Commonwealth v. Simpson

462 A.2d 821, 316 Pa. Super. 115, 1983 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3443
CourtSupreme Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedJuly 8, 1983
Docket1907
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 462 A.2d 821 (Commonwealth v. Simpson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Simpson, 462 A.2d 821, 316 Pa. Super. 115, 1983 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3443 (Pa. 1983).

Opinion

*120 ROWLEY, Judge:

Appellant was convicted of attempted rape, burglary, simple assault, possessing an instrument of crime and criminal trespass. Post-trial motions were filed and denied and appellant was sentenced to concurrent terms of three to ten years imprisonment on the burglary and attempted rape convictions and two years probation on simple assault. Sentence on the convictions of possessing an instrument of crime and criminal trespass was suspended. This direct appeal followed.

Appellant raises three issues on appeal: 1) Did the court err in admitting into evidence (a) a pair of pants allegedly worn by appellant and (b) three photographs of the victim’s neck? 2) Was the evidence sufficient to support the convictions of attempted rape, burglary, simple assault, possession of an instrument of crime and criminal trespass?; and 3) Did the trial court improperly sentence appellant to double or multiple punishments for offenses arising out of the same act?

The facts of the case, as developed at trial, are as follows. At approximately 6:00 A.M. on October 22, 1979, the seventeen year old victim was asleep in her third-floor bedroom. She suddenly awoke to find appellant, whom she recognized from the neighborhood, standing beside her bed. The victim felt a pressure and a sharp point at her throat. Appellant was loosening the strings at the front of his pants and had lowered them to about two inches below his waist when the victim began to scream and pushed his hand away from her throat. Appellant told her to “shut up”. When the victim continued to scream for her mother, appellant pulled up his clothes and ran out of her bedroom and down the stairs. The victim’s younger sister, who was sleeping in the living room, awoke when she heard the victim scream and also recognized appellant as he was fleeing. The police were called. The officer who responded testified that the victim had a small puncture wound on her throat which was bleeding slightly. Both the victim and her sister accompanied the police to appellant’s home, where they identified *121 appellant as the assailant. Appellant was arrested and a pair of blue jogging pants with a drawstring at the waist was seized.

I

Appellant first challenges the admissibility of the jogging pants and certain photographs. However, the issue of the admissibility of the photographs was not raised in appellant’s post-trial motions. Therefore, that issue has been waived. Commonwealth v. Gravely, 486 Pa. 194, 404 A.2d 1296 (1979).

Appellant also argues that the court abused its discretion in admitting his jogging pants into evidence because they were irrelevant. Appellant bases this argument on the fact that the victim could not positively identify them as the exact pants worn by her assailant, but rather testified that they were “similar” to what he was wearing. Evidence is relevant if it tends to prove or disprove the matters in controversy. Commonwealth v. Jones, 355 Pa. 594, 50 A.2d 342 (1947). The jogging pants were clearly relevant in this case. The fact that they could not be positively identified affects the weight of such evidence, not its admissibility. Commonwealth v. Ford, 451 Pa. 81, 301 A.2d 856 (1973). The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the pants into evidence.

II

Appellant next challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support his convictions. In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction, we must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth. Commonwealth v. Smith, 484 Pa. 71, 398 A.2d 948 (1979).

The law has long been that “the test of the sufficiency of the evidence ... is whether, accepting as true all the evidence and all reasonable inferences therefrom, upon which if believed the jury could properly have based its verdict, it is sufficient in law to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of the crime or *122 crimes of which he has been convicted [citing cases].” Commonwealth v. Chasten, 443 Pa. 29, 31, 275 A.2d 305 (1971). Moreover, we of course must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, the verdict winner, and the Commonwealth is entitled to every reasonable inference arising from that evidence. Commonwealth v. Rankin, 441 Pa. 401, 272 A.2d 886 (1971), Commonwealth v. Ingram, 440 Pa. 239, 270 A.2d 190 (1970). Additionally, it is clear that a jury may believe all or only a part of or none of a witness’s testimony, and so long as the verdict is supported by the evidence there is no basis for interference with the fact-finding function of the jury.

Commonwealth v. Neal, 447 Pa. 452, 455-456, 290 A.2d 922, 924 (1972). Using that standard, we find that the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions of attempted rape and burglary.

Appellant argues that the evidence was insufficient to establish an attempted rape for two reasons. They are: 1) the Commonwealth failed to prove that the victim was not appellant’s spouse; and 2) there is no evidence that appellant took a “substantial step” towards the commission of a rape.

Appellant’s first argument is totally without merit. The victim testified that she was not related to appellant and that she recognized him because she had seen him around the neighborhood. This was sufficient to establish that the victim was not appellant’s spouse. See Commonwealth v. Schilling, 288 Pa.Super. 359, 431 A.2d 1088 (1981).

We have further concluded that the appellant’s actions in applying pressure to the victim’s throat and in loosening and beginning to remove his pants constituted a substantial step towards the commission of a rape and was sufficient to sustain the conviction for attempted rape.

Appellant also contends that the evidence was insufficient to support the burglary conviction for two reasons. They *123 are: 1) the Commonwealth failed to prove that appellant was not licensed or privileged to enter the building; and 2) there was no evidence to support a finding that appellant intended to commit a crime when he entered the building. We find both arguments to be without merit.

Appellant entered a family residence in the early morning hours while the occupants were asleep. The victim testified that she had been the last person to enter the house that night, that she had locked the door, and that she had not given appellant permission to enter.

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Bluebook (online)
462 A.2d 821, 316 Pa. Super. 115, 1983 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3443, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-simpson-pa-1983.