Haskins v. State

294 N.W.2d 25, 97 Wis. 2d 408, 1980 Wisc. LEXIS 2626
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJune 27, 1980
Docket78-656-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 294 N.W.2d 25 (Haskins v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wisconsin Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Haskins v. State, 294 N.W.2d 25, 97 Wis. 2d 408, 1980 Wisc. LEXIS 2626 (Wis. 1980).

Opinion

*409 WILLIAM G. CALLOW, J.

The principal issues on this review concern the admissibility of evidence of “other crimes” committed by the defendant’s associates and the permissibility of cross-examination regarding events which form the basis of pending criminal prosecutions facing the defendant. We took this case by petition to bypass the court of appeals, consolidating it for purposes of disposition with Neely v. State, 97 Wis.2d 38, 292 N.W.2d 859 (1980), which involved the same crime and raised related issues.

I.

Following a jury trial, plaintiff in error Isaac Haskins was convicted of first-degree murder, party to a crime, for his participation in the shooting death of Felix Winters. As related in Neely v. State, supra, Winters and two other men robbed Haskins at his home. Haskins, in an attempt to locate Winters, went to the home of Winters’ girl friend, Kathleen Lessard, accompanied by nine other men. Lessard testified her house was ransacked, and Haskins threatened the lives of Winters, who was not present, and Lessard and her son, who were present. At Haskins’ order, one of his men, Robert Neely, took Lessard to the home of Helen Wright, the girl friend of one of Winters’ accomplices. Neely forced his way into Wright’s home and pointed a gun in her face, demanding to know the whereabouts of her boyfriend. Neely took from Wright some of the money that earlier had been stolen from Haskins and telephoned Haskins. Haskins arrived minutes later, and Neely gave him the money taken from Wright. Haskins then told Wright to let him know if her boyfriend contacted her. As a result of his participation in the events at the Wright and Lessard homes, Haskins was charged with ten felony counts in an information filed by the Milwaukee County District *410 Attorney; at the time of these events, Wright and Les-sard resided in Milwaukee County.

Several days after the robbery, Winters telephoned Haskins to apologize and offer reparation. Haskins appeared to accept Winters’ overture but devised and directed a plan to kill him. See: Neely v. State, supra, p. 40. Pursuant to this plan, Winters was driven to a field in Kenosha County where he was shot and killed by Neely.

Haskins was charged with first-degree murder, and a jury trial was held commencing January 10, 1977. Prior to trial, Haskins filed a motion in limine requesting an order “prohibiting the prosecution from introducing any testimony or evidence upon the trial of this cause concerning any alleged crimes other than the crime charged and for which the defendant is on trial.” Defense counsel made clear that the motion was directed to the incidents which occurred at the Wright and Lessard residences on the night of the robbery of Haskins and sought to have evidence of those incidents declared inadmissible as improper “other crimes” evidence and as having prejudicial effect which outweighed its probative value. The trial court denied the motion, deferring consideration of the issue until the evidence was actually proffered. At trial, the evidence was admitted.

Prior to the commencement of Haskins’ presentation of evidence, defense counsel moved to prohibit the state from questioning the defendant on cross-examination concerning the Wright and Lessard incidents about which Haskins did not intend to testify on direct. Defense counsel further requested, in the alternative, that Has-kins be permitted to invoke his privilege against self-incrimination and to refuse to answer any questions about those incidents. The trial court ruled that the state would be permitted to ask any relevant questions concerning the Wright and Lessard incidents if Haskins took the stand and that Haskins would be ordered by the *411 court to answer the questions. Even if Haskins’ testimony on direct avoided mention of the incidents, the trial court concluded they were proper subjects of cross-examination as “incidents which occurred in the middle of the entire question — conspiracy to commit first degree murder.” Defense counsel then advised the court that, because of this ruling, Haskins would not testify and made an offer of proof as to what Haskins’ testimony would be if he had testified. Haskins did not take the stand, and the jury ultimately found him guilty. Writs of error were issued to review the judgment of conviction and the order denying post-trial motions. Further facts are stated in the opinion.

II.

Haskins argues the trial court erred in admitting three items of testimony: (1) the testimony of Lessard that, while she and Haskins were conversing at her dining room table, an unidentified person held a gun to the head of her child to induce her to disclose the whereabouts of Winters; (2) the testimony of Lessard that, while she was at Wright’s apartment and outside Has-kins’ presence, Neely injected her with heroin in order to make her talk; and (3) Wright’s testimony that Neely pointed a gun at her face when he entered her apartment in search of her boyfriend. After considering the merits of Haskins’ contentions, 1 we conclude the *412 trial court committed no error in admitting the challenged testimony.

Haskins contends the testimony is inadmissible as evidence of “other crimes,” under sec. 904.04(2), Stats. 2 We disagree. In State v. Spraggin, 77 Wis.2d 89, 99, 252 N.W.2d 94 (1977), we discussed the use of “other crimes” evidence to establish a “plan”:

“The word ‘plan’ in sec. 904.04(2) means a design or scheme formed to accomplish some particular purpose. . . . Evidence showing a plan establishes a definite prior design, plan, or scheme which includes the doing of the act charged. As Wigmore states, there must be ‘such a concurrence of common features that the various acts are materially to be explained as caused by a general plan of which they are the individual manifestations.’ ”

Haskins was charged with causing the death of Winters, in concert with others. At trial, the state presented evidence in an effort to establish “a definite prior design, plan, or scheme” to apprehend and kill Winters. Locating Winters was a necessary and integral part of that design, plan, or scheme. The evidence Haskins claims was wrongly admitted showed members of Haskins’ gang employing forcible and violent means in attempts to determine Winters’ whereabouts. The acts were committed by members of the conspiracy to kill Winters; the *413 victims of the acts were closely identified with either Winters or another robber. The acts and the conspiracy shared a common aim — apprehension of Winters. These common features explain the acts “ ‘as caused by a general plan [to kill Winters] of which they are the individual manifestations.’ ” Id., quoting 2 Wigmore, Evidence, sec. 304 (3d ed. 1940). As such, evidence of the acts could be offered under the exception to sec. 904.04 (2), Stats., allowing proof of plan.

Additionally, the evidence was properly offered under the exception allowing proof of motive.

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Bluebook (online)
294 N.W.2d 25, 97 Wis. 2d 408, 1980 Wisc. LEXIS 2626, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/haskins-v-state-wis-1980.