Court Opinion

ID: 9516521
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 23:44:21.016287+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:40:28.366232
License: Public Domain

BEILFUSS, C.J.
(dissenting). The majority holds that when the state presents evidence to the jury of six separately chargeable acts of first-degree sexual assault, the jury is not required to agree as to the commission of any one particular act in order to reach a unanimous verdict. Because I believe that such a holding violates the defendant’s right to a unanimous verdict, I dissent. I further dissent because the analysis employed by the majority in reaching this result implicitly but effectively overrules this court’s recent decisions dealing with unanimity.
A potential unanimity problem arises in this case because, although the defendant was charged with a single count of first-degree sexual assault, the state presented evidence at trial that the defendant in concert with his co-defendant forced the victim to engage in six acts of *599sexual intercourse, each of which alone constitutes first-degree sexual assault. The defendant presented evidence at trial that in previous statements to the police the victim gave conflicting stories as to the number, type and location of the sexual assaults, in addition to his own testimony that none of the acts occurred. Further, the testimony of the witness from the State Crime Laboratory demonstrated that although sperm was found on the victim’s clothing and the cervical and vaginal smears, the oral smears and swabs were all negative. While the guilty verdict returned by the jury unquestionably indicates that all the jurors agreed that some act of sexual intercourse occurred, based on the evidence presented the jurors may have disagreed as to which particular act or acts occurred. It is impossible, based on the general verdict, the record, and the instructions given, to determine whether the jury agreed that any one particular act occurred.1
The issue is whether such possible disagreement violates the defendant’s right to a unanimous verdict. I believe that it does. “Unanimity demands that the jury *600be agreed that the defendant committed a specific act the law prohibited.” Holland v. State, 91 Wis. 2d 134, 140, 280 N.W.2d 288 (1979). As recognized by the majority, this court in Manson v. State, 101 Wis. 2d 413, 304 N.W.2d 729 (1981), adopted a two-prong analysis for determining whether the defendant’s right to jury unanimity was violated. First, if there is more than one crime presented to the jury, the jury is required to be unanimous as to a specific unlawful act in order to convict. Id. at 419. If there is only one crime, and evidence is presented as to the alternate means of committing the actus reus element of the crime, then jury unanimity on the particular means used is required only if such acts are conceptually distinct. Id. at 419, 428-30.
The majority, although stating that the evidence presented to a jury consisted of six separately chargeable offenses, swpra, p. 597, n. 6, and that the first prong of the Manson analysis requires that there be jury unanimity as to each crime whenever “the jury has been presented with evidence of multiple crimes,” supra, p. 592, holds that this first prong does not apply to this case. Instead, the majority holds that because there is only one crime charged, the six acts of sexual intercourse are merely different means of committing first-degree sexual assault and therefore unanimity is required only if the six acts are conceptually distinct. I conclude this position is untenable because it ignores not only the language of this court’s decision in Manson, but the majority’s own language in this case as quoted above. The majority ignores the evidence actually presented to the jury and holds that it is the number of crimes charged rather than the evidence presented which determines the application of the first Manson prong. I believe such a holding to be erroneous because it destroys the entire thrust of the first prong of the Manson analysis. If the majority’s holding, that it is the number *601of counts charged that controls over the evidence, was correct, there would have been no need in Manson to determine if the first prong applied, because the defendant was charged with only one count of armed robbery in Manson. See also, State v. Baldwin, 101 Wis. 2d 441, 304 N.W.2d 742 (1981).
I believe this case fits squarely within the first prong of the Manson analysis and thus there is no need to delve into the metaphysical realm of the conceptual distinction analysis we adopted in Holland v. State, 91 Wis. 2d 134, 280 N.W.2d 288 (1979). It is not the number of crimes charged that controls in analyzing whether there is more than one crime under the first prong of Manson, but the evidence that is presented to the jury. Here the jury was presented with evidence of six separate and distinct acts of sexual intercourse. These acts were separated not only by time but also involved two different types of sexual intercourse as defined by the legislature and committed by two different persons over a period of two hours. Under this court’s decision in State v. Eisch, 96 Wis. 2d 25, 291 N.W.2d 800 (1980), and the court of appeals decision in Harrell v. State, 88 Wis. 2d 546, 277 N.W.2d 462 (Ct. App. 1979), as adopted in Eisch, these distinct acts of intercourse each separately constitute the crime of first-degree sexual assault. They are not merely alternate means of committing the single crime of first-degree sexual assault but are historically distinct crimes that could have been separately charged. The majority recognizes this, yet inexplicably refuses to apply the first prong of the Manson analysis.
Rather, the correct analysis that should be applied is that because there was evidence presented to the jury of six distinct acts, each of which constitutes first-degree sexual intercourse, jury unanimity was required as to at least one act. Thus in order to find the defendant guilty of the single offense of first-degree sexual assault, *602the jury had to unanimously agree that at least one specific act occurred in order to find the defendant guilty. The jury did not have to agree that all six acts occurred because any one act alone satisfied the elements of first-degree sexual assault. This requirement that the jurors agree as to one specific act of sexual intercourse merely fulfills the very basic requirement in a criminal case that the jury unanimously agrees “as to just what a defendant did as a step preliminary to determining whether the defendant is guilty of the crime charged.” United States v. Gipson, 553 F.2d 453, 457-58 (5th Cir. 1977).
This requirement does not mean that prosecutors do not have the discretion to charge separate offenses in one count in the appropriate case. I agree with the majority that the defendant was properly charged with one offense in this case. However, the prosecutor’s discretion in joining separately chargeable offenses is limited by the purpose of the rule against duplicity. One of the reasons for the rule against duplicitous charging is to protect the defendant’s right to a unanimous verdict. Here, as discussed above, the presentation of evidence of multiple crimes to the jury in support of one count endangered the defendant’s right to a unanimous verdict. This did not make the complaint duplicitous because this defect in the complaint can be cured by a special instruction to the jury. United States v. Robinson, 651 F.2d 1188, 1194 (6th Cir. 1981), cert. denied, 454 U.S. 875 (1981). This court in its earliest decisions on unanimity held that when evidence of multiple crimes is presented to the jury in support of a single count a unanimity problem is created, which can be very simply cured by instructions to the jury. Vogel v. State, 138 *603Wis. 325, 119 N.W. 190 (1909) ; Boldt v. State, 72 Wis. 7, 38 N.W. 177 (1888).
Vogel involved a situation very similar to this case. In Vogel five defendants were jointly charged as parties to a crime with one count of rape arising from numerous acts of sexual intercourse over a two-hour period. The defendants argued that their right to a unanimous verdict was violated because the jury could have found the defendants guilty without all the jurors agreeing that one particular act of sexual intercourse occurred. The court rejected this argument because the jurors had specifically been instructed that they had to agree that one defendant performed a particular act of sexual intercourse and that the other defendants aided and abetted in this particular act. The court stated:
“It is fair to presume that the jury took the law as the court gave it, and followed the instructions of the judge. By this particular instruction the jury was advised that, in order to convict two or more of the defendants, it should find, beyond a reasonable doubt, (1) that some one of the defendants performed an act of intercourse under such circumstances that it constituted the crime of rape; and (2) that such others as are held guilty assisted him in the performance of such act by the exercise of force and threats and such like. Clearly by this language the jury was told that all jurors must be agreed upon some particular act, or otherwise it must acquit.

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“If the jury followed the direction of the court it must have agreed that some single act of intercourse was performed by some defendant under circumstances such as to make his crime that of rape, and it must have found that the other defendants aided him in the commission of that particular act. This method of procedure necessitated the jury’s agreeing upon some act at which it believed all the defendants were present, and, it would seem, necessitated its agreement upon some one person as principal in the first degree.” 138 Wis. at 333-34.
*604In Boldt the court reversed a conviction for selling liquor without a license where the state introduced evidence of multiple offenses in support of a single count because the trial court failed to instruct the jury that it must agree on one particular act in order to find the defendant guilty. The court discussed the unanimity problem that is created when jurors are presented with evidence of multiple criminal acts in support of a single count, stating:
“But the still more serious objection is that the jury might find him guilty under proof of several distinct offenses, when they would not agree that the evidence was sufficient to find him guilty of any one particular sale. Or, as it is well put by the court in State v. Crimmins, 31 Kan. 376-380, ‘If evidence was introduced tending to prove twelve or more different offenses, the jury might find him guilty without any two of the jurors agreeing that he was guilty of any particular one of such offenses. One juror might believe that he was guilty of one offense, another juror of another, and so on with respect to all the jurors and all the offenses; each juror believing that the defendant was guilty of some one of the offenses which the evidence possibly tended to prove, but no two jurors agreeing that he was guilty of the same identical offense.’ This, it seems to us, is a most weighty and insuperable objection to allowing evidence tending to prove several separate and distinct offenses under a complaint or information which charges the defendant with the commission of but a single one.” 72 Wis. at 14-15.
The court went on to state that a special jury instruction was required in order to protect the defendant’s right to unanimity in this type of situation:
“But we are clearly of the opinion that the court should have directed the jury that they must find the defendant guilty of making some one specific sale in order to convict. But the court charged in effect that if the jury was satisfied that the defendant made any sale to any one between the 10th day of May and the *60511th day of June, they were authorized to convict him. For the reasons given, we think this was error, which must work a reversal of the judgment. The jury were not instructed, as they should have been, that they must be satisfied from the proof that the defendant made a sale upon some day prior to the day specified, and that they must all agree that he was guilty of the same identical offense. We think the court was bound to give such an instruction, in view of the evidence admitted and of the third instruction asked on the part of the defendant, which was refused.” Id. at 16-17. (Emphasis supplied.)
The majority’s attempt to distinguish these two cases is unavailing. Boldt and Vogel clearly establish that when evidence of multiple criminal acts is presented to the jury in support of a single criminal charge, a special jury instruction is required in order to protect the defendant’s right to a unanimous verdict. In such a situation the general unanimity instruction is not adequate to inform the jury how it is to perform its duty. In this case the trial court should have instructed the jury that it had to unanimously agree that one of the co-edefendants committed at least one specific act of sexual intercourse and, if charged with being a party to a crime, appropriate instruction given as to aiding and abetting. Such an instruction, tailored to the particular facts and charges, must be given in all cases where the defendant is charged with a single crime but there is evidence presented to the jury that the defendant engaged in more than one act which alone would constitute the crime charged.2 Because no such instruction was given in this case, I would affirm the court of appeal’s *606decision reversing the defendant’s conviction and remand the case for a new trial.
As a final point, I feel compelled to comment on the majority’s interpretation of the second prong of the Manson analysis. While, as discussed above, I believe the second prong of Manson has no application to this case which involves several, distinct crimes, rather than a single crime which can be committed in alternate ways, I am troubled by the court’s application of this prong because it has the effect of implicitly overruling this court’s recent unanimity decisions beginning with Holland v. State, 91 Wis. 2d 134, 280 N.W.2d 188 (1979), cert. denied, 445 U.S. 931 (1980).
The second prong of the Manson analysis requires that the jury agree on the alternate means of committing a single crime, if those means are conceptually distinct. This “conceptual distinction” analysis was first enunciated in United States v. Gipson, 553 F.2d 453 (5th Cir. 1977), and was adopted by this court in Holland. Since Holland this court has consistently applied this analysis in cases where the jury was presented with alternate means of committing a single crime. State v. Giwosky, 109 Wis. 2d 446, 326 N.W.2d 232 (1982) ; State v. Baldwin, 101 Wis. 2d 441, 304 N.W.2d 742 (1981) ; State v. Manson, 101 Wis. 2d 413, 304 N.W.2d 799 (1981).
The majority holds that the legislature can preclude the application of this analysis by the way it defines a crime. This position is erroneous. An examination of Gipson, and this court’s decisions applying it, clearly demonstrate that the determination of whether alternate means of committing a single crime are conceptually distinct is necessarily a judicial determination. The rationale of Gipson is that while the legislature defines crimes, including alternate ways of committing the same crime, it is for the courts to determine whether such *607alternate means are “sufficiently analogous” to assure jury unanimity on the actus reus element of the offense. Gipson, 553 F.2d at 458.
The legislature, when it defines crimes, is concerned not with jury unanimity, but with setting out all the ways in which a particular crimé may be committed. These alternate means may be extremely similar or extremely dissimilar, but nevertheless constitute the same crime. This similarity or dissimilarity, although not important in the definition stage, is extremely important in determining whether a jury has agreed that the defendant has committed the actus reus element of the crime charged. It is the duty of the courts in administering the guilt determination process to determine if the alternate means as defined by the legislature are conceptually similar or distinct in order to assure the constitutionally mandated unanimous verdict. The legislature simply can not foreclose the court’s application of the conceptual distinction analysis. The majority’s holding thus has the effect of removing the Gipson analysis from Wisconsin unanimity law and implicitly overruling Holland through Giwosky. I therefore dissent.
I am authorized to state that Justices Heffernan and Abrahamson join this dissent.

 The likelihood that the jury did not agree on any particular act of sexual intercourse was magnified by the prosecutor’s closing arguments in which he repeatedly told the jury that it could find the defendant guilty as long as it believed “something happened” in the car. An example is the following excerpt from his closing argument:
“Now, I think if you just look at C.G.’s testimony, you can find the defendants guilty just based on her testimony — because I think you can find that something happened in that car. You may not be able to decide exactly what sequence or exactly how many times. But right after the assault, she told the uniformed officers from Milwaukee that both men had penis to vagina sexual intercourse. She told the nurse that. She didn’t tell Detective Trosch that, but when you put all of those statements together, I think you get a basic statement about what happened in that car, and even if you decide that Chet Cyrus didn’t put his penis in her, that doesn’t mean he didn’t have another form of sexual intercourse with her,”

 This situation should be distinguished from cases in which the defendant is charged with a single crime, but evidence is presented of alternate means used to commit the single crime. In these situations, whether a special instruction is required depends on the application of the second prong of the Manson analysis. See also, State v. Baldwin, 101 Wis. 2d 441, 304 N.W.2d 742 (1981); State v. Giwosky, 109 Wis. 2d 446, 326 N.W.2d 232 (1982).