Court Opinion

ID: 9626666
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 08:20:49.361575+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:06:31.911444
License: Public Domain

Judge JONES
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent from Parts III and IV of the majority opinion. I conclude that the trial court abused its discretion in allowing the defendant to be convicted of both attempted first degree murder and first degree assault, although not for the reasons asserted by the defendant.
I concede that it was not, per se, an abuse of discretion to deny the defendant’s motion to elect. People v. Anderson, 187 Colo. 171, 529 P.2d 310 (1974) (construing a predecessor statute to § 18-1-408(3), C.R.S. (1986 Repl.Vol. 8B)). However, having denied that motion, the trial court, alternatively, could find the defendant guilty of attempted first degree murder or guilty of first degree assault, but not both. See People v. Tippett, 733 P.2d 1183 (Colo.1987).
*451Thus, as in Tippett, the court’s failure to require an election by either the prosecution or the trier of fact constitutes “an abuse of discretion that requires reversal” of one of the defendant’s convictions. I, therefore, dissent from the majority's holding in Part III.
Furthermore, as to Part IV of the majority opinion, I conclude that the trial court erred, as a matter of law, in entering judgments of conviction as to both charges. Thus, the issue of consecutive or concurrent sentences under § 18-1-408(3) should not be addressed on appeal.
I would, therefore, remand this matter to the trial court for vacation of the judgment and sentence as to one of the charges.