Bright v. State

826 P.2d 765, 1992 WL 9897
CourtCourt of Appeals of Alaska
DecidedMay 21, 1992
DocketA-2292
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 826 P.2d 765 (Bright v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Alaska primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bright v. State, 826 P.2d 765, 1992 WL 9897 (Ala. Ct. App. 1992).

Opinion

OPINION

COATS, Judge.

John Ian Arthur Bright was convicted, following a jury trial, of murder in the first degree, an unclassified felony with a maximum sentence of ninety-nine years of imprisonment. AS 11.41.100(a)(1). Superior Court Judge Mary E. Greene sentenced Bright to the maximum ninety-nine-year sentence and ordered that Bright’s eligibility for parole be restricted until he had served forty years of imprisonment. Bright appeals, raising several issues. We affirm.

On October 12, 1985, on his way home from work, Robert Pfeil stopped his automobile at the intersection of Jewel Lake Road and North Point Drive in Anchorage. Neighborhood residents reported that a large sedan pulled up alongside Pfeil; the driver fired multiple shots into Pfeil’s vehicle before speeding away. On November 11, 1985, Pfeil died from the wounds suffered during the shooting.

Anchorage police investigated the crime scene and the nearby Pfeil property. Investigators found that a window in the Pfeil garage had been broken, and followed distinctive footprints near the garage. These footprints were also discovered in a nearby wooded area. Casts of the prints were subsequently identified by F.B.I. experts as “matching” boots police later seized and linked to Bright. Among the trees, pieces of plywood were discovered; police speculated that the Pfeil residence had been surveilled from this spot.

Approximately one week after the shooting, investigators learned that a Tyoga Closson had been talking about details of the Pfeil shooting. Closson eventually made a statement to the police that he had provided a stolen handgun, which was used in the shooting, to Joseph K. for $75. Clos-son also told investigators that he had been approached by Bright, who had asked him to drive a car while Bright shot someone. Although Closson stated that he declined the invitation, Closson implicated K. as the driver.

Closson agreed to cooperate with police. District Court Judge David C. Stewart issued a warrant authorizing the electronic surveillance of conversations between Clos-son and several individuals, including K. and Bright.

Closson, following law enforcement instructions, told K. that the police had recovered the gun and linked it to both Clos-son and the shooting. The purpose of this scenario was to get K. to talk about his involvement and “if possible, to scare [K.] bad enough ... that he would feel that his only hope was to come to the police.” Subsequently, K. did go to the police and make a statement. K. stated that Bright had been hired to rough-up Pfeil over a union dispute. K. admitted he had agreed to be and was the driver of the car when Bright opened fire on Pfeil. K. also confirmed police theories regarding the surveillance of the Pfeil residence, and the rock through the garage window. K. reported that during the surveillance, Bright wore military boots similar to a pair the police suspected had made the footprints found around the Pfeil property.

K. agreed to conduct surreptitiously monitored conversations and otherwise cooperate with the police. Because Bright had left the state, the police turned the focus of the investigation to Larry Gentry, *768 the owner of the Lincoln driven by K. on the evening of the shooting. Police helped K. write a letter implicating Gentry and detailing the Pfeil shooting.

Janet Perkins, an Anchorage police officer and Gentry’s sister, accompanied Gentry to pick up the letter. Officer Perkins took Gentry to the police station, where he was interviewed by investigators. Gentry, while denying knowledge of the shooting, made several contradictory and incriminating statements. He acknowledged that Bright had been living at his trailer home and had been using his Lincoln.

Gentry agreed to allow police to come to his trailer home to photograph a shotgun that was mentioned by the letter as being involved in the Pfeil shooting. Gentry told police they could “come over there and go through my house ... do anything [they] want.” Once on the premises, police asked if Bright had left anything behind before leaving the state. According to police, Susan Gentry stated that clothing was left behind, and took them to a room Bright had been using. Police spotted a pair of military jungle boots that they expected would match the footprints from the Pfeil property. Investigators claim the Gentrys gave permission to take Bright’s belongings. There is conflicting testimony whether Bright was welcome back and whether the Gentrys consented to a search and the subsequent warrantless seizure of Bright’s clothing and boots.

Gentry gave a lengthy statement to police, and agreed to allow electronic equipment to be installed on his phone to record conversations with Bright. According to Gentry, he and Bright had been recruited by Gilbert “Junior” Pauole to kill Pfeil.

Bright returned to the state on November 7. On November 8, Gentry, while being electronically surveilled by police, told Bright he was going to surrender to police. That evening, Pauole and Bright were arrested. Pauole told investigators that he had arranged the killing on behalf of the victim’s former brother-in-law, Neil S. Mac-Kay. 1

At trial, the state’s theory of the case was that the killing of Pfeil was the result of a longstanding adverse relationship between Pfeil and MacKay. Pfeil’s sister, Muriel, had married MacKay in the 1960’s. Pfeil believed that MacKay was responsible for the car bomb that had killed Muriel. The two men had been bitterly engaged in custody disputes and other litigation concerning Scotty, the child of Muriel and Neil MacKay.

Pauole testified that MacKay promised to pay $10,000 and apparently provide Pauole assistance in opening a new nightclub as consideration for having Pfeil killed. Pauole stated that he selected Bright and Larry Gentry, individuals who had worked for him at his nightclub and as part of a cocaine distribution operation, to carry out the contract for $10,000 minus a cocaine debt the men owed Pauole. This is supported by a recorded conversation between Bright and Gentry.

Matthew Vickers testified that Bright borrowed dark clothing and “jungle boots” in order to do “some kind of surveillance.” Vickers also testified that, in early October, Bright had left him C-4 explosives to safeguard; Bright later told Vickers that the material was to make an explosive device as “backup” for a job he had taken. After the shooting, Bright told Vickers that he had performed a contract hit, killing Pfeil for Pauole.

Pauole testified that Bright had reported conducting surveillance of the Pfeil home from nearby woods and had considered shooting Pfeil from a clandestine wooded position. Pauole also recounted Bright planning to throw a Molotov cocktail or a rock through a window and shoot Pfeil as he left the house. The state presented evidence tending to corroborate the surveillance story.

Pauole also stated that he advised Bright and Gentry regarding choice of weapons. The state presented evidence through several witnesses tending to connect Bright with the murder weapon.

*769 Bright’s girlfriend, Theresa Marshall, testified that while motoring with Bright, Bright had pointed out a jogger and stated that he had been hired to murder that person.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
826 P.2d 765, 1992 WL 9897, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bright-v-state-alaskactapp-1992.