Court Opinion

ID: 9647805
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 13:51:04.60456+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:11:53.629790
License: Public Domain

CONCURRING OPINION
FINCH, Presiding Judge.
I concur in the result reached in the principal opinion and in all that is said therein except a portion of the discussion with reference to Instruction No. 8.
I agree with the view expressed in the principal opinion that Instruction No. 8 is erroneous in ignoring self-defense and that such error was cured by the verdict finding under Instruction No. 7 that defendant was not acting in self-defense. What I do not agree with is that the defendant may not complain of the instruction by reason of the fact that he was convicted of a greater offense under another instruction and statute.
The language in the principal opinion holding that defendant may not complain for this reason seems to me to conflict with our recent decision in State v. Mathis, 427 S.W.2d 450, decided May 13, 1968. In Mathis, defendant was charged, as here, under § 559.180, RSMo 1959, V.A.M.S. The court submitted, under Instruction No. 1, the issue of whether the defendant was guilty of felonious assault with malice aforethought with intent to do great bodily harm. In addition, the court instructed the jury in Instruction No. 3 with respect to assault under § 559.190. We found that Instruction No. 3 was erroneous and we reversed and remanded for new trial on that account, notwithstanding the fact that the defendant actually was convicted on the basis of Instruction No. 1 submitting the offense under § 559.180.
On the basis of Mathis, I am of the opinion that the statement in the principal opinion that the defendant may not complain of Instruction No. 8 since he was not convicted under that instruction nor under § 559.190, is erroneous, and I do not concur therein.
The principal opinion cites and relies on State v. Pool, 314 Mo. 673, 285 S.W. 726, State v. Mayberry, Mo., 272 S.W.2d 236, *735State v. Smith, 80 Mo. 516, and State v. Elliott, 16 Mo.App. 552. There is language in some of these cases which would seem to support the pronouncement made in the principal opinion. I think perhaps that the two later cases cited above may be distinguished on the facts. The instruction in Pool merely left out a part of the range of punishment applicable if defendant was convicted of the lesser offense. It properly submitted the issue as to the offense. In Mayberry the court held basically that there was no evidence to support any instruction for manslaughter and hence a manslaughter instruction which was given was not prejudicial even though erroneous.
In any event, to the extent, if any, that any of these earlier cases, viz., Pool, May-berry, Smith and Elliott, are in conflict with the ruling announced in Mathis, I would hold them to have been overruled by Mathis to the extent of the inconsistency.