Gospodareck v. State

666 So. 2d 835, 1993 WL 213854
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedMay 28, 1993
DocketCR-91-612
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 666 So. 2d 835 (Gospodareck v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gospodareck v. State, 666 So. 2d 835, 1993 WL 213854 (Ala. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

666 So.2d 835 (1993)

Robert Paul GOSPODARECK
v.
STATE.

CR-91-612.

Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama.

April 16, 1993.
As Corrected on Denial of Rehearing May 28, 1993.

*836 William Dawson and Gayle H. Gear, Birmingham, for appellant.

James H. Evans, Atty. Gen., and Randall McNeill, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellee.

MONTIEL, Judge.

The appellant, Robert Paul Gospodareck, was indicted for the offense of murder, made capital because it was accomplished pursuant to a contract. See § 13A-5-40(a)(7). The jury found the appellant guilty "as charged in the indictment." The trial court sentenced the appellant to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole pursuant to the jury's recommendation.

The evidence presented by the state tends to establish the following facts. Jerry Wayne Callahan, the victim, was the proprietor of two businesses: J.C.'s, a wholesale diamond business, and Riverchase Jewelers, in which he owned a 90% interest. Pat Costello owned the other 10% interest in Riverchase Jewelers. Colleen Norton testified that she had loaned Callahan money over several years to finance his businesses. Norton testified that she decided to "call" the notes evidencing the loans to Callahan and that she relayed this information to Callahan in late November 1990. This information upset Callahan and he indicated to Norton around December 13, 1990, that he "would just have to have himself killed" (R-1003) so that the insurance would pay his debts. Norton said that on another occasion, Callahan told her that he would not "be around" for the Super Bowl in January. Callahan died on February 7, 1991.

Pat Costello testified that Callahan was upset over his financial situation and that he once commented that he would be better off dead. He indicated that Callahan liked to gamble. Costello testified that Greg Brown, a bookie, frequented their jewelry store on average twice a month to accommodate Callahan's gambling activities. The frequency of Brown's visits increased in January 1991. Costello testified that approximately 7 to 10 days before Callahan's death, Brown entered the store with the appellant. Brown went to the rear of the store to talk to an employee and the appellant stayed at the counter in the front of the store. Costello stated that the appellant expressed an interest in looking at watches while he waited on Brown. Diana Treat, an employee, testified that she overheard the appellant say to Costello that "he was going to be coming into some money *837 soon and he wanted to buy a fine watch." (R-1025.)

Jerry Noto, the owner of the Pic-a-Pac convenience store; Frank Garner, a friend of Noto's; and Jeff King and Mike Koutroulakis, City of Hoover police officers, testified that on Tuesday, February 5, 1991, at around 5:30 p.m., Brown was in the store and was displaying two guns. These guns were later determined to have been owned by Callahan.

On Wednesday, February 6, Callahan, Noto, and Garner attended a card game. Noto testified that Brown was the dealer. Garner testified that Callahan had winnings from the game that fluctuated during the course of the game between $1,000 and $6,000.

Roddy Gorman testified that he and Brown were engaged in an enterprise where they acted as the "house" in card games. He explained that this meant that he paid off the house's losses. Gorman testified that he was responsible for covering 80% of the losses and that Brown was responsible for covering 20% of the losses. He testified that on Thursday, February 7, Brown telephoned him to obtain money to pay off losses from the card game held the previous evening. Gorman testified that he met with Brown shortly after 5:00 p.m. on February 7 and that he gave him $9,000 in cash to give to Callahan.

Costello testified that Callahan did not come to the jewelry store on Thursday, February 7. Costello testified that Brown came into the store twice that day. Brown first came into the store between 10:00 and 10:30 a.m. to pick up a ladies diamond solitaire ring, with an appraised value of $15,600, that Callahan had instructed be given to Brown. Brown came to the store a second time between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m. to pick up some paperwork on the ring. Costello testified that during the interim he talked with the victim by telephone. Costello testified that Brown never paid for the ring.

Noto testified that Brown came to his store twice on Thursday, February 7. On the first occasion, Brown showed him a ladies diamond ring. Frank Garner also testified that he saw Brown at the store on this date displaying the ring. Noto testified that he left the store and returned around 4:30 or 5:00. Several police officers indicated that they had seen Brown at the store between 4:30 and 5:00 and that he was alone. Noto testified that when he returned to the store, Brown was not there but he said that Brown arrived shortly thereafter with the appellant. Noto testified that Brown and the appellant talked and that the appellant then got into his truck and drove away. Testimony established that Callahan's apartment was near Noto's store.

George DeGraw, a neighbor who lived in the apartment directly above Callahan's, testified that between 3:30 and 4:00 p.m. on the day of the incident he heard a knock on his door. When he answered the door, he saw a man going down the stairs. He called to the man but the man did not respond. DeGraw described the man as "husky" (R-1043) and stated that his build resembled the appellant's.

Jayne Boyd, a neighbor of Callahan's, testified that she heard a loud bang sometime between 3:30 and 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 7.

Amy Hill, who had been dating Callahan, testified that on February 7, she spoke with Callahan by telephone. He instructed her to come to his apartment at 5:00 p.m. She testified that he told her that if he did not come to the door she was to let herself in. She stated that she thought that this was unusual. She arrived at the apartment at the appointed time. When she entered the apartment, she saw Callahan lying on the floor. She said that the door to Callahan's office, which he normally kept locked, was open.

Emergency and law enforcement personnel were then called to the scene. There was no evidence of a struggle and neither Brown's fingerprints nor the appellant's were found at the scene.

The investigation led the police to focus on Brown as a suspect. Detective Eddie Braden of the Hoover Police Department testified that he arranged to meet with Brown and that the police stopped Brown in his automobile when it appeared that he was *838 attempting to flee. Brown showed the law enforcement officers a note he had in his vehicle. After obtaining permission, the officers searched the automobile.

The note was allegedly written by Callahan. It stated that if certain parties were arrested for his death, he did not want them to be prosecuted. The note indicated that Callahan had a fatal illness, which fact could be attested to by Dr. Clark and Dr. Zeiger. It stated that because of this illness, Callahan had called upon a friend to perform the ultimate act of friendship. Linda Callahan, Callahan's ex-wife, testified at trial that the note appeared to have been written by Callahan. Lamar Miller, a documents examiner with the department of forensic sciences, testified that, in his opinion, the note had been written by Callahan.

The two pistols Brown had been displaying earlier, which had belonged to the victim, were also found in the automobile. Brown was placed under arrest. A statement given by Brown led the police to the appellant.

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Ex Parte Gospodareck
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
666 So. 2d 835, 1993 WL 213854, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gospodareck-v-state-alacrimapp-1993.