People v. Rapier

204 N.W.2d 339, 43 Mich. App. 297, 1972 Mich. App. LEXIS 1031
CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 24, 1972
DocketDocket 11614
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 204 N.W.2d 339 (People v. Rapier) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Rapier, 204 N.W.2d 339, 43 Mich. App. 297, 1972 Mich. App. LEXIS 1031 (Mich. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinions

Targonski, J.

The defendant was charged with murdering her husband in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on October 2, 1970. The court did not charge the jury on first-degree murder and the jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree, in violation of MCLA 750.317; MSA 28.549. Defendant moved for a new trial but the motion was denied and she was sentenced to a term of 3 to 15 years in prison.

Defendant admitted shooting her husband but claimed it was in self-defense because he was going after her with a brick while she was outdoors working with her flowers when the deceased drove into her driveway. Allegedly he told her if her feet hit the sidewalk that day he was going to kill her. She went into the house and locked her door. The deceased went to the neighbor’s home and stayed [299]*299there most of the afternoon. The defendant finally got into her car and went to get some groceries with the decedent following her, tailgating.

The defendant stopped her car on Canton Street and got out of the car. She said she heard a car door slam and out of the side of her eye saw the decedent coming after her with a brick. She pulled out a pistol and shot him. She said she thought when she shot him he would retreat, but he didn’t. He kept on coming so she kept pulling the trigger.

After being advised of her Miranda1 rights, the defendant waived her right to counsel and gave two detailed statements to the police and prosecutor. She was represented in the trial by the attorney who was representing her in a divorce action against the deceased, as the result of a court appointment to defend her in the instant cause. During trial, defense counsel tried to get evidence admitted that the decedent had raped the defendant’s daughter and other young girls.

After the jury retired to deliberate they returned to the court room with the request that the instructions on second-degree murder, manslaughter, and self-defense be read again. This was done but the court forgot to read a substantial portion of the instructions on self-defense. The jury retired for a second time and in 40 minutes returned a verdict of guilty of murder in the second degree.

The defendant raises four issues on appeal which we will consider in turn, although it is our opinion that the first issue is the only one of any significance to the jurisprudence of this state. However, because this is a capital offense we feel that the other issues should be disposed of in spite of this conclusion.

[300]*300I. Did the exclusion of the defendant's testimony of acts and occurrences prior to the homicide, as bearing on provocation, her fear and apprehension, and the likelihood of who was the aggressor, amount to an abuse of discretion?

Defendant claims that it was reversible error to prohibit her testimony that the deceased had raped her daughter, her niece, and two other girls. She claims this explained her motivation throughout the transaction in seeking a divorce and in fearing the decedent when confronted by him with an upraised brick. She argues that it was admissible both as to her state of mind and also as bearing on the probability that the deceased was the aggressor.

Upon a pre-trial motion, a separate record was made of the testimony of the defendant’s daughter. The testimony was specific and unequivocal. The court refused to admit the testimony at that time but said that it might be admissible after the defendant testified.

During the trial the court refused to allow a separate record of the testimony of a young woman who as a child had lived with the defendant and her deceased husband. The court relied on People v Cellura, 288 Mich 54 (1939), People v Farrell, 137 Mich 127 (1904), and People v Stallworth, 364 Mich 528 (1961), for its holding that such testimony would be inadmissible.

The defendant later took the stand and after three preliminary questions the prosecution, out of the presence of the jury, moved to have the defendant instructed by the court that she was not to testify about "specific acts”.

Defense counsel argued against the motion as follows:

[301]*301"Mr. Henry: Well, I hear, your Honor, that defense of her child is self-defense to the mother, and I feel that these are not separate, specific acts isolated from this defendant, and occurring at different times. The acts charged against the daughter and alleged by Mrs. Rapier as ground for divorce, occurred under her own roof, to her own daughter, while she was working, and the type of outrage that certainly would make divorce well grounded, and I think the crucial point is whether these acts contributed to her fear of this man, and the reasonableness of her feeling it was necessary to shoot him in order to Save her own life.”

The court’s response was in the following language:

"The Court: Now. you are talking about two different things. You are talking about her shooting to save her own life. You are also talking about her actions regarding her daughter. There is no doubt about that you can talk about shooting to save her own life. But then when you bring in these other side issues, you are getting into violence which occurred to a third party and you are relating that to her concern for this violence. And I agree with you that as far as the court is concerned it could see why such should come in. But the Supreme Court has ruled that it is inadmissible, acts of violence toward other persons, or other acts of violence that took place.”

For the record, defendant’s attorney offered testimony of the daughter, the young lady who was formerly a roomer with the Rapiers, and two other young ladies regarding sexual abuse by the deceased. The testimony of these witnesses was not allowed. The court did, however, allow some of the documents from the circuit court divorce file to be read to the jury. However, references to the alleged sexual attacks were deleted.

Later in the course of the trial the court permitted an affidavit of the defendant making reference [302]*302to carnal abuse of her daughter to be read to the jury on the basis that the prosecution had opened the door by a question whether the defendant had contacted the judge on the divorce case regarding the deceased bothering her. The pertinent portion of the Court’s opinion in People v Farrell, supra, follows:

"The trial court held that respondent could not show that deceased on one occasion held up the officials of a railroad train, even though respondent had been informed of this occurrence before he shot the deceased.
"When a person is charged with murder for killing an assailant, he may show, for the purpose of proving that he believed his life in imminent peril, that deceased was a man of high temper and quarrelsome disposition, and known by him to be such. [Citations omitted.] He may also, for the same purpose, show specific acts of violence within his own knowledge or coming under his own observation. [Citation omitted.]
"But it is well settled that it is not admissible to show specific acts of violence committed by deceased upon third persons, in no wise connected with

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People v. Rapier
204 N.W.2d 339 (Michigan Court of Appeals, 1972)

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Bluebook (online)
204 N.W.2d 339, 43 Mich. App. 297, 1972 Mich. App. LEXIS 1031, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-rapier-michctapp-1972.