Opinion ID: 1330549
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: self-defense and provocation as defenses to felony-murder

Text: At trial, Wade offered both a self-defense instruction and a provocation instruction. Denying these instructions, the trial judge ruled that such defenses are not available under a charge of felony-murder. Wade asserts there is a national split of authority with regard to the availability of self-defense as a defense to felony-murder. He contends that the states prohibiting these defenses reason that the commission of a violent felony clearly makes the defendant the initial aggressor. However, Wade submits that this reasoning does not warrant the denial of the self-defense and provocation instructions he offered because he was not the initial aggressor. The State responds that a self-defense instruction is unavailable in a felony-murder case. In this manner, the State notes that the trial court justified rejecting Wade's self-defense and provocation instructions by noting that when the Legislature added delivery of a controlled substance to the list of enumerated felonies predicating a charge of felony-murder, it did not provide for consideration of mitigating circumstances. The State agrees that West Virginia has not yet decided this issue, but asserts that a majority of states addressing this issue have held that self-defense instructions are not available in a felony-murder case. The question we are asked to address is whether instructions on self-defense or provocation are permitted, as a matter of law, in response to a charge of felony-murder. Whether an instruction is legally correct is a question of law and our review is de novo. State v. Guthrie, 194 W.Va. 657, 671 n. 12, 461 S.E.2d 163, 177 n. 12 (1995). B.F. Specialty Co. v. Charles M. Sledd Co., 197 W.Va. 463, 466, 475 S.E.2d 555, 558 (1996). We have explained, with regard to felony-murder, that: [T]he elements which the State is required to prove to obtain a conviction of felony-murder are: (1) the commission of, or attempt to commit, one or more of the enumerated felonies; (2) the defendant's participation in such commission or attempt; and (3) the death of the victim as a result of injuries received during the course of such commission or attempt. State v. Williams, 172 W.Va. 295, 311, 305 S.E.2d 251, 267 (1983). Syl. pt. 5, State v. Mayle, 178 W.Va. 26, 357 S.E.2d 219 (1987). Thus, to obtain a conviction of felony-murder, the particular offense that must be established is the felony predicating the felony-murder charge. Consequently, any claim of self defense in response to a charge of felony-murder must be asserted with regard to the predicate felony. In the case sub judice, the charge of felony-murder was based upon the felony offense of the delivery of a controlled substance in violation of W. Va.Code § 60A-4-401(a) (1983) (Repl.Vol.1992). W. Va.Code § 60A-4-401(a) states, in relevant part, [e]xcept as authorized by this chapter, it is unlawful for any person to ... deliver, or possess with intent to ... deliver, a controlled substance. The term deliver is defined as the actual, constructive, or attempted transfer from one person to another of (1) a controlled substance, whether or not there is an agency relationship.... W. Va.Code § 60A-1-101(g) (1983) (Repl.Vol.1992). Moreover, we have held that [o]nly an `intentional' or `knowing' delivery of a controlled substance is prohibited by statute. Syl. pt. 3, in part, State v. Dunn, 162 W.Va. 63, 246 S.E.2d 245 (1978). Accord State v. Nicastro, 181 W.Va. 556, 561, 383 S.E.2d 521, 526 (1989). We now consider the applicability of the self defense and provocation theories asserted by Wade to the offense of delivery of a controlled substance. Self defense is typically applied in cases of homicide or assault. It is generally stated that: [A] defendant who is not the aggressor and has reasonable grounds to believe, and actually does believe, that he is in imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm from which he could save himself only by using deadly force against his assailant has the right to employ deadly force in order to defend himself. State v. W.J.B., 166 W.Va. 602, 606, 276 S.E.2d 550, 553 (1981). State v. Hughes, 197 W.Va. 518, 524, 476 S.E.2d 189, 195 (1996). See also 2 Wayne R. LaFave & Austin W. Scott, Jr., Substantive Criminal Law, § 5.7, at 649 (1986). Similarly, provocation is used to reduce a murder charge to voluntary manslaughter by negating the element of malice where the killing was committed in the heat of passion. State v. Kirtley, 162 W.Va. 249, 253-54, 252 S.E.2d 374, 376-77 (1979). In light of these traditional applications of self defense and provocation, we can conceive of no circumstances where the offense of delivery of a controlled substance, standing alone, would yield to a claim of self-defense or provocation. Consequently, we hold that self-defense and provocation instructions are not available in response to a charge of felony-murder where the predicate felony is the delivery of a controlled substance. Necessarily, we find that the circuit court properly denied Wade's request for such instructions during the proceedings below.