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People v Watson, Docket No. 17907 — Summary of Opinion (Mich. Ct. App., Mar. 10, 1975)

Factual and Procedural Background

After a jury trial the defendant, X.L. Watson, was convicted of breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny (MCLA 750.110; MSA 28.305) and sentenced to a term of 5 to 10 years. The defendant was apprehended in a parking attendant's office at 55 North Perry Street in the City of Pontiac shortly after midnight by an officer who had been summoned to the scene. He was found with a cash box in his hand. The defendant claimed he was very intoxicated and had broken into the place to get out of the cold and to sleep. The defendant appealed his conviction to the Michigan Court of Appeals, which reversed and remanded for a new trial.

Legal Issues Presented

  1. Whether the trial court committed reversible error in its instructions to the jury regarding intoxication and the effect of intoxication on the defendant's ability to form the requisite specific intent to commit larceny.

Arguments of the Parties

The opinion does not contain a detailed account of the parties' legal arguments.

Table of Precedents Cited

Precedent Rule or Principle Cited For Application by the Court
People v Crittle, 390 Mich. 367; 212 N.W.2d 196 (1973) Interpreted a similar jury instruction as emphasizing the defendant's incapacity to entertain the requisite specific intent rather than possession of the actual specific intent; endorsed focusing instructions on whether, in fact, defendant had the required specific felonious intent. The Court relied on Crittle to conclude the instructions in this case emphasized incapacity language and to permit review despite lack of objection because of the potential miscarriage of justice; used Crittle's guidance to reverse and remand.
People v Walker, 38 Mich. 156, 158 (1878) Quoted rule (authored by Justice Cooley) that when a certain intent is a necessary element of a crime, the crime cannot have been committed when the intent did not exist; distinguishes "intent did not exist" from a capacity standard. Crittle quoted and approved this language; the Court in this opinion cites Walker (Justice Cooley's language) as the preferable phrasing for instructions addressing specific intent under intoxication.
People v Scott, 55 Mich. App. 739; 223 N.W.2d 330 (1974) Addressed sufficiency of intoxication instructions where the court discussed specific intent. The Court distinguished Scott because, unlike Scott, the jury instructions here emphasized capacity language and the prosecutor compounded the error in final argument.
People v Moore, 391 Mich. 426; 216 N.W.2d 770 (1974) Governs inquiry into whether prior misdemeanor convictions were obtained without assistance of counsel or valid waiver thereof. The Court directed that on remand (new trial) a determination should be made regarding the validity of any prior misdemeanor convictions under the standard set forth in Moore.
People v Jackson, 391 Mich. 323; 217 N.W.2d 22 (1974) Identified as related authority concerning the validity of prior convictions and counsel/waiver issues. Listed by the Court as additional authority to be considered on remand in determining the validity of prior misdemeanor convictions.
People v Renno, 392 Mich. 45; 219 N.W.2d 422 (1974) Listed as related authority concerning prior convictions and counsel/waiver matters. Listed by the Court as additional authority to be considered on remand in determining the validity of prior misdemeanor convictions.

Court's Reasoning and Analysis

The Court identified the dispositive issue as the adequacy and correctness of the trial court's instructions on intoxication. It quoted the pertinent portion of the instructions, which used phrasing emphasizing that if the accused was "so intoxicated as to be incapable of entertaining such specific intent" or if his mental faculties were "so far overcome or impaired" as to render him "not sufficiently conscious" or have "will power ... suspended beyond conscious control," then the jury must find him not guilty.

The Court analyzed these instructions in light of People v Crittle, which the Supreme Court had used to interpret similar instructions as emphasizing incapacity rather than whether the defendant actually possessed the requisite specific intent. The opinion noted that Crittle quoted and approved Justice Cooley's language from People v Walker, which frames the issue in terms of whether the intent existed. The Court contrasted the capacity standard ("the intent could not exist") with Cooley's test ("the intent did not exist") and explained that Crittle directs trial judges to instruct juries in terms of whether the defendant in fact had the required specific felonious intent in light of intoxication.

The Court acknowledged a prior decision of this Court, People v Scott, which held that discussion of specific intent could overcome capacity language in instructions. However, the Court distinguished Scott because, in this case, not only did the trial court's instructions emphasize the capacity language, but the prosecutor compounded the error by explaining the erroneous concept in final argument.

Although defense counsel did not object to the instructions at trial, the Court followed the Supreme Court's approach in Crittle and reviewed the claim because of the magnitude of the error and the potential miscarriage of justice. Finally, the Court directed that upon retrial a determination should be made concerning whether any prior misdemeanor convictions relied upon were obtained without assistance of counsel or without a valid waiver, citing People v Moore and related cases.

Holding and Implications

Reversed and remanded for a new trial.

Implications: The defendant's conviction for breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny was reversed and the case remanded for a new trial. On retrial the court must address the validity of any prior misdemeanor convictions with respect to assistance of counsel or valid waiver, as indicated by the cited authorities. The opinion applies existing precedent regarding intoxication instructions and does not purport to announce a new rule beyond the guidance of the cited cases.

PEOPLE v. WATSON

VAN VALKENBURG, J.

After a jury trial the defendant was convicted of breaking and entering with intent to commit larceny, MCLA 750.110; MSA 28.305, and sentenced to a term of 5 to 10 years.

The facts show that he was apprehended in a parking attendant's office, at 55 North Perry Street, in the City of Pontiac, shortly after midnight, by an officer who had been summoned to the scene. He was found with a cash box in his hand, but claimed that he was very intoxicated and had broken into the place in order to get out of the cold and have a chance to sleep.

Several issues are raised but consideration of one will be dispositive of this appeal. It centers on the question of whether or not the trial court committed reversible error in its instructions on intoxication.

For a clear understanding of the issue we quote the pertinent part of the instructions:

"* * * However, the specific intent of a criminal and felonious nature is a necessary element of the crime charged, as in the case of breaking and entering, or entry without breaking. If the accused was so intoxicated as to be incapable of entertaining such specific intent, he cannot be convicted of such offense, and must be found not guilty and acquitted of such charge.

"In determining whether or not the accused here broke and entered or entered without breaking the structure in this case, with intent to then and there commit larceny, it is material for you to inquire into the mental faculties of the accused at such time, and whether they were so far overcome by the effects of intoxication by alcohol as to render him incapable of entertaining that specific intent to commit larceny therein. If his mental faculties were so far overcome or impaired by such intoxication that he was not sufficiently conscious of what he was doing, or if he did not know what he was doing, I'm sorry, or if he did know what he was doing, but did not really know why he was doing it, or that his actions and the means being used were naturally calculated to constitute the crime of larceny, then he had not sufficient capacity to entertain the specific, the necessary specific intent, and in such event you jurors may not infer any such intent from his actions or omissions, and he must be found not guilty of such offense as charged, that is, if you find from the facts and testimony adduced at this trial, that his appearance, conduct and manners were so unusual and abnormal that his mental faculties and common senses were so far disturbed that his will power was then suspended beyond conscious control, then you must find him innocent of the charges regardless of all other facts adduced here, but if you find that he knew what he was doing, and that his actions, with the means he was using, were criminal and larcenous, then the specific intent to commit larceny should be inferred from his acts in the same manner as if he were sober." (Emphasis added.)

The Supreme Court in People v Crittle, 390 Mich. 367; 212 N.W.2d 196 (1973), has interpreted a similar charge as being one that emphasizes the defendant's incapacity to entertain the requisite specific intent to commit the offense, rather than one wherein he possessed the actual specific intent.

The Court in Crittle, p 371, quoted with approval the rule promulgated in People v Walker, 38 Mich. 156, 158 (1878), authored by Justice COOLEY, which reads:

"`While it is true that drunkenness cannot excuse crime, it is equally true that when a certain intent is a necessary element in a crime, the crime cannot have been committed when the intent did not exist. In larceny the crime does not consist in the wrongful taking of the property, for that might be a mere trespass; but it consists in the wrongful taking with felonious intent; and if the defendant for any reason whatever, indulged no such intent, the crime cannot have been committed.'"

After making reference to several cases wherein confusion on these instructions abounds, the Court summarized on page 374 as follows:

"These various rules all have one thing in common. They refer to a capacity standard. Their test is not Justice COOLEY'S — `[T]he crime cannot have been committed when the intent did not exist.' Their test is rather `the crime cannot have been committed when the intent could not exist'. It is obviously a different standard and not to be followed.

"As a consequence trial judges would do well to follow Justice COOLEY'S language and posit their instructions in terms of whether in the light of defendant's intoxication he in fact had the required specific felonious intent."

We are not unmindful of the decision of this Court in People v Scott, 55 Mich. App. 739; 223 N.W.2d 330 (1974), wherein it was held that as long as the court discussed specific intent it was sufficient to overcome capacity language. However, that decision can be distinguished as here, not only did the court emphasize the language, but the prosecutor compounded the error by explaining the erroneous concept of law in his final arguments.

Also, we realize that counsel failed to object to these instructions. The same situation prevailed in Crittle but the Supreme Court held that because of the miscarriage of justice that this oversight did not prevent review on appeal. On the occasion of a new trial a determination should be made as to whether or not the prior misdemeanor convictions were obtained without the assistance of counsel or the valid waiver thereof. People v Moore, 391 Mich. 426; 216 N.W.2d 770 (1974). See also People v Jackson, 391 Mich. 323; 217 N.W.2d 22 (1974), People v Renno, 392 Mich. 45; 219 N.W.2d 422 (1974).

Reversed and remanded for a new trial.

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PEOPLE v. WATSON
(Mar 10, 1975)