Court Opinion

ID: 9686999
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 16:13:29.762703+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:23.671108
License: Public Domain

RAWLINGS, Justice
(dissenting).
I agree with the reasoning and conclusions in Division I and II of the majority opinion.
However, I cannot agree with the underlying rationale or conclusion reached in Division III thereof.
By the third paragraph of instruction 10 the jury was told: “In order for the defendant to avoid responsibility for his alleged act, if any, by reason of his intoxication, it must be shown by the evidence he was in such a state of intoxication that his mind was incapable of forming the criminal intent requisite to the offense charged as defined in these instructions.” (emphasis supplied).
It is to me evident use of the words “In order for defendant to avoid responsibility for his alleged act * * * ” squarely, indelibly and impermissibly placed on defendant the burden of persuasion with respect to lack of specific intent because of intoxication. See Mullaney v. Wilbur, 421 U.S. 684, 95 S.Ct. 1881, 44 L.Ed.2d 508 (1975); Patterson v. New York, - U.S. -, 97 S.Ct. 2819, 53 L.Ed.2d 281 (1977); State v. Monroe, 236 N.W.2d 24 (Iowa 1975).
Use of the initial phrase “In order for the defendant to avoid ” squarely fastened upon defendant the burden of persuasion regarding his intent-negating intoxication claim. “Avoid” is a word of common usage which means: “To annul; cancel; make void; to destroy the efficacy of anything. To evade; escape.” Black’s Law Dictionary, “Avoid”, at 173 (rev. 4th ed.1968). This means the above quoted portion of instruction 10 unequivocally told the jury that in order for defendant to annul, cancel, evade or escape criminal responsibility for the offense charged he must establish intent-negating intoxication.
That error is further compounded by the ensuing equally poisonous phrase, “it must be shown by the evidence * * *.” Under the holding in Division II of the majority opinion it no longer must be shown that defendant was so intoxicated as to be unable to form the requisite criminal intent. Rather, the State must show defendant was not so intoxicated, as part of its burden to establish defendant possessed the requisite criminal intent. The difference is far from trivial from a due process standpoint, a problem wholly apart from juror confusion.
Moreover, in light of the foregoing it is totally unrealistic and implausible to assume the jury, when considering instruction 10, gave so much as momentary or cursory thought to other instructions regarding “burden of proof as to any fact.” Cf. State v. Billings, 242 N.W.2d 736, 737 (Iowa 1976).
In brief, I am satisfied instruction 10 served to erroneously and prejudicially place the burden of proof on defendant. See State v. Buchanan, 207 N.W.2d 784, 788-792 (Iowa 1973), (McCormick, J., concurring specially). Compare Iowa Uniform Jury Instruction 501.18.
I would reverse and remand for a new trial.