VA · jury_instructions
Va. Model Jury Instr. Crim. No. 29.340
Child Abuse or Neglect—No Serious Injury
The defendant is charged with the crime of child abuse or neglect. The Commonwealth must
prove beyond a reasonable doubt each of the following elements of that crime:
(1) That the defendant was a parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the care of (name of
victim); and
(2) That (name of victim) was a child under the age of 18; and
(3) That the defendant’s willful act or omission in the care of (name of victim), was so gross,
wanton and culpable as to show a reckless disregard for human life.
If you find that the Commonwealth has proved beyond a reasonable doubt each of the above
elements of the crime as charged, then you shall find the defendant guilty [but you shall not fix the
punishment until your verdict has been returned and further evidence has been heard by you].
If you find that the Commonwealth has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt any one or
more of the elements of the crime, then you shall find the defendant not guilty.
History
Virginia Model Jury Instructions – Criminal, Release 26, October 2025. The unannotated set, posted by the Supreme Court of Virginia at vacourts.gov; the book states that it is made available with the permission of the publisher, Matthew Bender & Company, Inc.
Provenance
- Source
- vacourts.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-11
- Edition
- crim-2025-10-01
- Content hash
1bc88f2470c9093196c6cd66a4fc78c51f517daa7971b88bdf575acae03e23ed
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