8 results for 'cat:"Manslaughter" AND cat:"Jury Instructions"'.
J. Yu finds that the lower court properly declined to offer instructions to a jury on a manslaughter charge during defendant's murder trial. Defendant did not bring forward any meaningful evidence that supported his request to have the jury instructed on a manslaughter charge as a lesser offense to his murder charge. Affirmed.
Court: Washington Supreme Court, Judge: Yu, Filed On: September 28, 2023, Case #: 101398-1 , Categories: Murder, manslaughter, jury Instructions
J. Dillard finds that the trial court properly convicted defendant of voluntary manslaughter, aggravated assault and a firearm offense. Sufficient evidence was presented to support defendant's convictions. The trial court did not commit any error by instructing the jury on voluntary manslaughter as a result of mutual combat or by refusing to instruct the jury on involuntary manslaughter as a result of accident or reckless conduct. There was evidence that defendant and a third party fired guns at each other, supporting the mutual combat instruction. There is no evidence defendant's gun discharged accidentally or that his actions were merely reckless. Affirmed.
Court: Georgia Court of Appeals, Judge: Dillard, Filed On: September 19, 2023, Case #: A23A1077, Categories: Firearms, manslaughter, jury Instructions
J. Torbitzky finds that the lower court properly convicted defendant of murder despite not instructing the jury on the lesser offense of voluntary manslaughter. The jury specifically found that defendant deliberated before killing his roommates, even if this deliberation was brief, so defendant was not prejudiced by the jury instructions. Affirmed.
Court: Missouri Court Of Appeals, Judge: Torbitzky, Filed On: August 8, 2023, Case #: ED110472, Categories: Murder, manslaughter, jury Instructions
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J. Bernstein finds the Court of Appeals improperly found that there was no prejudice to defendant, convicted of the murder of her boyfriend, by counsel’s failure to request a voluntary manslaughter instruction. After the couple broke up, the boyfriend reacted violently, and tried to run her over with her own van. Another individual drove defendant to a gas station to retrieve her van, where a second altercation with the boyfriend took place, resulting in defendant’s shooting and killing him. Though conflicting testimony existed at trial as to the sequence of events leading up to the shooting, there is a reasonable probability that counsel’s failure to instruct on manslaughter affected the outcome. Reversed and remanded.
Court: Michigan Supreme Court, Judge: Bernstein, Filed On: July 27, 2023, Case #: 164055, Categories: Murder, manslaughter, jury Instructions
J. Budd upholds defendant's voluntary manslaughter conviction for his fatal stabbing of the victim. Although the trial court failed to instruct the jury on how it could consider certain lyrics written by defendant, the error did not prejudice him, as the prosecution did not mention them in the opening and closing statements, and the commonwealth's case as strong. Affirmed.
Court: Massachusetts Supreme Court, Judge: Budd, Filed On: June 12, 2023, Case #: SJC-13223 , Categories: Evidence, manslaughter, jury Instructions