French v. State

362 N.E.2d 834, 266 Ind. 276, 1977 Ind. LEXIS 396
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedMay 6, 1977
Docket1175A321
StatusPublished
Cited by62 cases

This text of 362 N.E.2d 834 (French 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
French v. State, 362 N.E.2d 834, 266 Ind. 276, 1977 Ind. LEXIS 396 (Ind. 1977).

Opinions

Arterburn, J.

The Appellant, Lester French, was indicted by the Madison County Grand Jury on July 81, 1974, for five counts: first degree murder while engaged in the commission of a kidnapping; kidnapping; commission of a felony (robbery) while armed; commission of a felony (rape) while armed; and carrying a handgun without a license. On August 12, 1974, the Appellant moved for a change of venue. This motion was granted and the cause was venued to Henry County. After trial by jury the Appellant was found guilty of all five counts on April 30, 1975. The Appellant was sentenced to death for his murder conviction, life imprisonment for his kidnapping conviction, fifteen years imprisonment for each of his armed felony convictions, and six months imprisonment for his conviction of carrying a handgun without a license. The terms of imprisonment were designated by the [278]*278trial judge to run consecutively. The Appellant’s motion to correct errors was filed on July 3, 1975, and was denied on August 24, 1975.

Since the Appellant does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence upon which his convictions were based, an extensive recitation of facts by this Court is not necessary. In brief, the evidence at trial revealed that at about 5:00 p.m., July 22, 1974, the Appellant robbed the family grocery store of Pauline Hart in Summitville, Indiana. During the course of the robbery, Mrs. Hart’s granddaughter, Kathy Wylie, entered the store. When the Appellant took money and two cartons of cigarettes from the store, he also took Miss Wylie.

The Appellant and his captive emerged from the store and entered a waiting automobile driven by Charles L. Martin. Martin testified at trial that he and the Appellant both had sexual intercourse with Miss Wylie in the car during the course of their drive. “[T]oo scared to say anything,” she was also sodomized by the Appellant. After some period of time, the Appellant indicated to Martin that they had to “get rid” of their victim. The car was stopped. Each man took his turn at bludgeoning the girl with a pipe wrench. When she still exhibited signs of life, she was rolled down a river enbankment. Her head was held beneath the water until her struggling stopped. Pathological examination of the decedent established asphyxia due to drowning as the cause of death.

I.

The Appellant’s first three arguments challenge the constitutionality of this state’s death penalty. The statute under which the Appellant was tried and convicted reads as follows:

“Murder — First degree.— (a) Whoever kills a human being either purposely and with premeditated malice or while perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate rape, arson, robbery, or burglary is guilty of murder in the first degree and, on conviction, shall be imprisoned in the state prison during life, unless the killing is one for which subsection (b) prescribes the death penalty.
[279]*279(b) Whoever perpetrates any of the following acts is guilty of murder in the first degree and, on conviction, shall be put to death:
(1) Killing purposely and with premeditated malice a police officer, corrections employee, or fireman acting in the line of duty.
(2) Killing a human being by the unlawful and malicious detonation of an explosive.
(3) Killing a human being while perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate rape, arson, robbery, or burglary by a person who has had a prior unrelated conviction of rape, arson, robbery, or burglary.
(4) Killing a human being while perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate a kidnapping.
(5) Killing a human being while perpetrating or attempting to perpetrate any seizure or exercise of control, by force or violence or threat of force or violence and with wrongful intent, of an aircraft, train, bus, ship, or other commercial vehicle.
(6) Killing a human being purposely and with premeditated malice:
(i) by a person lying in wait;
(ii) by a person hired to kill;
(iii) by a person who has previously been convicted of murder; or
(iv) by a person who is serving a life sentence.
An indictment under subsection (b) may not charge a lesser included offense, but in all situations to which this subsection applies, the jury, or the trial judge if there be no jury, may find the defendant guilty of second degree murder or voluntary or involuntary manslaughter, if the facts proved are insufficient to convict the defendant of the offense charged.” Ind. Code §35-13-4-1 (Burns 1975).

The Appellant’s first argument asserts that the death penalty is unconstitutional per se as cruel and unusual punishment, prohibited under the Eighth Amendment of the United States Constitution and Article 1, § 16 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana. The United States Supreme Court, in a series of recent cases concerning capital punishment, has rejected the argument that the death penalty under any circumstances is cruel and unusual. Gregg v. Georgia, (1976) [280]*280428 U.S. 153, 96 S.Ct. 2909, 49 L.Ed.2d 859; Proffitt v. Florida, (1976) 428 U.S. 242, 96 S.Ct. 2960, 49 L.Ed.2d 913; Jurek v. Texas, (1976) 428 U.S. 262, 96 S.Ct. 2950, 49 L.Ed.2d 929; Woodson v. North, Carolina, (1976) 428 U.S. 280, 96 S.Ct. 2978, 49 L.Ed.2d 944; Roberts v. Louisiana, (1976) 428 U.S. 325, 96 S.Ct. 3001, 49 L.Ed.2d 974. We agree with that conclusion. The Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States recognizes that the death penalty may be inflicted in stating that no person shall “be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”

The Appellant also relies upon Article 1, § 19 of the Constitution of the State of Indiana:

“The penal code shall be founded on the principles of reformation, and not of vindictive justice.”

This provision has been consistently interpreted by this Court not to prohibit capital punishment for the crime of first degree murder. Adams v. State, (1971) 259 Ind. 64, 271 N.E.2d 425; Hawkins v. State, (1941) 219 Ind. 116, 37 N.E.2d 79; McCutcheon v. State, (1927) 199 Ind. 247, 155 N.E. 544; Driskill v. State, (1855) 7 Ind. 338.

The Appellant’s second argument relies upon Furman v. Georgia, (1972) 408 U.S. 238, 92 S.Ct. 2726, 33 L.Ed.2d 346. Since the series of more recent United States Supreme Court decisions mentioned above refines the Furman decision and is, we think, dispositive of the constitutionality question raised here, we will not address this second argument. Rather, we look to the Appellant’s third argument, in which those cases are relied upon.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
362 N.E.2d 834, 266 Ind. 276, 1977 Ind. LEXIS 396, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/french-v-state-ind-1977.