McCostlin v. State

594 So. 2d 214, 1991 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1439, 1991 WL 197848
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedSeptember 20, 1991
DocketCR 90-302
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 594 So. 2d 214 (McCostlin v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCostlin v. State, 594 So. 2d 214, 1991 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1439, 1991 WL 197848 (Ala. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

TYSON, Judge.

Cleve E. McCostlin and Sherry T. McCostlin were indicted for arson, in violation of § 13A-7-42, Code of Alabama 1975. They were found “guilty as charged in the indictment.” Cleve McCostlin was sentenced to life imprisonment under the Habitual Felony Offender Act. Sherry McCostlin was sentenced to four years in prison.

The record reveals that the appellant’s neighbor, Jerri Morgan, saw Mrs. McCost-lin emptying some trash outside of the McCostlin house at approximately 9:00 a.m. on December 29, 1988. At approximately 1:30 p.m., Morgan looked out of her kitchen window and saw dark smoke coming out from under the eaves of the McCostlin house.

Terry Beckham of the West Blount Fire and Rescue Squad responded to a call concerning the appellants’ house. When he drove up to the house, he saw thick, black smoke coming from all of the natural vent openings. No flames were visible. He kicked open the front door. There was thick black smoke from the floor to the ceiling. He found fire in the hallway and extinguished the flames. All of the windows in the house were closed. One of the windows was closed, but not locked. One of the burners on the electric stove was in the “on” position but the burner itself was not glowing hot.

After the fire was extinguished, Beck-ham saw plastic milk jugs filled with liquid tied with a necktie to a doorknob in the back bedroom. The milk jugs smelled like gasoline. There were also “trailers” set up in two or three different places in the house. The trailers consisted of paper towels that extended from candles to the milk [216]*216jugs. There was a larger bundle of paper towels under the milk jugs. The fire was primarily concentrated in the hallway area where the remnants of a plastic milk jug were discovered. Beckham testified that there was a low burn pattern. On the day of the fire, the weather was clear and there was no lightning or thunder. Numerous photographs of the scene, including photographs of the milk jugs and the trailers, were admitted into evidence during Beck-ham’s testimony.

Vickie Bates, chief of the West Blount Fire and Rescue Squad, also responded to the 1:30 p.m. alarm. All of the windows were blackened by smoke when she arrived. There was also heavy black smoke along the eaves and coming out of the natural openings of the house. She did not observe any open windows. She saw three plastic milk jugs containing a petroleum product that smelled like gasoline. She also found the remnants of another jug in front of the entrance to the master bedroom. She found two milk jug caps in the kitchen trash can. There were no milk jugs found inside or outside of the house other than those found in the bedrooms and the remnants found in the hallway.

The appellants arrived at the house at approximately 2:50 p.m. The appellants stated that they had been to the hospital. Mrs. McCostlin asked Bates about her cat.

Richard Montgomery of the Alabama Fire Marshall’s Office investigated the fire. He started his investigation at approximately 4:00 p.m. on the day of the fire. There was no evidence that the house had been ransacked. There was no evidence of forced entry at the back door.1 He also observed the milk jugs, candles, and trailers. He testified that the jugs hanging from the doorknobs were approximately a foot off the floor. Another jug was on a bedroom nightstand. He found a melted plastic container which appeared to have been a milk jug outside the door to the master bedroom. He testified that the origin of the fire was in the hallway. He further testified that the stove did not contribute to the fire.

The appellants went into the house to determine if anything was missing. Mrs. McCostlin stated that $500, which had been tacked under her jewelry box, was missing. She also stated that a watch, a Masonic ring, an Eastern Star ring, a necklace, and earrings were missing. She also stated that some wedding candles were missing. Her son, Barry, stated that $70 was missing from a styrofoam container in his room. Mrs. McCostlin stated that prior to the fire, she had a gallon of gasoline in a milk jug in the den, a part of a gallon of gasoline in a milk jug on the back porch, and a gallon metal gasoline can under the back porch that might be empty. Montgomery found the empty metal can under the back porch.

Mrs. McCostlin told Montgomery that she, her husband, and her son spent the night in the house. Barry left between 5:00 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on the day of the fire. She and her husband got up at 7:00 a.m. They left the house at approximately 9:00 a.m. to go to the hospital because Mr. McCostlin’s brother was having surgery that day. She called her mother from the hospital at 2:00 p.m., and her mother told her about the fire. Mrs. McCostlin told Montgomery that she did not set fire to the house and that she had no idea who would do so.

Montgomery testified that Mr. McCostlin told him basically the same thing about the appellants’ activities on the day of the fire. Mr. McCostlin also told him that he kept three plastic milk jugs of gasoline in the den. According to Mr. McCostlin, at the time of the fire, two of the jugs were probably full and one was partially full. McCostlin stated that he worked on cars and that he used gasoline to clean carburetor parts. Montgomery did not find any milk jugs in the den. He found a milk jug cap laying on the floor inside the kitchen door. On cross-examination, Montgomery testified that he investigated another fire at the McCostlin home in 1986. He determined that that fire was the result of criminal mischief and that it had not been intentionally set. He testified that at the time [217]*217of the first fire, Mrs. McCostlin had told him that her ex-husband was threatening to burn the house.

Jerry Burrows, a criminalist with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, testified that an analysis of the plastic milk jugs, the melted plastic container, and the debris collected from around the melted container revealed the presence of an accelerate that was consistent with gasoline.

Ricky Horton of Associates Home Equity Service Mortgage Company, formerly Mellon Financial Services, testified that his company held the mortgage on the McCost-lin house. Between September and December 1988, the McCostlins were past due on their note and were two payments in arrears. A past due notice was addressed to Mrs. McCostlin and was sent to the appellants’ address. Horton also made several calls to the appellants’ residence, but their telephone had been disconnected. He also called their attorney. A foreclosure deed admitted into evidence indicated that the McCostlin house was sold at a foreclosure sale at 2:50 p.m. on December 29, 1988.

Robert Bell, an insurance adjustor for Allstate, testified that the appellants reported a claim for fire damage in late December 1988. The structure was insured for $48,000 and the contents were insured for $24,000. The appellants filed a proof of loss of $54,579, on which partial payment was made. After Bell’s testimony, the State rested its case.

Mrs. McCostlin testified that she woke up at 7:00 a.m. She left the house to go to the hospital to see her brother-in-law at 9:00 a.m. There were no milk jugs tied to any doorknobs with neckties when she left. There was gasoline stored in the den. She received the letter concerning the past due payments and wrote to the mortgage company stating that a payment would be made at the end of December. She had no contact from the insurance company after mailing the letter.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Scott v. State
163 So. 3d 389 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2012)
Brown v. State
56 So. 3d 729 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2009)
Inabinett v. State
594 So. 2d 214 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
594 So. 2d 214, 1991 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1439, 1991 WL 197848, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccostlin-v-state-alacrimapp-1991.