Benavides v. State

808 N.E.2d 708, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 901, 2004 WL 1109531
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 19, 2004
Docket18A02-0304-CR-352
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 808 N.E.2d 708 (Benavides v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Benavides v. State, 808 N.E.2d 708, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 901, 2004 WL 1109531 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION

VAIDIK, Judge.

Case Summary

Robert P. Benavides appeals his convie-tions for burglary, two counts of robbery, and two counts of criminal confinement for his role in the robbery of Jason Smith and Crystal Mullis. Although the audiotape of the 911 call, which captured the crime in progress, contained inaudible portions, the tape was nevertheless admissible because it showed that a robbery occurred, contradicting Benavides' version of events. Because the confinement of Crystal was more extensive than that necessary to commit the robbery, Benavides' convictions for the robbery and confinement of Crystal do not violate the actual evidence test of Indiana's Double Jeopardy Clause. However, we reverse Benavides' conviction for the robbery of Jason because Jason neither possessed nor had control of the property taken.

Facts and Procedural History

The facts most favorable to the verdict reveal that around 11:00 p.m. on December 8, 2002, Jason and Crystal heard someone knocking on the front door of their Muncie apartment. Because Jason did not recog *710 nize the man at the door, he told the man to leave. Moments later, Jason and Crystal saw two men walking by their bedroom window. When the men started kicking the front door, Jason instructed Crystal to call 911. While Crystal was on the phone with the 911 operator, the two men, identified at trial as Benavides and Donald Green, broke through the front door. Benavides was carrying a black semi-automatic gun, and Green was armed with a knife. At this point, Crystal dropped the phone. The phone did not disconnect, so there was still an open line with the 911 operator. Crystal started sereaming hysterically, and she and Jason ran into their bedroom and slammed the door. Benavides and Green, however, were able to force the door open. Benavides put his gun to Crystal's head and then foreed her into the living room while Green kept Jason in the bedroom at knifepoint.

Once in the living room, Benavides, while still pointing his gun at Crystal, ordered her to give me all your f* * * * * * money. Tr. p. 188. Crystal gave Bena vides approximately $700 in cash from her purse as well as marijuana and a prescription bottle containing vicodin. Part of the $700 that Crystal gave Benavides came from the sale of Jason's car and Jason's job; the remainder came from Crystal's mother to help them pay bills. Benavides and Green then left the apartment. Crystal returned to the phone with the 911 dispatcher and provided additional information.

Police later apprehended Benavides and Green after a car pursuit, and Jason and Crystal independently identified both of them from a photo array. The State subsequently charged Benavides with Burglary as a Class B felony, 1 two counts of Robbery as Class B felonies (one for Jason and one for Crystal), 2 and two counts of Criminal Confinement as Class B felonies (one for Jason and one for Crystal) 3 During trial, the court, over Benavides' objection, admitted into evidence the audiotape of Crystal's 911 call. Following trial, the jury found Benavides guilty as charged, and the trial court sentenced him to twenty years on each count, to be served concurrently. This appeal ensued.

Discussion and Decision

Benavides raises four issues on appeal, which we consolidate into three. First, he contends that the trial court erred by admitting into evidence the audiotape of Crystal's 911 call because portions of the call were unintelligible. Second, Bena-vides contends that his convictions for the robbery and criminal confinement of Crystal violate the actual evidence test of Indiana's Double Jeopardy Clause. Third, Benavides contends that the evidence is insufficient to support his conviction for the robbery of Jason. We address each contention in turn.

I. Audiotape of 911 Call

Benavides first contends that the trial court erred by admitting into evidence the audiotape of Crystal's 911 call. A trial court has wide discretion in deciding whether to admit an audiotape into evidence. Dearman v. State, 743 N.E.2d 757, 759 (Ind.2001). We will not reverse the trial court's decision unless it represents a manifest abuse of discretion that results in the denial of a fair trial. Carpenter v. State, 786 N.E.2d 696, 702-03 (Ind.2003). An abuse of discretion occurs where the trial court's decision is clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and cireumstances before the court. Id. at 708.

*711 Specifically, Benavides argues that portions of the 911 call are unintelligible, causing the jury to speculate about its contents. In Lamar v. State, the Indiana Supreme Court held that one of the foundational requirements for admitting an audiotape into evidence is that it be of such clarity as to be intelligible and enlightening to the jury. Otherwise, it serves no beneficial purpose[.] 258 Ind. 504, 282 N.E.2d 795, 800 (1972).

This rule requires that the audiotape be intelligible enough to be probative of the purpose for which it is being offered. And necessarily, the probative value must not be substantially outweighed by the danger of confusion or unfair prejudice. See Ind. Evidence Rule 408. The vast majority of cases addressing whether an audiotape is intelligible and enlightening to the jury involve situations where the meaning of the words on the tape is the reason that the tape is probative, for example: custodial interrogations of defendants, defendants' statements to police, and confidential informants wearing wire transmitters. See, eg., Coleman v. State, 750 N.E.2d 370, 372 (Ind.2001); Dearman, 743 N.E.2d at 759; Kidd v. State, 738 N.E.2d 1039, 1041 (Ind.2000), reh'g denied; Lamar, 282 N.E.2d at 797; Newman v. State, 75l N.E.2d 265, 270 (Ind.Ct.App.2001), trans. denied; Lahr v. State, 640 N.E.2d 756, 761 (Ind.Ct.App.1994), trans. denied; Roller v. State, 602 N.E.2d 165, 167 (Ind.Ct.App.1992), trans. denied.

In this case, however, the audiotape of Crystal's 911 call was not admitted for the primary purpose of showing the meaning of the words on the tape. Rather, the State introduced the audiotape to show that a robbery occurred and to attack Be-navides' version of events-both of which could be shown without understanding what was being said during the unintelligible portions of the audiotape. According to Benavides' trial testimony, he spoke with Jason earlier in the day and made plans to come over that night. When he and Green went to Jason and Crystal's apartment later that night, the front door was open. He testified that he walked right in their apartment because Jason gave him permission earlier that day to do so. When Benavides entered the apartment, he saw Crystal sitting on the couch and not talking on the telephone.

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Bluebook (online)
808 N.E.2d 708, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 901, 2004 WL 1109531, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/benavides-v-state-indctapp-2004.