Com. v. Jiggetts, L.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJanuary 3, 2020
Docket89 WDA 2019
StatusUnpublished

This text of Com. v. Jiggetts, L. (Com. v. Jiggetts, L.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Com. v. Jiggetts, L., (Pa. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

J-A23006-19

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA : v. : : : LORINDA JIGGETTS : : Appellant : No. 89 WDA 2019

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered, December 4, 2018, in the Court of Common Pleas of Fayette County, Criminal Division at No(s): CP-26-CR-0000162-2018.

BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., KUNSELMAN, J., and MUSMANNO, J.

MEMORANDUM BY KUNSELMAN, J.: FILED JANUARY 3, 2020

Lorinda Jiggetts appeals from the judgment of sentence imposed after

she was found guilty of two counts each of receiving stolen property and

possession of a controlled substance, and one count each of theft of property

lost, and possession of unlawful body armor.1 After review, we affirm in part

and reverse in part and remand for a new trial on all charges except the

controlled substance charges.

The trial court provided the facts of this case as follows:

On September 5, 2015, Uniontown City Police Officer Jamie Holland was dispatched to Pershing Court on the report of a shooting. [Jiggetts] was standing across the street from 63 Pershing Court, her residence, and [when asked by police who was ____________________________________________

1 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 3925(a), 35 Pa.C.S.A. § 780-113(a)(16), and 18 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 3924 and 907(c). Jiggetts was found guilty of possession of morphine and dihydrocodone. She was acquitted of a possession of heroin charge and the court entered a nolle prosequi on a possession of marijuana charge. J-A23006-19

in her home, Jiggetts] stated that no one was in her apartment. Prior to being granted a search warrant for [Jiggetts’] apartment yet while visibly observing the building, Officer Holland testified that five or six people exited the residence.

Once access to the apartment was granted pursuant to a search warrant, the Uniontown City policemen entered. A utility bill from West Penn Power was located on the refrigerator with a handwritten note stating “Please help. There are six guys here using all electric. Should pitch in.”

A Taurus PT model 140, .40 caliber pistol, was located in the laundry area above the washing machine inside a shoebox with a live round in the chamber and nine live rounds in the magazine inserted in the firearm. The Taurus firearm was determined to be the same gun reported stolen by Marissa Roll on April 21, 2015.

In the dining room above a cabinet was located a plastic baggie of pills, namely five purple pills marked MS30 [morphine] and one white oval pill marked U 03 [dihydrocodone]. In both upstairs bedrooms, the police found green stamp bags of heroin. In the master bedroom, the officers located a Ruger LCP .380 under the box spring of the bed loaded with one live round in the chamber and six live rounds in the magazine. The Ruger firearm was traced to that reported missing by Brent Baker on June 17, 2015. Officer Holland also testified that a bullet proof vest was located on the floor near the bed in the master bedroom. An unregistered Ruger 10-22 rifle was next to the window in the master bedroom and a Heritage .22 revolver was located in the closet. The Heritage was registered to Robert Gratson. Also found in the house were a fully loaded Tapco magazine behind the washing machine and a Glock Model 26 nine-millimeter registered to Kathy Mudery.

Following a search of the apartment, [Jiggetts] was brought into her living room and questioned on which areas of the house were hers, to which she responded that the master bedroom was her room. [Jiggetts] named Malcom Cooper, Roy Johnson, and Lance Campbell as also staying at her residence.

As to ownership of the weapons, the Commonwealth presented testimony of Marissa Roll who stated that her .40 caliber Taurus handgun with serial number beginning “s-e-x” was stolen in 2012 or 2013 and she reported the same to the Uniontown City Police. Brent J. Baker also testified that his Ruger LCP .380 handgun was

-2- J-A23006-19

lost in 2015 in Lemont Furnace when he was quad riding and he also reported the missing gun. [Evidence was presented showing that the Glock 26 handgun registered to Kathy Mudery had been reported stolen.]

With respect to the residence in question, Shalyce Blankenship, the property manager of Pershing Court Manor, now known as Beeson Square Apartments, testified that [Jiggetts] resided at 63 Pershing Court in September 2015 and that Paula Hoffman was registered as her only cotenant.

A stipulation was entered that DNA testing on the Taurus pistol and Glock 26 would identify male DNA.

Trial Court Opinion, 3/15/19, at 2-4.

Following trial, the jury convicted Jiggetts of receiving stolen property

in relation to the Ruger and Glock, theft of property lost in relation to the

Taurus, possession of unlawful body armor, and possession of a controlled

substance. Jiggetts was sentenced to 2 years of probation. Jiggetts filed a

post-sentence motion claiming, inter alia, that her convictions were against

the weight of the evidence, which the trial court denied.

Jiggetts timely appealed. Both Jiggetts and the trial court complied with

Pennsylvania Rule of Appellate Procedure 1925.

On appeal, Jiggetts raises five issues for our review as follows:

1. Whether the evidence presented at trial was legally and factually sufficient to prove that the appellant committed the crimes of receiving stolen property and theft of property lost or mislaid, when the Commonwealth did not demonstrate that the appellant, knew, or should have known, that the firearms in question were stolen . . . .

2. Whether the evidence presented at trial was legally and factually sufficient to prove that [Jiggetts] committed the crime of possession of a controlled substance. . . .

-3- J-A23006-19

3. Whether the evidence presented at trial was legally and factually sufficient to prove that [Jiggetts] was in possession of body armor. . . .

4. As an alternative to the "sufficiency of the evidence" claims raised in issues no. 1, 2, and 3, whether the verdicts of guilty in this matter were against the weight of the evidence, and so contrary to the evidence as to shock one's sense of justice.

5. Whether the trial court committed reversible error in denying [Jiggetts] the right to present relevant evidence of the relevant criminal convictions of the individuals found in the home at the time of the search . . . .

Jiggetts’ Brief at 4-5.

In her first three issues, Jiggetts challenges the sufficiency of the

evidence to sustain her various convictions. When analyzing whether the

evidence was sufficient to support a conviction, this Court must “view the

evidence in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth as the verdict

winner in order to determine whether the jury could have found every element

of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Commonwealth v. Thomas, 215

A.3d 36, 40 (Pa. 2019). “The Commonwealth may sustain its burden by

means of wholly circumstantial evidence, and we must evaluate the entire trial

record and consider all evidence received against the defendant.”

Commonwealth v. Hopkins, 67 A.3d 817, 820 (Pa. Super. 2013). “The

evidence established at trial need not preclude every possibility of innocence

and the fact-finder is free to believe all, part, or none of the evidence

presented.” Commonwealth v. Brown, 52 A.3d 320, 323 (Pa. Super. 2012).

“Any doubts regarding a defendant’s guilt may be resolved by the fact-finder

unless the evidence is so weak and inconclusive that as a matter of law no

-4- J-A23006-19

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