State v. Brodie

529 N.W.2d 395, 1995 WL 116666
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedMarch 21, 1995
DocketC3-94-1167
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 529 N.W.2d 395 (State v. Brodie) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Brodie, 529 N.W.2d 395, 1995 WL 116666 (Mich. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

529 N.W.2d 395 (1995)

STATE of Minnesota, Respondent,
v.
Michael Wayne BRODIE, Appellant.

No. C3-94-1167.

Court of Appeals of Minnesota.

March 21, 1995.

*397 Hubert H. Humphrey, III, Atty. Gen., St. Paul, Alan L. Mitchell, St. Louis County Atty., Duluth, Paul R. Kempainen, Asst. Atty. Gen., St. Paul, for respondent, State of Minn.

Lawrence W. Pry, Asst. State Public Defender, St. Paul, for appellant Michael Wayne Brodie.

Considered and decided by RANDALL, P.J., and KLAPHAKE, and DAVIES, JJ.

OPINION

RANDALL, Judge.

Appellant Michael Wayne Brodie appeals from a jury conviction of aggravated driving while under the influence, Minn.Stat. § 169.129 (1992), and three lesser included offenses. Brodie contends that the trial court erred in refusing to instruct the jury that the prosecution had the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt regarding the defense of necessity. He further argues that he did not knowingly and intelligently waive his right to counsel. Brodie also argues that his three convictions of lesser included offenses should be vacated because they stemmed from the same act.

FACTS

On November 10, 1993, police stopped a vehicle on I-35 near downtown Duluth that was weaving and driving at different speeds. Officers identified Brodie as the driver. Brodie told police the passenger was having a heart attack and he needed to get his friend to a hospital. Police arrested Brodie for driving while under the influence (DWI) and called an ambulance to assist the passenger.

Before trial Brodie attempted to fire his public defender. At an initial pretrial hearing, the chief public defender appeared on Brodie's behalf. The trial court and Brodie discussed at length Brodie's demand for a speedy trial. On the issue of self-representation, Brodie informed the court of his problem with the public defender and his attempt to have another attorney assigned to him. The trial court held that Brodie's original public defender would be available at trial if Brodie wished to use him.

At a hearing the day of trial, the trial court attempted to elicit from Brodie whether he wanted to proceed with his original public defender as counsel or proceed pro se with the public defender as standby counsel. Each time the trial court sought a decision from Brodie regarding whether he would be representing himself, Brodie brought up issues related to his speedy trial request. The trial court eventually received a response to the representation question when Brodie stated, "I guess I've got no choice." The trial court then informed Brodie that the public defender would be present as standby counsel.

In the prosecution's case in chief, officers testified that when they stopped Brodie, Brodie said the passenger was in cardiac arrest and needed to go to the hospital. An officer *398 observed that the passenger was obviously under the influence of alcohol, but the passenger did complain to police of chest pain.

Brodie presented his own testimony in defense. He testified that he met his friend Maynard Peterson at a restaurant. He asked Peterson to drive him to his parents' house. No one was home so they left. About one-half mile from the house, Peterson grabbed his chest and said he was having a heart attack. Brodie pushed Peterson into the passenger side. There were no houses around. Brodie testified that his only thought was to get to a hospital. Brodie said he thought Peterson might die if he did not get help.

Brodie submitted a proposed jury instruction on the defense of necessity. The trial court agreed to give the proposed instruction to the jury but refused to give an additional instruction indicating that the prosecution would have the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt to defeat the defense of necessity. The trial court stated that it did not want "to confuse the jury" with an instruction on the burdens of proof.

Brodie was found guilty of aggravated DWI. This appeal followed.

ISSUES

1. Did the trial court err in failing to instruct the jury on the burdens of proof for the necessity defense?

2. Did the trial court err in failing to establish on the record that Brodie's waiver of his right to counsel was knowing and intelligent?

3. Should Brodie's three convictions for lesser included offenses be vacated?

ANALYSIS

I.

A defendant is entitled to an instruction on his theory of the case if there is evidence to support that theory. State v. Ruud, 259 N.W.2d 567, 578 (Minn.1977), cert. denied, 435 U.S. 996, 98 S.Ct. 1648, 56 L.Ed.2d 85 (1978). An instruction should be given if it is warranted by the facts and relevant law. State v. Daniels, 361 N.W.2d 819, 831 (Minn.1985).

Brodie argues that the trial court erred by refusing to instruct the jury about the appropriate burden of proof after he raised the defense of necessity. We agree.

Minnesota appellate courts have not previously been presented with a question of the specific burdens of proof relating to the defense of necessity. However, the supreme court has set forth the allocation of burdens for other criminal defenses. In State v. Brechon, the supreme court identified the appropriate burdens for ordinary and affirmative defenses:

[A]n ordinary defense[] requir[es] the defendant to present evidence, with the burden of persuasion on the prosecution to disprove the defense beyond a reasonable doubt; * * * [A]n affirmative defense[] requir[es] the defendant to go forward with the evidence raising the defense and shoulder the persuasion burden of establishing such defense by a preponderance of the evidence.

State v. Brechon, 352 N.W.2d 745, 749 (Minn. 1984).

When a defendant pleads self-defense, entrapment or duress, his burden is the lesser burden of production, that of fairly raising the defense. Then the burden of disproving those defenses beyond a reasonable doubt shifts to the state. See State v. Niska, 514 N.W.2d 260, 264 (Minn.1994); see also State v. Charlton, 338 N.W.2d 26, 29-31 (Minn.1983); State v. Grilli, 304 Minn. 80, 96, 230 N.W.2d 445, 456 (1975). The supreme court held that the Fourteenth Amendment required such an allocation of the burdens because the defenses are "inextricably bound" to the intent requirement, which the state is required to prove. Niska, 514 N.W.2d at 264. However, regarding the defense of mental illness, the burden of proof is on the defendant to establish the defense by a preponderance of the evidence. State v. Dodis, 314 N.W.2d 233, 239 (Minn.1982).

Brodie argues that the burden of proof for necessity is on the state. We agree. To hold otherwise would impermissibly relieve the state of its burden of proof on *399 the mens rea element. See Charlton, 338 N.W.2d at 29. We conclude that as a matter of law, a defendant raising the defense of necessity has the burden of production.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Harris
667 N.W.2d 911 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 2003)
State v. Hage
595 N.W.2d 200 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1999)
State v. Worthy
583 N.W.2d 270 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
529 N.W.2d 395, 1995 WL 116666, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-brodie-minnctapp-1995.