Opinion ID: 2624953
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Failure to Request Homicide by Vehicle Jury Instruction

Text: [¶ 51] Appellant argues that his defense counsel was ineffective for not requesting a jury instruction on the elements of homicide by vehicle pursuant to Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-106(a). According to appellant, homicide by vehicle is a lesser-included offense of aggravated homicide by vehicle, the evidence supported giving such an instruction, and the instruction would not have been contrary to the defense's theory of the case. In support of their respective arguments, appellant cites to Bloomquist, 914 P.2d 812, and the State cites to Balsley v. State, 668 P.2d 1324 (Wyo.1983). Neither party thoroughly analyzes the application of these cases to the elements of the putative lesser/greater offenses. [¶ 52] Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-106 provides, in pertinent part: (a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this section, a person is guilty of homicide by vehicle and shall be fined not more than two thousand dollars ($2,000.00) or imprisoned in the county jail for not more than one (1) year, or both, if he operates or drives a vehicle in a criminally negligent manner, and his conduct is the proximate cause of the death of another person. Evidence of a violation of any state law or ordinance applying to the operation or use of a vehicle or to the regulation of traffic, except for evidence of a violation of W.S. 10-6-103, 31-5-233 and XX-XX-XXX, is admissible in any prosecution under this section. (b) A person is guilty of aggravated homicide by vehicle and shall be punished by imprisonment in the penitentiary for not more than twenty (20) years, if: (i) While operating or driving a vehicle in violation of W.S. 10-6-103, 31-5-233 or XX-XX-XXX, he causes the death of another person and the violation is the proximate cause of the death; or (ii) He operates or drives a vehicle in a reckless manner, and his conduct is the proximate cause of the death of another person. Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-1-104(a)(iii) (Michie 1997) defines criminal negligence as when a person, through a gross deviation from the standard of care that a reasonable person would exercise ... fails to perceive a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the harm he is accused of causing will occur, and the harm results. The risk shall be of such nature and degree that the failure to perceive it constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of care that a reasonable person would observe in the situation[.] Recklessly is defined by Wyo. Stat. Ann. 6-1-104(a)(ix) as when a person consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the harm he is accused of causing will occur, and the harm results. The risk shall be of such nature and degree that disregarding it constitutes a gross deviation from the standard of conduct that a reasonable person would observe in the situation[.] [¶ 53] We evaluate appellant's entitlement to such an instruction in the following context: With specific regard for lesser-included offense instructions, we recently held that a trial court must first determine if all the elements of the lesser offense are included within the greater. If that is the case and there is some evidence that would rationally permit the jury to find the accused guilty of the lesser and not the greater offense, the instruction should be given. Sanders v. State, 7 P.3d 891, 894 (Wyo.2000).... The test is more fully expressed in this five-step analytic process: (1) a proper request for the instruction is made; (2) the elements of the lesser-included offense are identical to part of the elements of the lesser-included offense are identical to part of the elements of the greater offense; (3) there is some evidence that would justify conviction of the lesser-included offense; (4) the proof on the element or elements differentiating the two crimes is sufficiently in dispute that the jury may consistently find the defendant innocent of the greater and guilty of the lesser-included offense; and (5) mutuality exists such that the lesser-included charge can be demanded by either the prosecution or the defense. When all five parts of this test are met, and the lesser-included offense instruction is not given, the trial court commits reversible error. Eatherton v. State, 761 P.2d 91, 94-95 (Wyo.1988). Mueller v. State, 2001 WY 134, ¶ 9, 36 P.3d 1151, 1155-56 (Wyo.2001). Obviously, counsel's failure to request the instruction is the basis for appellant's ineffective assistance of counsel argument. [¶ 54] We turn, then, to the test's second prong. While Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-106(a) (criminally negligent vehicular homicide) might arguably be a lesser-included offense to Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-106(b)(ii) (reckless aggravated vehicular homicide), [12] the elements of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-106(a) are not sufficiently identical to part of the elements of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-106(b)(i) (under the influence aggravated vehicular homicide) to qualify it as a lesser-included offense. The putative lesser offense requires proof of criminal negligence and expressly precludes admitting evidence of specific driving under the influence violations, while the greater offense requires proof of those specific driving under the influence violations and that such a violation be the proximate cause of the victim's death. [¶ 55] In the instant case, appellant was charged alternatively with aggravated vehicular homicide under Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-106(b)(i) and/or (b)(ii), and the district court instructed the jury on the elements of both subsections. Because the jury entered separate guilty findings to each charge under both subsection (b)(i) and subsection (b)(ii), there being sufficient evidence to sustain a conviction under either subsection, [13] any potential ineffectiveness of counsel in failing to request a lesser-included offense instruction as to subsection (b)(ii) does not prejudice appellant's conviction pursuant to subsection (b)(i); appellant was not entitled to such an instruction under subsection (b)(i). [¶ 56] In Balsley, 668 P.2d at 1327-28, this Court (utilizing a test later modified by State v. Keffer, 860 P.2d 1118, 1134-36 (Wyo. 1993)) analyzed a prior version of the statute. At that time, homicide by vehicle was committed by [w]hoever, except when the violation of law involves culpable neglect or criminal carelessness, unlawfully and unintentionally, but with a conscious disregard of the safety of others, causes the death of another person while engaged in the violation of any state law or ordinance applying to the operation or use of a vehicle or to the regulation of traffic, except those laws or ordinances relating to conduct set forth in subsection (a) [aggravated vehicular homicide].... Balsley, 668 P.2d at 1325. The aggravated vehicular homicide statute provided that [w]hoever, while driving any vehicle under the influence of either intoxicating liquor or a controlled substance, or a combination of both, to a degree which renders him incapable of safely driving a vehicle, causes the death of another person shall be guilty of aggravated homicide by vehicle.... Id. The appellant in Balsley was charged with what is now under the influence aggravated vehicular homicide. Id. at 1324. The state offered a lesser-included offense instruction based essentially on what is now reckless aggravated vehicular homicide, which the district court accepted, and the appellant was convicted of the putative lesser-included offense. Id. at 1325-27. This Court reversed, finding that the elements of the two offenses were not sufficiently identical for the putative lesser-included offense to qualify as such. Id. at 1327-29. This finding does not conflict with our holding herein; it is consistent with our conclusion that criminally negligent vehicular homicide is not a lesser-included offense of under the influence aggravated vehicular homicide and, given the current statutory framework and definitions of criminal negligence and recklessly, the question as to whether criminally negligent vehicular homicide is a lesser-included offense of reckless aggravated vehicular homicide constitutes an entirely different issue. [¶ 57] The appellant in Bloomquist, 914 P.2d at 819, was charged alternatively with violating Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-106(b)(i) and/or (b)(ii) (Supp.1995), and sufficient evidence had been introduced to sustain a conviction under either subsection. Bloomquist argued that his counsel was ineffective in not requesting a lesser-included offense instruction pursuant to Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-106(a). Bloomquist, 914 P.2d at 822. We held that the defense's theory was that Bloomquist's driving was not the proximate cause of the victim's death and that the decision to not request a lesser-included offense instruction was therefore a sound tactical decision; the proposed instruction would have undermined the defense's theory and the instruction would not have aided the defense because the evidence of Bloomquist's recklessness was so overwhelming that a reasonable jury could not have convicted him of criminal negligence. Id. This holding does not dictate a particular result in the instant case nor is it inconsistent with our findings herein.