State v. Albanese

920 S.W.2d 917, 1996 WL 56437
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 2, 1996
DocketWD 50892
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 920 S.W.2d 917 (State v. Albanese) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Albanese, 920 S.W.2d 917, 1996 WL 56437 (Mo. Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

LAURA DENVIR STITH, Judge.

Defendant-Appellant Michael Albanese appeals his convictions for voluntary manslaughter, § 565.023, RSMo 1994, and armed criminal action, § 571.015, RSMo 1994, for which he was sentenced to a total of forty-five years imprisonment as a prior and persistent offender. Mr. Albanese contends on appeal that: (1) the trial court erred in refusing to submit a jury instruction on self-defense; (2) the trial court erred in refusing to submit a jury instruction on involuntary manslaughter; (3) the trial court erred in barring defense counsel from questioning a State’s witness about prior convictions; and (4) the trial court erred in allowing Dr. Berk-land to testify about the autopsy results reached by Dr. Mitruka because an adequate foundation was not laid for the admission of such evidence.

We agree with Defendant that the trial court erred in failing to submit a self-defense instruction and remand for a new trial.

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Defendant-Appellant Michael Albanese was charged with one count of second degree murder, § 565.021(1), and one count of armed criminal action, § 571.015, for the stabbing death of Jay Hudson in the early morning hours of November 19,1993.

On November 19, 1993, the victim Jay Hudson travelled from Oklahoma to Kansas City, Missouri, with his uncle Joe Robison and five co-workers from the Robison Rock Manufacturing Company. The men travelled to Kansas City in order to install rock siding on a local gas station. After finishing the job, the group had dinner and then travelled in two pickup trucks to the Westport entertainment area in Kansas City.

While in Westport, the group went to various entertainment establishments until approximately 2:00 a.m. At that point, they decided to leave Westport. Because Mr. Hudson was going to lead the group back to their hotel, he drove the first truck. He had one passenger, Jeff Sacket, a co-worker. The other men were in the second truck, which was being driven by Mr. Robison.

In the course of leaving the Westport area, Mr. Hudson made a right-hand turn from Westport Road onto Pennsylvania Avenue. In making this turn, Mr. Hudson pulled out in front of and cut-off a Cadillac which was driven by the defendant Mr. Albanese. Mr. Albanese had been attempting to make a right-hand turn onto Pennsylvania. Mr. Al-banese completed his own turn after Mr. Hudson drove by him, and both cars trav-elled about half a block down Pennsylvania. They were followed by the truck driven by Mr. Robison.

About one-half block from the intersection, Mr. Hudson stopped his truck. It is unclear why Mr. Hudson stopped, as there was no other traffic or stop sign, but some witnesses later speculated that Mr. Hudson was lost and might have been thinking of turning down an alley. In any event, Mr. Albanese rear-ended Mr. Hudson’s truck once it stopped. Mr. Albanese testified that the collision was an accident.

After the collision, both Mr. Hudson and Mr. Albanese left their vehicles and Mr. Hudson approached Mr. Albanese, waved his arms around and asked why Mr. Albanese had hit his truck. Mr. Hudson put his hand on Mr. Albanese’s shoulder a couple of times and Mr. Albanese knocked his hand away. Mr. Albanese then struck Mr. Hudson and a fight ensued between the two men.

Mr. Hudson, who was 61” tall and weighted 149 pounds, was unarmed. Mr. Albanese, who was 5’8” tall and weighed 165 to 180 pounds, had a serrated work knife clipped to his pocket. 1

While all of the witnesses agree that the altercation only lasted 20 seconds to a minute, the testimony as to exactly what happened in what order during this brief period *921 varied considerably. According to Mr. Alba-nese, after he struck Mr. Hudson, Mr. Hudson took two or three steps backwards. Mr. Albanese claims that he was then grabbed around the neck by one of the other men from the second pickup and was then punched in the left side by yet another man. It was only at that point that Mr. Albanese says he grabbed the knife, flipped it open and “lashed out recklessly” in what turned out to be a fatal blow to Mr. Hudson.

Mr. Albanese said he lashed out with the knife because he believed he had to defend himself, and he did not intentionally murder Mr. Hudson. Mr. Albanese testified that all of the men fell to the ground, Mr. Albanese slipped out, threw the knife away, and ran down an alley. When questioned on cross-examination about his actions in “lashing out recklessly” with the knife, Mr. Albanese further testified as follows:

Q: So then you said you lashed out recklessly?
A: Yes.
* * * * * *
Q: All these men are around you and you’re lashing out recklessly, right?
A: Yes.
[[Image here]]
Q: Well, now, if you’re defending yourself against the tall skinny guy from Oklahoma, and if you’re scared and need to defend yourself, you would intentionally want to either swing the knife at him or stab him, right?
A: I don’t follow you.
Q: If you’re trying to defend yourself?
A: By defending myself, I lashed out, yes.
Q: So then it was a conscious effort what you were doing with the knife, right?
A: A conscious effort to hit him in the heart, no, sir. To get them off of me, yes.
Q: Okay. So then when you’re using that knife, you’re not really using it recklessly like you say, you know what you’re doing with it, you’re using it to keep them away, right?
A: Right.
Q: So then it really wasn’t a reckless use of the knife; you know what you’re using it for, don’t you?
A: It was reckless as in my movement when I swung it wildly, yes.
Q: But you’re swinging it this way to keep them away (indicating)?
A: No, I swung from my right side up.
Q: Well, you said you swung, so whether you swing from the right side up or however, you brought it up intending to use it, right?
A: Yes.
Q: So when you hit someone, it really wasn’t recklessly that you stabbed them, you meant to bring that knife up to use it, right?
A: Yes.

The State presented the testimony of other, independent witnesses who saw the altercation from a bar directly across from where the collision occurred. They testified, contrary to Mr. Albanese, that Mr. Albanese stabbed Mr. Hudson when the two men were still fighting one-on-one, and that no one else was around or was attacking Mr. Albanese at the time Mr. Albanese used his knife. These witnesses said that it was not until after Mr. Hudson was stabbed that the other men intervened.

Mr. Robison, the driver of the second truck, also testified.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
920 S.W.2d 917, 1996 WL 56437, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-albanese-moctapp-1996.