Smith v. State

319 So. 2d 729, 56 Ala. App. 109, 1975 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1295
Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama·Decided October 1, 1975·No. 6 Div. 862·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

TYSON, Judge.

The indictment charged the appellant with the robbery of one Vincent Lovetto by unlawfully taking $75.00 in currency, and one thirty-eight caliber Smith and Wesson pistol from his person. The jury found the appellant guilty as charged, and fixed punishment at twenty-five years imprisonment. The trial court then set sentence in accordance with this verdict. Appellant’s motion for new trial challenging the weight and sufficiency of the evidence was overruled following a hearing with counsel present.

Vincent Charles Lovetto testified that on February 17, 1973, he was employed at the One-Stop Beverage Store, located at 704 Third Avenue North in Birmingham. He testified that at about 8:30 on that evening he was in the store with his wife, Mary Jo Lovetto, that his son had come by earlier that evening and taken some proceeds to his home for safekeeping. He stated that about 8:30 the appellant, Lee Smith, and one David Dillard, walked into the store and ordered a package of Kool cigarettes and some matches. From the record:

“Q Who is Mr. Dillard?
“A Mr. Dillard is one of the people that was involved.
“Q You mean there was somebody other than Lee Smith present when the incident occurred?
“A Yes sir.
“Q Who else was present ?
“A My wife.
“Q Who is your wife ?
“A Mary-Jo Lovetto.
“Q Who else other than you and your wife and Mr. Smith ?
“A Mr. Dillard.
“Q Please tell the gentlemen of the jury what happened next after he came in the store?
“A After he ordered the pack of cigarettes and the two-cent box of matches he throwed fifty-five cents up on the counter. My cigarettes were forty-eight cents and the matches were two cents, so I gave him a nickel back. In the meantime there was a green Chevrolet with a green vinyl top pulled up on the outside, and Lee Smith got out and went around, I’ve got a gondola in the middle of the store, and he went around and got behind my wife and put a pistol to my wife’s head.”

Mr. Lovetto further testified that Dillard asked how to open the cash register, and that the appellant told him if he raised up, he was dead, that he would shoot. He testified that the appellant reached into the cash register and began putting the money into a sack. He stated that the two men asked why he had no more money in the store, and he told them that his son had come by earlier and taken the proceeds home. He stated that the two men found a thirty-eight caliber Smith and Wesson pistol near the cash register and took it. They also took $75.00 of U.S. currency from the cash register. He stated that the two men directed him and his wife to lie on their stomachs on the floor, and that they then left the premises. Mr. Lovetto made a positive in-court identification of the appellant, Lee Smith.

On cross-examination, Mr. Lovetto stated that the two men drove up in a green four-door Chevrolet with a vinyl top, that the appellant was wearing a khaki jacket and a wide-brimmed hat. He stated that the men were in the store a little over five minutes.

Mrs. Mary Jo Lovetto testified that she was present at the One-Stop Beverage Store, operated by her husband and herself on the evening of February 17, 1973, when [112]*112about 8:30 p. m., the appellant and his companion, David Dillard, entered the store. She testified that she was sitting in the back of the store reading a newspaper, that she was not paying too much attention, but when she looked up, appellant had a gun pointed at her head. She testified he grabbed her by the back of her coat, put the gun to the back of her head, and told her to walk around the counter where the cash register was, near her husband. She stated that the appellant then directed them to lie on the floor, and told them if they lifted up their heads they would be dead. She stated that the two men began putting the money in a paper sack, then asked why there was not more money there. She stated that her husband told them that their son had come by earlier that evening and taken the proceeds home. She stated that the two men then took a pistol, and that the appellant asked Dillard if he had taken her husband’s wallet. Mrs. Lovetto made a positive in-court identification of the appellant.

On cross-examination, Mrs. Lovetto testified that she had originally identified the appellant from seven or eight photographs brought by the store for her to view by Sergeant Watkins of the Birmingham Police Department. She stated that the appellant’s photograph was in the second set of pictures which was brought out several days after the robbery for her to examine. She further testified that the appellant wore a green Army khaki jacket and a hat with a wide brim.

Mrs. Mary Smith testified that she was the mother of the appellant, Lee Smith, and that her son was seventeen years old on February 17, 1973. She testified that at this time her son had very long, thick hair, that he wore it in that fashion because he had been injured, and had been in the hospital in January.

On cross-examination, Mrs. Smith was asked if she knew a David Dillard, Jr., and she said she did because his parents were friends of hers. She testified that Dillard was a grown man, that her son was a teenager, and other than knowing him, they were not friends, and did not go around together.

Helen G. Watley testified that she was a neighbor of the appellant, and that his reputation in the community, as of February 17, 1973, was good.

David Dillard, Jr., took the stand to testify that he was presently an inmate at At-more Prison Farm in Atmore, Alabama. He testified that he had been represented by counsel, and entered a plea of guilty to the charge of robbing Mr. and Mrs. Lovetto on the night of February 17, 1973. He testified that he drove a green 1971 automobile to the store that evening, and that he was accompanied by one William Phillips, Jr., who was the owner of the Chevrolet. He stated that he went into the store and asked for some cigarettes, and pointed a gun at Mr. Lovetto. He stated that he also had a pocket knife in his hand, that his companion also had a knife, that they directed the couple to lie on the floor, that they did so, that they then opened the cash register and took the proceeds. He stated that the appellant, Lee Smith, was not with him on this occasion.

On cross-examination, Dillard admitted to a burglary conviction on December 7, 1967, and a robbery conviction on November 8, 1973. He also was asked about being with the appellant, Lee Smith, on February 23, 1973, and he denied being with him at a business located at 5303 First Avenue North at about 7:00 p. m.

Lee Smith, Jr., testified that he was seventeen years of age. He testified that he lived with his mother at 1509 Fourteenth Street Southwest, West End, in Birmingham. He testified that he was not with David Dillard, Jr., and a William Phillips on February 17, 1973, that he had ridden in a green 1971 automobile belonging to William Phillips because Phillips knew his older brothers. He testified that he had been injured in 1973, and that he had been taken to the hospital. He denied, on [113]

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Smith v. State, 319 So. 2d 729, 56 Ala. App. 109, 1975 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1295 (Ala. Ct. App. 1975).

319 So. 2d 729 (Smith v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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