Chappel v. State

591 N.E.2d 1011, 1992 Ind. LEXIS 153, 1992 WL 108216
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 26, 1992
Docket33S00-9003-CR-189
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 591 N.E.2d 1011 (Chappel 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
Chappel v. State, 591 N.E.2d 1011, 1992 Ind. LEXIS 153, 1992 WL 108216 (Ind. 1992).

Opinion

GIVAN, Justice.

Appellant was tried by a jury and con-vieted of one count of murder, for which he received a sentence of sixty (60) years, and one count of confinement, for which he received a sentence of twenty (20) years, to be served consecutively to the murder sentence. He was found to be a habitual offender and the trial court enhanced his combined sentence by thirty (80) years.

The Court notes sua sponte that appellant was not sentenced properly in that the trial court failed to specify to which sentence the additional time due to appellant's habitual offender status was added. When a defendant is sentenced, the trial court must specify the underlying felony to which the enhanced sentence applies where there are sentences based upon convictions for two or more underlying felonies. McBrady v. State (1984), Ind., 459 N.E.2d 719.

The facts are: On November 8, 1988, at approximately 2:80 am., a customer stopped at the Village Pantry on the corner of 25th Street and Grand Avenue in New Castle, Indiana and observed that there was one red car in the parking lot, but when he entered the store, no one was inside. He unsuccessfully searched the store for the store clerk then called the New Castle police. When the police arrived, they conducted a search but could not locate the clerk. Police learned that Tamara Weaver was supposed to be on duty at the store.

Police officers found Weaver's body at approximately 9:00 a.m. in a field adjacent to a country road outside of New Castle. Homicide Detectives James Stephens and Ron Lyles arrived at the scene and Detective Stephens identified Weaver's body. Weaver's blouse was pulled up, her pants were torn in the pelvic area, and there was a small hole under Weaver's armpit. A shoe string was missing from one of Weaver's shoes and was found around her neck.

Boot prints, which appeared to have been made by boots with a criss-cross pattern on the soles, were present on the ground near Weaver's body. Officers also found several strips of black electrician's tape, and near the edge of the road, they found a paycheck stub from Ultra Clean payable to appellant. The officers went to the Ultra Clean offices, found two vans in the parking lot, but no one was there.

Detective Stephens spoke with a witness who had stopped at the Village Pantry at approximately 2:10 a.m. He indicated that Weaver was at the store at that time and that he had seen a man with long hair and a beard there.

When Detectives Lyles and Stephens returned to the Ultra Clean offices they noticed that one of the vans was gone. Detective Roy Young had been at the scene where Weaver's body had been discovered, was familiar with Ultra Clean, and knew appellant. While off-duty, Young saw an Ultra Clean van in New Castle and believed it was being driven by appellant.

Young was aware that Detectives Stephens and Lyles intended to interview appellant and radioed to them to determine if they had located him. Upon learning they had not, Detective Young began to follow the Ultra Clean van in his unmarked car pursuant to instructions from Detective *1013 Stephens, who subsequently told Young to stop appellant, which he did.

Appellant was informed that they were conducting an investigation and was asked if he would come to police headquarters to answer some questions. Appellant indicated that he would. Detective Young drove in front of appellant's van and Detectives Stephens and Lyles followed behind.

At headquarters, appellant sat on a bench in the hallway where Detective Young remained near him for approximately one minute before the other officers arrived. During that time, Detective Young asked appellant to show him the sole of his boot, which appellant did. Young testified that the pattern on the sole of appellant's boot matched the pattern of the prints left near Weaver's body. Young further testified at the hearing on appellant's motion to suppress that he could not remember if he informed Stephens about his observation regarding appellant's boots at that time, although he did inform Stephens later, and that he would not have allowed appellant to leave the police station before Stephens and Lyles had arrived. Young did not communicate his intent to appellant.

When the detectives arrived, they took appellant to Stephens' office where they questioned him. Before Stephens began the questioning, he informed appellant that they were conducting a homicide investigation and warned appellant of his Miranda rights. Appellant signed a Miranda rights form at approximately 2:38 p.m.

Appellant first denied having been at the Village Pantry earlier that morning. He stated that he was paid by check for his work at Ultra Clean but that he could not produce a paycheck stub because he kept them at home. Stephens challenged appellant's statements based upon the fact that appellant's paycheck stub had been recovered near Weaver's body and that appellant roughly matched the description of the person who had been seen at the store. Appellant then stated that he must have been at the Village Pantry because he had purchased a fresh pack of cigarettes. Stephens asked appellant to describe the clothing he had been wearing that morning, which he did.

After Stephens accused appellant of killing Weaver, appellant stated that he woke up that morning with blood on his hands, pants, knife, and boots. Appellant said that he had drunk quite a lot that night, and that he could not remember what had happened.

Further questioning resulted in appellant's admission that he had been at the Village Pantry on the night in question and that he had taken Weaver out of the store at knife point. Stephens questioned appellant regarding the use of a gun because the officers believed that Weaver had sustained a gunshot wound. Appellant maintained that he did not own a gun, nor did he use a gun to perpetrate the crime.

Appellant informed the officers that he had taken Weaver out into the country and had raped her. He told the officers that after exiting the van he attempted to stab Weaver and that he pursued her when she began to run. After they fought, appellant choked Weaver to death. Appellant stated that Weaver did not scream, but she did scratch him on the hands. Appellant then showed the officers some scratches on his hands.

Appellant signed permission to search forms for two Ultra Clean vans, a 1979 model and a 1977 model, and for appellant's room. The 1979 van was the van appellant was driving when he was stopped by police. The 1977 van was the van appellant drove when he abducted Weaver. Appellant was advised that he had the right not to sign the forms.

Further questioning of appellant was tape recorded. In the first taped questioning, appellant reiterated the story of his abduction of Weaver. He also stated that he had hidden the knife he used to perpetrate the crime at the Ultra Clean offices, and appellant had later discarded the pants he had worn.

In the second taped questioning, appellant could not recall anything about a shoe string or electrical tape. Appellant stated that he had choked Weaver with his hands *1014 and that he did have electrical tape in his van. Appellant indicated that he used an electrical cord to tie up Weaver.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
591 N.E.2d 1011, 1992 Ind. LEXIS 153, 1992 WL 108216, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/chappel-v-state-ind-1992.