State v. Carter

127 Wash. App. 713
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedMay 26, 2005
DocketNo. 22638-7-III
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 127 Wash. App. 713 (State v. Carter) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Carter, 127 Wash. App. 713 (Wash. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinions

¶1 Robert L. Carter appeals his conviction for first degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Because his attorney’s proffered jury instruction on unwitting possessing created an inconsistency that misstated the law, counsel’s performance was deficient and prejudice is presumed. State v. Wanrow, 88 Wn.2d 221, 239, 559 P.2d 548 (1977). We therefore reverse and remand. His other challenges pertaining to evidence sufficiency and due process have no merit.

Schultheis, J. —

FACTS

¶2 On August 8, 2003, police responded to a call of disturbance on Idaho Road in Spokane County. Mr. Carter was found lying on his back in the front yard of a residence, intermittently unresponsive and incoherent. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance. Tests later showed he had a blood alcohol level of 0.25 and had ingested amphetamines. A hospital security officer discovered a loaded revolver in a holster clipped to the inside of the waistband of his pants. Mr. Carter was charged with first degree unlawful possession of a firearm based on a previous juvenile burglary conviction.

¶3 At the end of the State’s case-in-chief, the defense moved to dismiss. The defendant provided a memorandum of authorities in which he argued that because the juvenile court in the predicate offense failed to advise him that he was disqualified from possessing a firearm, due process required dismissal of the present unlawful firearm possession charge. Because defense counsel failed to properly note the matter for hearing, the court reserved it for consider[716]*716ation, if need be, in a posttrial motion so that the State would have a fair opportunity to respond. The defense counsel proposed, and the court gave, a jury instruction on unwitting possession. The jury was instructed:

A person is not guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm if the possession is unwitting. Possession of a firearm is unwitting if a person did not know that the firearm was in his possession.
The burden is on the defendant to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the firearm was possessed unwittingly. Preponderance of the evidence means that you must be persuaded, considering all of the evidence in the case, that it is more probably true than not true.

2 Report of Proceedings (RP) at 126-27 (emphasis added).

¶4 Mr. Carter was convicted. His postconviction due process motion was denied. This appeal followed.

DISCUSSION

Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

¶5 Mr. Carter asserts that counsel was ineffective for requesting a defective unwitting possession jury instruction. When defense counsel proposes an instruction identical to the one actually given by the trial court, the invited error doctrine restrains us from reversing the conviction based on an error in that jury instruction. State v. Studd, 137 Wn.2d 533, 546-47, 973 P.2d 1049 (1999). Such challenges can be reviewed through an ineffective assistance of counsel claim, however. Id. at 550-51. That is the context in which Mr. Carter brings this claim.

¶6 Review of a challenge to effective assistance of counsel is de novo. State v. White, 80 Wn. App. 406, 410, 907 P.2d 310 (1995). We start with the strong presumption that counsel’s representation was effective. Studd, 137 Wn.2d at 551 (citing State v. McFarland, 127 Wn.2d 322, 335, 899 P.2d 1251 (1995)). This requires the defendant to demonstrate from the record the absence of legitimate strategic or [717]*717tactical reasons to support counsel’s challenged conduct. McFarland, 127 Wn.2d at 336.

¶7 To establish ineffective assistance of counsel, an appellant must show that (1) counsel’s performance was deficient and (2) the deficient performance prejudiced him. State v. Thomas, 109 Wn.2d 222, 225-26, 743 P.2d 816 (1987) (adopting two-prong test from Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S. Ct. 2052, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674 (1984)).

¶8 To demonstrate deficiency, Mr. Carter must show that his counsel’s representation “ Tell below an objective standard of reasonableness based on consideration of all the circumstances.’ ” Studd, 137 Wn.2d at 551 (quoting McFarland, 127 Wn.2d at 334-35). Here, Mr. Carter claims the flawed jury instruction shifted the burden of proving the knowledge element from the State to the defense.

¶9 In State v. Anderson, 141 Wn.2d 357, 366, 5 P.3d 1247 (2000), the Washington Supreme Court determined that for the crime of unlawful possession of firearms set forth in RCW 9.41.040, “the Legislature intended to place the burden on the State to prove a culpable mental state.” The instruction in this case provides, “The burden is on the defendant to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the firearm was possessed unwittingly.” 2 RP at 127 (emphasis added). The instruction erroneously placed the burden of proving unwitting possession on Robert Carter. That burden should be on the State. Anderson, 141 Wn.2d at 366. The State concedes this point in its brief. Resp’t’s Br. at 7. The question is whether a reasonable attorney would have proposed an unwitting possession instruction consistent with Anderson placing the burden of proof on the State rather than with the defendant. See State v. Stenson, 132 Wn.2d 668, 705, 940 P.2d 1239 (1997). Obviously the answer is, “of course.” Moreover, this was not a legitimate trial tactic. See State v. Lord, 117 Wn.2d 829, 883, 822 P.2d 177 (1991).

¶10 Mr. Carter must also show that “ ‘defense counsel’s deficient representation prejudiced the defendant, i.e., [718]*718there is a reasonable probability that, except for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.’ ” Studd, 137 Wn.2d at 551 (quoting McFarland, 127 Wn.2d at 335).

¶11 The State argues that Mr. Carter was not prejudiced because the jury was otherwise properly instructed that the State had the burden of proving each element. However, the flawed instruction proffered by defense counsel created an inconsistency in the stated burdens of proof. “When instructions are inconsistent, it is the duty of the reviewing court to determine whether ‘the jury was misled as to its function and responsibilities under the law’ by that inconsistency.” Wanrow, 88 Wn.2d at 239 (quoting State v. Hayes, 73 Wn.2568, 572, 439 P.2d 978 (1968)). If the inconsistency results from a clear misstatement of the law, the misstatement is presumed to have misled the jury in a manner prejudicial to the defendant. Wanrow, 88 Wn.2d at 239.

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127 Wash. App. 713, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-carter-washctapp-2005.