State v. Cartwright

650 P.2d 758, 200 Mont. 91, 1982 Mont. LEXIS 891
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 25, 1982
Docket81-220
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 650 P.2d 758 (State v. Cartwright) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Cartwright, 650 P.2d 758, 200 Mont. 91, 1982 Mont. LEXIS 891 (Mo. 1982).

Opinions

MR. JUSTICE HARRISON

delivered the opinion of the Court.

Joseph Cartwright was convicted of deliberate homicide and attempted deliberate homicide following a jury trial in the Nineteenth Judicial District, State of Montana, in and for the County of Lincoln. Cartwright was sentenced to thirty-five years imprisonment on each count; the sentences to run concurrently. From the foregoing conviction he appeals.

Prior to this unfortunate incident the defendant, Joseph Cartwright, and the defendant, Pamela McCully,. lived together for almost four years. Their relationship began to deteriorate, and on April 11, 1980, an incident occurred which resulted in the death of Pam McCully and the serious [93]*93wounding of Pat McCully. That day, Cartwright returned home to find that several of his guns were missing. He learned from a houseguest that Pam McCully had been there earlier and had gained access through a living-room window. Missing were a .308, a .30-30, a .14, a .410 shotgun, and a .357 magnum pistol with holster. Cartwright was angry, and in his anger he “slugged the wall” and created a hole. The houseguest testified that he stated his intentions, “to go up there and see if I can get my guns back and I am going to shoot her.”

Pamela McCully and several other members of her family were fifty miles away near Trego at the residence of Retha McCully, Pamela’s mother. Cartwright got in his car and drove to Trego. He took with him a loaded .22 caliber semiautomatic rifle, the only gun that had not been taken by Pamela McCully. On the way to Trego, Cartwright consumed three beers. He arrived at approximately 6:00 p.m. He pulled his car into the yard, stopped, and left the motor running. He remained in his car. Pamela McCully came out of the house and the two began to argue. After a few minutes McCully went back in the house to get some cigarettes. She told her mother that “Joe had a gun out there.” Nonetheless she went back outside and on the way to Cartwright’s car she picked up a broken cue stick that had been laying in the yard. The two continued to argue. At about this time Bud McCully, his wife Debbie, and their two children came out of the house and were preparing to leave. Cartwright called Bud McCully over to the car and stated, “make her give me my stuff back.” Bud McCully did not respond but was irritated by the manner in which his sister Pamela was tapping the broken cue stick on the car. He told her to stop and walked away.

At this point the facts are conflicting. The situation began to move rapidly. Several witnesses testified that Cartwright threatened Pamela McCully, stating “you have got twenty-four hours to live.” Pat McCully then approached the car and chastised Cartwright for talking to his sister that way. [94]*94Pat McCully testified that he then hit Cartwright in the jaw with his right fist. Cartwright reportedly said, “don’t hit me Pat.” The .22 caliber rifle that had previously been pointing toward the floorboard was pointing out the window. A struggle ensued. Both Pat and Pam McCully were holding on to the barrel. The barrel was “tipped up” and Pat Mc-Cully was shot in the stomach. After being shot he scrambled into the house. Then, according to testimony of Retha McCully, “he [Cartwright] just turned the gun on Pam and shot her.” She was not holding on to the barrel when she was shot. Retha McCully further testified that when Pamela was shot “her neck went back and she kind of staggered forward and then he shot again and she slumped down on his arm because he had his arm out the window.” Blood stains were found on the defendant’s left shirt sleeve, on a blanket used to cover the car seat, and on the side of the defendant’s car door. A forensic scientist testified that all three blood samples were consistent with Pamela Mc-Cully’s blood type.

Pamela’s death was instantaneous. The bullet transected the upper portion of the spinal cord. The defendant’s rifle was loaded with .22 caliber hollow point or “dum dum” bullets. According to testimony “a hollow point bullet, when striking bone, tends to mushroom and fragment. . .and in this case there was an extensive fragmentation of the bullet structure.” Approximately 30 fragments of lead were removed from the neck area.

An instant later, Mike McCully came out of the house with a .308 caliber rifle. He aimed the rifle but Retha Mc-Cully pushed his aim into the air as he fired. A neighbor testified that after hearing one loud shot from a heavy-caliber rifle, he heard another volley of small caliber fire; this being Cartwright who stopped at the cattle guard on his way out to fire back at the house. Investigators found .22 caliber shell casings on the ground near the cattle guard.

The defendant’s version of the incident varies. The defendant testified that he did not threaten Pamela McCully [95]*95with the statement that she had twenty-four hours to live; rather he stated “she had twenty-four hours to get my rifles back and I was going to the sheriff.” Cartwright further testified that when Pat McCully approached the car he had a pistol in his left hand. He also said that he saw Mike Mc-Cully with a rifle prior to the shooting. Cartwright became “scared” and he told Pamela that he “was getting the hell out of there.” Pamela responded, “the hell you are.” Then the struggle for his .22 caliber rifle ensued. The defendant testified that he attempted to drive away but the car was spinning in the mud. He did not remember firing any shots but he recalls empty casings hitting him in the face. He further testified that the stock of the gun was stuck in the steering wheel as he was driving near the cattle guard and two shots went off.

After leaving the McCully residence Cartwright stopped his car near a gravel pit located 3A of a mile from the Trego store. Cartwright testified that he stopped because he had to “go to the bathroom real bad.” The State offered another explanation for the stop at the gravel pit; that the defendant stopped to shoot his own car in an attempt to confuse the issues. The defendant’s car sustained a shattered front passenger window and a hole in the left rear section of the roof. Two ballistics experts testified that the hole in the roof was caused by a .22 caliber bullet. Furthermore, two spent .22 caliber cartridges were found by the gravel pit. Testing showed that these had been fired from Cartwright’s rifle.

A small pile of glass was found about 3A of a mile from the gravel pit. It was analyzed and compared to glass samples taken from the window and interior of Cartwright’s car. The two samples had identical chemical and physical properties. The State contends that Cartwright left the gravel pit, went further down the road and shot his own window out. No glass was found at the McCully residence.

Shortly after the incident the defendant turned himself over to the Eureka police; he was “scared” and thought the [96]*96McCullys would be coming after him. At the police station the defendant made a taped statement to Deputy County Attorney Shaun Thompson and Detective Rodney Deboer. Prior to making the statement, Cartwright was informed of his “Miranda rights,” signed a waiver, and answered questions for the investigators.

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State v. Cartwright
650 P.2d 758 (Montana Supreme Court, 1982)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
650 P.2d 758, 200 Mont. 91, 1982 Mont. LEXIS 891, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cartwright-mont-1982.