Opinion ID: 2088997
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the refusal to instruct on a lesser-included offense in respect to the charge of assault with intent to murder

Text: The defendant advances the argument that he was entitled to an instruction by the trial justice in respect to the charge of assault with intent to murder, that the jury could in the alternative return a verdict of assault with a dangerous weapon as a lesser-included offense. This court has frequently asserted the general principle that a trial justice should instruct the jury on a lesser-included offense upon which a finding is warranted by the evidence. See, e.g., State v. Kaner, ___ R.I. ___, 463 A.2d 1348 (1983); State v. Infantolino, 116 R.I. 303, 355 A.2d 722 (1976); State v. Goff, 107 R.I. 331, 267 A.2d 686 (1970). This rule is in accord with the rule promulgated on the Eighth Amendment and due-process grounds in respect to capital cases by the Supreme Court of the United States. Hopper v. Evans, 456 U.S. 605, 102 S.Ct. 2049, 72 L.Ed.2d 367 (1982); Beck v. Alabama, 447 U.S. 625, 100 S.Ct. 2382, 65 L.Ed.2d 392 (1980). In the case at bar, as in the cited cases, it is necessary to examine the evidence in order to determine whether a charge on a lesser-included offense is warranted by the evidence. The undisputed evidence in the instant case shows that the gunman fired a shot into a large freezer and then stated to Dawkins that the next one would go into him. Thereafter as Dawkins, after a brief struggle, sought to flee, the gunman fired several shots, the first of which struck Dawkins in the leg. This scenario would certainly render irrational a finding that there was no intent to murder or to cause the victim grievous bodily harm when the shots were fired. In order to find that the gunman's act was merely negligent or unintentional would be to rely upon a type of conjecture that would fly in the fact of common sense. Such conjecture could scarcely be said to be warranted by the evidence in this case. Consequently, the trial justice committed no error when he declined this requested instruction in respect to the charge of assault with intent to murder.