Opinion ID: 2570411
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: lesser included offenses of aggravated robbery

Text: Sandifer argues that the trial court erred when it failed to instruct the jury on theft or theft of lost or mislaid property as a lesser included offense of aggravated robbery. Two questions arise in considering this issue. First, whether theft or theft of lost or mislaid property is a lesser included crime of aggravated robbery and, second, whether the trial court erred in failing to give an instruction on the lesser included offenses. The question of whether a crime is a lesser included offense is a question of law over which this court has unlimited review. State v. Saiz, 269 Kan. 657, 661, 7 P.3d 1214 (2000); State v. Belcher, 269 Kan. 2, 4, 4 P.3d 1137 (2000); State v. Horn, 20 Kan. App.2d 689, 690, 892 P.2d 513, rev. denied 257 Kan. 1094 (1995) Sandifer did not request any lesser included instructions for the aggravated robbery charge. When a party does not request that an instruction be given, we review this issue under the clearly erroneous standard. The failure to give an instruction is clearly erroneous only if the reviewing court reaches a firm conviction that if the trial court error had not occurred there was a real possibility the jury would have returned a different verdict. State v. DeMoss, 244 Kan. 387, 391-92, 770 P.2d 441 (1989). K.S.A. 1999 Supp. 21-3107 was amended on July 1, 1998, and governs whether a crime is a lesser included crime. It sets forth in pertinent part: (2) Upon prosecution for a crime, the defendant may be convicted of either the crime charged or a lesser included crime, but not both. A lesser included crime is: (a) A lesser degree of the same crime; (b) a crime where all the elements of the lesser crime are identical to some of the elements of the crime charged; (c) an attempt to commit the crime charged; or (d) an attempt to commit a crime defined under subsection (2)(a) or (2)(b). Sandifer was charged with aggravated robbery. K.S.A. 21-3426 sets forth the elements for robbery: Robbery is the taking of property from the person or presence of another by force or by threat of bodily harm to any person. K.S.A. 21-3427 defines an aggravated robbery as a robbery committed by a person who is armed with a dangerous weapon or who inflicts bodily harm upon any person in the course of such robbery. The crime of theft is set forth in K.S.A. 21-3701, which states in pertinent part: (a) Theft is any of the following acts done with intent to deprive the owner permanently of the possession, use or benefit of the owner's property: (1) Obtaining or exerting unauthorized control over property; (2) obtaining by deception control over property; (3) obtaining by threat control over property; or (4) obtaining control over stolen property knowing the property to have been stolen by another. K.S.A. 21-3701(a) describes different types of theft. Not all of them are lesser included offenses of robbery. State v. Davis, 256 Kan. 1, 23, 883 P.2d 735 (1994). K.S.A. 21-3701(a)(2) and (4) are not applicable here since Sandifer does not contend that either of those types of theft are supported by the evidence. This court has previously held that obtaining by threat control over property, pursuant to K.S.A. 21-3701(a)(3), is not a lesser included crime of robbery or aggravated robbery. See State v. Hegwood, 256 Kan. 901, 904, 888 P.2d 856 (1995) (holding that theft by threat is not a lesser included offense of robbery); State v. Blockman, 255 Kan. 953, 961, 881 P.2d 561 (1994) (holding that theft by threat or extortion is not a lesser included offense of robbery); State v. Marbley, 20 Kan. App.2d 34, 39, 882 P.2d 1004 (1994) (applying Blockman and holding that theft by threat is not a lesser included crime of robbery), rev. denied 256 Kan. 997. Theft, pursuant to K.S.A. 21-3701(a)(1), however, is a lesser included crime of robbery and aggravated robbery. See State v. Long, 234 Kan. 580, 591-92, 675 P.2d 832 (1984) (holding that theft is a lesser included crime of robbery as both require the unlawful taking of property of another even though robbery is a crime against a person while theft is a crime against property), disapproved on other grounds State v. Keeler, 238 Kan. 356, 710 P.2d 1279 (1985). See also State v. Lewis, 256 Kan. 929, 934-35, 889 P.2d 766 (1995) (applying Long and considering whether there was evidence to support the giving of the lesser included instruction of theft where the defendant was charged with aggravated robbery); State v. Sutherland, 248 Kan. 96, 103, 804 P.2d 970 (1991) (referring to Long and holding that theft, as described in what is now K.S.A. 21-3703(a)(1), is a lesser included crime of robbery); State v. Holloman, 17 Kan. App.2d 279, 288, 837 P.2d 826 (1992) (theft is a lesser included offense of robbery), rev. denied 251 Kan. 940. Theft of lost or mislaid property is governed by K.S.A. 21-3703, which sets forth in pertinent part: Theft of lost or mislaid property is failure to take reasonable measures to restore lost or mislaid property to the lawful owner by a person who has obtained control of such property, who knows or learns the identity of the owner thereof, and who intends to deprive the owner permanently of the possession, use or benefit of the property. Theft of lost or mislaid property is also a lesser included offense of robbery and, therefore, aggravated robbery. See State v. Colbert, 221 Kan. 203, 207, 557 P.2d 1235 (1976) (addressing the issue of whether an instruction on theft of lost or mislaid property was supported by the evidence where defendant was convicted of aggravated robbery). Because Sandifer did not argue at trial that instructions for the lesser included offenses of theft and theft of lost or mislaid property should have been given, we are required to review this issue under a clearly erroneous standard. We hold that, after reviewing the evidence, there is not a real possibility that the jury would have returned a different verdict had it had the opportunity to consider either theft or theft of lost or mislaid property. Theft is not committed where there is evidence the thief has used force to gain possession of the property. State v. McKinney, 265 Kan. 104, 114, 961 P.2d 1 (1998). There was substantial evidence that Sandifer swung at Comstock with the utility knife, cutting him on the neck and face, which ultimately resulted in Comstock's death. There was also strong evidence that proved that Sandifer swung and hit Comstock with a two-by-four. The use of both the utility knife and the two-by-four against Comstock would have prevented the jury from finding Sandifer guilty of anything but aggravated robbery. See State v. Evans, 251 Kan. 132, 137-38, 834 P.2d 335 (1992) (holding that the trial court did not err in not giving instruction on theft as there was no real possibility that the jury would have returned a guilty verdict of anything other than aggravated robbery because there was strong evidence that the defendant's actions were violent in nature); Sutherland, 248 Kan. at 103 (no error where there was no question that deadly force was used against the victim; therefore, the jury could not have reasonably found the defendant guilty of anything other than aggravated robbery); State v. Patterson, 243 Kan. 262, 265-68, 755 P.2d 551 (1988) (holding that lesser included offense instruction on theft was not required as there was no real possibility that the jury would have convicted the defendant of anything other than aggravated robbery); State v. Huff, 220 Kan. 162, 167, 551 P.2d 880 (1976) (holding that the trial court did not err in refusing to give a lesser included instruction of theft where the evidence was strong that the defendant was armed and used force to take in excess of $500). Additionally, Sandifer told police on two occasions that he had taken the money out of Comstock's pocket after the use of the above-described force. The trial court did not err when it did not give instructions for either theft or theft of lost or mislaid property as lesser included offenses of aggravated robbery. Affirmed.