Court Opinion

ID: 9617555
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:57:46.271124+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:04:11.628600
License: Public Domain

Justice WEBB
dissenting.
I dissent. The defendant contended she was unable to form an intent to kill. She offered the testimony of Dr. Alexander Bory on this issue. It is worth noting that Dr. Bory did not have to be an expert to give his opinion as to the defendant’s mental condition at the time of the killing. The majority says that this testimony would not have assisted the jury to determine a fact in issue because of the speculative and equivocal nature of Dr. Bory’s testimony. Dr. Bory would have testified without equivocation that in his opinion the defendant “had diminished capacity to think logically and clearly at” the time of the killing. This testimony was relevant and should have been admitted. He would also have testified in regard to the defendant’s ability to form an intent at the time of the killing, that in his opinion “that instead of specific intent, it was more of a fantasy.” After explaining what he meant by using the word “fantasy” Dr. Bory then said “but . . . that is purely my opinion; that is pure conjecture.” This is apparently the testimony upon which the majority relies to say *171his testimony was speculative. I believe a reading of Dr. Bory’s proposed testimony shows that it was his opinion that the defendant could not form the specific intent to kill. He recognized the difficulty in forming such an opinion and said so. It was for the jury to determine the weight of Dr. Bory’s testimony. I believe it was error to exclude it.
I also believe it was error for the court not to give the requested instruction as to the defendant’s ability to form the specific intent to kill. The majority says, “Where a defendant’s evidence discloses facts which are legally sufficient to constitute a defense to the crime with which he or she has been charged, the court is required to instruct the jury as to the legal principles applicable to that defense.” State v. Strickland, 321 N.C. 31, 40, 361 S.E. 2d 882, 887 (1987). I do not believe this question should be resolved as if the defendant were attempting to interpose a defense which would justify the killing. The burden was on the State to prove an intent to kill and the defendant offered evidence in an attempt to negate this proof by the State. The defendant was not trying to prove a defense which would justify the killing.
The majority, having characterized the defendant’s position as an attempt to present a defense which would justify the killing, purports to establish a new rule as to when evidence of this defense requires a jury instruction. Rejecting what it calls the “utterly incapable” test for charging on intoxication as a defense and the “any evidence” test for charging on self-defense, the majority says, “[t]he proper test is whether the evidence of defendant’s mental condition is sufficient to cause a reasonable doubt in the mind of a rational trier of fact as to whether the defendant was capable of forming the specific intent to kill the victim at the time of the killing.” The majority then evaluated all the evidence, including evidence that the defendant had previously extricated herself from the dominance of males and that she arranged the rendezvous and accompanied Bacon when the stabbing occurred. The majority then concluded there was insufficient evidence to cause a reasonable doubt in the mind of a rational trier of fact as to whether the defendant was capable of forming an intent to kill.
I believe it is error for us to evaluate all the evidence in determining whether there is enough evidence to submit a charge to *172the jury on the defendant’s ability to form an intent to kill. This is a departure from any practice of this Court of which I am aware. There was certainly no intimation of it in two recent cases which dealt with this subject. See State v. Rose, 323 N.C. 455, 373 S.E. 2d 426 (1988); State v. Shank, 322 N.C. 243, 367 S.E. 2d 639 (1988).
I believe that if there is competent evidence that a defendant was not capable of forming a specific intent to kill the court should charge on this feature. In this case Dr. J. Thomas Stack, a clinical. psychologist, testified to the defendant’s emotional state at the time of the killing. He testified that one so vulnerable would respond “like a robot” to another’s instructions. A robot does not have a mind of its own. If defendant did not have a mind of her own but simply responded to others, this is evidence she did not form a specific intent to kill. I also believe the testimony of Dr. Bory, which I would hold was erroneously excluded, was evidence the defendant did not form a specific intent to kill. I would hold that it was error for the court not to give the requested charge.
For the above reasons, I also believe it was error not to charge on second degree murder.
I vote for a new trial.