State v. Kershaw

359 P.3d 52, 302 Kan. 772, 2015 Kan. LEXIS 807
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedSeptember 25, 2015
Docket109548
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 359 P.3d 52 (State v. Kershaw) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Kershaw, 359 P.3d 52, 302 Kan. 772, 2015 Kan. LEXIS 807 (kan 2015).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Johnson, J.:

The State charged David Allen Kershaw with four counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer committed with a deadly weapon after Kershaw shot at police officers responding to a 911 call from Kershaw’s wife. At trial, Kershaw presented evidence showing that when he fired his weapon, he was heavily intoxicated. The district court, however, instructed the jury that voluntary intoxication was not a defense to the charged crimes. The Court of Appeals held this instruction was clearly erroneous because it allowed tire State to convict Kershaw without proving *773 he acted knowingly—the mental state required to prove aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer committed with a deadly weapon. State v. Kershaw, No. 109,548, 2014 WL 3907084, at *10 (Kan. App. 2014) (unpublished opinion).

We granted the State’s petition for review, which argued that because aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer committed with a deadly weapon is a general intent crime, the district court correctly instructed the jury. We agree with the State, reverse the Court of Appeals, and affirm the district court.

Factual and Procedural Overview

On Saturday, February 4, 2012, Kershaw and his wife, De’De, got into an argument about her plans to attend a baby shower for Kershaw’s niece, with whom Kershaw had a strained relationship. After De’De left to attend the shower, Kershaw consumed several beers. Once De’De returned home, Kershaw drank nearly a half-gallon of whiskey. At the time, Kershaw was taking approximately 20 different medications daily.

When the couple retired to bed, they were unable to sleep. At 4 a.m., De’De got out of bed. Kershaw also got up and then retrieved a semi-automatic pistol from under the bed. De’De tried to put the pistol away, which prompted Kershaw to hit De’De. Kershaw then walked to the kitchen to get ammunition for the pistol. He loaded a magazine and inserted it into the pistol, at which point the weapon discharged.

De’De called 911 and informed the dispatcher that Kershaw had discharged a firearm inside their residence. She explained that Ker-shaw was intoxicated and “out of control.” Five officers responded to the house. They positioned themselves approximately 75 to 80 yards from the house for safety reasons and attempted to persuade Kershaw to come to them. Kershaw paced between his residence and porch, carrying the pistol, for approximately 45 minutes. A crisis negotiator talked with Kershaw on the phone and opined that Kershaw was very intoxicated or heavily medicated.

Eventually, Kershaw raised his pistol in the direction of four of the officers and fired one shot. An officer returned fire until Ker- *774 shaw fell. The officers then took Kershaw into custody and rendered aid to him.

Based on these events, the State charged Kershaw with four counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer committed with a deadly weapon and one count of domestic battery. Prior to trial, Kershaw informed the State that he intended to assert a defense of voluntary intoxication. Kershaw provided the State with a psychiatric evaluation report prepared by Dr. William Logan based upon Logan’s examination of Kershaw. In tire report, Logan opined that “at the time Mr. Kershaw fired at officers, and earlier when he struck his wife, he was intoxicated due to alcohol [and] an adverse reaction to [several prescription medications] to the extent he was unable to form intent.”

The State filed a motion in limine to exclude the report and Logan’s testimony, arguing that because voluntary intoxication is not a defense to general intent crimes, Logan’s conclusion on intent should be excluded. The district court found that aggravated assault is a general intent crime and, therefore, voluntary intoxication was not an available defense. Nevertheless, the district court ruled that Logan could “testify regarding the general effect of drugs and alcohol on the human body,” so long as he did not testify “as to their effect on this defendant specifically on the dates he is alleged to have committed the crimes.” At trial, the district court found Logan was an expert in psychiatry and Logan testified in compliance with the pretrial order.

Kershaw testified that he did not recall his interaction with the officers outside his house. He explained that he would never knowingly or willingly fire a weapon at police officers.

Without objection, the district court instructed the jury that “[voluntary intoxication is not a defense to a charge of aggravated assault to a law enforcement officer and domestic battery.” The jury found Kershaw guilty of all four counts of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer committed with a deadly weapon and not guilty of domestic battery. The district court sentenced Ker-shaw to 38 months’ imprisonment.

Kershaw appealed to the Court of Appeals, arguing the district court erred in denying Kershaw the right to present evidence in *775 support of the defense of voluntary intoxication, in not instructing the jury on the defense of voluntary intoxication, and in instructing the jury that voluntary intoxication was not a defense. The Court of Appeals held that because aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer committed with a deadly weapon is a general intent crime, tire defense of voluntaxy intoxication was unavailable to Kershaw. Kershaw, 2014 WL 3907084, at *7. Accordingly, the panel held that the district court did not err in precluding Kershaw from presenting evidence of voluntary intoxication and in failing to instruct the jury on the defense. 2014 WL 3907084, at *7, 9. Nevertheless, the panel held that it was clearly erroneous to instruct the jury that voluntary intoxication is not a defense because it relieved the State of its burden of proving that Kershaw acted knowingly, the mental state required to prove assault. 2014 WL 3907084, at *10.

The State petitioned this court for review of the Court of Appeals’ holding that the “voluntary intoxication is not a defense” instruction was clearly erroneous.

The Voluntary Intoxication is Not a Defense Instruction

The State contends that the district court’s instruction that voluntary intoxication is not a defense accurately stated the law and, therefore, the instruction was not erroneous. The State further contests the notion that the instruction negated the State’s burden of proving criminal intent, as the Court of Appeals found. Our caselaw and current statutory law favor the State’s position.

Standard of Review

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
359 P.3d 52, 302 Kan. 772, 2015 Kan. LEXIS 807, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kershaw-kan-2015.