Fox v. State

520 N.E.2d 429, 1988 Ind. LEXIS 45, 1988 WL 24457
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 23, 1988
Docket585 S 210
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 520 N.E.2d 429 (Fox 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
Fox v. State, 520 N.E.2d 429, 1988 Ind. LEXIS 45, 1988 WL 24457 (Ind. 1988).

Opinions

PIVARNIK, Justice.

Defendant-Appellant Ralph Fox was convicted of Robbery While Armed, a class B felony, and Theft, a class D felony. Fox was sentenced to a twenty (20) year term on the robbery conviction, and received no sentence for the theft conviction. His Motion to Correct Errors was denied and he directly appealed to this Court.

Fox raises the following issues for our review:

1. prosecutorial misconduct; and
2. error in admitting a State's witness' voluntary audio and video taped statements.

The facts most favorable to the verdict show on May 11, 1983, Kern's Keg in San Pierre, Indiana, was robbed by two men wearing ski masks. The men took a bank bag which contained approximately three hundred ($300) dollars in cash, a tavern key, a zodiac medal, and bills from nearby grocery stores. Three (8) persons, including the barmaid, were in the bar at the time of the robbery, but no one was able to identify the perpetrators. A few months later, Christopher Day was apprehended during a separate robbery, and he confessed to committing a very large number of robberies, including the one at Kern's Keg. Day implicated Fox as being his accomplice in that robbery. Day made two voluntary statements to the police, one of which was audio taped and the other video taped. Day entered into a plea agreement with the State after making the voluntary statements. Those statements were played for the jury at trial.

I

Fox first contends numerous instances of prosecutorial misconduct occurred at trial. Fox correctly points out the standards in our jurisdiction relating to prosecutorial misconduct. Briefly, the standard to determine whether prosecutorial misconduct has occurred is whether the conduct under all cireumstances placed the defendant in a position of grave peril to which he should not have been subjected. This position should be measured by the probable persuasive effect of the misconduct on the jury's decision and whether there were repeated instances of misconduct which would evidence a deliberate attempt to improperly prejudice the defendant. Bixler v. State (1984), Ind., 471 N.E. 2d 1093, 1102, U.S. cert. den. (1985) 474 U.S. 834, 106 S.Ct. 106, 88 L.Ed.2d 86, citing Maldonado v. State (1976), 265 Ind. 492, 355 N.E.2d 843, 848.

The first instance Fox points to is the State's calling Donna Bloomberg (Bone-break) to testify in its case in chief. The State asserts it acted properly in attempting to disprove, through Bloomberg's testimony, a defense which Fox indicated he would attempt to prove. Fox contends because no alibi evidence was introduced at trial, the State acted improperly. However, on August 4, 1983, prior to trial, Fox filed with the court his Notice of Alibi Defense which stated Fox was at his aunt's and an acquaintance's homes on the day in question. At trial, defense counsel objected to the witness' testimony after one question and answer. The court sustained the objection and instructed the jury to disregard the prosecutor's question regarding [431]*431her status as an alibi witness, and the witness' response. The witness was then excused. Any possible error here was therefore cured by the court's actions.

Fox next argues prosecutorial misconduct occurred when, on rebuttal, the State referred to two non-testifying witnesses. Fox contends the jury was left with a clear understanding the witnesses weren't called because their testimony would only buttress the already damaging testimony of other witnesses against him. The record shows that in his closing argument, defense counsel initially referred to these very witnesses and implied the State did not ask the witnesses to testify for a specific reason. The prosecutor, in response to defense counsel's argument, properly attempted to explain why these witnesses were not called. Grassmyer v. State (1981), Ind., 429 N.E.2d 248, 256. Defense counsel objected to the prosecutor's reference to the witnesses and the court admonished the prosecutor to pursue the issue no further. When the prosecutor continued his earlier reference, defense counsel made no objection. There is no error here meriting reversal.

Fox next points to the prosecutor's comment on rebuttal that defense counsel suggested the crime was never committed. A reading of the record again shows the prosecutor's statement was made in reference to defense counsel's earlier comment on Day's credibility. He stated, "Maybe Chris Day didn't even rob Kern's Keg." Again, the prosecutor's statement was a response to defense counsel's argument, and was not improper. Grassmyer, 429 N.E.2d at 256. The statement was within the bounds of permissible comment on final argument.

Fox also argues the prosecutor's reading a portion of Justice White's dissent in United States v. Wade (1967), 388 U.S. 218, 87 S.Ct. 1926, 18 L.Ed.2d 1149, prejudiced him in the eyes of the jury. While he concedes previous Indiana decisions have held it is not improper to read this passage to the jury, see Johnson v. State (1985), Ind., 475 N.E.2d 17, and Hubbard v. State (1974), 262 Ind. 176, 313 N.E.2d 346, he maintains the result in the present case should be different. Fox attempts to distinguish these cases from the present case on the basis the defendants in Joknson and Hubbard (1) waived their rights because of improper objections; (2) they were clearly guilty; and (8) because the prosecutor in this case read beyond the "approved portion" of the dissent. These contentions are without merit. The holding of those cases was not based on waiver or the presence of "clearcut guilt." Neither Johnson nor Hubbard held only an "approved portion" of Justice White's opinion may be read to the jury. Both held that reading from decisions to the the jury is proper. Joknson, 475 N.E.2d at 19; Hubbard, 818 N.E.2d at 850.

Also, the trial court in the present case read a "proper presumption of innocence" instruction to the jury which, pursuant to Hubbard, was sufficient to cure any error or prejudice which may have occurred at trial.

Lastly, Fox contends he was denied due process based on the above-stated arguments, and other instances of misconduct. Fox names only one other instance, that being a series of belittling remarks against him. However, defense counsel failed to object during this time, and thus waived any error which may have occurred. A contemporaneous objection is necessary in order to raise the question of prosecuto-rial misconduct on appeal. Hossman v. State (1985), Ind.App., 473 N.E.2d 1059, 1061. Fox has failed to show the State engaged in prosecutorial misconduct meriting reversal.

II

The second issue presented on appeal is whether the trial court erred in playing both Day's audio taped and video taped confessions which implicated Fox as Day's accomplice in the Kern's Keg robbery. In particular, Fox claims the tapes were cumulative and edited in such a way as to violate his motion in limine which had been granted prior to trial.

[432]*432At trial defense counsel cross-examined Day at length; he attacked Day's credibility based on his prior convictions and the plea agreement he worked out with the State.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Sanders Johnson v. State of Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals, 2013
Guy v. State
755 N.E.2d 248 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2001)
Miller v. Anderson
162 F. Supp. 2d 1057 (N.D. Indiana, 2000)
Miller v. State
702 N.E.2d 1053 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1998)
Utley v. State
699 N.E.2d 723 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1998)
Peterson v. State
699 N.E.2d 701 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1998)
Starks v. State
620 N.E.2d 747 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1993)
Marshall v. State
621 N.E.2d 308 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1993)
Roller v. State
602 N.E.2d 165 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1992)
Clark v. State
597 N.E.2d 4 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1992)
Thompson v. State
555 N.E.2d 1301 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1990)
Neuhausel v. State
530 N.E.2d 121 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1988)
Fox v. State
520 N.E.2d 429 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
520 N.E.2d 429, 1988 Ind. LEXIS 45, 1988 WL 24457, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fox-v-state-ind-1988.