Lubiano v. State

384 S.E.2d 410, 192 Ga. App. 272, 1989 Ga. App. LEXIS 998
CourtCourt of Appeals of Georgia
DecidedJune 26, 1989
DocketA89A0336, A89A0337
StatusPublished
Cited by25 cases

This text of 384 S.E.2d 410 (Lubiano v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Georgia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lubiano v. State, 384 S.E.2d 410, 192 Ga. App. 272, 1989 Ga. App. LEXIS 998 (Ga. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

McMurray, Presiding Judge.

Defendants Lubiano and Murray were jointly indicted for aggravated assault upon a peace officer in that they “did unlawfully make an assault upon the person of Georgia State Trooper First Class Mickey Little, knowing said person was a peace officer engaged in the performance of his official duties, said assault being with boot-clad feet and a .357 magnum revolver, objects which, when used offensively against a person actually do result in serious bodily injury, by kicking and striking said person in the head . . . .” In a second count, defendants were jointly indicted for aggravated assault in that they “did unlawfully make an assault upon the person of William Jackson Tubb, with a .357 magnum revolver, a deadly weapon, by pointing said weapon at said person. . . .” Defendant Murray was charged in a separate count with being a recidivist under OCGA § 17-10-7. The evidence adduced at a joint jury trial revealed the following:

At about 11:00 in the morning on February 9, 1988, Trooper Mickey Little of the Georgia State Patrol observed a “black-over-white” Lincoln Continental traveling north on Interstate Highway 75 with what then appeared to be an improper out-of-state license plate. Trooper Little stopped the vehicle and discovered that defendant Lubiano was the driver and that defendant Murray was the passenger. Trooper Little separated defendants, made inquiry of their itinerary and received conflicting accounts of defendants’ mission. The trooper then made a further investigation of the suspect vehicle and, later “asked [defendant] Lubiano for permission to look in the trunk [of the Lincoln].” Defendant Lubiano consented and, as Trooper Little was searching, he discovered a package which appeared to be the same type of packaging usually involved in wrapping cocaine and marijuana. Trooper Little placed his hand on the suspect package and defendant Lubiano struck the officer “across the shoulder . . . .” “At that point [, Trooper Little and defendant Lubiano] fell to the ground and rolled to the bottom of a small embankment. [Trooper Little] was struck approximately two more times in the process of rolling down *273 the hill, in the face. When [the men] reached the bottom of the hill, [Trooper Little] ended up on top of [defendant] Lubiano and was trying to subdue [defendant Lubiano] at that time. The next thing [Trooper Little remembers] was a sharp blow to the left-hand side area of [his] head . . .” and was momentarily “knocked” unconscious. When the trooper awakened, he was lying on his stomach “in a face-down position.” Defendant Murray ordered the trooper to surrender his handgun. When the officer refused, he was “struck on the rear portion of [his] head and, again, . . . knocked . . . unconscious.”

William Jackson Tubb, a “tractor/trailer” operator for “Steeves and Sons Door Company,” was traveling by the scene and “observed [defendant Murray and defendant Lubiano] over in the ditch with [Trooper Little] down on the ground, face down.” Tubb stopped, “got out of [his] truck[,] got a tire iron out of the tool box on the truck, [and ran] back to the scene, where [he] observed [defendant Lubiano] kicking the State Trooper [and defendant Murray] beating [the trooper] with his revolver, beating him in the head, and just. . . brutalizing the State Trooper . . . .” Tubb ordered the defendants to stop, but defendant Murray “turned around and pointed the State Trooper’s revolver at [Tubb] with the hammer back and . . . told [Tubb] to ‘get the [f--k] out of there.’ ” Tubb “raised [his] hands and dropped [his tire iron] and [pleaded with defendant Murray] not to kill [him] and not to kill the Officer.” Defendant Murray again ordered Tubb to leave the scene. Tubb complied, and went “to the State Patrol car to look for a shotgun or any kind of weapon.” Defendant Murray then “threw the revolver over into some honeysuckle vines” and defendants then abandoned Trooper Little and fled in the Lincoln Continental. The jury found defendants guilty of aggravated assault upon Trooper Little and aggravated assault upon William Jackson Tubb. Defendant Murray was sentenced to serve two consecutive twenty-year terms under the provisions of OCGA § 17-10-7. Defendant Lubiano was sentenced to serve two consecutive twenty-year terms. After the denial of their motions for new trial, defendant Lubi-ano appealed in Court of Appeals Case No. A89A0336 and defendant Murray appealed in Court of Appeals Case No. A89A0337. Held:

1. In his first enumeration of error, defendant Lubiano contends that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions.

(a) Aggravated Assault Upon a Peace Officer (Count 1)

Defendant Lubiano argues that the State failed to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that he assaulted Trooper Little in the manner alleged in the indictment, i.e., “with boot-clad feet and a .357 magnum revolver, objects which, when used offensively against a person actually do result in serious bodily injury, by kicking and striking a person in the head . . . .” More specifically, defendant Lubiano argues that the State failed to prove that he assaulted the trooper with *274 both his “ ‘boot-clad feet and a .357 magnum revolver.’ ”

“ ‘When an indictment charges a crime was committed in more than one way, proof that it was committed in one of the separate ways or methods alleged in the indictment makes a prima facie case for jury determination as to guilt or innocence. See Jones v. State, 75 Ga. App. 610 (4), 615 (44 SE2d 174); Leverenz v. State, 140 Ga. App. 632, 634 (231 SE2d 513).’ Henry v. State, 154 Ga. App. 120 (1) (267 SE2d 653).” Rucker v. State, 177 Ga. App. 779, 781 (3) (341 SE2d 228). In view of the conjunctive form of the indictment in the case sub judice, it was not incumbent upon'the State to prove that defendant Lubiano assaulted Trooper Little with both his feet and a revolver. Evidence showing that defendant Lubiano mercilessly “kicked” Trooper Little in the head, causing the law enforcement officer serious bodily injury, was sufficient to authorize the jury’s finding that defendant Lubiano was guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt, of aggravated assault upon a peace officer as was charged in the indictment. OCGA § 16-5-21 (a) (2) (b); Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U. S. 307 (99 SC 2781, 61 LE2d 560). See Adams v. State, 255 Ga. 356 (338 SE2d 860).

(b) Aggravated Assault (Count 2)

Next, defendant Lubiano “challenges this Court and the State to point to any evidence . . .” showing that he “ ‘did unlawfully make an assault upon the person of William Jackson Tubb with a .357 Magnum revolver, a deadly weapon, by pointing said weapon at said person.’ ”

“ ‘Every person concerned in the commission of a crime is a party thereto and may be charged with and convicted of commission of the crime. A person is concerned in the commission of a crime only if he: . . . (3) (i)ntentionally aids or abets in the commission of the crime . .

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Bluebook (online)
384 S.E.2d 410, 192 Ga. App. 272, 1989 Ga. App. LEXIS 998, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lubiano-v-state-gactapp-1989.