Court Opinion

ID: 9728582
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 14:11:50.713438+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:25:25.341180
License: Public Domain

D. C. Riley, J.
(concurring in part; dissenting in part). Defendant was convicted by a jury of manslaughter, in violation of MCL 750.321; MSA 28.553, and assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, in violation of MCL 750.84; MSA 28.279. From a sentence of 5 to 15 years imprisonment for manslaughter and 5 to 10 years for assault, defendant appeals as of right.
Defendant poses four arguments on appeal, two *154of which I believe are meritorious. It is first asserted that the trial court erred in instructing the jury on manslaughter. Manslaughter is not necessarily a lesser included offense of murder; there must be sufficient proof adduced at trial to support a guilty verdict on that charge. People v Van Wyck, 402 Mich 266, 268; 262 NW2d 638 (1978).
Manslaughter is defined as an intentional killing, committed under passionate circumstances without malice and before tempers have had a chance to cool. MCL 750.329; MSA 28.561, People v Younger, 380 Mich 678, 681; 158 NW2d 493 (1968). An aider and abettor who is charged with manslaughter, as is the instant defendant, must be proven either to have shared this state of mind with his principal or to have participated in the criminal act with knowledge of the principal’s intent. People v Tolbert, 77 Mich App 162, 167; 258 NW2d 176 (1977).
There is evidence in the case sub judice to indicate that neither defendant nor the principal, Houston, possessed the state of mind necessary for manslaughter. Houston displayed a knife at the first confrontation with the victim’s group. Then, after he was attacked by dogs belonging to the victim and his friends, Houston pulled out his knife once more, threatening to stab the dogs. When they were called off, Houston put away his knife, only to pull it out again a few minutes later and fatally stab the victim, White. There was testimony indicating that Houston then stated that he had planned to kill White for a long time.
I find no credible evidence to indicate any provocation of Houston that was not followed by a cooling off period. Thus, I believe it was error to instruct on manslaughter in Houston’s case.
Since I conclude that Houston did not possess *155the necessary criminal intent for manslaughter, defendant’s manslaughter intent cannot depend on that of the principal, Houston. The evidence must then be examined to determine if defendant possessed the requisite intent on his own. See People v Folkes, 71 Mich App 95, 97-98; 246 NW2d 403 (1976). King aided in White’s killing by holding would-be defenders at bay with a shotgun while Houston stabbed White. There were no mitigating circumstances surrounding his actions to warrant reducing the murder charge to manslaughter. Hence, I believe that it was reversible error to instruct the jury on the lesser included offense of manslaughter. See People v Chamblis, 395 Mich 408; 236 NW2d 473 (1975).
To remedy this faulty instruction, there cannot be a reversal and remand for new trial. Conviction of the lesser offense, here manslaughter, operates as an acquittal on the greater offense, murder, so any retrial would violate defendant’s double-jeopardy protection. See People v Hilliker, 29 Mich App 543; 185 NW2d 831 (1971). Therefore, I would advocate vacation of defendant’s manslaughter conviction.
Defendant further asserts that there is reversible error based on the prosecutor’s violation of a discovery order, specifically, failing to turn over a witness’s statement. Both the majority and I agree with defendant’s contention.
Discovery is becoming an increasingly important aspect of criminal trials. People v Thornton, 80 Mich App 746, 750; 265 NW2d 35 (1978), People v Aldridge, 47 Mich App 639, 644; 209 NW2d 796 (1973). To ensure the observance of discovery rules and to compel compliance with discovery orders, trial judges must be provided with tools of enforcement. See People v Owens, 74 Mich App 191; 253 *156NW2d 706 (1977). When a prosecutor has suppressed pretrial statements that contradict statements made at trial and which would have been material to trial preparation, nondisclosure must be considered prejudicial. Thornton, supra, 750-752. If a judge has ordered that these statements be turned over and a prosecutor has refused, the charges against the defendant may be dismissed. Owens, supra.
In the instant case, the witness’s statement was material to defense preparation; therefore, it was error to suppress it contrary to the discovery order. Defendant must be afforded a new trial on the assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder charge.1 The prosecutor should turn over the witness’s statement prior to this new trial or else risk dismissal of the charges against the defendant.
Defendant’s final two contentions need only be addressed briefly. Both the majority and I agree that there was sufficient evidence adduced to support the binding over of defendant for trial and the instructing of the jury on the charge of first-degree murder. See People v Gill, 43 Mich App 598, 603; 204 NW2d 699 (1972), People v Poplar, 20 Mich App 132, 136-137; 173 NW2d 732 (1969). Lastly, the trial court did not err in admitting into evidence a knife seized from the defendant, as it was relevant to the issue of defendant’s intent. See People v Panes, 58 Mich App 268, 271; 227 NW2d 312 (1975).
I would reverse in part and vacate in part._

 The discovery error is equally applicable to the manslaughter conviction, however, I believe that the protection against double jeopardy precludes any new trial on that charge.