State v. Griffith

• Decision Date: 05 January 1979
• Docket Number: No. 45208,45208
• Citation: 589 P.2d 799,91 Wn.2d 572
• Court: Washington Supreme Court
• Parties: The STATE of Washington, Respondent, v. George E. GRIFFITH, Petitioner.

Page 572

91 Wn.2d 572

589 P.2d 799

The STATE of Washington, Respondent, v. George E. GRIFFITH, Petitioner.

No. 45208.

Supreme Court of Washington, En Banc.

Jan. 5, 1979.

David C. Mitchell, Senter & Miller, Donald Senter, Everett, for petitioner.

Robert E. Schillberg, Pros. Atty., Criminal Division, Everett, for respondent.

DOLLIVER, Justice.

This case arose out of a neighborhood dispute over a basketball game. On May 4, 1975, a group of children were playing with a basketball in an open area in an Everett housing project. The ball was bounced against the outside wall of the home where defendant lived with his mother. Defendant went outside, engaged in some harsh words with the youngsters and then grabbed the basketball. He took it inside and telephoned the police.

Shortly afterwards, two men, William Stillwell and Howard York, a neighbor, approached defendant's home and asked that the basketball be returned. Mr. Stillwell was visiting with the parents of one of the children; Mr. York's daughter owned the basketball. None of the three men had met each other. During the discussion on the porch, the defendant produced a gun and shot Mr. York. Very shortly thereafter, members of the Everett police force arrived and were fired upon by defendant.

A jury convicted defendant of first-degree murder in the death of Mr. York, and second-degree assault in connection with the shot fired at the police car. The Court of Appeals affirmed in an unpublished opinion. We granted review and affirm defendant's conviction.

Several of defendant's assignments of error are directed to the trial court's instructions. The court told the jury in instruction No. 11 that excusable homicide was not a defense:

A homicide may be excusable when committed by accident or misfortune in doing any lawful act by lawful means, with ordinary caution and without any unlawful intent.

In this case I instruct you that, as a matter of law, you may not consider excusable homicide as a defense to the charge of murder.

In instruction No. 12, the jury was told that justifiable homicide was not a defense:

Under certain circumstances and conditions a homicide may be justifiable, that is, one committed in self defense. None of such circumstances and conditions exist in this case, and I instruct you that, as a matter of law, you may not consider justifiable homicide as a defense to the charge of murder.

The court refused defendant's proposed instructions on the issue of self-defense.

A defendant is entitled to have his theory of the case submitted to the jury under appropriate instructions when the theory is supported by substantial evidence in the record. Langan v. Valicopters, Inc., 88 Wash.2d 855, 567 P.2d 218 (1977); Board of Regents v. Frederick & Nelson, 90 Wash.2d 82, 579 P.2d 346 (1978). If any one of the theories argued by defendant was supported by substantial evidence, it should have been submitted to the jury.

The court's instruction No. 11 correctly stated the required elements of excusable homicide. If any one of those elements is missing, the defense of excusable homicide is not available. State v. Hedges, 8 Wash.2d 652, 113 P.2d 530 (1941). The record reflects that the defendant, even if he could be said to have been acting lawfully, failed to exercise ordinary caution in the discharge of a firearm. The trial court properly withdrew the issue of excusable homicide from jury consideration.

Justifiable homicide is defined as homicide committed in the lawful defense of the slayer or a family member "when there is reasonable ground to apprehend a design on the part of the person slain to commit a felony or to do some great personal injury" to the person defended. RCW 9.48.170 (now RCW 9A. 16.050). There must be imminent danger of such design being accomplished. Alternatively, homicide is justifiable when made in the actual resistance of an attempt to commit a felony upon the slayer or his dwelling. RCW 9.48.170. Defendant argues that the evidence shows that he was protecting his home and and a member of his family from felonious entry by Mr. York.

When the evidence is viewed in the light most favorable to the defendant, it shows as follows: After the defendant had taken the basketball into his home and called the police, he went out to his car and obtained the gun, knowing that it was loaded. When Mr. Stillwell came to the door, the defendant engaged in discussion with him and then with Mr. York. During this discussion, the defendant was about 3 feet back from the doorsill, and his mother was standing to his right. Mr. York, according to the defendant's testimony, then stepped on the doorsill with one foot, and the defendant's mother moved forward. Mr. York placed one hand on the doorjamb and kept insisting that the basketball be returned to him. The basketball was on a chair approximately 5 feet behind the defendant. The defendant then brought his gun into sight, raised it and pointed it at Mr. York. The defendant testified that Mr. York made a comment to the effect that the defendant was imitating a television character and that Mr. York appeared to be moving toward him when he fired.

It is uncontroverted that Mr. Stillwell and Mr. York were unarmed, had not engaged in any aggressive behavior, and that the first assault occurred when the defendant displayed his loaded gun and pointed it at Mr. York. Even if it is conceded that Mr. York moved forward toward the defendant, the use of deadly force was unjustified as a matter of law.

In State v. Nyland, 47 Wash.2d 240, 287 P.2d 345 (1955), we reviewed the justifiable homicide defense and found that such a defense is appropriate only if the felony which was sought to be prevented was of a violent nature. In Nyland, the trial court had refused the defendant's proposed self-defense instruction and had given an instruction wherein the jury was told that, as a matter of law, the defendant's acts were neither excusable nor justifiable. We pointed out that, under the statute a killing in self-defense is not justified unless the attack on the defendant's person threatens life or great bodily harm. Such an instruction, we held, was not a comment on the evidence nor otherwise improper.

Here, even if the defendant's version of the incident is true, a reasonable person could not find there was imminent danger of great bodily harm to the defendant or his mother. Nor was a felony about to be perpetrated upon the defendant's dwelling. At most, Mr. York's attempted entry to retrieve a basketball would amount to an unlawful trespass. Such conduct does not come within the felonious activity envisioned by RCW 9.48.170.

A self-defense instruction, or a justifiable homicide instruction, is appropriate only where the slayer has used such force as is reasonably necessary under the circumstances. In this case, the trial court was correct in finding that, as a matter of law, the use of deadly force under the circumstances described was excessive. We adhere to the expression of this court in State v. Churchill, 52 Wash. 210, 224, 100 P. 309, 315 (1909), in which we said:

In order to sustain this assignment we would be required to hold that a simple assault or an ordinary battery would justify the taking of human life. We are not willing to stand sponsor for such a doctrine.

Defendant's next assignment of error is directed to the trial court's refusal to dismiss the charge of first-degree murder. The court found there was sufficient evidence from which a reasonable person could find premeditation occurred, and therefore submitted the issue to the jury.

Under Washington common law, which applies since this incident occurred prior to the effective date of the new criminal code, premeditation may involve as little as a moment in time. State v. White, 60 Wash.2d 551, 374 P.2d 942 (...