Harper v. Commonwealth

371 S.W.3d 763, 2011 WL 5244826, 2011 Ky. App. LEXIS 214
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedNovember 4, 2011
DocketNos. 2009-CA-002390-MR, 2010-CA-001802-MR
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 371 S.W.3d 763 (Harper v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harper v. Commonwealth, 371 S.W.3d 763, 2011 WL 5244826, 2011 Ky. App. LEXIS 214 (Ky. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

OPINION

CAPERTON, Judge:

Following a jury conviction for second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful imprisonment, the Appellant Gregory Harper was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment.1 He now appeals the August 10, 2010, order of the Jefferson Circuit Court denying his motion for a new trial based upon the failure of the courtroom recording equipment to produce a record of his [765]*765jury trial. Following a review of the record, the arguments of the parties, and the applicable law, we affirm.

On March 30, 2009, Harper was indicted for the February 14, 2009, second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful imprisonment of his niece, Charisse Harper. Subsequently, due to failure of the courtroom recording equipment, the trial court entered a summary of the trial proceedings and, therefore, all references infra to testimony and events at trial are according to the trial summary.

According to the trial summary, on February 14, 2009, Charisse Harper was living with Gregory Harper. At the time of trial, she was 37 years old, and Gregory was 51. Apparently, Charisse and Gregory were engaged in an altercation,2 and, according to Charisse, Gregory locked her out of the house. Charisse testified that she attempted to gain entry through a kitchen window, at which time Gregory grabbed her, pulled her inside, pinned her to the ground, and beat her, refusing to relent until she promised she would not call the police.

During the course of her testimony, Charisse displayed her scars to the jury and explained that she went feet first through the kitchen window, which she stated was about two feet above the stove. Charisse testified that Gregory grabbed her by the legs and pulled her into the kitchen and that she believed that was when she bruised her leg. Charisse testified that her face never hit the stove. Charisse testified that she then left, went across the street to a friend’s house, and called 911. Although initially refusing to go to the emergency room, Charisse was persuaded to do so after passing out later in the evening. After leaving the hospital, Charisse reported Gregory’s actions to the police.

De’Shawna McGowan also testified below. McGowan lived across the street from Charisse and testified that Charisse initially came over to her house on the evening of the assault because her uncle would not allow her to use the phone. McGowan testified that Charisse took a cordless phone and went back across the street. Approximately ten minutes later, McGowan went to look for the phone and found it on Charisse’s front porch. McGowan testified that she heard a loud male voice arguing and went back to her house. McGowan testified that a couple of minutes later, Charisse returned to her house and asked for the phone to call the police. McGowan testified that Charisse’s eye was split and purple, and that her lip was bleeding. McGowan spent additional time that evening with Charisse and her boyfriend, Edward Bibb, and testified that she noticed bruises forming on Charisse, as well as an increase in the swelling of her left eye and lip.

Charisse’s boyfriend, Edward Bibb, also testified below. Bibb testified that when he arrived at the scene, Charisse was “in bad shape.” He felt that she needed medical care, although she seemed to want to wait. Bibb testified that Charisse was drinking following the assault, and that after she passed out, he took her to University of Louisville Hospital, where she remained for four days. Bibb identified Gregory in court on the day of his testimony.

Dr. Barbara Casper, who treated Char-isse at the hospital, also testified below. Casper testified that the primary reason Charisse was admitted to her care was for [766]*766severe and chronic anemia secondary to heavy menstrual flow, Although Dr. Carper identified the heavy menstrual flow as a cause of the anemia itself, she testified that Charisse would, nevertheless, have had to go to the hospital that evening because of-the injuries inflicted during the course of the beating itself.

Upon admission, Charisse’s symptoms were headache, transient loss of consciousness, and pain in the abdomen, face, and legs. Dr. Casper testified that Charisse’s left eye was swollen shut. The CT scan showed no internal injuries, although Charisse did have a broken nose, significant bruising on her limbs, and a tender abdomen. Dr. Casper testified that she was also concerned because Charisse was vomiting blood, and a nasogastric tube was placed accordingly. Dr. Casper testified that Charisse’s blood alcohol level was .282 at midnight, but that she had no sense that Charisse had trouble relating the events to her. Dr. Casper testified that the injuries which she observed were consistent with Charisse’s story. Dr. Casper testified that the beating posed a significant risk because blood loss could cause serious and permanent injury. Charisse received four units of blood while in the hospital.

Harper also testified below. He stated that he allowed Charisse to live with him in order to keep her off of the streets. Harper denied any altercation regarding the telephone. He stated that he heard a noise and saw feet coming into the kitchen window, at which point he grabbed Char-isse but let go once he realized who it was. Harper denied striking Charisse. Harper testified that he then left to go to the store. Harper testified that upon his return, the police were present. He spoke to them and was told to return home.

At the close of testimony, Harper’s counsel moved for a directed verdict, which was denied. As noted, Harper was ultimately convicted of second-degree assault and first-degree unlawful imprisonment. He subsequently waived his right to a jury determination of sentencing and entered a guilty plea in exchange for an eight-year sentence on the assault charge and a five-year sentence on the unlawful imprisonment charge, with both sentences to run concurrently for a total of eight years. Harper was sentenced the same day.3

Although the trial proceedings were videotaped, the courtroom recording equipment failed to record any audio of the three-day trial. On September 18, 2009, Harper filed a “Motion for Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict, or in the Alternative, Motion for New Trial,” in which he raised a Batson4 issue; a claim regarding a juror that counsel thought should have been stricken for cause; an alleged trial court error concerning a motion in limine, which the court sustained, regarding Harper’s cocaine usage; and an alleged error for failure to grant a directed verdict in Harper’s favor.

Approximately a month later, on October 23, 2009, Harper filed a “Supplement to Defendant’s Motion for a New Trial,” asserting that without an audio record, he would be unable to exercise his right to an [767]*767appeal. In making that motion, Harper acknowledged that Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure (CR) 75.13 allows for the use of a narrative statement in the absence of a stenographic or electronic record but argued that “recourse to a narrative statement would serve only to compromise the right to appeal guaranteed under Kentucky’s Constitution.” Harper’s motion was heard at final sentencing on October 30, 2009.

In the trial court’s “Order Denying New Trial and Addressing Trial Record,” the court stated that the failure of the audio equipment was “an endemic problem with the current, somewhat dated version of JAVS which is in use in Jefferson Circuit Court.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
371 S.W.3d 763, 2011 WL 5244826, 2011 Ky. App. LEXIS 214, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harper-v-commonwealth-kyctapp-2011.