Opinion ID: 2600609
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Failure to Instruct on Second Degree Implied Malice Murder

Text: The trial court refused to instruct on second degree implied malice murder. As we explain, because there was no substantial evidence of second degree murder on an implied malice theory, the trial court properly refused the instruction.
During the discussions on jury instructions, defense counsel asked the trial court to instruct on second degree murder. The court initially stated that if it were to give second degree murder instructions, it should read instructions on both unpremeditated express malice murder (CALJIC No. 8.30, Unpremeditated Murder of the Second Degree) and implied malice murder (CALJIC No. 8.31, Second Degree MurderKilling Resulting from Unlawful Act Dangerous to Life). The prosecutor objected that the evidence did not support the implied malice murder instruction, CALJIC No. 8.31. He pointed out that paragraph 3 of that instruction requires the act be deliberately performed with knowledge of the danger to, and with conscious disregard for human life. The prosecutor contended that the acts by which defendant killed Kesha were torturous acts, and that, if the jury determined defendant deliberately performed those acts, the jury necessarily would find defendant guilty of first degree murder by torture because first degree murder by torture does not require an intent to kill, but only requires that the torturous acts cause the death and be willfully performed with premeditation and deliberation. Defense counsel agreed. The trial court concluded it would not read CALJIC No. 8.31, but would give the jurors a modified version of CALJIC No. 8.32 (Second Degree Felony Murder) concerning second degree murder committed in the commission of the crime of torture. When the trial court instructed the jury, it read CALJIC Nos. 8.30 and 8.32, but not CALJIC No. 8.31. The court also read, at defendant's request, CALJIC No. 8.45, which defined involuntary manslaughter, and CALJIC No. 8.72, which instructed the jury to find a homicide to be manslaughter if it had a reasonable doubt whether the crime was murder or manslaughter.
Implied malice murder is defined by CALJIC No. 8.31 as follows: Murder of the second degree is [also] the unlawful killing of a human being when: [¶] 1. The killing resulted from an intentional act, [¶] 2. The natural consequences of which are dangerous to human life, and [¶] 3. The act was deliberately performed with knowledge of the danger to, and with conscious disregard for, human life. [¶] When the killing is the direct result of such an act, it is not necessary to prove that the defendant intended that the act would result in the death of a human being. Defendant acknowledges the correctness of the prosecutor's argument that, if defendant committed torturous acts and those acts were done deliberately, an instruction on second degree implied malice murder would be inapplicable based on those torturous acts, since those acts would necessarily support a first degree murder by torture verdict. But defendant contends that the second degree implied malice murder instructions should have been given based on an entirely different intentional act deliberately performed by defendant, namely, defendant's intentional failure to take Kesha to the hospital after she was fatally wounded. Defendant contends that, although he denied inflicting the wounds that killed Kesha, he effectively admitted that he intentionally failed to take Kesha to the hospital, even though he knew she was gravely injured, because he wanted to protect Hill and did not want the authorities involved. Defendant contends his testimony supports the elements of second degree implied malice murder as follows: (1) the killing resulted from an intentional act (i.e., his failure to take Kesha to the hospital); (2) the natural consequence of failing to get medical treatment was obviously dangerous; and (3) it was done deliberately, in spite of the fact defendant knew that Kesha was severely injured. Defendant's theory of second degree implied malice murder based on his failure to act was not raised in the trial court. Respondent contends the claim is forfeited. However, the trial court had a sua sponte duty to instruct on all theories of a lesser included offense which find substantial support in the evidence. ( People v. Breverman (1998) 19 Cal.4th 142, 162 [77 Cal.Rptr.2d 870, 960 P.2d 1094].) But even though defendant's claim was not forfeited, we conclude there was no substantial evidence for defendant's theory of implied malice murder. As to the first element, defendant provides no authority that a failure to act can, on its own, constitute an intentional act for implied malice murder. [10] Certainly, if a defendant has a duty to provide aid to a victim, his or her failure to do so resulting in the victim's death can give rise to involuntary manslaughter. (See People v. Oliver (1989) 210 Cal.App.3d 138, 147-148 [258 Cal.Rptr. 138].) But, as noted above, the jury was instructed on involuntary manslaughter, and it nonetheless found defendant guilty of first degree murder. As to the second and third elements, defendant's testimony does not provide substantial evidence that he knew that not immediately taking Kesha to the hospital would result in her death. Certainly, if one assumes that defendant in fact intentionally inflicted the fatal injuries through brutally striking Kesha and torturing her with hot oil, and therefore knew the severity of the wounds he had personally committed, then one could also plausibly assume he knew that failing to seek immediate medical care for her would result in her death. But defendant's implied malice theory is based on his testimony that he did not inflict the fatal wounds. The most that defendant's testimony indicates is that he was vaguely concerned about Kesha's condition immediately after Hill allegedly inflicted the burn wounds, despite her alleged minimizing of the significance of the burns. Defendant testified he did not become seriously concerned about Kesha's condition until several hours later, when Kesha's arm went limp while she was sleeping on his chest, at which point, according to his testimony, he immediately gave her CPR and told Hill to call 911.