Opinion ID: 487411
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Erroneous Jury Instructions

Text: 4 Petitioner argues that the trial court erred in its jury instructions by allegedly directing a verdict on the cause of death and on the lawfulness of the homicide and by failing to define legal causation. Petitioner did not, however, object at trial, as required by Massachusetts procedural law. Commonwealth v. Fluker, 377 Mass. 123, 131, 385 N.E.2d 256 (1979). Thus, we must consider, as a preliminary matter, whether the claims are barred from federal habeas review under the principles of Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 U.S. 72, 97 S.Ct. 2497, 53 L.Ed.2d 594 (1977), for failure to object at trial. Wainwright holds that if a defendant fails to object at a state trial to an alleged judicial error, federal habeas courts do not have to reach the merits of the federal claim. The federal district court held that Wainwright did not bar substantive review because the Massachusetts Appeals Court had waived the procedural ground and decided the merits of the federal claim. The district court went on to conclude that the contested jury instructions were constitutionally adequate. 5 Under Wainwright, the state must in fact have a contemporaneous objection rule which it enforces. The defendant can overcome this obstacle by showing both cause for and actual prejudice from not having objected at trial. See id. at 87, 97 S.Ct. at 2506-07. Massachusetts does have, and enforces, a contemporaneous objection rule. Commonwealth v. Fluker, supra, 377 Mass. at 131, 385 N.E.2d 256. The next question is whether petitioner can show cause for his failure to object to the jury trial instructions when given. As the cause of his failure to object, petitioner alleges ineffective assistance of counsel, and in the alternative, attorney error. 1 6 Ineffective assistance of counsel constitutes cause for failure to object. Murray v. Carrier, --- U.S. ----, 106 S.Ct. 2639, 2646, 91 L.Ed.2d 397 (1986). Petitioner argues here that his trial counsel's failure to object to jury instructions that allegedly directed a verdict on the cause of death and on the lawfulness of the homicide, and that failed to define legal causation, demonstrates that counsel's performance fell below that of a reasonably competent lawyer. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687-88, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064-65, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). 7 Petitioner asserts that the following portions of the jury charge were blatantly egregious: 8 Now, does the evidence that you have heard in this case satisfy you? Did James Gardner beat this woman, and did he beat her with malice aforethought as the Commonwealth alleges? And I will tell you what malice is and what aforethought is. Are you satisfied that he did? If you are satisfied that he did, you say so. If you have doubt that he did, you say so. 9