Opinion ID: 1217372
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Jury Instructions and Guilt Verdict

Text: After the evidence was concluded, jury instructions were discussed, and some were retyped. Counsel reviewed the instructions and tendered them to the court. The court then instructed the jury. Counsel presented closing argument and the jury retired to deliberate. The jury returned its verdict finding Quesinberry guilty. The trial court read the verdict and stated to the jury: You may go to lunch with the Sheriff. Again, and even more so because the case is still going on and there are other matters of such severity that you must consider, do not talk among yourselves; do not let anybody talk to you; do not let anybody approach you; do not respond to any comments; try to avoid what would be inadvertent communication from anyone of any source. The sheriff escorted the jury from the courtroom. While the jury was at lunch, the trial court discovered that a failure to testify instruction had not been tendered to the court nor given to the jury. It turned out that such an instruction had been prepared by counsel for Quesinberry and apparently given inadvertently to the Commonwealth's Attorney along with the instructions that were retyped. In any event, it was not among those tendered to the court. There is no suggestion whatsoever that the instruction was purposefully concealed or removed by anyone. [4] When the court reconvened, out of the presence of the jury, the court informed counsel for Quesinberry and the Commonwealth's Attorney as follows: For purposes of the record, during the recess while the jurors were still in the custody of the Sheriff and taken to lunch, it occurred to me that there was not presented for me to read to the jury a formal statement of law that advised the jury that they were not to consider the failure of the defendant to testify. Now, each member of the jury was told at the beginning of the case that the defendant may not testify, and if he did not testify the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution prevented the jury from considering that. His failure to testify could not be held against him in any way, and I asked each of them if they could follow that law, and they each said they would. I further told the members of the jury that I would give them a formal instruction on that point at the end of the trial, and thinking about the matter during lunch while the jury was out, I reflected that an instruction of that sort was not in the group of instructions that were read to the jury, and I think that ought to be done. I think that the alternatives may create a number of problems that should be addressed right now. The jury returned to the courtroom and the court instructed the jury as follows: Members of the jury, you recall perhaps at the beginning of the trial when I talked to all of you, I told you that there were some laws that may become applicable in the given trial. One of them is the presumption of innocence. I also told you that the defendant did not have to testify in the case; that was his right, that was a protection he has under the Constitution, and additionally that it was not evidencethat you could not consider in any way his failing to testify, and I asked each of you if you could ... comply with that law, and you ... told me that you could. I also told you at the same time that if that occasion arose, meaning the defendant's failure to testify, the decision was to be made by his lawyers, and I would give you a formal statement of law at the end of the case. While you were at lunch and I was at lunch, I was thinking about the case and matters that took place and ... the procedures and safeguards ... it occurred to me that you were not given at the end of the case a formal written instruction that told you what I told you orally at the beginning of the trial. So what I think is proper and what I am going to do now is read you one additional instruction, and I am going to ask you to go back into your jury room, and in view of this additional instruction that I read to you, the failure of the defendant to testify instruction, and all the other instructions I have already given you that you have already considered, then I will ask you to come back and tell me what your verdict is. The additional instruction of law is this: `You are instructed that the defendant does not have to testify. The exercise of that right cannot be considered by you.' I will give that to you formally and in writing and I will send you back with new verdict forms, and the same language and all the information. The matter is still before you, and I ask you in view of all the evidence as you perceive it and all the other instructions and this additional instruction, would you tell me by your written verdict form what your decision is in the case? All right. Go into your jury room, if you please. The jury deliberated again and returned its written verdict forms which found Quesinberry guilty of all of the indicted offenses. Additionally, the trial court entered the following order: After the jury had reached their verdicts and while they remained in the presence of the Court and under its control, having not been discharged, the Court determined that an instruction regarding the defendant's failure to testify was not formally tendered or given. The Court further determined that such instruction was prepared by defense counsel and given to the Commonwealth's attorney with other proposed defense instructions. Whereupon the Court formally instructed the jury upon the defendant's right not to testify in his own behalf and remanded the jurors to the jury room to consider all the Court's instructions and to deliberate upon each charge. Quesinberry contends that because Code § 19.2-264.3 creates a bifurcated proceeding in a capital murder trial, the jury was discharged from its responsibilities on the issue of guilt after its initial verdict had been returned and, therefore, the trial court should not have reinstructed the jury. We disagree. We have consistently applied the rule, followed generally in most jurisdictions, that once a jury is discharged and leaves the presence of the court, it cannot be reassembled to correct a substantive defect in its verdict. LeMelle v. Commonwealth, 225 Va. 322, 324, 302 S.E.2d 38, 39 (1983). Here, however, the jury had neither been discharged nor left the presence of the court. The jury remained under the custody of the sheriff and within the control of the court. The sanctity of the jury was neither violated nor subjected to any hazard of suspicion. See Melton v. Commonwealth, 132 Va. 703, 111 S.E. 291 (1922). It was the trial court's responsibility to reinstruct the jury, and we hold that the court properly discharged that duty.