Baker v. State

298 N.E.2d 445, 260 Ind. 618, 1973 Ind. LEXIS 579
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 16, 1973
Docket672S82
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 298 N.E.2d 445 (Baker v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Baker v. State, 298 N.E.2d 445, 260 Ind. 618, 1973 Ind. LEXIS 579 (Ind. 1973).

Opinions

Givan, J.

Appellant was charged by indictment with first degree murder. The charge was originally filed in Daviess County. Upon application of the appellant, the venue was changed to the Greene Circuit Court. A jury trial resulted in a verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree and a finding that the appellant should be sentenced for an indeterminate period of not less than fifteen nor more than twenty-five years. Accordingly, the appellant was sentenced to the Indiana State Prison for said period.

The record reveals the following evidence in this case:

At about 9:55 P.M. on April 14, 1971, the radio operator for the Washington city police received a telephone call from the appellant stating that the appellant’s wife had been hit on the head and was in the garage. Washington police officers responding to the call were taken to the garage by the appellant, who said, “Look what they’ve done to my wife.” Mrs. Baker was lying on the floor of the garage with a piece of wire around her neck. Her purse, glasses and some change were near the body and blood was spattered about the floor.

The appellant told police officers that he and his wife had had supper together, and that after supper she had gone to church but that he had stayed home because he was tired, and [620]*620that he had fallen asleep while watching television. When he awoke, he noticed the garage door was shut. He thought this was odd in that it had been open when he had fallen asleep. Upon investigation, he discovered his wife’s body and called police. He did state that he did not touch the body.

Police officers found appellant’s jacket on the front seat of a pickup truck in the garage. The jacket had a spot of blood on it. Officers also found some gloves which appellant stated were his and a wet wash rag in the basement of the house.

Appellant’s shoes were in the house and were also spotted with blood.

The officers found the decedent’s empty billfold about 25 or 30 feet from the back door of the house. Appellant told officers that his wife had money, but not over $40 in her billfold. .

Several witnesses testified that the appellant repeatedly said, “Why did they do it?” However, the witness, Othmar Frey, the brother of the decendent, stated that appellant said, “Why did I do it?”

Appellant had scratches on his face and on his wrist. He explained the scratches on his wrist by saying they were received when he and his wife had a friendly scuffle prior to her leaving for church, and that the scratches on his face were received when he ran into a door in his haste to get to the telephone after discovering his wife’s body.

Everett Beasley, the Sheriff of Daviess County, testified that the defendant told him he got the scratches at work.

There was evidence that the appellant at previous times had made telephone calls from a pay telephone near his home to a Miss Jones for whom he had done some repair work.

Appellant told Washington Police Officer Jesse Tooley that he had a lady friend, but that he hadn’t seen her for some time due to Lent.

[621]*621The appellant had a $1 bill and a $20 bill in his wallet, which were stained with blood.

The wire which was wrapped around decedent’s neck bore strands of fiber very similar to the fiber from which the gloves were made.

In the opinion of the pathologist the cause of death was strangulation.

At the trial six witnesses testified as to the good reputation of the defendant for peace and quietude.

All identifiable blood found on and near the scene was type O. Both the appellant and his wife had type 0 blood.

The appellant first claims the verdict of the jury is not sustained by sufficient evidence and is contrary to law. It is appellant’s position that since all of the evidence against the appellant is circumstantial, “it must be of such conclusive and persuasive force that it tends to point surely and unerringly to the guilt of the accused to such an extent that it excludes every reasonable hypothesis of innocence.” Citing Manlove v. State (1968), 250 Ind. 70, 232 N. E. 2d 874, 12 Ind. Dec. 494, and Baker v. State (1956), 236 Ind. 55, 138 N. E. 2d 641.

There is no question but what the law in Indiana is as stated by the appellant. We must, therefore, examine the evidence in this case to determine whether or not this case falls within that principle of law. Judge Emmert, speaking for this Court in the Baker case, very ably and completely discussed the principle of law involved and in so doing stated at page 62:

“When we carefully examine the cases decided in the long history of this court which have reversed convictions because they were not sustained by sufficient evidence, it is apparent that the court was applying a test that some material allegation had not been proved by substantial evidence so that no reasonable man could say this issue had been proved beyond a reasonable doubt.”

When we analyze the case at bar, there is, of course, no doubt that the decedent was murdered by some one. We [622]*622then turn to the evidence to see whether or not a reasonable man could say that there was evidence that the appellant was the perpetrator of that crime.

First of all, the appellant had the opportunity beyond a doubt. However, we recognize, as is contended by the appellant, that mere opportunity to commit a crime is not enough to support a conviction. Baker v. State, supra.

In addition thereto, there was evidence from which the jury could reasonably find that the appellant had a motive for killing his wife, namely: the existence of a “lady friend.” There is, of course, the possibility, as argued by the appellant, that some intruder entered appellant’s garage and killed the decedent in the perpetration of a robbery. However, there is evidence from which the jury could reasonably conclude that such an occurrence was improbable for several reasons:

1. Gloves and a wet washcloth, which the jury could reasonably believe were involved in the commission of the crime, were found in a niche in the basement, a most unlikely hiding place for a third person bent on robbery.

2. The fact that a jacket belonging to the appellant was blood spattered and in appellant’s truck.

3. The fact that appellant’s shoes were blood spattered.

4. That appellant had money in his wallet which was also blood spattered.

5. The fact that appellant himself stated he made no effort upon discovering his wife to determine whether or not she was still alive, but left her body untouched and summoned police.

When this array of facts was presented by the State, the jury had before it proof of each of the material allegations of the indictment from which they could reasonably conclude that it was in fact the appellant who had killed the decedent. As stated in the Baker case, supra, at page 61:

[623]*623“ ‘This court cannot weigh evidence, but must determine whether there is substantial evidence of probative value from which a jury could reasonably have inferred that appellant was guilty of the crime.”

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
298 N.E.2d 445, 260 Ind. 618, 1973 Ind. LEXIS 579, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baker-v-state-ind-1973.