State v. Daniels

Summary

The court held that the legally inconsistent reckless-manslaughter and criminally negligent operation convictions were properly vacated, but that the intentional-manslaughter conviction was unaffected by the inconsistency and had been vacated only to avoid cumulative punishment. It therefore ordered reinstatement and sentencing on the intentional-manslaughter count rather than a new trial on all three counts. The court also held that intentional manslaughter is not legally inconsistent with either reckless manslaughter or criminally negligent operation because the offenses require different mental states directed toward different statutory objectives.