Court Opinion

ID: 9542812
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:39:03.841223+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:09:01.984663
License: Public Domain

Chief Justice HOWE
concurring in the result:
¶ 20 I reluctantly concur in the result of the majority opinion because that result appears to be mandated by Utah Code Ann. § 76-H02(3)(a). That section provides:
(3) A defendant may be convicted of an offense included in the offense charged but may not be convicted of both the offense charged and the included offense. An offense is so included when:
(a) It is established by proof of the same or less than all the facts required to estab*875lish the commission of the offense charged....
It is technically correct that proof of felony joyriding is not necessarily required in the proof of the crime of theft of a motor vehicle as the majority points out.
¶ 21 However, I believe that the “statutory elements” test contained in section 76-1-402(3)(a) is too rigid and should be repealed by the legislature and replaced with a more realistic test. In the instant case, the defendant was charged with the crime of theft, but in the charging documents, he was clearly accused of keeping the van for more than twenty-four hours after its scheduled return date. Thus, the defendant was put on full notice of all the facts that the prosecution could rely upon in proving felony joyriding.
¶22 In State v. Howell, 649 P.2d 91, 95 (Utah 1982), we remarked:
However, when evidence of a defendant’s criminal conduct has been placed before a court of justice, even though that conduct has not been specifically charged, it would be a mockery of our criminal laws for a court to ignore a proved crime and acquit on the charged crime, when the defendant is not prejudiced in presenting a full and complete defense to the proved crime.
In accordance with that sentiment, I believe that the prosecution should be able to request an instruction on any lesser offense supported by the facts alleged in the indictment, regardless of whether those facts constitute necessary elements of the offense actually charged. This approach has been adopted in a number of states and is sometimes referred to as the “charging instrument” approach. It is exemplified by two cases cited in the majority opinion: People v. Novak, 163 Ill.2d 93, 205 Ill.Dec. 471, 643 N.E.2d 762 (1994) and People v. Garcia, 940 P.2d 357 (Colo.1997). This approach is more flexible than the statutory elements test imposed by section 76-l-402(3)(a) and avoids the absurd result reached in the instant case where the defendant cannot be found guilty of felony joyriding, although he was given full and complete notice in the charging documents that he unlawfully kept the van in his possession for more than twenty-four hours after it should have been returned to the rental company.
¶ 23 This “charging instrument” approach was followed in People v. Garcia, supra. In that case, the court held that under the statutory or strict elements test, first degree criminal trespass was not a lesser included offense of second degree burglary because first degree criminal trespass contains the element of entering the “dwelling of another” which is not an element of second degree burglary. However, where the defendant was charged with second degree burglary of a dwelling in the complaint and information, he had proper due process notice of the lesser non-included charge of first degree criminal trespass. It was held that the trial court did not err in instructing the jury on first degree criminal trespass over defendant’s objection.
¶ 24 In conclusion, I believe that the “charging instrument” approach makes eminent sense and operates to hold a criminal defendant more responsible for his acts without encroaching upon his due process right to full and adequate notice of the unlawful conduct with which he is charged.
¶ 25 Justice RUSSON concurs in Chief Justice HOWE’s concurring opinion.