{"id":698,"date":"2012-08-03T18:06:22","date_gmt":"2012-08-03T18:06:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/?page_id=698"},"modified":"2018-01-12T20:51:15","modified_gmt":"2018-01-12T20:51:15","slug":"simple-assault","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/?page_id=698","title":{"rendered":"Simple Assault"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>CR22-011.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vtjuryinstructions.org\/criminal\/MS22-011.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Attempted to Cause Bodily Injury<\/a>, 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023(a)(1) (03\/23\/07)<\/li>\n<li>CR22-021.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vtjuryinstructions.org\/criminal\/MS22-021.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Caused Bodily Injury<\/a>, 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023(a)(1) (09\/16\/05)<\/li>\n<li>CR22-036.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vtjuryinstructions.org\/criminal\/MS22-036.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Negligence with a Deadly Weapon<\/a>, 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023(a)(2) (09\/16\/05)<\/li>\n<li>CR22-041.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vtjuryinstructions.org\/criminal\/MS22-041.htm\" target=\"_blank\">By Physical Menace<\/a>, 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023(a)(3) (09\/16\/05)<\/li>\n<li>CR22-046.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vtjuryinstructions.org\/criminal\/MS22-046.htm\" target=\"_blank\">By Mutual Consent<\/a>, 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023(b) (07\/15\/03)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Reporter&#8217;s Note<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">There are many options within the simple assault statute, 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023.\u00a0 The committee has separated attempting to cause bodily injury (CR22-011) from causing bodily injury (CR22-021).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The definition of \u201crecklessly\u201d derives from <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Hoadley<\/span>, 147 Vt. 49, 55 (1986) (quoting the Model Penal Code definition of \u201crecklessly\u201d); and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. O\u2019Connell<\/span>, 149Vt. 114, 115-16 (1987) (applying the definition in case involving \u00a7 1023(a)(1)).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cBodily injury\u201d is defined in 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1021(1).\u00a0 \u201cSerious bodily injury\u201d is defined in 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1021(2).\u00a0 \u201cDeadly weapon\u201d is defined in 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1021(3).\u00a0 <em>Also see<\/em> <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Dennis<\/span>, 151 Vt. 223 (1989); <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Kennison<\/span>, 149 Vt. 643 (1987); <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Galvin<\/span>, 147 Vt. 215, 216-18 (1986); <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Martel<\/span>, 142 Vt. 210 (1982); <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Blakeney<\/span>, 137 Vt. 495, 501 (1979); and <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. D\u2019Amico<\/span>, 136 Vt. 153 (1978).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Depending on the formulation of the charge, simple assault may be a lesser included offense of misdemeanor domestic assault. <em>See<\/em>, <em>e.g.<\/em>, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Bean<\/span>, 2016 VT 73, \u00b6\u00b6 6\u201310, 202 Vt. 361. \u201cThe State may request a lesser-included instruction, even over the defendant\u2019s objections,\u201d and \u201cthis request must be granted if supported by the evidence.\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Id<\/span>. \u00b6 14; <em>see also<\/em> 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 14(a).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Deadly Weapon<\/em>.\u00a0 The term \u201cdeadly weapon\u201d is defined in 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1021(3).\u00a0 Research indicates that the test is an objective one, as explained in the following case from New Hampshire:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify; padding-left: 60px;\">\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The term \u201cknown\u201d is commonly understood as meaning \u201cgenerally recognized.\u201d\u00a0 <em>Webster\u2019s Third New International Dictionary<\/em> 1253 (unabridged ed. 1961).\u00a0 Thus, the legislature clearly intended to limit the definition of deadly weapon to those instruments which are <em>objectively<\/em> understood to be capable of causing death or serious bodily injury in the manner in which they are used, intended to be used, or threatened to be used. . . .<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Hatt<\/span>, 740 A.2d 1037, 1038 (N.H. 1999) (original emphasis).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">In a recent Vermont case, there was sufficient evidence that the knife used was a deadly weapon, because the stabbing manner in which it was used to inflict injury was known by defendant to be capable of producing serious bodily injury.\u00a0 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Turner<\/span>, 2003 VT 73, 175 Vt. 595.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Physical Menace<\/em>.\u00a0 If the defendant used a gun, the State need not prove that the gun had a present ability to fire.\u00a0 An apparent ability to inflict serious bodily injury is sufficient.\u00a0 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Riley<\/span>, 141 Vt. 29, 32 (1982). The State must prove that the defendant intended to place the victim in fear of serious bodily injury.\u00a0 The jury may determine intent from the defendant\u2019s conduct and all the surrounding circumstances.\u00a0 <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Godfrey<\/span>, 131Vt. 629 (1973). The State need not prove that the victim actually was in fear of serious bodily harm. <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Gagne<\/span>, 2016 VT 68, \u00b6 32 (\u201cthe instruction as a whole properly placed the focus on the objective character of defendant\u2019s words or acts\u2014whether they conveyed an intent to inflict physical injury upon another person\u2014rather than the reaction of the specific targets of those words or acts\u201d).<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><em>Mutual Consent<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0See 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023(b); <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">State v. Sturgeon<\/span>, 140 Vt. 240, 244 (1981).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>CR22-011.\u00a0 Attempted to Cause Bodily Injury, 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023(a)(1) (03\/23\/07) CR22-021.\u00a0 Caused Bodily Injury, 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023(a)(1) (09\/16\/05) CR22-036.\u00a0 Negligence with a Deadly Weapon, 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023(a)(2) (09\/16\/05) CR22-041.\u00a0 By Physical Menace, 13 V.S.A. \u00a7 1023(a)(3) (09\/16\/05) &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/?page_id=698\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":434,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-698","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=698"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1758,"href":"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/698\/revisions\/1758"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vtjuryinstructions.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}