State v. Brown

— This case determines whether an erroneous accomplice liability jury instruction is subject to harmless error analysis, and if so, whether the instruction was harmless in these consolidated appeals. We hold that an erroneous jury instruction may be subject to harmless error analysis if the error does not relieve the State of its burden to prove each element of the crime charged. An erroneous instruction is harmless if, from the record in a given case, it appears beyond a reasonable doubt that the error complained of did not contribute to the verdict obtained. The analysis must be completed…