State of Washington v. Dallas John Paul Lange

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJanuary 26, 2021
Docket36501-8
StatusUnpublished

This text of State of Washington v. Dallas John Paul Lange (State of Washington v. Dallas John Paul Lange) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Washington v. Dallas John Paul Lange, (Wash. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

FILED JANUARY 26, 2021 In the Office of the Clerk of Court WA State Court of Appeals, Division III

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION THREE

STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) No. 36501-8-III ) (consolidated with Respondent, ) No. 37035-6-III) ) v. ) ) DALLAS JOHN PAUL LANGE, ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION ) Appellant. ) In the Matter of the Personal Restraint of: ) ) DALLAS JOHN PAUL LANGE, ) ) Petitioner. )

LAWRENCE-BERREY, J. — Dallas Lange appeals his conviction for the crime of

first degree assault while armed with a deadly weapon and aspects of his sentence. We

affirm Mr. Lange’s conviction, but remand for additional findings to support the

requirement that he receive a mental health evaluation and for the trial court to strike the

drug evaluation requirement and the criminal filing fee. No. 36501-8-III; No. 37035-6-III State v. Lange

FACTS1

Dallas Lange swung an axe down on Jerry Billings, fileting his cheek and cutting

deeply into his chest. The State originally charged Lange with attempted first degree

murder and asserted a deadly weapon enhancement. Lange asserted the defenses of self-

defense and diminished capacity. He hired Dr. Stephen Cummings, a licensed

psychologist, to assess whether various factors prevented him from forming the mental

intent to murder or assault Billings.

Dr. Cummings reviewed the various written witness accounts and interviewed

Lange to learn what happened. Lange had been in prison for 10 months by the time of the

interview.

According to Lange, he and his girlfriend, Theresa Pauling, lived in a recreational

vehicle next to a house rented by Billings and Kirsten Pauling, Theresa’s mother. Lange

paid rent to Billings, and Billings paid rent to his landlord.

Theresa Pauling went to the trailer and asked her mother to ask Billings for keys to

a car that Lange was purchasing from Billings. Billings, who had received an eviction

1 The only issue that requires a recitation of facts is whether the trial court erred when it granted the State’s motion to exclude Dr. Stephen Cummings from testifying. For this reason, our statement of facts comes from the information the trial court considered in its ruling, Dr. Cummings’s report, and Officer Leo Lucatero’s certified statement of probable cause.

2 No. 36501-8-III; No. 37035-6-III State v. Lange

notice, refused unless Lange paid him $250. This led to an argument between Lange and

Billings. The argument escalated and Lange swung at Billings and missed. Billings, who

is much larger than Lange, grabbed him. Lange tried to leave the house and slammed the

door on Billings who was following him outside. The two men continued fighting and

gouged at each other’s eyes. Kirsten Pauling then separated the two men. They went

inside, with Billings going into his office, and Lange going into the living room. There

were several hunting knives laid out in the kitchen area.

A few minutes later, Billings came out of his office and told Lange and Theresa

Pauling they were “‘out of here,’” possibly meaning evicted from the mobile home.

Clerk’s Papers (CP) at 5. Lange responded, “‘no, you’re out of here,’” and grabbed a

large axe that was hanging on the wall next to the wood stove. CP at 5.

Lange described to Dr. Cummings what he was feeling: “‘I had a mental

breakdown from stress, the money, and sleep deprivation. I wasn’t expecting to get

attacked. I had tunnel vision and picked up the nearest thing on the wall. A big axe.

I took a step forward and swung it.’” CP at 27.

In his report, Dr. Cummings stated that his role was “to explain why Dallas Lange

engaged in the actions which resulted in being charged with assault, then attempted

murder.” CP at 23. Dr. Cummings gave Lange the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-

3 No. 36501-8-III; No. 37035-6-III State v. Lange

IV (MCMI-IV), a psychological test comprised of 195 true-false questions. He noted in

his report that the testing algorithm did not account for the fact that Lange had been in

prison for 10 months.

Based on interviews with Lange and his mother, and administering the testing

algorithm, Dr. Cummings concluded:

Dallas is[2] experiencing a severe mental disorder. He appears to fit the following personality disorders best: Melancholic Disorder, with Avoidant Personality Type; Schizoid Personality Type, and Borderline Personality Style. Furthermore, clinical syndromes suggested by his test profile include: Major Depression, recurrent, severe; Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

CP at 28.

Based on this diagnosis, Dr. Cummings explained why Lange acted in the manner

he did:

My best professional guess is that Dallas Lange harbored increasing resentment towards Jerry Billings for his deceitfulness and financial exploitation. . . . Thus we have a defining moment in time . . . when he reacted to mounting internal stress and genuine perception of danger to his well being, by securing the nearest potent weapon in order to neutralize the very source of that immediate danger, to wit, Mr. Billings, who weighs 145 kgs. (about 320 pounds). His momentary impulsive decision was surely regrettable but reflected a build-up of deep anger that had been masked via his passive-aggressive demeanor until he snapped.

The context of the report suggests that the diagnosis relates to Lange’s condition 2

at the time of the interview, not at the time of the alleged assault.

4 No. 36501-8-III; No. 37035-6-III State v. Lange

. . . Like many fights, this one was verbally provocative and with its escalation and the nearby access to lethal weapons, the likelihood of inflicting physical harm was clearly enhanced. . . . When his very existence seemed to be threatened, he lost control and his actions have accordingly changed the course of his life.

CP at 30-31.

Well before trial, the State moved to amend the charges to include first degree

assault. The trial court granted the motion. Also at that time, the State moved to exclude

the testimony of Dr. Cummings. The court heard argument, reserved ruling, and days

later entered a written ruling explaining its decision to exclude the expert’s testimony.

We highlight the following aspects of the court’s written ruling:

It is not enough that a defendant may be diagnosed as suffering from a particular mental disorder. The diagnosis must, under the facts of the case, be capable of forensic application in order to help the trier of fact assess the defendant’s mental state at the time of the crime. The opinion concerning a defendant’s mental disorder must reasonably relate to impairment of the ability to form the culpable mental state to commit the crime charged. .... . . . While Dr. Cummings opines that the defendant appears depressed he does not logically and reasonably articulate that the defendant’s medical condition precluded the defendant from forming the premeditated “intent” to cause . . . the death of the alleged victim.

CP at 19-20.3

3 The trial court had recently granted the State’s motion to amend charges to include first degree assault. However, the order excluding Dr. Cummings discusses only

5 No. 36501-8-III; No. 37035-6-III State v. Lange

The matter proceeded to trial. After the parties submitted their evidence, the trial

court provided the jury with instructions on the law, including the law of self-defense and

the standard first aggressor instruction. Lange did not object to the first aggressor

instruction.

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State of Washington v. Dallas John Paul Lange, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-washington-v-dallas-john-paul-lange-washctapp-2021.