfy the prejudice prong, we need not address the performance of counsel prong.).