State v. Carapezza

191 P.3d 256, 286 Kan. 992, 2008 Kan. LEXIS 458
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedAugust 22, 2008
Docket95,233
StatusPublished
Cited by36 cases

This text of 191 P.3d 256 (State v. Carapezza) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Carapezza, 191 P.3d 256, 286 Kan. 992, 2008 Kan. LEXIS 458 (kan 2008).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Rosen, J.:

Marcy Faith Carapezza appeals her convictions for felony murder, aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery, and misdemeanor theft. Carapezza contends the district court erroneously admitted evidence in violation of her constitutional rights and the rules of evidence. This court concludes that prejudicial error occurred in the course of the trial, and the case is remanded for retrial.

[994]*994Sixty-four-year-old Mary Clark was found dead in her home on May 5, 2004. A glove had been shoved into her mouth, and she had been beaten about her head with a blunt object. Although there were no signs of forced entry into Clark’s house, the drawers in Clark’s bedroom furniture had been pulled out and the contents were in disarray and her purse was missing.

Police found a note and a receipt for a balance inquiry from Clark’s bank account in Clark’s mailbox. The note and die receipt were attached to Clark’s bank debit card. The bank receipt was dated May 4, 2004, and the attached handwritten note, which was addressed to Clark from Mollie Paico, read:

“It’s about 1:15 p. Here’s your card. Were you asleep? I will just call you later. Let you know. I didn’t get gas or go to the store. I will take you Friday when I get back. Mollie”

Police obtained Clark’s bank records and discovered that three of Clark’s recent checks did not have an authorized signature. Two of the checks were dated May 1, 2004, and made payable to Carapezza for a total of $160. The third check was also dated May 1, 2004, and made payable to S&S Oil and Propane for $55. Bank personnel also informed police that activity on Clark’s debit card increased during the time immediately preceding Clark’s death. On April 30, 2004, someone used Clark’s debit card to make four purchases totaling over $400. Police later determined that three of the purchases were made by Mollie Paico and the other purchase was made by Carapezza while Paico waited in her car. In addition to the purchases, someone also withdrew $205 from Clark’s checking account at an automated teller machine (ATM) on April 30, 2004. Although the person withdrawing the money at the ATM was standing outside the focal range of the video camera in the ATM machine, police were able to identify the person as Mollie Paico based on video surveillance from another nearby bank. On May 4, 2004, Paico was observed checking the account balance in Clark’s savings and checking accounts.

Paico worked part-time for Clark, cleaning house and helping Clark run errands. Paico and Carapezza were neighbors in the same apartment complex and regularly used crack cocaine to[995]*995gether. Paico gave Carapezza checks from Clark’s account so that Carapezza could show them to her drug dealer as confirmation she had access to money which then allowed her to obtain drugs without paying for them. Carapezza proceeded to cash the checks on May 1, 2004.

Police interviewed Carapezza on May 6, 2004, about the checks she had cashed against Clark’s account. Carapezza told police that Paico gave her the checks as payment for a debt that Paico owed her. Carapezza later pled guilty to two counts of forgery for cashing Clark’s checks.

Police arrested Paico in Wichita on May 7,2004. Paico admitted taking the checks from Clark’s checkbook and admitted forging the check to S&S Oil and Propane. Paico also told police that she had seen a white male, a black male, and a white female at Clark’s house on May 4,2004. Paico identified the white female as Raven Briney. When the State offered Paico a deal in exchange for her testimony, she told police that the white female was actually Carapezza. According to Paico, she went to Clark’s house to repay some of the money she had taken from Clark’s account. When Paico knocked on the door and Clark did not respond, Paico looked in the front window and saw Carapezza and her boyfriend, Jason Hughes, standing over Clark, who was on her knees on the floor. Paico also saw a third person go into the kitchen. She identified the third person as Gail Bennett. Paico then went into Clark’s house to find out what was going on and observed Hughes holding a hammer. Paico also saw blood on Clark’s head.

According to Paico, Carapezza started crying and told Paico that Hughes and Bennett made her accompany them. While Paico was arguing with Carapezza and Hughes about what they were doing, Clark started to cry and crawl away. Hughes stepped toward Clark to hit her with a hammer, but Paico said she intercepted him and took the hammer. Carapezza tried to stop Clark from crawling away by jumping on her back. Paico hit Clark in the head with the hammer several times to make her lie still and stop screaming. Paico also shoved a glove into Clark’s mouth to keep her quiet.

After struggling with Clark, Paico and Carapezza left in Paico’s car while Hughes and Bennett remained at Clark’s house. Paico [996]*996took Carapezza home and then drove to Clark’s bank to check Clark’s account balance as an alibi. Before returning to Clark’s house, Paico went to Carapezza’s apartment to pick her up. While driving back to Clark’s house, Carapezza told Paico that Hughes and Bennett decided to rob Clark and made Carapezza go with them. Clark caught Carapezza, Hughes, and Bennett in the process of stealing things, and they hit her with a hammer to make her stop yelling so they could get away.

Upon returning to Clark’s house, Paico saw Hughes sitting on Clark’s front porch and Bennett jumping over the back fence. Clark was lying face down on the floor unconscious. Paico and Carapezza cleaned up some of the blood and began putting things in a trash bag. As they were loading the trash bag, Clark began moving and making noise, so Carapezza shoved the glove back in Clark’s mouth. Paico, Carapezza, and Hughes then returned to their apartments, leaving Clark to die on her floor.

Police initially suspected Paico and they interviewed Carapezza several times during the month of May to get information about Paico. On July 21, 2004, the State gave Carapezza use and derivative-use immunity, and Carapezza provided inquisition testimony. On the same day, the State charged Paico with first-degree murder for Clark’s death. Paico initiated plea negotiations with the State and agreed to testify against Carapezza, Hughes, and Bennett in exchange for a shorter prison term. For her part in Clark’s murder, Paico pled guilty to one count of aggravated burglary and three counts of aiding a felon. Paico received a 60-month prison sentence.

After providing her inquisition testimony, Carapezza moved to Indiana, where she was arrested in September 2004, for Clark’s murder. The State charged Carapezza with first-degree premeditated murder or, in the alternative, felony murder; aggravated burglary; aggravated robbery; and misdemeanor theft. The State’s theory was that Carapezza and her codefendants robbed and killed Clark for money to fuel their crack cocaine habits. Although no physical evidence connected Carapezza with the crime scene, the State presented testimony from Paico and two of Carapezza’s cellmates, who both testified that Carapezza admitted her participa[997]*997tion in Clark’s robbery and murder. The State also presented testimony from three of Carapezza’s associates, who testified about Carapezza’s addiction to crack cocaine. In order to establish Carapezza’s drug addiction as the motive for Clark’s murder, the State presented testimony from Dr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
191 P.3d 256, 286 Kan. 992, 2008 Kan. LEXIS 458, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-carapezza-kan-2008.