State v. Andrews

469 P.2d 802, 2 Or. App. 595, 1970 Ore. App. LEXIS 693
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedMay 21, 1970
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 469 P.2d 802 (State v. Andrews) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Andrews, 469 P.2d 802, 2 Or. App. 595, 1970 Ore. App. LEXIS 693 (Or. Ct. App. 1970).

Opinions

LANGTRY, J.

The defendant, while an inmate of the Oregon State Penitentiary, attacked another inmate with a knife and wounded him. He was convicted by a jury of attempted first degree, murder. In this, appeal he alleges three errors: (1) that the jury was instructed that it could find the defendant guilty by ten or more of -its number; (2) that a 10-year sentence was imposed to run consecutively to two life sentences which the. defendant was serving at the time of conviction; (3) that the court did not instruct the jury that the defendant could.be found guilty of the lesser' included crimes of attempted second degree -murder or attempted voluntary manslaughter.

(1). This assignment has been decided contrary to defendant’s contention in State v. Gann, 254 Or 549, 463 P2d 570 (1-969) A

(2). In State v. Jones, 250 Or 59, 440. P2d 371 [597]*597(1968) , it was held that a trial court has inherent power to impose concurrent or consecutive sentences in-,appropriate situations. If the defendant’s argument were correct, no confinement penalty could be imposed upon a defendant for any crime he commits while serving a life term. The negative effect of consecutive sentences upon such a defendant’s attaining parole is a deterrent to crime in penal institutions. For these reasons, among others, the imposition of consecutive terms, which, if carried to their conclusion would go Veil beyond a defendant’s possible life span, is common in cases of this nature, and is approved by appellate decisions. State v. Boag, 104 Ariz 362, 453 P2d 508 (1969) ; The People v. Heirens, 38 Ill2d 294, 230 NE2d 875 (1967); The People v. Vraniak, 5 Ill2d 384, 125 NE2d 513, cert den 349 US 963 (1955); Seibert v. State, 457 P2d 790 (Okla Crim 1969).

(3). No request was made for an instruction on lesser included offenses, nor was exception taken to the failure to so instruct. In State v. Olson, 1 Or App 90, 459 P2d 445 (1969), where the charge was assault with intent to kill under OPS 163.280, we held that even though no request was made or exception taken we would, nevertheless, consider the court’s failure to instruct on lesser included offenses under Rule 46 which provides * * this court reserves the right to take notice of an error of law apparent on the face of' the record.” Rule 46 is the same for this court and the Oregon Supreme Court.

In Olson we relied upon State v. Collis, 243 Or 222, 413 P2d 53 (1966); State of Oregon v. Nodine, 198 Or 679, 259 P2d 1056 (1953); and State v. Butler, 11 Ohio St 2d 23, 227 NE2d 627, 21 ALR 3d 102 (1967). The quotation in Olson from State v. Butler, supra, was [598]*598taken by the Ohio Supreme Court from the earlier Ohio case State v. Loudermill, 2 Ohio St 2d 79, 206 NE2d 198 (1965). Loudermill is not in point, and, hence, the language quoted in Olson was not appropriate to that decision. In Loudermill both the prosecutor and defense counsel had requested an instruction on a lesser included offense which the court refused to give. In Butler, there was a request for a similar instruction which was also refused.

In Olson we noted that in Nodine no request was made by the defendant to instruct on the lesser offense of involuntary manslaughter. But in Nodine, defendant excepted to the failure of the court to give such an instruction so that the matter was actually called to the court’s attention. Nodine was a case of first degree murder before the death penalty therefor was abolished in Oregon. The Court took cognizance of the error in Nodine under what is now Rule 46. It said:

“* * * [I]n a case where a human life is at stake, we are not prepared to apply a procedural requirement of this kind [that a request must be made for a lesser included offense instruction if error is to be predicated on failure to give it], salutary though it may be, in all its strictness * * State v. Nodine, 198 Or at 687.

As we now review Nodine and Olson, we question whether the application of Rule 46 ever has been appropriate in a situation such as that presented here and in Olson.

In Olson the charge was assault with intent to kill. OBS 163.280. Punishment upon conviction could be imprisonment “for life or for any lesser term * * The caption of the indictment in the case at bar lists [599]*599the sections of the Code under which the charge is made as “ORS 161.010 and 163.090.” ORS 163.090 was repealed in 1957. What was obviously intended was to charge a felonious attempt to kill under ORS 161.090. Because the use of ORS 161.090 is limited by its terms to attempts at crimes not covered by any other statute, ORS 161.090 cannot be the basis for an indictment in this case. This is because another statute, ORS 163.280, specifically makes unlawful the charge made in the body of the indictment in this case. However, the language of the indictment brings the charge adequately under ORS 163.280, and we will so view it.

We erred in Olson when we implied that the possible maximum sentences in Olson and Nodine were “identical,” State v. Olson, 1 Or App at 94. And Ave erred in the same context when we said the charge in Collis, supra, was first degree murder. The charge there was assault with intent to kill. We conclude that the use of Rule 46 in Nodine was not authority for its use in Olson.

Our present appraisal of the effect of Nodine on the instant ease is consistent with State v. Abel, 241 Or 465, 406 P2d 902 (1965), where the Court approved the trial judge’s refusal to give an additional instruction when exception was taken after the case was submitted to the jury.

. * * [I]t is still the rule in this state in criminal as in civil cases that ‘a question not raised and preserved in the trial court will not be considered on appeal:’ State v. Braley, 224 Or 1, 9, 355 P2d 467. The rule is relaxed in exceptional circumstances, particularly in what were formerly .capital cases * * *.
ÍÍ#. * # # *
The rule of the court referred to [that ti* # # [600]*600requested instructions must be submitted in writing before the jury charge] is not only a reasonable one, but it accords with the general rule as enunciated in State v. Nodine, 198 Or 679, 687, 259 P2d 1056: ‘Considerations of orderly procedure and of fairness to the state and the trial judge suggest that the- matter be brought to the attention of the judge and of opposing counsel before the commencement' of the charge.’ In the Nodine

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State v. Andrews
469 P.2d 802 (Court of Appeals of Oregon, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
469 P.2d 802, 2 Or. App. 595, 1970 Ore. App. LEXIS 693, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-andrews-orctapp-1970.