Neely v. State

292 N.W.2d 859, 97 Wis. 2d 38, 1980 Wisc. LEXIS 2612
CourtWisconsin Supreme Court
DecidedJune 9, 1980
Docket77-499-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 292 N.W.2d 859 (Neely 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
Neely v. State, 292 N.W.2d 859, 97 Wis. 2d 38, 1980 Wisc. LEXIS 2612 (Wis. 1980).

Opinion

WILLIAM G. CALLOW, J.

The principle issue raised on this review concerns the extent to which a criminal defendant who takes the stand in his defense waives his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination.

*40 I.

On December 11 or 12, 1975, Felix Winters, the deceased, and two other men robbed Isaac Haskins at his apartment. After the robbery, Haskins attempted to locate Winters. He and nine other men, including Robert Neely, the defendant, went to the house of Winters’ girl friend, Kathleen Lessard. Lessard testified that, when she arrived sometime later, a gun was put to her head, and she was directed into the dining room. Has-kins told her that her boyfriend, Winters, had just robbed him, and he wanted to know where he was. He told her she had better help find Winters or she would never see Winters again. The defendant injected heroin into both of Lessard’s arms, stating that it was pure and that she would probably die from it, but that it would probably make her talk and reveal the whereabouts of Winters. One of Haskins’ and Neely’s companions held a gun to Lessard’s son’s head, and her house was ransacked. Lessard agreed to take the men to the home of Helen Wright where she had just seen Winters distributing the proceeds of the robbery. At the time of these events, Wright and Lessard, as well as Haskins, resided in Milwaukee county.

Wright was the girl friend of one of Winters’ accomplices. Accompanied by Lessard and another man, the defendant forced his way into Wright’s home. Wright testified the defendant put a pistol to her face and demanded to know the whereabouts of her boyfriend. Wright informed him that Winters was in Chicago. After retrieving from Wright some of the money Winters had taken from Haskins, the defendant made a phone call. Isaac Haskins arrived and told Wright he had been robbed and wanted his money back. Wright was then told to let Haskins know if her boyfriend contacted her. Several days later Winters phoned Haskins to apologize and to offer restitution.

*41 Testimony presented on behalf of the state related the following account of Winters’ murder. Several days after the robbery, Haskins confronted the defendant with Winters’ statement that the defendant had set up Has-kins for the robbery. The defendant said it was a “damn lie.” Haskins asked the defendant if there was “anything that he was going to do about it.” The defendant responded that he was going to kill Winters. Haskins then told the defendant the plan for killing Winters, which was subsequently followed.

Neely and the three other men started out with Winters for Indiana for the ostensible purpose of finding the other two robbers. As an excuse for getting off the freeway at Highway 158, they told Winters they were going to Kenosha to get some guns. About half a mile east of the interstate, the men faked a flat tire. The driver pulled over and everyone got out of the car. At that point the defendant was supposed to shoot Winters, but Winters realized what was about to happen, ran across the road, and disappeared down an embankment with the defendant in pursuit, firing at him. When the first shot was fired, Winters “kind of stumbled” but kept running. The defendant went down the embankment and followed Winters across a field. Another man joined in the chase. Eventually, Winters turned and ran back toward the defendant. Another shot was fired and Winters fell. The defendant then returned to the car, and the four men drove back to Milwaukee, telling Has-kins, upon arrival, that the job had been completed.

Winters’ body was found on December 27, 1975. An autopsy revealed that the cause of death was a bullet wound to the left side of the body.

The defendant was charged with first-degree murder. After a five-day trial, a jury found him guilty. Motions for a new trial were denied, and the defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment. On review, the court of *42 appeals affirmed the judgment of conviction. Neely v. State, 86 Wis.2d 304, 272 N.W.2d 381 (Ct. App. 1978).

II.

At trial, the defendant took the stand in his defense. On direct examination, he testified with respect to his actions on the day the murder was committed. Denying any knowledge of the murder plan, he claimed his only involvement in the murder was that he was in the car when the murder took place. He did not, on direct examination, testify with respect to the events which occurred some days earlier at the homes of Wright and Lessard, events which were the subject of a pending criminal prosecution in Milwaukee county.

On cross-examination, the district attorney sought to question the defendant regarding those events. The defendant refused to answer the questions on the grounds that his answers might tend to incriminate him and persisted in his refusal even after the court ordered him to answer. He asserted his Fifth Amendment privilege seven times in the presence of the jury.

On this review, the defendant maintains he was within his right to refuse to answer questions regarding the Wright and Lessard incidents on cross-examination. According to the defendant, his testimony on direct examination is the limit of the waiver of his Fifth Amendment privilege which occurred by his taking the witness stand. Because he never mentioned the Wright and Les-sard incidents during direct examination, he claims he never waived his Fifth Amendment privilege to refuse to answer questions regarding those occurrences.

Under Wisconsin’s evidentiary rule normally applicable to a witness, there can be no doubt that the Wright and Lessard incidents were proper subjects of cross-examination. Sec. 906.11(2), Stats., provides that “[a] *43 witness may be cross-examined on any matter relevant to any issue in the case.” At the defendant’s trial, the Wright and Lessard incidents tended to show the defendant’s motive for killing Winters. As the court of appeals recognized, “[Haskins’] plan to get revenge and the [defendant’s] simultaneous showing of loyal participation in the search for Winters began with the incidents at the homes of Ms. Wright and Ms. Lessard.” Neely v. State, supra at 311. The incidents illustrate the defendant’s active involvement in Haskins’ efforts to find and kill Winters. As such, the Wright and Lessard incidents were relevant in order “to complete the story of the crime.” Holmes v. State, 76 Wis.2d 259, 269, 251 N.W.2d 56 (1977). Once the defendant “opened the door on direct by testifying on the merits of the case,” cross-examination “of all facets of an alleged crime” are permitted under Wisconsin’s “wide-open” cross-examination rule. Boiler v. Cofrances, 42 Wis.2d 170, 184, 166 N.W.2d 129 (1969). The cross-examination of the defendant concerning the Wright and Lessard incidents was proper under Wisconsin’s Rules of Evidence. However, an evi-dentiary rule on the scope of cross-examination does not determine the extent to which a defendant who elects to testify thereby waives his privilege against self-incrimination; the question is a constitutional one. 1

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Bluebook (online)
292 N.W.2d 859, 97 Wis. 2d 38, 1980 Wisc. LEXIS 2612, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/neely-v-state-wis-1980.