Opinion ID: 2101622
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Burden of Proof Instruction

Text: Appellant complains of two instructions which told the jurors: If the State proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant knowingly killed Billy Harlow, then to find the defendant not responsible by reason of insanity, you must find the defendant has proved by a preponderance of the evidence that he was insane at the time the offense was committed. In Pritchard v. State (1967), 248 Ind. 566, 230 N.E.2d 416, relied upon by appellant, this Court interpreted Article 1, Section 19 of the Indiana Constitution to forbid an instruction in a criminal case that bound the conscience of the jury to a finding of guilty in the event it found certain facts. These instructions do not so bind the conscience of the jury; this instruction requires the jury to employ a particular burden of proof.