Court Opinion

ID: 9778567
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 21:12:38.542612+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:33:11.533896
License: Public Domain

OSBORNE, Judge
(dissenting).
I must respectfully dissent from the majority opinion in this case because I believe its effect will be to abolish the offense of involuntary manslaughter in the first degree in all homicides resulting from a misuse of a motor vehicle. It doesn’t appear that this result was intended by the framers of the statute. In fact, my research upon the subject proves quite to the contrary. Homicide as a result of an intentional misuse of an automobile was one of the offenses intended to be guarded against.
The law of this Commonwealth as it related to homicide less than murder had become hopelessly confused as a result of conflicting judicial opinions. As a result of this confusion there evolved an offense classified as negligent voluntary manslaughter, which has been described by one eminent, legal scholar in this field as the impossible crime. See Moreland, Kentucky Homicide Law With Recommendations, 51 Ky.Law Journal 59. In an attempt to work our way out of this *683confusion, the legislature in 1962 enacted what is now KRS 435.020 and KRS 435.-022, which set out in specific terms the offenses of voluntary manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter in the first degree and involuntary manslaughter in the second degree. This brought our law into line with that found in most jurisdictions relative to these offenses in that our homicide law now consists of murder, which is the killing of a human being with malice aforethought, voluntary manslaughter, which is the intentional killing of a human being without malice aforethought, such as in sudden heat and passion or while sufficiently intoxicated that an intent cannot be formulated, etc. Involuntary manslaughter in the first degree is the killing of a human being as a result of an act creating extreme risks of great bodily injury so as to manifest a wanton indifference to the value of human life according to the standard of conduct of a reasonable man under the circumstances.
Involuntary manslaughter in the second degree is the killing of a human being as a result of reckless conduct according to the standards of a reasonable man under the circumstances.
As could be readily anticipated by anyone familiar with the common law, distinguishing between wanton conduct and reckless conduct has already caused this court some difficulty and no doubt in the future will cause considerably more.
In Lambert v. Commonwealth, Ky., 377 S.W.2d 76, in discussing this problem, we said:
“The words do not have a generally accepted and clear-cut meaning. Some indication of their vagueness' may be found in the fact that in ‘Words and Phrases/ about seventy-two pages are necessary to summarize the cases dealing with the definitions of ‘wanton’; ‘reckless’ consumes about forty-six pages. It is plain from the wording of KRS 435.-022 that the legislature had in mind two degrees of punishment for separate and distinct acts: one was made felony, and the other misdemeanor. We are required, therefore, to give definitions for two words as used in this statute. A wanton act is a wrongful act done on purpose in complete disregard of the rights of others. The actor must have conscious knowledge of the probable consequences and a complete disregard for them. Reckless conduct displays an indifference to the rights of others and an indifference as to whether wrong or injury will result from the act done. Recklessness involves thoughtlessness while wanton conduct involves actual knowledge of the probable result and complete disregard for those results.”
For a discussion of the relative quality of the two words “wanton” and “reckless” see the Moreland article, supra, page 119:
“It is of course intended that real meaning be given the word wanton in the definition of involuntary manslaughter in the first degree for otherwise the purpose of adding it to the customary definition of involuntary manslaughter would be defeated. For example, it is not intended that it be interpreted synonymous with “reckless,” the word used in defining involuntary manslaughter in the second degree. The two words are not synonyms, although sometimes carelessly and loosely used as such, as in the current definition of negligent voluntary manslaughter in Kentucky. One of the most satisfactory definitions of wantonness is found in the dictionary where it is defined as ‘arrogant recklessness.’ Recklessness is the word that is most commonly used in describing the behavior required for the negligent involuntary manslaughter. The addition of the adjective ‘arrogant’ is indicative of the ‘still higher degree’ of danger and ‘depraved mind’ commonly required in other jurisdictions for murder. It is intended that the use of the phrase ‘wanton indifference to the value of human life’ in the definition of involuntary manslaughter in the first degree shall *684serve to bring those cases which would be negligent murder in other jurisdictions, and which are presently negligent voluntary manslaughter in Kentucky, into the coverage of the involuntary manslaughter in the first degree provision recommended in the proposed act.” 1
The genera.1 principles of law to be applied to statutes such as ours and which are generally applied may be found in 7 Am.Jur.2d Automobiles and Highway Traffic, p. 838, § 291, wherein the principle is stated as follows:
“A number of states have enacted statutes providing that where the death of a person ensues as a proximate result of injury received by the driving of any vehicle in reckless disregard of the safety of others, the person so operating such vehicle is guilty of reckless or negligent homicide. Since the substance of the crime of reckless or negligent homicide is the operation of a vehicle with reckless disregard for the safety of others, thereby causing the death of another, this means more than ordinary negligence; it is conduct which indicates a wilful or wanton disregard of the consequences to others. In determining the guilt of the accused under such a statute, his manner of driving is to be considered with respect to the time when and the place where the alleged violation occurred, the condition of the highway, the state of the weather, the position of other vehicles, the opportunity for observation and familiarity with the highway, and the chance of being able to stop or avoid a collision. Where death results from the violation of a statutory provision intended for the protection of life and limb on the public highway, knowingly committed under circumstances involving an unreasonable risk of bodily harm to others and a high degree of probability that such harm will result, a conviction of negligent homicide is warranted. The test of recklessness does not lie in speed alone, but in that and other attendant circumstances.”
Involuntary manslaughter in the first degree is in many respects identical to the offense of negligent murder under the common law. Under the common law in order to constitute negligent murder, the offense had to be so utterly blameworthy as to show a depraved heart, an individual void of a sense of social duty. Most definitions use the word “wanton” to indicate the indifference to safety of others.
The cases cited in support of the majority opinion Casey v. Commonwealth, Ky., 313 S.W.2d 276, and Stephens v. Commonwealth, Ky., 356 S.W.2d 586, were decided prior to 1962 at a time when we were applying the unworkable rule Negligent Voluntary Manslaughter.
It is true that the word “wanton” was often used in the definition of the offense of negligent murder and copied in defining our old offense of negligent voluntary manslaughter. However, to my mind this fact alone does not mean that the requirements of proof under KRS 435.020 are identical with these old offenses merely because that word is used in the statute. I agree with the Lambert opinion insofar as I would require something more than mere “reckless” conduct, but I would not require the proof to reach the level of that required for negligent murder. Each case will have to be judged upon its own set of facts, what is reckless to one court may be wanton to another. There are no exact lines. The case before us represents one in which the defendant was rightfully convicted of “wanton” conduct by the jury.
From the testimony in this record the jury could well believe that the defendant was operating a truck upon a paved highway at a “high rate of speed” in the dark without lights; that he struck the decedent while he was standing on the paved portion of the road and dragged his body ap*685proximately forty feet without leaving skid marks; that he left the scene without stopping to render assistance and shortly thereafter made the statement to Irma Napier, whose husband was with him at the time, that he had just run over a man and killed him today, and that on the following day he made the open threat that he would kill anyone who informed on him; that shortly after the incident he and all those with him were drinking beer and one of his passengers told the highway patrolman investigating the incident that he was so drunk he didn’t remember what happened. In his efforts to conceal the crime, he attempted to hire a school child to wash the blood from under his truck.
The most difficult part of any case is applying the law to the facts. As the defendant was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the first degree, he must be guilty of causing the death of a human being by an act creating extreme risks of death or bodily injury as to manifest a “wanton” indifference to the value of human life according to the conduct of a reasonable man under the circumstances. In my opinion this was “wanton conduct” as that definition has been historically defined. Of course, it can be argued that the defendant’s acts after he had struck the decedent cannot be used in determining whether or not his conduct was wanton at the time. However, I most certainly believe that these acts can and should be considered for the' purpose of explaining his motives and attitudes at the time. If he were not wantonly indifferent to the rights of others, why did he travel with his lights off at a high rate of speed? Why did he leave a dying man on the side of the road? Why did he threaten to kill any who told on him? If the proof in this case does not show “arrogant recklessness,” then I have extreme difficulty perceiving any set of facts arising out of the misuse of an automobile that would meet this test.
The majority opinion holds that circumstantial evidence, which is as consistent with a lower degree of a crime as it is with a higher degree (such as flight from the scene), cannot provide the basis for a conviction on a higher degree. This simply cannot be true. In larceny cases one who is caught in possession of the property is presumed to have stolen it. This is true even though he could have taken it without felonious intent. There are many other instances where the same rule applies. To me it is shocking that we write completely new and unheard of rules of law into opinions such as this without full and grave consideration of their results. If the legislature so desired, I assume it could say that where evidence is as consistent with a lower degree of a crime as with a higher degree then a conviction upon the higher degree cannot be based upon it. The legislature has not seen fit to do this and I seriously question our authority to do so.
For the foregoing reasons, I respectfully dissent.
NEIKIRK, J., joins in this dissent.

. The proposed act was later adopted as KRS 435.022.