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Criminal Law Keyed to Weaver
Suprenant v. State
Facts
Jack Suprenant (Defendant) suspected that partner Kerry Bruckman(Bruckman) was having an affair. The couple argued for several days until Bruckman decided to leave with Defendant’s children. Bruckman told Defendant the relationship was over and began to pack some belongings. Defendant pleaded with Bruckman to stay. When Bruckman refused, Defendant became enraged and began stabbing Bruckman. Bruckman’s screaming awakened the children, who ran into the couple’s bedroom. Defendant chased the children back to bed, returned to the couple’s bedroom, and continued to stab Bruckman until Bruckman died. At Defendant’s murder trial, the court refused to instruct the jury on voluntary manslaughter. The court found Bruckman’s statement that the relationship was over insufficient to support a finding that Defendant committed the murder in a sudden heat under the voluntary-manslaughter statute. A jury convicted Defendant of murder. Defendant appealed, arguing that Bruckman’s words—combined with Bruckman’s gathering of her belongings—constituted sufficient provocation to warrant a jury instruction on manslaughter.
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