Perkins v. State

767 S.W.2d 514, 298 Ark. 322, 1989 Ark. LEXIS 146
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 3, 1989
DocketCR 88-190
StatusPublished

This text of 767 S.W.2d 514 (Perkins v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Perkins v. State, 767 S.W.2d 514, 298 Ark. 322, 1989 Ark. LEXIS 146 (Ark. 1989).

Opinion

Jack Holt, Jr., Chief Justice.

Appellant Mark Anthony Perkins was convicted on charges of burglary, aggravated robbery, rape, and two counts of theft. On appeal, Perkins argues that the evidence was insufficient to support the burglary and rape convictions and that the trial court erred in not granting a directed verdict on one of the theft charges as there was but one act of theft. We find the arguments to be without merit and affirm.

On the evening of May 6,1988, Perkins was driving a truck and was accompanied by two men — James Hammond and Tyrone Jones. Hammond and Jones apparently came up with the idea to rob someone named Wochner. Hammond had done yard work for Ms. Wochner and knew she had money. The trio drove to a residence in Little Rock, and Perkins parked the truck while Hammond and Jones broke in through the front door of the home. Perkins entered the residence only minutes after the others had broken in. He later told detectives of the Little Rock Police Department that the original plan had been to knock on the door, and he had no idea Hammond and Jones actually broke into the residence.

Ms. Wochner testified that she was awakened sometime after 11:30 p.m. on May 6 when she heard the sound of breaking glass. Thinking it was her niece, who shared the home but was not in, Ms. Wochner went to the living room and was confronted by Hammond who held a gun and told her that he would kill her if she did not give him her money. At the same time she heard voices coming from the kitchen.

Ms. Wochner gave Hammond the money she had in her purse and was told to turn around. She heard the individuals in the kitchen come into the room and was told to lie on the floor in the hallway. Some type of clothing from the niece’s bedroom was placed over her head and throughout the remainder of the ordeal Ms. Wochner never again actually saw her attackers. She was able to identify only Hammond.

Perkins, Hammond, and Jones spent an hour or more in the home. Each took turns holding the handgun to prevent Ms. Wochner’s escape while the others searched for valuables. The trio took money, jewelry, credit cards, television sets, lamps, a tape recorder, a camera, a typewriter, Ms. Wochner’s car, and other items. Individually, both Ms. Wochner and her niece each suffered a loss of over $2,500.00 in money and personal property.

Ms. Wochner testified that while she was lying in the hallway she was repeatedly kicked, called names, stepped on, and hit with some object while her attackers demanded to know where she had more money. At one point, someone took the handgun and twisted it into Ms. Wochner’s vagina. After that, the gun was placed between her buttocks several times. Nothing was said by the attackers, and Ms. Wochner was unable to identify the individual or individuals who raped her.

Burglary — Sufficiency of the Evidence

Perkins argues that there was insufficient evidence to support the burglary conviction and that the trial court should have granted his motion for a directed verdict. Perkins rests his argument on the scenario in which he parked the truck while Hammond and Jones deviated from the plan to knock on the front door and instead broke into the house. From this, Perkins claims that he could only be convicted of burglary as an accomplice. Because he had no knowledge of the plan to break into the house, rather than gain admittance by knocking, Perkins contends he did not solicit, advise, encourage, or coerce another to commit burglary; or aid, agree to aid, or attempt to aid in planning or committing the offense. Ark. Code Ann. § 5-2-403 (1987). We find the evidence sufficient and resolve this issue without addressing the “accomplice” argument.

The offense of burglary is defined in Ark. Code Ann. § 5-39-201 (1987) as follows:

A person commits burglary if he enters or remains unlawfully in an occupiable structure of another person with the purpose of commiting therein any offense punishable by imprisonment.

Perkins admitted in his statement that the trio intended to rob Ms. Wochner. Perkins makes no argument that he did not actually enter the residence or that he did not subsequently commit aggravated robbery and theft. Nor does he argue that he had a lawful right to be in the house. As such, the jury was warranted in finding that Perkins entered or remained unlawfully in the occupiable structure of another with the purpose of committing therein an offense punishable by imprisonment.

Rape — Sufficiency of the Evidence

Perkins contends that the evidence was insufficient to support the rape conviction because there was no evidence he was the one who raped Ms. Wochner and there was no evidence of a common purpose or plan to rape her. Under these circumstances, Perkins claims he could not be convicted as a principal or as an accomplice. We conclude that there was sufficient evidence to support the jury’s verdict.

In cases involving charges of rape or deviate sexual conduct, even where the victim is unable to personally identify the defendant as the one who committed the offense, the issue of the defendant’s guilt may go to the jury based on circumstantial evidence alone. That evidence may serve as the basis upon which to support a conviction provided the evidence is substantial in nature. Smith v. State, 277 Ark. 64, 639 S.W.2d 348 (1982).

On this issue, Ms. Wochner’s testimony was as follows:

Well, they started ransacking the house and every time they walked past me somebody took a sap and hit me in the side of my head up along my head. And they did that numerous times . . . They kept plundering and demanding money and wanting to know where the money was and I told them that was all the money I had. They went through the bank records and stole, took the bank cards and told me how much money I had in the bank and they knew I had more money in the house and when I said that I didn’t they took the gun ... I was still in the hallway face down. And he took the gun and he slid it between the labia to the vagina and twisted it in and held it there. And then cocked the pistol. And several times after that they slid the gun between the buttocks and would hold it there. And then one of them made me get up and go into the front bedroom and shoved me across the foot of the bed ....

The foregoing testimony clearly establishes the commission of rape as set forth in Ark. Code Ann. §§ 5-14-101(1)(B) and 5-14-103(a)(l)(1987).

The issue becomes whether there is sufficient evidence to link Perkins to the conduct described by Ms. Wochner. In his statement to detectives, Perkins admitted that he was with Hammond and Jones when Ms. Wochner was moved from the hallway to the bedroom. The evidence indicates this took place immediately after the rape incident in the hall. The statements by Perkins were corroborated by Hammond who testified for the State that Perkins was with them when they moved Ms. Wochner to the bedroom and that Perkins was actually the one who moved her. Also, while they were still in the hallway, it was Perkins who was “hitting the lady in the head with his, with something wrapped around it, it was a cloth . . .

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Related

Smith v. State
757 S.W.2d 554 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1988)
Smith v. State
639 S.W.2d 348 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1982)
Britt v. State
549 S.W.2d 84 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1977)
Rowe v. State
607 S.W.2d 657 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1980)
Tarry v. State
710 S.W.2d 202 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1986)
Holder v. Fraser, Judge
219 S.W.2d 625 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1949)
Miller v. State
261 S.W.2d 411 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1953)
Watson v. State
752 S.W.2d 240 (Supreme Court of Arkansas, 1988)

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Bluebook (online)
767 S.W.2d 514, 298 Ark. 322, 1989 Ark. LEXIS 146, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/perkins-v-state-ark-1989.