Opinion ID: 2546378
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Did Recuenco Invite the Blakely Error?

Text: ¶ 11 The Court of Appeals opinion stated in a footnote that it appeared that Recuenco had invited the error at issue because he had proposed the special verdict form the court used asking the jury only to find the existence of a deadly weapon, not specifically a firearm. Recuenco, 117 Wash. App. 1079, 2003 WL 21738927, at  n. 33 (citing City of Seattle v. Patu, 147 Wash.2d 717, 720, 58 P.3d 273 (2002) and stating that if defendants propose erroneous instructions that do not include all elements of a crime, but do not attempt to add a remedial instruction, they invite the error and cannot complain on appeal.). The State adopts the Court of Appeals' reasoning in its argument asserting that Recuenco cannot now challenge the special verdict form because he proposed it. ¶ 12 The invited error doctrine prevents parties from benefiting from an error they caused at trial regardless of whether it was done intentionally or unintentionally. See Patu, 147 Wash.2d at 720, 58 P.3d 273. The doctrine has been applied to errors of constitutional magnitude, including where an offense element was omitted from the to convict instruction. Id. (citing State v. Studd, 137 Wash.2d 533, 547, 973 P.2d 1049 (1999); State v. Henderson, 114 Wash.2d 867, 869, 792 P.2d 514 (1990)). ¶ 13 Both the Court of Appeals and the State misinterpret the alleged error here. Recuenco did not and does not assert that the special verdict form asking the jury to find the presence of a deadly weapon was error. Indeed, he proposed that instruction because he believed and continues to believe that it was the correct instruction for the charge of second degree assault with a deadly weapon enhancement. Instead, Recuenco claims that the judge's imposition of the firearm enhancement without the jury's finding the existence of a firearm was an error violating his due process and jury trial rights. Moreover, he objected to that error at trial. The error asserted was not invited.