Commonwealth v. Butts

35 Pa. D. & C.2d 326, 1964 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 219
CourtPhiladelphia County Court of Quarter Sessions
DecidedJune 29, 1964
Docketnos. 329, 330
StatusPublished

This text of 35 Pa. D. & C.2d 326 (Commonwealth v. Butts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Philadelphia County Court of Quarter Sessions primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Butts, 35 Pa. D. & C.2d 326, 1964 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 219 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1964).

Opinion

Lefever, J.,

On March 9 and 10, 1964, defendant, George T. Butts, was tried before Judge Lefever, without a jury, on indictments charging: (1) driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of intoxicating liquor and (2) involuntary manslaughter. Defendant was found guilty on both indictments. Defendant has filed motions: (1) for arrest of judgment and (2) for new trial. These motions are based upon alleged insufficiency of the proofs and alleged trial errors.

[328]*328On November 27, 1961, at about 5:50 p.m., on the extreme east side of 21st Street, just south of Delancey Place, Philadelphia, the front of defendant’s maroon and white Dodge automobile, facing south, collided with the rear of a white Ford automobile, and the front of the latter collided with the rear of a white Bel-Air Chevrolet automobile. Immediately after the collision, the unconscious body of Romeo Minora, Jr., a 13-year old boy, was discovered lying on the trunk of the Ford.

Twenty-first Street is a one way street south. It is 26 feet wide, with a 12-foot east sidewalk. Delancey Place is 16 feet wide, with a 10-foot south sidewalk. On the east side of 21st Street, south of Delancey Place, were several parking meters and a City sign reading: “Two-hour meter parking.” There were traffic signal lights at 21st and Spruce Streets and at 21st and Pine Streets, the streets immediately north and south of Delancey Place, a mid-block street.

1. Did the Commonwealth meet the burden of proof that defendant was intoxicated and caused decedent’s death?

There were no eye witnesses to the collision. However, Patricia Dolan, who lived on the third floor apartment of the building at the southeast corner of Delancey Place and 21st Street, testified that at about 5:50 p.m. that evening, “having been aware of a tremendous crash, I went to the window and I remember a body going up into the air and landing on the trunk of a car.” Defendant’s “black car ... is the one that hit the Ford in the front.” She immediately notified the police by telephone.

Police officers arrived at the scene of the accident a few moments later. The weather was dry and clear. It was “getting dark” and the street lights were lit. Testimony of the officers and the photographs, which were admitted into evidence, indicate that the front of defendant’s car was headed diagonally into the rear [329]*329of the Ford in a southeasterly direction, with its front end 46 feet south of the south curb of Delancey Place; that its left front wheel was almost against the curb; and that two or three wheels of the Ford were pushed up over the curb onto the east sidewalk, between the parking meter and the sign. Defendant’s car was badly smashed in front, particularly on the left front (Commonwealth Exhibits 3, 4, 6 and 9). The right rear of the Ford was damaged (Commonwealth’s Exhibits 3, 4 and 6). The rear of the Chevrolet was damaged and it was pushed partly onto the sidewalk (Commonwealth’s Exhibit 8). There were no skid marks on the street. The Dodge’s engine was still running. The Ford and the Chevrolet were not occupied and their engines were not running. The inference is clear that no brakes were applied before the collision and that the parked Ford and Chevrolet were pushed onto the east sidewalk on 21st Street by the collision.

Officer Placentra testified that he and Officer Lang arrived at the scene of the accident about 5:56 p.m.; that they found all cars at rest; that defendant’s engine was running; that the other engines were not running; that defendant was alone slumped in the front seat of his Dodge behind the wheel; that there was a strong odor of alcohol on defendant’s breath; that defendant “had a slight cut over his left eye”; and that defendant mumbled indistinctly in answer to questions. Officer Lang testified much the same. In addition, he testified that they received the radio call at 5:55 p.m., when their patrol car was between 20th and 21st Streets on Spruce Street, and they arrived at the scene one minute later.

Officer Evans testified that he and Officer Daw arrived at 6 p.m.; that they observed defendant behind the wheel of his automobile; that an hour and a half later in the hospital there was “a strong odor of alcohol on his breath”; that he was surly and belligerent; that [330]*330they had “to take him by the arms and take him out of the hospital,” one officer on each arm; that “I’d say he was drunk.” Officer Daw corroborated this testimony. He testified that in his opinion defendant was intoxicated.

Officer Brooks testified that defendant was lying on the driver’s seat of his car; that he had the odor of alcohol on his breath; that defendant was dazed and stuporous; that he had to help defendant out of his automobile into the police wagon; that one and a half hours later, in the hospital, defendant was belligerent, boisterous, mumbling and was still staggering; that he had difficulty in standing up and difficulty in dressing; he was unable to button his underpants and trousers; and that he still had a heavy odor of alcohol on his breath. He kept repeating “I didn’t kill no -1 white boy.”

Dr. Gilbert Fineman,2 police surgeon, testified that he examined defendant at 8:30 p.m., that evening. Defendant had a subnormal temperature of 97 degrees orally; “he had an abnormally high pulse rate of 148 per minute”; his pupils were enlarged and fixed; there was a very strong odor of alcohol about him; his speech was slurred; his clothing was disarrayed; his coordination was poor and his station was swaying; his gait was unsteady and imbalanced; he was sullen. Defendant admitted to Dr. Fineman that “he was intoxicated.” Dr. Fineman gave him the finger to nose test, the heel to toe test and the Rhomberg test; all were positive. On the basis of the foregoing Dr. Fineman testified that it was his unequivocal opinion that defendant was then “under the influence of intoxicating beverages and was unable to operate a motor vehicle.” Dr. Fineman was cross-examined as to the effect of the [331]*331cut above defendant’s left eye on his condition. The doctor answered that it had no effect on defendant’s condition and that it did not change his opinion that defendant was intoxicated.

The deceased’s father arrived at the scene between 5:30 p.m. and 6 o’clock p.m. to meet his son, according to their usual arrangement, as the father was a carrier of newspapers for the Evening Bulletin and his son was his helper. It was customary for the father to meet the boy on the southeast corner of Delancey Place and 21st Street. On arrival the father found the boy lying face up “stretched out like Christ on top of the car dead.” The father saw defendant; “He was there in the car and I thought he was sleeping behind the wheel.”

The police promptly took the boy to Graduate Hospital. There he was pronounced “dead on arrival.”

Officer Hinchcliff of the Accident Investigation Squad arrived at the scene at 6:20 p.m. He found a brown mark on the front of defendant’s automobile, which in his opinion came from the newspaper belt of the dead boy when defendant’s car struck him, and a black mark which in his opinion came from the boy’s heel. [These are respectively marked “1” and “2” on Commonwealth’s Exhibit 9.]

Officer Hinchcliff interrogated defendant at Graduate Hospital, shortly after 7:00 p.m. Defendant, on being questioned about the accident, said:

“A I don’t know what happened. I must have blacked out or something.

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Bluebook (online)
35 Pa. D. & C.2d 326, 1964 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 219, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-butts-paqtrsessphilad-1964.