Opinion ID: 2518358
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Prosecutor's Argument Regarding Unanimity

Text: Kesselring presents several additional arguments contending that his murder conviction is erroneous because of other defects in the trial which call into question whether the jury reached a unanimous verdict. First, he argues the lack of evidence, when combined with the prosecutor's admonition that only six jurors need agree on a means, requires that his conviction of first-degree murder be reversed. This argument is based upon a portion of the State's closing argument. In explaining to the jury that Kesselring was charged with a single count of first-degree murder under alternative theories of premeditation and felony murder, the prosecutor stated: [I]t doesn't matter if all of you agree on which one, so six of you can say you know what, we think he's guilty of felony murder. We don't think he was premeditated, that he pulled the trigger or that Gary Holmes pulled the trigger on Dale Miller. But we do believe it was committed during the course of the commission of this felony, so we think it's felony murder. The other six can say you know what, he had him right in front of him, told him he was going to kill him and killed him. We think it's premeditated. Six of you can go one way  [the other six] the other way. If you do that, that's fine, that's first-degree murder still so it doesn't matter. It's only if all 12 of you can't agree to one or the other then the defendant's not guilty. In fact, the prosecutor's comments were an accurate statement of the law under Hoge, 276 Kan. at 812. The argument merely explained that Kesselring could be found guilty of first-degree murder even if the jury did not unanimously find him guilty of premeditated murder and did not unanimously find him guilty of felony murder. The jury could unanimously find Kesselring guilty of murder in the first degree on the combined theories of premeditated murder and felony murder. The argument was consistent with the instruction given the jury regarding felony murder and premeditated murder as alternative theories of proving first-degree murder. The instruction provided: In this case, the State has charged the defendant with one offense of murder in the first degree and has introduced evidence on two alternative theories of proving this crime. The State may prove murder in the first degree by proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant killed Dale A. Miller and that such killing was done while in the commission of aggravated kidnapping, or in the alternative by proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant killed Dale A. Miller intentionally and with premeditation, as fully set out in these instructions. Where evidence is presented on two alternate theories of proving the crime charged, you must consider both in arriving at your verdict. In Instruction No. 10, the Court has set out for your consideration the essential claims which must be proved by the State before you may find the defendant guilty of felony murder, that is the killing of a person in the commission of aggravated kidnapping. In Instruction No. 9, the Court has set out for your consideration the essential claims which must be proved by the State before you may find the defendant guilty of premeditated murder. If you do not have a reasonable doubt from all the evidence that the State has proven murder in the first degree on either or both theories, then you will enter a verdict of guilty. If you have a reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant as to the crime of murder in the first degree on both theories, then you must enter a verdict of not guilty. This instruction followed PIK Crim. 3d 56.02-A and has been approved by this court. E.g., Hoge, 276 Kan. at 810-14. In turn, the prosecutor's argument was consistent with the instruction and explained to the jury that a unanimous verdict was required under either individual theory or a combined theory of guilt. Kesselring also argues that the prosecutor's statement to the jury during closing argument that only six of the jurors need find that Defendant committed aggravated kidnaping, seriously call[s] into question the aggravated kidnaping verdict. This argument completely mischaracterizes what the prosecutor said. The prosecutor told the jury that, with regard to the alternative theories of first-degree murder, if six jurors agreed on the theory of premeditation and six jurors agreed on the theory of felony murder, the jury could still properly find Kesselring guilty of first-degree murder. The prosecutor never told the jury that only six of them need find Kesselring guilty of aggravated kidnapping.