Lowrance v. State

565 N.E.2d 375, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 75, 1991 WL 5896
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 23, 1991
DocketNo. 82A01-9005-CR-201
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 565 N.E.2d 375 (Lowrance v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lowrance v. State, 565 N.E.2d 375, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 75, 1991 WL 5896 (Ind. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

ROBERTSON, Judge.

Gary W. Lowrance appeals his convictions after a jury trial of two counts of attempted murder, class A felonies, for which he received concurrent thirty (30) year sentences. Lowrance raises five issues, none of which constitutes reversible error.

FACTS

The evidence most favorable to the verdict reveals that early in the morning of [377]*377August 5, 1989, Gary Lowrance was informed that his wife, Leslie Lowrance, was having an affair with his best friend, Steven Patterson. Patterson informed Gary that he and Leslie intended to take Gary’s and Leslie’s son to Kentucky where Patterson would raise him as his own son.

That night — after a day filled with chaotic events — all four of the above mentioned persons were present in Gary’s apartment. Gary asked Leslie to come upstairs to kiss their son goodnight. As Leslie leaned over to kiss her son, Gary struck her, knocking her to the floor. Patterson heard the commotion and ran to Leslie’s aid. Gary brandished a handgun. Patterson begged Gary not to shoot him. Gary stated “I’m going to kill you, you mother f_,” and shot Patterson in the head numerous times. Gary then turned the gun on Leslie and shot her twice in the head. Gary ordered Leslie to sit still and watch Patterson bleed. Gary then proceeded to beat Leslie brutally about the jaw and face. When Gary’s and Leslie’s son began to cry, Gary explained they were playing a game and asked him if he would like to help.

Patterson almost died from his wounds. He suffered permanent brain damage and faces the prospect of an operation to remove a bullet lodged in his spine from which he may not survive. The two bullets fired into Leslie’s head ricocheted off. One carried away hair and became imbedded in the wall. As a result of the beating, Leslie suffered loosened teeth, a cut lip, swollen jaw, a black eye, and a knot the size of a baseball on her face.

Additional facts are supplied as necessary.

DECISION

I.

Whether the giving of preliminary instruction number 3 constituted fundamental error?

At the beginning of trial, the trial judge read preliminary instruction number three to the jury as follows:

The fact that a charge has been filed, the defendant arrested and brought to trial, is not to be considered by you as any evidence of being an habitual offender.

Lowrance asserts the above instruction constitutes error because he had no prior criminal history whatsoever and there was no habitual offender issue involved in his case. He asserts that he was wrongly prejudiced by the instruction because the jury was left with the erroneous impression that he had a criminal record.

Lowrance admits that he failed to object to the above instruction. He argues that we must nevertheless reverse because the error is fundamental in nature.

Fundamental error has been described as a blatant error creating a substantial potential for harm. Terry v. State (1984), Ind., 465 N.E.2d 1085. Fundamental error has also been described as gross error which offends our concept of criminal justice and the denial of fundamental due process. Reynolds v. State (1984), Ind., 460 N.E.2d 506. The failure to object does not preclude review when such preclusion would deny the defendant “fundamental due process.” Johnson v. State (1979), 271 Ind. 145, 390 N.E.2d 1005, cert. denied, 444 U.S. 944, 100 S.Ct. 302, 62 L.Ed.2d 312

Fundamental error doctrine cannot become a ruse to circumvent the necessity of timely objecting to alleged errors at trial. Cox v. State (1985), Ind., 475 N.E.2d 664. The mere fact that an alleged error implicates constitutional issues does not establish that fundamental error has occurred. Wilson v. State (1987), Ind., 514 N.E.2d 282.

In Stwalley v. State (1989), Ind., 534 N.E.2d 229, our supreme court held the erroneous admission of evidence of the defendant’s earlier rape conviction was harmless in his prosecution for rape. The Stwalley court held the error harmless because it did not appear that the jury’s verdict was substantially swayed by the error. Id.

In the present case, preliminary instruction number three may have left the [378]*378jury with the false impression that Low-rance had some unspecified previous felony convictions. Considering the law of Stwal-ley and the evidence presented in the present case, we cannot find that the complained-of error created a substantial potential for harm. We do not find .that the error was so blatant or gross as to constitute a denial of fundamental due process.

Lowrance has failed to preserve any error by making an objection to the instruction at trial. Whittle v. State (1989), Ind., 542 N.E.2d 981. Therefore, we find no error.

II.

Whether the trial court erred by permitting a psychiatrist to render his opinion that Lowrance was not insane as that term is defined by Indiana law?

Lowrance raised the insanity defense. A court appointed psychiatrist testified as follows:

Basically what I am saying, according to the standards of insanity in the Indiana Law, I felt that [Lowrance] did not meet the criteria for insanity.

Lowrance contends the admission of the above testimony constitutes error because medical experts are not competent to render legal opinions. He asserts this testimony constitutes an usurpation of the jury’s constitutional function.

This question is settled. Court appointed psychiatrists may properly testify that in their opinion a defendant was legally sane at the time of the commission of the crime. Freed v. State (1985), Ind., 480 N.E.2d 929. There is no prohibition preventing a court appointed psychiatrist from testifying on the ultimate question of legal sanity. Lee v. State (1979) 271 Ind. 307, 392 N.E.2d 470. Therefore, we find no error.

III.

Whether the trial court committed fundamental error in admitting Exhibit 26?

During the defense’s case-in-chief, Lowrance testified that he was honorably discharged from the Navy and testified about other details of his service. On cross-examination, the State introduced into evidence Lowrance’s “Certificate of Release or Discharge From Active Duty.” This document indicates that Lowrance was honorably discharged from the Navy. However, the box designated “Narrative Reason For Separation,” contains the following:

Misconduct — Frequent Involvement of a Discreditable Nature with Civil or Military Authorities

Lowrance testified about the above information explaining that he had been reprimanded for being missing four or five times.

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Related

Gary W. Lowrance v. State of Indiana
64 N.E.3d 935 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2016)
Miller v. Lowrance
629 N.E.2d 846 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1994)
Wilson v. State
611 N.E.2d 160 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1993)
Lee v. State
569 N.E.2d 717 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1991)

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565 N.E.2d 375, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 75, 1991 WL 5896, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lowrance-v-state-indctapp-1991.