Court Opinion

ID: 9860721
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 23:30:55.854224+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:26:34.144939
License: Public Domain

GIVAN, Justice,
dissenting and concurring.
I respectfully dissent from the majority opinion’s holding that there was fundamental error in the trial court’s instruction concerning attempted murder.
Although I have repeatedly dissented to the course this Court has taken with regard to instructions as to attempted murder, (see the dissents in Smith v. State (1984), Ind., 459 N.E.2d 355, 361, Spradlin v. State (1991), Ind., 569 N.E.2d 948, 951 and Taylor v. State (1993), Ind., 616 N.E.2d 748, 750.) I concede that the directions of this Court as to the precise language which must be used are easily followed. The errors perceived by the majority of this Court are not likely to be repeated.
I nevertheless must take exception with the application of that principle of law in the case at bar. As correctly pointed out in the majority opinion, this is not a direct appeal but an appeal from the denial of post-conviction relief. In order to afford that relief, the trial court must have committed fundamental error. If we concede that the trial court’s instruction did not comport with the language required by the majority of this Court, we still must examine the situation to determine whether fundamental error occurred.
When one examines the facts in this case, it is preposterous to believe that the jury was misled by the court’s instructions to the extent of finding appellant guilty of attempted murder when there was a chance he in fact had no intent to kill Janet Brown. The facts show that appellant had worked for Mr. and Mrs. Thompson and was well-known by both of them. Janet Brown also knew appellant.
When appellant and his confederate came to the Thompson property with the intent of robbing the Thompsons, it is obvious that because he was well-known to them appellant fully intended to kill the Thompsons, which he in fact did. He also knew that Brown knew him and deliberately removed her from her home and took her at gunpoint to the Thompson’s home. After killing both Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, appellant attempted to shoot Brown, and as he pointed the gun at her head and pulled the trigger, she was quick enough to divert the aim of the gun with her hand and was agile enough to escape from appellant before he could fire a second shot at her. To say that because of the jury instruction there was a real danger that appellant would be wrongfully convicted of attempting to kill Brown defies reason.
I would not reverse appellant’s conviction of attempted murder. In all other respects I concur with the majority opinion.