Grady v. State

1997 OK CR 67, 947 P.2d 1069, 68 O.B.A.J. 3655, 1997 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 70, 1997 WL 677979
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedOctober 28, 1997
DocketF-96-23
StatusPublished
Cited by18 cases

This text of 1997 OK CR 67 (Grady v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Grady v. State, 1997 OK CR 67, 947 P.2d 1069, 68 O.B.A.J. 3655, 1997 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 70, 1997 WL 677979 (Okla. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinions

[1070]*1070 OPINION

PER CURIAM.

Richard Earl Grady, Jr., was tried by jury and convicted of First Degree Murder in violation of 21 O.S.1991, § 701.7(C), in the District Court of Jackson County, Case No. CF-95-42. In accordance with the jury’s recommendation the Honorable Richard Darby sentenced Grady to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.1 Grady has perfected his appeal of the conviction. After thorough review of the entire record before us on appeal we affirm.

Grady kept Olivia McGowan at his in-home day care center. On January 26, 1995, an Altus emergency room doctor treated nine-month-old Olivia for an ear infection and cold. Other than those complaints Olivia was in good health and showed no signs of head injury. Deborah McGowan left Olivia with Grady at 6:45 a.m. on January 27. Olivia was sleepy from medication but appeared normal otherwise. Between 11:00 and 11:50 a.m. Grady’s wife saw Olivia alert, holding and drinking from her bottle, smiling and giggling. She saw no bruises or signs of head injury. At approximately 12:20 p.m. emergency medical personnel found Olivia unconscious and having seizures. Olivia was taken to Altus Air Force Base Hospital and then to Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City. She never regained consciousness and was pronounced brain dead on January 28. An autopsy revealed bruises, skull fractures, a large subdural hematoma, a swollen brain, and extensive retinal hemorrhaging. The medical examiner testified the injuries were consistent with shaken baby syndrome and blunt force trauma.

In his first proposition Grady claims the jury was not properly instructed as to the elements of the offense. He did not object to the instructions at trial and has waived all but plain error. Grady was convicted of first degree murder in the commission of child abuse, which requires the willful or malicious injuring, torturing, maiming or use of unreasonable force resulting in the death of a child.2 Instruction No. 8 read:

No person may be convicted of murder in the first degree unless the state has proved beyond a reasonable doubt each element of the crime. The elements are: FIRST, the death of a human; SECOND, the death occurred as a result of an act or event which happened in the commission of a Child Abuse; THIRD, caused by the defendant while in the commission of a Child Abuse; FOURTH, the elements of the Child Abuse the Defendant is alleged to have been in the commission of which are as follows: (A) Wilfully [sic] or maliciously; (B) injuring, torturing, maiming, or using unreasonable force; (C) upon a child under the age of eighteen (18).

This accurately instructed the jury on the elements of child murder. Instruction 10 defined several terms for the jury:

Maiming — Infliction upon another of a physical injury that disables, performed with the intent to cause injury.
Malicious — The term imports a wish to vex, annoy, or injure another person.
Torture — Infliction of severe pain by unlawful acts.
Unreasonable Force — More than that ordinarily used as a means of discipline.
Wilful [sic] — Purposeful. “Wilful” [sic] does not require any intent to violate the law, or to injure another, or to acquire any advantage. [Emphasis added.]

The definitions are accurate as a matter of law.3 Grady complains the definition of “willful” was confusing in the context of this crime and allowed the jury to convict him even if they found he had no intent to injure Olivia. We agree this instruction is confusing and ought not to be given.

[1071]*1071Grady relies on Hockersmith v. State4 and Bannister v. State5 for his claim that the error in instructions is reversible. In Hock-ersmith, the jury was not instructed on the specific elements of child abuse murder and received the confusing “willful” instruction above. We held this combination of instructions required reversal because the jury was not told the defendant had to act in a willful or malicious manner, with intent to injure, torture, maim, or use unreasonable force, as the statute requires. The definition of “will-iul” did not require intent to injure. In the absence of a proper instruction on the elements of child murder this instruction allowed the jury to convict Hockersmith without finding he had any intent to injure the victim, which directly contradicted the statutory elements of the crime.6

In Bannister, the “willful” instruction was given along with an instruction on the elements of the crime. In that case, the instruction included but did not clearly set forth the elements of child abuse murder. We relied on Hockersmith and reversed. Bannister also contained two other grounds for reversal: a failure to instruct regarding accomplice testimony, and improper instruction on other crimes evidence.7 Although we determined that the inclusion of the “willful” instruction was plain error, it was the combination of error in that case which required reversal.

Grady’s jury was properly instructed on the elements of the crime of child abuse murder, including the requirement of intent to injure.8 We hold that the phrase “intent to injure” in the definition of “willful”, standing alone, does not require reversal. This proposition is denied.

In Proposition II Grady claims the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction. Insofar as he relies on the error in instructions discussed in Proposition I, this claim must fail. Grady also argues that, even under proper instruction, the State did not prove he willfully or maliciously used unreasonable force to cause Olivia’s death. This claim fails to consider the evidence presented at trial. Testimony showed: (1) the still-immobile Olivia had three separate unexplained bruises after being put in Grady’s care; (2) Olivia was often fussy and Grady would become angry and rough with her; (3) Grady especially became angry when changing Olivia’s diapers, and sometimes carried her to the changing table by one arm or leg; (4) while Olivia cried hysterically in her baby seat, Grady said she was always like that, complained he couldn’t do anything with her, and kicked the seat into a glass door; (5) aside from an ear infection and cold, Olivia was sleepy but alert when her mother left her with Grady at 6:45 a.m. on January 27; (6) before 11:50 a.m. that day Olivia was alert, giggling, holding her bottle and drinking; (7) Grady was the only adult with Olivia from 11:50 a.m. until emergency personnel arrived; (8) Grady told a doctor he was changing Olivia’s diaper when she became rigid and unresponsive; (9) after a complete medical examination and autopsy the medical witnesses agreed Olivia’s injuries would have resulted in immediate severe symptoms, and she would have been blind, unable to eat, hold objects, smile, or respond in any way; and (10) the medical witnesses agreed that these injuries could not have resulted from a cold or ear infection. This circumstantial evidence tends to exclude every reasonable hypothesis other than guilt,9 and this proposition is denied.

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Related

Evans v. Ray
390 F.3d 1247 (Tenth Circuit, 2004)
Grady v. Boone
Tenth Circuit, 2000
Taylor v. State
2000 OK CR 6 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 2000)
Malicoat v. State
2000 OK CR 1 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 2000)
Bernay v. State
1999 OK CR 37 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1999)
Lewis v. State
1998 OK CR 24 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1999)
Fairchild v. State
1998 OK CR 47 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1998)
Grady v. State
1997 OK CR 67 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1997 OK CR 67, 947 P.2d 1069, 68 O.B.A.J. 3655, 1997 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 70, 1997 WL 677979, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/grady-v-state-oklacrimapp-1997.