Opinion ID: 2538135
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Trial Court Properly Refused to Give Mullikan's Tendered Instruction on Mistake of Fact.

Text: Mullikan asserts that the defense he wished to present was that he had mistakenly believed that Fields had earlier attemptedand would again attemptto kill him, and that he mistakenly believed Fryman was working with Fields in this endeavor. Accordingly, Mullikan tendered an instruction on mistake of fact. His tendered instruction stated he would not be guilty of the charged offenses if he reasonably believed he was threatened with break-ins or other harm and therefore did not form the intention to commit the [charged] offenses and that he believed that this actions were necessary in self-defense and that belief was not wantonly or recklessly held. But the trial court declined to give this instruction, stating that an instruction was warranted on self-protection, but not on mistake of fact. We conclude that the trial court's refusal to give the tendered mistake of fact instruction was proper. While, undoubtedly, mistake of fact is governed by a subjective standard and there is no requirement to show that a mistake of fact be reasonable for this defense to be available, a mistake of fact is not a defense to a charge unless the mistake would support a defense of justification or otherwise show that the charged offense, as defined by statute (including express defenses and mental state requirements), could not have been committed. See Walker v. Commonwealth, 127 S.W.3d 596, 608 (Ky.2004); KRS 501.070. Even if Mullikan had been correct that Fields and Fryman had attempted to kill him on some earlier occasion, or that they would do so at some unspecified time in the future, he would not be justified in engaging in otherwise criminal conduct unless he believed it necessary to avoid an imminent injury. KRS 503.030. And as previously discussed, there was no evidence of threats of imminent injury when Mullikan accosted Fields on the street or when Mullikan entered Fields's home and began brandishing a sword and making verbal threats. Therefore, the trial court was correct in declining to issue Mullikan's tendered instruction on mistake of fact as a defense.