State v. Hill

This appeal requires that we address a conflict in decisions from the Appellate Division and presents a discrete yet repeatedly vexing question: what, if any, predicate crimes must merge with a felony murder conviction for sentencing purposes when more than one predicate crime has been proven.

We hold that there is a “compelling need for the use of special verdict[ ] [forms],” State v. Diaz, 144 N.J. 628, 644, 677 A.2d 1120, 1127 (1996), under Rule 3:19-l(b) for the jury to designate which felony or felonies constitute the predicate crime for a felony murder conviction. If the jury designates…