Haggenjos v. State

441 N.E.2d 430, 1982 Ind. LEXIS 996
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 4, 1982
Docket182S22
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 441 N.E.2d 430 (Haggenjos 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
Haggenjos v. State, 441 N.E.2d 430, 1982 Ind. LEXIS 996 (Ind. 1982).

Opinions

PRENTICE, Justice.

Defendant (Appellant) was convicted after trial by jury of Attempted Murder, Ind. Code § 35-41-5-1; § 35-42-1-1 (Burns 1979) and sentenced to twenty-five (25) years imprisonment. This direct appeal presents the following issues:

(1) Whether the trial court erred in admitting evidence of marital discord between Defendant and the victim, his ex-wife.

(2) Whether alleged misconduct of the prosecutor denied Defendant fundamental due process.

(3) Whether the trial court erred in failing to declare a mistrial.

(4) Whether the trial court erred in refusing Defendant’s tendered instructions respecting “premeditated malice.”

(5) Whether the trial court erred in its conclusions that the statute precludes suspension of a sentence imposed upon a conviction for Attempted Murder.

The evidence most favorable to the State reveals that Defendant wounded his ex-wife with a gun in a parking lot at about 1:00 a.m. on November 29, 1980. Surgery was required to remove the bullets. After their divorce Defendant became angry when his ex-wife went out on dates. The shooting incident occurred as the victim was on her way home from one such date. At trial Defendant admitted his presence at the scene, remembered nothing about the shooting, and denied that he intended to kill her.

* * * * * *

ISSUE I

Defendant first contends that the trial court erred in allowing the ex-wife to testify about Defendant’s behavior after she filed her petition for dissolution. She related problems concerning Defendant’s visiting the couple’s child and that she had had to call the police and to go to court because of Defendant’s conduct. In one instance, after she had obtained a restraining order, Defendant came to her home at night and banged on the door, claiming that he wanted to talk. He had been drinking, and shortly after entering the house, he assaulted her. This pattern of anger and resentment continued after the divorce, particularly with respect to her seeing other men:

“Q. And did you encounter any difficulty with Mr. Haggenjos as a result of your social activities?
[432]*432“A. Well, I didn’t feel that I could go out with anyone because he was— he would get very angry with me. He kept telling me that I had no right to do that. That—he told me that I was sinning against God, and the church, and everything by going out with another man.”

Defendant claims that this testimony was not evidence of other crimes, since none of the events related therein involved a criminal conviction, and as such the evidence was not admissible to prove his intent. We do not agree. The pendency of the divorce action along with the pattern of Defendant’s harrassment of the victim tends to show that he had a motive to kill her and consequently acted with the intent required to sustain a conviction for Attempted Murder. Koerner v. State, (1884) 98 Ind. 7, 25 (evidence of quarrels, beatings, and threats between husband and wife in a prosecution of the husband for the murder of his wife); Binns v. State, (1877) 57 Ind. 46, 52 (fact of pending divorce action may be competent to show state of feeling between parties in a prosecution of husband for the murder of his wife); Kelley v. State, (1958) 98 Ga.App. 324, 105 S.E.2d 798 (evidence tending to show jealousy as a motive for a homicide); State v. Noyes, (1960) 69 Wash.2d 441, 446, 418 P.2d 471, 475, cert. denied, (1967) 386 U.S. 968, 87 S.Ct. 1053, 18 L.Ed.2d 122 (evidence of Defendant’s quarrels with his wife over her relationships with other men). We find no error in the admission of the ex-wife’s testimony.

ISSUE II

Defendant next raises two claimed instances of prosecutorial misconduct, which, when coupled with the prosecutor’s attempt to interject inadmissible evidence in Issue I, supra, assertedly resulted in a denial of due process.

Defendant contends that the victim was improperly allowed to relate the nature of her surgery. For the purpose of showing serious bodily injury, the trial court permitted the victim to testify that she underwent exploratory surgery which disclosed the damage done by one bullet. She also had two other operations, one to remove a bullet from her neck and another to repair damage done to two of her fingers. The testimony was elicited in a straightforward manner with no attempt by the State to embellish upon gory details. The victim’s testimony communicated the nature and extent of the wounds inflicted upon her, which is relevant to the issue of Defendant’s intent to commit Murder. Gayer v. State, (1965) 247 Ind. 113, 116-17, 210 N.E.2d 852, 855; Washington v. State, (1979) Ind.App., 379 N.E.2d 1032, 1035; Smith v. State, (1975) 165 Ind.App. 37, 42, 330 N.E.2d 384, 387 (trans. denied).

Also over objection the victim testified that she left the hospital on the “8th day.” In Arnett v. State, (1969) 251 Ind. 685, 689, 244 N.E.2d 912, 914 a majority of this Court held that, “Where, as here, intent to kill is a material issue of the crime of which the Appellant was charged, evidence of the length of the victim’s hospital confinement may be admitted in evidence' for the consideration of the jury in determining Appellant’s intent.” Consequently, we find no error in the admission of this testimony.

Defendant also notes misconduct in the prosecutor’s closing argument; however, upon Defendant’s objection, the trial court instructed the jury to disregard the Prosecutor’s comment, “ * * * and to some extent, the decision that you make is going to be the guideline and the standard for behavior * * Defendant has made no attempt to show that the admonition did not cure the error, if any. See Morse v. State, (1980) Ind., 413 N.E.2d 885, 889; Page v. State, (1980) Ind., 410 N.E.2d 1304, 1307. We find no error in the trial court’s rulings, and the record does not show that the Prosecutor’s conduct denied Defendant due process.

ISSUE III

At trial a police officer testified about what occurred when Defendant was arrested and taken to the police station:

“Q. What else did you do?
[433]*433“A. Advised the Detective Bureau that I had him in custody, and I advised him of his rights, asked him if he wanted to make a statement...
“Mr. GRAY: Judge, we’re going to object and ask if we can approach the bench. * * * Judge, the Defendant moves for a mistrial. The United States Supreme Court has indicated that the mere fact that a person is read his rights, and then indicates that he is exercising his rights is impermissible to be introduced to any Case-In-Chief for which the Defendant is being tried in a criminal case.

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Bluebook (online)
441 N.E.2d 430, 1982 Ind. LEXIS 996, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haggenjos-v-state-ind-1982.