¶ 1 Paul Harry Pedersen (Defendant) appeals his conviction of theft by receiving stolen property. See Utah Code Ann. § 76-6-408 (2003).
¶2 Defendant does not dispute that the trial court properly instructed the jury regarding the mental states necessary to convict him of the crime charged — knowing and intentional. Instead, Defendant posits, without authority, the fundamentally illogical argument that the trial court committed reversible error when- it refused to give his requested jury instruction regarding the less culpable mens reas of criminal negligence and recklessness, which are not elements of the charged offense or any lesser included offense.
¶ 3 “We review the trial court’s failure to give requested jury instructions for correctness, granting the trial court no particular deference in its determination.” State v. Stringham,
¶4 “[T]he general rule is that an accurate instruction upon the basic elements of an offense is essential....” State v. Pearson,
¶ 5 We conclude that the trial court did not err in refusing Defendant’s proposed mens rea instruction because criminal negligence and recklessness are not mental states necessary for Defendant’s conviction of theft by receiving stolen property.
¶ 6 Affirmed.
¶ 7 WE CONCUR: GREGORY K. ORME, Judge and WILLIAM A. THORNE JR., Judge.
Notes
. For convenience, we cite to the 2003 version of the statute, which is identical to the version in effect when Defendant was charged.
