Irby v. State

210 N.W.2d 755, 60 Wis. 2d 311, 1973 Wisc. LEXIS 1340
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 2, 1973
DocketState 91
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 210 N.W.2d 755 (Irby 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
Irby v. State, 210 N.W.2d 755, 60 Wis. 2d 311, 1973 Wisc. LEXIS 1340 (Wis. 1973).

Opinions

Hallows, C. J.

The first contention is the conviction is not sustained by sufficient credible evidence.

The sufficiency of the evidence.

We have examined the record and have come to the conclusion the jury on the evidence presented, which it had a right to believe and accept as true, acting reasonably could be convinced of Irby’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. This is the test on appeal, not whether this court or the members thereof are convinced of Irby’s guilt. Lock v. State (1966), 31 Wis. 2d 110, 142 N. W. 2d 183; State v. Dombrowski (1969), 44 Wis. 2d 486, 171 N. W. 2d 349; Johnson v. State (1972), 55 Wis. 2d 144, 197 N. W. 2d 760. The evidence is not so insufficient in probative value and force even though much of it is circumstantial that it can be said as a matter of law that no trier of the fact acting reasonably could be convinced to the degree of certitude required in criminal cases. Lock v. State, supra; State ex rel. Kanieski v. Gagnon (1972), 54 Wis. 2d 108, 194 N. W. 2d 808; State v. Johnson (1960), 11 Wis. 2d 130, 104 N. W. 2d 379.

The evidence disclosed that on July 5,1971, about 11:25 p. m. in the 400 Bar in Madison, Virgil Frosch was shot from the blast of a sawed-off shotgun and died shortly thereafter. Irby had been in the bar around 9:30 p. m., so was the victim Virgil Frosch, and Robert Gatson who was sitting at the bar near Frosch, with whom he engaged in conversation. Sometime during the evening Irby left. A witness Nancy Bernier had Irby coming back to the tavern, standing near a jukebox and the [314]*314restrooms or walking near the end of the bar by the jukebox. Some of the witnesses, and there were some 31 for the prosecution, testified to a noise sounding like a shot or a firecracker and some smoke near the jukebox. No witnesses testified that they saw Irby shoot Frosch. A gun with the barrel and stock shortened was identified as belonging to Irby. There was testimony Irby came to the room of Michael Thrall about 11:30 or 12:00 on the night of the shooting and appeared nervous and stated the next day to Thrall, after hearing the news broadcast, that he had an argument with an older man, shot him and threw the gun in the lake. The gun was recovered by the police, not in the lake but near it. It was identified as Irby’s sawed-off shotgun. There was testimony by one LaMar Walker, an inmate at the state prison in Waupun, that he was a cellmate of Irby in Dane county jail; that Irby during an argument in a card game in jail, slapped a kid with his hand and reached into his pocket and pulled out a razor, stating he had killed one person and one more would not make any difference.

But, Irby claims the evidence is insufficient because some of the evidence of Bernier and Walker should not be considered and this raises the question of the admissibility of certain evidence.

Impeachment testimony of Nancy Bernier.

Nancy Bernier testified for the state and placed Irby in the saloon near the jukebox when she heard a loud noise and saw a flash from the area of the jukebox, but did not see Irby shoot Frosch. On the preliminary hearing, she had testified she saw Irby shoot Frosch. The prosecutor was allowed to read into the record her prior inconsistent statement after the court held her to be a hostile witness. This, the court may do. See sec. 972.09, [315]*315Stats.; Bullock v. State (1972), 53 Wis. 2d 809, 193 N. W. 2d 889. However, previous inconsistent statements used to impeach one’s own witness even though hostile may not be used as substantive evidence. State v. Major (1956), 274 Wis. 110, 79 N. W. 2d 75 ; Gelhaar v. State (1969), 41 Wis. 2d 230, 163 N. W. 2d 609. Irby claims the impeachment testimony of Bernier was used substantively by the jury. This argument is based on the assumption the court did not instruct the jury on the limited use of the evidence.

The prior inconsistent statements of Bernier were of three kinds: A statement made to the police about two hours after the shooting; a statement made to the district attorney two days after the shooting, and her testimony at the preliminary hearing. In respect to the first two statements, the court asked defense trial counsel whether he had. any objection to their admission in evidence and he had none. Counsel also did not specifically object to the receipt of Bernier’s testimony at the preliminary hearing as an exhibit which would go to the jury. Trial counsel did not ask for any instruction on the limitation of the use of these statements. Therefore under the usual rules, counsel waived any objection to the use of the evidence if, in fact, the jury considered it substantive evidence. State v. Cassel (1970), 48 Wis. 2d 619, 180 N. W. 2d 607; Price v. State (1967), 37 Wis. 2d 117, 154 N. W. 2d 222, certiorari denied (1968), 391 U. S. 908, 88 Sup. Ct. 1662, 20 L. Ed. 2d 423; State v. Cartagena (1968), 40 Wis. 2d 213, 161 N. W. 2d 392; Whitty v. State (1967), 34 Wis. 2d 278, 149 N. W. 2d 557, certiorari denied (1965), 390 U. S. 959, 88 Sup. Ct. 1056, 19 L. Ed. 2d 1155.

However, it is argued the use of impeachment evidence as substantive evidence is a “plain error” and so fundamental as to taint the trial and make it unfair or biased. It is claimed such an error is an exception to [316]*316the waiver rule. McCormick, Evidence (2d ed.), p. 120, sec. 52. A “plain error” has been recognized on appeal where it involved issues of constitutional dimensions, but we see no constitutional issue here. California v. Green (1970), 399 U. S. 149, 90 Sup. Ct. 1930, 26 L. Ed. 2d 489. It is argued that sec. 972.09, Stats.,1 forbids the use of prior inconsistent statements as substantive evidence. The statute expressly states a hostile witness may be impeached by the party producing him by evidence of his prior contradictory statements. State v. Major, supra. The Major Case involves the question of construing sec. 325.35, the predecessor section of 972.09, but not the question of granting authority to use inconsistent statements as substantive evidence. We do not think sec. 972.09 by implication forbids the use of prior inconsistent statements of a witness as substantive evidence where no objection is made by counsel. Generally, all probative evidence is admissible unless objected to on proper grounds. It follows that a trial court, although it may, is not required sua sponte to reject prior inconsistent statements as substantive evidence when counsel has made no objection. Neither is the trial court in such a situation required sua sponte to instruct the jury that the evidence was admitted for only the limited purpose of impeachment when there was no such understanding upon its admission.

[317]*317 Testimony of LaMar Walker.

At trial, defense counsel objected to the evidence concerning an argument between Irby and another inmate in the county jail as being irrelevant. His objection was overruled. Likewise, his objection was overruled concerning the statement Irby made during the argument to the effect that he had killed a person and killing one more would not make any difference. The general rule is that evidence which tends to prove another crime is inadmissible to prove the crime for which the defendant is presently charged. State v. Raether (1951), 259 Wis. 391, 393, 48 N. W. 2d 483; 1 Wharton’s,

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Bluebook (online)
210 N.W.2d 755, 60 Wis. 2d 311, 1973 Wisc. LEXIS 1340, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/irby-v-state-wis-1973.