VA · jury_instructions
Va. Model Jury Instr. Crim. No. 43.250
Willful Disposition or Destruction of Watercraft (Felony)
The defendant is charged with the crime of [scuttling; casting away; disposing of; destroying] a
[ship; vessel; watercraft]. The Commonwealth must prove beyond a reasonable doubt each of the
following elements of that crime:
(1) That the defendant [scuttled; cast away; disposed of; destroyed in any manner] a [ship; vessel;
watercraft]; and
(2) That the defendant did the act with the intent to [injure; defraud] the owner or any insurer of
the [ship; vessel; watercraft]; and
(3) That the defendant acted willfully; and
(4) That the value of the [ship; vessel; watercraft] or any property on board was $1,000 or more.
If you find from the evidence 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 from the evidence that the Commonwealth proved beyond a reasonable doubt each
of the first three elements of the crime as charged, but has failed to prove beyond a reasonable
doubt that the value of the [ship; vessel; watercraft; property on board] was $1,000 or more, then
you shall find the defendant guilty of misdemeanor [scuttling; casting away; disposing of; destroying]
a [ship; vessel; watercraft] [but you shall not fix the punishment until your verdict has been
returned and further evidence has been heard by you].
If the Commonwealth has failed to prove any of the first three elements of the crime beyond a
reasonable doubt, 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
ff78486f030e10c2d23983045df4e6644814a318d379b80f6708ab85ebea0f34
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