Court Opinion

ID: 9670340
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 03:19:10.682155+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:42:31.944737
License: Public Domain

SABERS, Justice
(dissenting).
I dissent from the majority opinion on “attempted second degree murder.”
*914Lyerla argues that it is a legal impossibility to attempt to commit murder in the second degree and his two convictions for this offense should be reversed. Since Lyerla did not object to the jury instructions on attempted second-degree murder, he now argues plain error. However, an argument based on plain error cannot succeed where there is no error.
The majority frames the question in a different manner, as follows: “If attempted second degree murder is not a crime in South Dakota, then a defendant’s failure to object cannot establish that crime.” I agree with that statement of the law by the majority and with their statement that “[i]n order to attempt to commit a crime, there must exist in the mind of the perpetrator the specific intent to commit the acts constituting the offense.” Citing State v. Primeaux, 328 N.W.2d 256 (S.D.1982); State v. Poss, 298 N.W.2d 80 (S.D.1980); State v. Rash, 294 N.W.2d 416 (S.D.1980); State v. Martinez, 88 S.D. 369, 220 N.W.2d 530 (1974); and State v. Judge, 81 S.D. 128, 131 N.W.2d 573 (1964). More specifically, I agree that “[t]o attempt second degree murder one must intend to have a criminally reckless state of mind, i.e. perpetrating an imminently dangerous act while evincing a depraved mind, regardless of human life, but without a design to kill any particular person.” However, the majority also cites the Minnesota Supreme Court case of State v. Dahlstrom, 276 Minn. 301, 307, 150 N.W.2d 53, 59 (1967) in part as follows:
“But we cannot conceive of a factual situation which could make such conduct attempted murder in the third degree where the actor did not intend the death of anyone and where no death occurred.”
That concept is not that difficult:
For example, knowing he is a bad shot, A attempts to shoot B’s eyelashes off from fifty feet away
—if A misses and kills B, it constitutes second-degree murder under South Dakota law;
—if A misses and wounds B, it constitutes attempted second-degree murder under South Dakota law;
—if A misses all together, it may constitute attempted second-degree murder under South Dakota law.
I agree with the majority that the jury obviously decided that Lyerla did not intend the death of the deceased since he was found guilty of the lesser count of second-degree murder. Nor did he intend to kill the other two girls as the verdicts for attempted second-degree murder confirm. However, had his acts resulted in their deaths, either directly as in the case of Tammy Jensen, or indirectly, through a resulting car accident, he would have been guilty of second-degree murder. Since deaths did not result he was guilty of attempted second-degree murder under South Dakota law.
SDCL 22-4-1 provides:
“Any person who attempts to commit a crime and in the attempt does any act toward the commission of the crime, but fails or is prevented or intercepted in the perpetration thereof, is punishable where no provision is made by law for the punishment of such attempt^.]”
SDCL 22-16-7 provides:
“Homicide is murder in the second degree when perpetrated by any act imminently dangerous to others and evincing a depraved mind, regardless of human life, although without any premeditated design to effect the death of any particular individual.”
This statute deals with “homicide” which is named “murder in the second degree.” Neither statute contains an element of specific intent. SDCL 22-16-7 simply requires an act. The act required must be dangerous to others (or stupid) under South Dakota law. If one attempts a “dangerous” or “stupid” act it is sufficient. The only “intent” or “attempt” necessary is a voluntary as opposed to a non-volitional or forced act. In this case, Lyerla clearly attempted the dangerous and stupid act of pulling the trigger and shooting the gun at or near the people or the car in which they were riding. This is sufficient for attempted second-de*915gree murder under South Dakota law. SDCL 22-16-7 and SDCL 22-4-1.
The cases from other jurisdictions cited by Lyerla have a common flaw. In each case the attempt statute contains an element of specific intent while the standard of culpability otherwise required for the commission of the underlying offense is something less than specific intent. In this respect, Instruction No. 20 (as set forth in footnote 4 of the majority opinion) was more favorable to Lyerla than the law required in that paragraph 1 implies that specific intent might also be required for second-degree murder.
The majority opinion cites People v. Perez, 108 Misc.2d 65, 66, 437 N.Y.S.2d 46, 48 (1981) and People v. Hernandez, 44 Colo. App. 161, 614 P.2d 900, 901 (1980), for the proposition that one cannot intentionally attempt to cause the death of another by a reckless act and for the proposition that the perpetration of an unintended killing is a logical impossibility. Further, these cases are cited to support the proposition that the words “attempt” and “negligence” are at war with one another; that they are internally inconsistent and cannot sensibly co-exist. These cases place emphasis on the word “intentional” contrary to the South Dakota statute on attempt. As previously indicated, the “intent” or “attempt” required under the South Dakota statute is simply to voluntarily act as opposed to an involuntary or forced action. In other words, an attempt to pull the trigger and shoot the gun is enough. This type of “attempt” and the “dangerous” or “stupid” act are not at war with one another; they are internally consistent and can sensibly co-exist.
Much of the confusion in this matter results from the use of the word murder, which implies an intent to take life. What we are really dealing with under South Dakota law is homicide, named second-degree murder. To intentionally pull the trigger and shoot a gun in this dangerous manner was not homicide because neither Gropper girl died, but it was attempted homicide, also known as attempted second-degree murder. Accordingly, attempted second-degree murder is a crime in South Dakota, and Lyerla’s convictions for attempted second-degree murder should be affirmed.