Com. v. Shaw, A.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 1, 2020
Docket1400 MDA 2019
StatusUnpublished

This text of Com. v. Shaw, A. (Com. v. Shaw, A.) 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. Shaw, A., (Pa. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

J-A11026-20

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA Appellant : : : v. : : : ANTHONY DION SHAW : No. 1400 MDA 2019

Appeal from the Order Entered August 5, 2019 In the Court of Common Pleas of Luzerne County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-40-CR-0003023-2018

BEFORE: PANELLA, P.J., McLAUGHLIN, J., and STEVENS, P.J.E.*

MEMORANDUM BY McLAUGHLIN, J.: FILED SEPTEMBER 01, 2020

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania appeals from the order granting

Anthony Dion Shaw’s pre-trial motion to suppress evidence. We vacate and

remand for further proceedings.

The suppression court made the following findings of fact:

1. On May 3, 2018, Officer Sherise Wilson of the East Orange New Jersey Police Department was dispatched to [Shaw’s] apartment located at 74 South Munn Avenue, Apartment 11, East Orange, New Jersey.

2. Officer Wilson was dispatched to [Shaw’s] apartment to check on the well-being of [Shaw] because he had not reported for work for two days.

3. Officer Wilson arrived at the apartment complex where [Shaw] resided and located Apartment 11 which was the unit occupied by [Shaw].

____________________________________________

* Former Justice specially assigned to the Superior Court. J-A11026-20

4. Although Officer Wilson knocked on the door several times, she received no response.

5. Officer Wilson did not hear or smell anything unusual and actually heard nothing while she was at the door to [Shaw’s] apartment.

6. Several tenants of the apartment complex were questioned by Officer Wilson regarding [Shaw] however none of them knew him.

7. After unsuccessfully attempting to locate [Shaw] in his apartment, Officer Wilson made contact with the building superintendent.

8. During a discussion with the superintendent, Officer Wilson commented that she didn’t hear or smell anything unusual while she was outside [Shaw’s] apartment.

9. The superintendent advised Officer Wilson that [Shaw] was neither sickly nor elderly.

10. Officer Wilson told the superintendent that [Shaw] may be on vacation out of the country without cell phone service or may just want to be left alone.

11. Without encountering anything unusual or any type of emergency requiring that she provide immediate assistance to protect or preserve life or prevent serious injury, Officer Wilson had the superintendent unlock the door to [Shaw’s] apartment so she could enter.

12. After entering [Shaw’s] apartment with her sergeant, Officer Wilson observed blood on the floor and proceeded into a bedroom where she found [Shaw] lying on the floor.

13. [Shaw] stated that he had tried to kill himself.

14. Officer Wilson then walked through [Shaw’s] apartment and located three knives, a notebook containing a handwritten note and other items eventually seized by the East Orange Police Department.

-2- J-A11026-20

15. After locating the notebook, Officer Wilson proceeded to read the handwritten note contained therein.[1]

16. Officer Wilson’s testimony was corroborated by the video recorded on her body camera.

17. Emergency personnel responded to the scene and began treating [Shaw] for a self-inflicted knife wound to his neck.

18. [Shaw] was then transported to Rutgers University Hospital and several items of evidence were taken from his apartment by the East Orange Police Department including three knives, the notebook containing a handwritten note, two blood swabs, a gold cell phone and [Shaw’s] New Jersey driver’s license.

19. Sometime after the suicide attempt, the Office of the Luzerne County District Attorney contacted Detective Michael McCusker of the East Orange Police Department regarding [Shaw] and his possible involvement in the death of the victim which occurred on or about May 1 or 2 of 2018.

20. [Shaw] had been in a relationship with the victim prior to her death and became a suspect in the homicide.

21. The Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department obtained a search warrant for [Shaw’s] 2003 Mercury Sable bearing New Jersey registration K3 8DZH from the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas on May 4, 2018.

22. Detective McCusker then obtained a search warrant on May 5, 2018 from the East Orange Municipal Court for the same vehicle using the Luzerne County warrant to establish probable cause.

23. This vehicle was transported to Luzerne County and searched on May 11, 2018.

24. During the search of [Shaw’s] 2003 Mercury Sable, the Office of the Luzerne County District Attorney and/or the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department seized a Kmart receipt, Gerber knife packaging, two swabs of suspected blood and a fingerprint.

25. Also on May 4, 2018, the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department obtained a search warrant from the Luzerne County ____________________________________________

1The handwritten note contained an apology by Shaw to the family of Cindy Lou Ashton (“the victim”). Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) opinion, 10/11/19 at 2.

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Court of Common Pleas for [Shaw’s] apartment located at 74 South Munn Avenue in East Orange, New Jersey.

26. Detective McCusker obtained a search warrant from the East Orange Municipal Court for [Shaw’s] apartment on May 5, 2018 using the Luzerne County warrant to establish probable cause.

27. During the search of [Shaw’s] apartment on May 5, 2018, the Office of the Luzerne County District Attorney and/or the Wilkes- Barre Township Police Department seized twenty-three items listed on the Wilkes-Barre Township Police property record and attached hereto as Court Attachment “A”.

28. A third search warrant was obtained by the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department on May 4, 2018 from the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas for an evidence locker located at the East Orange Police Department.

29. Detective McCusker then obtained a search warrant from the East Orange Municipal Court for the items contained in the evidence locker on May 5, 2018 using the Luzerne County warrant to establish probable cause.

30. During the search of the evidence locker, the Office of the Luzerne County District Attorney and/or the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department obtained the three knives, the notebook containing a handwritten note and a gold cell phone.

31. On May 5, 2018 law enforcement officers from the Office of the Luzerne County District Attorney and/or Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department proceeded to the Rutgers University Hospital to interview [Shaw].

32. Prior to initiating any questioning, [Shaw] was properly provided with, and waived, his Constitutional right to remain silent pursuant to Miranda v. Arizona.[2]

33. During the interview, [Shaw] was confronted with evidence obtained by the East Orange Police Department while in [Shaw’s] apartment during the welfare check on May 3, 2018 such as the handwritten note from the notebook.

34. On May 10, 2018, the Office of the Luzerne County District Attorney and/or the Wilkes-Barre Township Police Department ____________________________________________

2 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966).

-4- J-A11026-20

obtained a search warrant from the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas to take a buccal swab from [Shaw].

35. Detective Robert O’Neal of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office obtained a search warrant from the Superior Court of New Jersey on May 10, 2018 for the buccal swab using the Luzerne County warrant to establish probable cause.

36.

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Com. v. Shaw, A., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/com-v-shaw-a-pasuperct-2020.