Opinion ID: 1734908
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Jury Instructions and Intent

Text: Mantich argues the trial court erred in overruling his objections to the court's instructions on aiding and abetting and by refusing to give his requested instruction. To establish reversible error from a court's refusal to give a requested instruction, an appellant has the burden to show that (1) the tendered instruction is a correct statement of the law, (2) the tendered instruction is warranted by the evidence, and (3) the appellant was prejudiced by the court's refusal to give the tendered instruction. State v. Derry, 248 Neb. 260, 534 N.W.2d 302 (1995). Mantich claims instruction No. 11 given by the trial court deleted the necessary element of intent from the allegations of aiding and abetting. In State v. Brunzo, 248 Neb. 176, 532 N.W.2d 296 (1995), we explained that aiding and abetting requires some participation in a criminal act which must be evidenced by some word, act, or deed, and mere encouragement or assistance is sufficient to make one an aider or abettor; however, no particular acts are necessary, nor is it necessary that the defendant take physical part in the commission of the crime or that there was an express agreement to commit the crime. We also stated that when a crime requires the existence of a particular intent, an alleged aider or abettor can be held criminally liable as a principal if it is shown that the aider and abettor knew that the perpetrator of the act possessed the required intent or that the aider and abettor himself or herself possessed such intent. Intent to kill is not an element of felony murder. Id. The intent required is the intent to commit the underlying felony. Id. ; State v. Reeves, 216 Neb. 206, 344 N.W.2d 433 (1984). Therefore, in order to find Mantich guilty of felony murder, the jury had to find that Mantich possessed the requisite intent to support the underlying felony. In order for the court's jury instructions to be sufficient on the issue of intent in a prosecution for felony murder under an aider and abettor theory, the jury instructions must instruct the jury that the aider and abettor either personally intended that the underlying felony be committed or aided another person whom the aider knew had such an intent. The intent required was not an intent to kill Thompson, but was an intent to commit robbery or kidnapping. The trial court gave two instructions which, read together, instruct the jury as to the required proof regarding the prosecution's aiding and abetting theory. With respect to the matter of aiding and abetting, the court gave instruction No. 11: To be guilty of the crime charged, it is not necessary that the State prove that the defendant himself committed the unlawful act or acts in question. Whoever aids, abets, or procures another to commit any offense may be prosecuted and punished as if he were the principal offender. If you find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the unlawful act or acts in question were committed by another person who was: 1. Engaged by the defendant to commit the unlawful act or acts; or 2. Engaged with the defendant in a common, concerted, unlawful act or acts; or 3. Incited or encouraged by the defendant to commit the unlawful act or acts, then the defendant is as guilty as if he himself committed the unlawful act or acts, and it is your duty to find the defendant guilty. Aiding and abetting involves some participation in the criminal act and must be evidenced by some word, act, or deed. No particular acts are necessary; nor is it necessary that any physical part in the commission of the crime is taken or that there was an express agreement therefor. Mere encouragement or assistance is sufficient. On the other hand, evidence of mere presence, acquiescence, or silence is not enough to sustain the State's burden of proving the defendant guilty. Instruction No. 9 provided: Criminal intent is a material and necessary element of the crime of Murder in the First Degree in the commission of a felony as charged against the defendant. But the intent required is not an intent to kill Henry Thompson but is an intent to commit a robbery or kidnapping. The intent required by Instructions 6 and 7 is a material element of the crime charged against the defendant. Intent is a mental process, and it therefore generally remains hidden within the mind where it is conceived. It is rarelyif eversusceptible of proof by direct evidence. It may, however, be inferred from the words and acts of the defendant and from the facts and circumstances surrounding his conduct. It is for you to determine from all the facts and circumstances in evidence whether or not the defendant committed the acts complained of and whether at such time he had the criminal intent required by Instructions 6 and 7. If you have any reasonable doubt with respect to either, you must find the defendant not guilty. If all the jury instructions read together and taken as a whole correctly state the law, are not misleading, and adequately cover the issues supported by the pleadings and the evidence, there is no prejudicial error necessitating a reversal. State v. Lowe, 248 Neb. 215, 533 N.W.2d 99 (1995). Instruction No. 11 instructed that Mantich could be found to have committed the underlying felony of robbery or kidnapping as an aider and abettor. Instruction No. 9 specifically stated that the prosecution was required to prove that Mantich intended to commit one of these underlying felonies. Read together, these instructions required the jury to find that Mantich intended to aid and abet the commission of the felony underlying the felony murder charge. Therefore, Mantich was not prejudiced by the use of these instructions instead of the instruction he proffered to the trial court. The court's refusal to give Mantich's proffered instruction was not error.