Bunch v. State

937 N.E.2d 839, 2010 Ind. App. LEXIS 2116, 2010 WL 4634785
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 17, 2010
Docket49A04-1002-CR-120
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 937 N.E.2d 839 (Bunch 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
Bunch v. State, 937 N.E.2d 839, 2010 Ind. App. LEXIS 2116, 2010 WL 4634785 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

OPINION

KIRSCH, Judge.

Darrian Bunch ("Bunch") was convicted following a jury trial of robbery 1 as a Class B felony, burglary 2 as a Class B felony, ten counts of Class B felony erimi-nal confinement, 3 intimidation 4 as a Class C felony, and carrying a handgun without a license 5 as a Class A misdemeanor. The trial court sentenced Bunch to an aggregate sentence of fifteen years executed. On appeal, Bunch raises the following restated issues:

I. Whether Bunceh's convictions are proper under prohibitions against double jeopardy;
II. Whether there is sufficient evidence to sustain Bunch's convie-tions for criminal confinement as to the four victims who did not testify; and
Whether the trial court abused its discretion in failing to issue an adequately detailed sentencing statement. II.

We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

On the afternoon of March 14, 2009, KV., four of her five children, and her three visiting stepchildren were in K.V.'s Marion County home when she heard a knock at the front door. KV. answered *844 the door and was greeted by a man dressed in a white, button-down, short-sleeved shirt, black tie, and "black [DJickie pants." Tr. at 20. After a brief conversation with this man, K.V. closed the door and returned to her bedroom. Approximately ten minutes later, KV. heard another knock on the door. K.V. and her fourteen-year-old son, Je.C., walked to the door and asked who was there. When the person responded, "Mike," a name that K.V. recognized, she unlocked the deadbolt. Before K.V. could open the door, two men wearing masks and carrying sawed-off shotguns pushed their way into the house.

The men ordered KV. and her son to lay face down in the den. As the intruders searched the house, they brought the other six children into the den and also ordered them to lay face down. KV. recognized that one of the men was wearing the same clothing as the man who had previously come to the door and that the other man was wearing a white jacket with designs on the shoulder, shorts, and some black, green, and white Nike shoes. Id. at 31, 37, 42, The man in the Nike shoes was later identified as Bunch.

The men asked KV. where they could find the money, drugs, and guns, and also asked the whereabouts of K.V.'s seventeen-year-old son, De.V., who was at work. K.V. told the men that there were no guns or drugs in the house. While Bunch was searching the house, K.V.'s fifteen-year-old daughter, Ja.C., began to hyperventilate. Thereafter, Bunch entered the room, and upon seeing Ja.C.'s condition, took a small handgun out of his pocket, cocked it, put it to Ja.C.'s head, and said, "Shut her up before I do." Id. at 38, 44. After using her inhaler and drinking some water, Ja.C. was able to calm down. KV., however, thought that Bunch was going to shoot her daughter. Id. at 44.

Bunch again left the den to search the house. When Bunch returned, both men stepped outside of K.V.'s presence to talk and, apparently intending to leave, Bunch took off his mask. Id. at 170-71, 175. During this time, K.V.'s niece knocked on the front door of the den. The intruders instructed KV. to "[glet rid of whoever was at the door." Id. at 41. On her way to the door, K.V. was able to see Bunch's face as he ran past her trying to pull his mask back over his face. Bunch's accomplice held a shotgun to K.V.'s head while she spoke with her niece. After the niece left, Bunch and his accomplice instructed KV. to return to the den and cover her face.

Shortly thereafter, the men again asked KV. where she kept the money. Bunch took K.V. to her bedroom, where she gave them $500 in cash and two lottery tickets that she had hidden in her closet. Bunch and his accomplice searched through drawers, ransacked the house, cut the phone lines, and removed the batteries from the cell phones. KV. thought the men were going to kill her family. Id. at 56. Before leaving, Bunch took K.V.'s cell phone number and obtained information from her "ID" ecard. Id. at 54. Bunch also threatened that he and his accomplice would find and kill K.V. and her family if K.V. went to the police. Id. at 56. While leaving, the men instructed everyone to keep their heads down for another fifteen to twenty minutes. KV. testified that Bunch and his accomplice were in her house for "[albout two and a half hours." Id. at 75. After the intruders left, KV. drove with the seven children to pick up De. V. from work. Still afraid, K.V. did not contact the police until more than an hour later. At the police station, K.V. identified Bunch from a photo lineup.

Bunch was charged with Class B felony robbery against KV., Class B felony bur *845 glary for breaking into K.V.'s home, Class B felony criminal confinement (one for each of the seven children and three for confining K.V. 6 ), Class C felony intimidation for threatening Ja.C. and holding a gun against her head, Class A misdemean- or criminal mischief for cutting the phone wires, and Class A misdemeanor carrying a handgun without a license. A jury acquitted Bunch of the criminal mischief count, but found him guilty of the remaining fourteen charges. At the sentencing hearing, Bunch was sentenced to twelve years for each of the Class B felonies and one year for carrying a handgun without a license, all executed and ordered to be served concurrently. Bunch was also sentenced to three years for his intimidation conviction, which was ordered to be served consecutively to the other sentences. Bunch received an aggregate sentence of fifteen years executed. Bunch now appeals.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

I. Double Jeopardy

Bunch does not appeal his robbery conviction; instead, he asks this court to find that all of his remaining convictions violate the prohibition against double jeopardy under the Indiana Constitution. 7 The Indiana Double Jeopardy Clause provides, "No person shall be put in jeopardy twice for the same offense." Ind. Const. art. I, § 14. We analyze alleged violations of this clause pursuant to our Supreme Court's opinion in Richardson v. State, 717 N.E.2d 32 (Ind.1999). In Richardson, our Supreme Court held that "two or more offenses are the 'same offense' in violation of Article I, Section 14 of the Indiana Constitution, if, with respect to either the statutory elements of the challenged erimes or the actual evidence used to convict, the essential elements of one challenged offense also establish the essential elements of another challenged offense." 717 N.E.2d 32, 49 (Ind.1999) (emphasis in original). Here, Bunch claims that his convictions constitute double jeopardy under the "actual evidence" test.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
937 N.E.2d 839, 2010 Ind. App. LEXIS 2116, 2010 WL 4634785, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bunch-v-state-indctapp-2010.