Court Opinion

ID: 9689613
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 18:41:15.422547+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:50.798842
License: Public Domain

V. J. Brennan, J.
(concurring in part; dissenting in part). I concur separately as to Dietrich but respectfully dissent as to Cole.
*143Dietrich
I agree that Ora Jones should be applied retroactively to reduce the defendant’s conviction to second-degree murder. However, I would specifically point out that the retroactive application of Ora Jones is limited to cases like this one which were in the process of appeal on the date of the Ora Jones opinion. See my dissenting opinion in People v Thurmond, 75 Mich App 310; 254 NW2d 879 (1977).
Cole
The trial court instructed that if the killing was found to have occurred during the robbery then the defendant could be found guilty of felony-murder. The majority holds that this instruction eliminated the element of malice from the jury’s consideration. The element of malice sufficient to elevate the killing to felony-murder is established by finding that the killing occurred in the perpetration of one of the enumerated felonies. People v Till, 80 Mich App 16, 28-29; 263 NW2d 586 (1977). I would hold the instruction not to be erroneous.
Since defendant Cole also properly raised the lesser included offense issue under Ora Jones, 1 would reduce the conviction to second-degree murder as was done with defendant Dietrich.