Lycan v. State

671 N.E.2d 447, 1996 Ind. App. LEXIS 1262, 1996 WL 539724
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 25, 1996
Docket48A02-9410-CR-637
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 671 N.E.2d 447 (Lycan 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
Lycan v. State, 671 N.E.2d 447, 1996 Ind. App. LEXIS 1262, 1996 WL 539724 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

OPINION

SULLIVAN, Judge.

Following a jury trial, Dale E. Lycan (Ly-can) was convicted of murder, 1 burglary, 2 conspiracy to commit burglary, 3 and possession with intent to deliver ten or more pounds of marijuana. 4 We restate the issues as follows:

1) Whether the trial court erred in admitting evidence concerning a MAC-10 semi automatic pistol carried by Lycan shortly before the murder, and found unloaded in Lycan's van at the crime scene;
2) Whether the trial court erred in permitting testimony elicited during the State's redirect examination concerning a silencer found in Lycan's van at the crime scene;
3) Whether the trial court erred in permitting the State to elicit testimony on cross-examination concerning weapons, other than the murder weapon, which Lycan had purchased;
4) Whether the State presented sufficient evidence that Lycan ever possessed mariJuana; and
5) Whether the State presented sufficient evidence that Lycan possessed ten or more pounds of marijuana?

We affirm in part, and reverse in part.

Stated most favorably to the judgment, the facts reveal that throughout 1993, Lycan and the murder victim, Larry Montgomery (Montgomery), had been partners in a marijuana distribution scheme in Anderson. Over the course of that year, however, the relationship between the two deteriorated, apparently in large part due to money owed by Montgomery to Lycan and by both to their drug suppliers. There was testimony that the debt to the suppliers would be extinguished if Montgomery's whereabouts were revealed to the suppliers or if Montgomery were shot.

Because his relationship with Lycan had crumbled, Montgomery sent his girlfriend, Jackie Parke (Parke), to Lycan's trailer on November 13, 1993, for the purpose of retrieving a key to Montgomery's trailer, and to tell Lycan that Montgomery did not want any further association. On November 14, Lyean and Rebecca Webb (Webb), with whom Lycan lived, awoke around two o'clock in the afternoon. Later that afternoon, they went to the home of Lisa Rehmel (Rehmel), *451 where it was agreed that Lycan and Webb would burglarize Montgomery's - trailer. Rehmel was to notify Lyean by a pager when Montgomery and Parke, who were to arrive at Rehmel's somewhat later, left Rehmel's to return to their trailer.

Around five-thirty or six o'clock that evening, Lycan and Webb went to the trailer shared by Montgomery and Parke. After Webb ascertained that no one was home, Lycan boosted Webb through a window in the back of the trailer, and inside, Webb took ten ounces of marijuana, as well as seventeen compact discs. Lycan and Webb then went to the home of Donald Green (Green), where Webb gave the discs and marijuana to Green in return for $700.00. Around ten o'clock that evening, Lycan and Webb went to Bud and Joe's Tavern, where they met with friends and drank.

At some point in the evening after Lycan and Webb had burglarized their trailer, Montgomery and Parke returned and discovered what had happened. Suspecting that Lycan had been involved, Montgomery and Parke drove around Anderson searching for Lycan, in order to confront him about the incident. They did see Lycan's van parked outside of Bud and Joe's, but Montgomery did not choose to confront Lycan there. After seeing Lycan's van at Bud and Joe's, they ceased searching for Lycan, and began to drive home. f

Sometime after midnight, Lycan and Webb left Bud and Joe's, and returned to their trailer. When they arrived, they discovered that their trailer had been broken into, and Webb, who had been given a Colt Commander 45 caliber gun by Lycan earlier in the day, entered the front of the trailer, while Lyean went around the back. Webb testified, over objection, that Lycan was armed with a MAC-10 semi-automatic pistol while at the trailer. Webb also testified that, after searching the trailer, Lycan emerged with a suitcase, which she believed contained marijuana. Lycan placed it in the trunk of a car belonging to Leslie Gates (Gates) and Charlie Murdock (Murdock). Lycan then attempted to persuade Webb to return to Montgomery's trailer, but she declined to do so, and Lycan took the Colt Commander back from her. At that point, according to Webb, Lycan was acting "[nlot himself ... delirious." Record at 900. 5

After being at the trailer for approximately fifteen minutes, Webb then departed with Gates and Murdock for a Motel 6. She testified that it was approximately a fifteen minute drive, assuming compliance with traffic laws. When they arrived at the Motel 6, they saw Lycan's van in the middle of the parking lot, still running. Webb exited Gates' car, and went to park the van. Webb then observed Lycan coming out of a room at the motel, and she gave him the keys to the van. Lycan at that time told Webb, Gates and Murdock to leave. Those three then went to the motel office in order to rent a room, since they were at that time unable to find the room of some of their friends from Bud and Joe's, who had gone to the motel to have a party.

Shortly after Webb, Gates and Murdock left to go to the Motel 6 office, Montgomery and Parke drove by the motel, spotted Ly-can's van, and entered the motel parking lot. They pulled up beside the van, Montgomery honked the horn, and Lycan emerged from a room. According to Parke, Lycan came out with a gun, and Montgomery, who was unarmed, got out of the car to confront him. The two began arguing about money and who had stolen from whom and called each other names. According to Parke, the two engaged in some pushing and shoving, and while Montgomery was taking off one of his boots, in order to gain traction for a fight, Lycan knocked Montgomery's hat off of his head. Shortly after that, Lycan shot Montgomery in the stomach. Parke testified that Lycan was moving toward Montgomery at the time of the shooting, and was not attempting to retreat or move away. The only other eyewitness to the shooting, who observed it through his motel room window, did *452 not testify that he saw Lycan retreat at any point during the confrontation. The shooting occurred sometime between one o'clock and one-fifty in the morning, when police were dispatched.

Immediately after the shooting, Lycan went to a room in the motel which had been rented by some friends, including Rehmel, where he stated that he had shot Montgomery. Lycan entered a car with Rehmel and a few others, and they were beginning to drive from the scene when they were stopped by a police officer. The officer told them they could not leave the scene, and Rehmel told Lycan to get of the car, which he did. Lycan then attempted to hide in another car, and upon being told by the car's owner to get out, returned to the room where his friends were staying. There he attempted unsuccessfully to trade-his boots to one of his friends for a pair of tennis shoes. Lycan was thereafter told by one of the room's occupants to leave, which he did. Ultimately, Lycan was captured by police some two hours after the shooting attempting to flee on foot.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
671 N.E.2d 447, 1996 Ind. App. LEXIS 1262, 1996 WL 539724, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lycan-v-state-indctapp-1996.