State v. Clark

931 P.2d 664, 261 Kan. 460, 1997 Kan. LEXIS 14
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJanuary 24, 1997
Docket74,991
StatusPublished
Cited by69 cases

This text of 931 P.2d 664 (State v. Clark) 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. Clark, 931 P.2d 664, 261 Kan. 460, 1997 Kan. LEXIS 14 (kan 1997).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Lockett, J.:

Defendant Steven A. Clark appeals his convictions of murder in the first degree, K.S.A. 21-3401, and attempted murder in the first degree, K.S.A. 21-3301 and K.S.A. 21-3401. Defendant claims the trial court erred by (1) failing to instruct the jury on (a) reckless second-degree murder as a lesser included offense of first-degree murder and (b) attempted second-degree [462]*462murder and attempted voluntary manslaughter as lesser included offenses of attempted first-degree murder; (2) admitting (a) evidence of the deceased’s statements concerning her relationship with the defendant as res gestae of the crime and (b) evidence of the defendant’s statements made after he was taken into custody; (3) instructing the jury on an improper burden of proof; (4) using the phrase “claims made by the State” in instructing the jury regarding the burden of proof; and (5) admitting gruesome photographs. Defendant also contends there was insufficient evidence to convict him of first-degree murder or attempted first-degree murder.

On October 22, 1994, Clark and his girlfriend Lynette Odanga, the deceased, along with their friends Kenneth Shine and April Dotson, went to Acapulco Joe’s bar in Wichita to celebrate Lynette’s birthday. Lynette and Clark had been dating for several years and were living together in Lynette’s apartment. April Dotson, Lynette’s best friend, lived in the same apartment complex. Dotson was engaged to Shine. Lynette and Clark’s relationship was troubled and the couple fought frequently.

The four friends planned to join a larger group to celebrate Lynette’s birthday at the club. Witnesses described two incidents at the club. First, Clark attempted to prevent a man from joining the group’s table at the invitation of one of the women. When Lynette attempted to defuse the situation by putting her hand on the man’s shoulder, Clark told the man to take his hands off “his woman” and pushed the man.

The second incident involved Kenneth Shine. When Shine told a joke to April Dotson about another woman, Clark accused Shine of being disrespectful to Dotson. Shine walked away. Witnesses testified Clark followed and “got in [Shine’s] face.” Shine put his hands on Clark’s neck and pushed Clark away.

After the club closed at 1:30 or 2 A.M., Clark started to leave in Jeff Peeblér’s car. Peebler, a friend of Clark’s, hoped to calm Clark down. Peebler testified Clark said he had a gun and “could take care of it that way.” As Peebler circled back to the parking lot, Clark saw Lynette talking to another man. Clark became angry and told Peebler to stop the car. Clark got out and accused Lynette of [463]*463being disrespectful.-.When Shine told Clark to calm down, Clark accused him of “f' mg” Lynette. Shine told Clark he would knock his head off for saying that. Clark, Lynette, and Dotson got into Shine’s car. Shine and Dotson dropped Lynette and Clark off at their apartment.

Later Clark called Dotson’s apartment. Dotson could hear Lynette screaming, “[C]ome get me.” Dotson told Clark that she, Shine, and Jeff Peebler would come get Lynette and have Lynette spend the night at Dotson’s apartment. The group arrived at Lynette’s apartment house. Dotson walked upstairs and knocked on the door of Lynette’s apartment. Clark opened the door. Dotson heard Lynette screaming “[H]e hit me, he hit me,” and observed Lynette holding the side of her face. Clark denied hitting Lynette.

Shine also observed Lynette holding her face and stating that Clark had hit her. Clark denied he had hit Lynette. Shine did not believe Clark. Shine entered the apartment, cursed Clark, and then pushed him. The two men fought. The scuffle ended with Shine on the couch and Clark in his lap. The phone rang, and April Dotson answered it. It was a 911 dispatcher returning an earlier call. Clark hung up the phone.

Clark went into the bedroom. Shine followed in an attempt to work things out. Dotson called 911. When Shine reached the bedroom, he heard metal clicking. Clark then aimed a revolver at Shine and stated, “This is what you get if you mess with me.” Shine turned, yelling at everyone to get out because Clark had a gun. Shine, Jeff, and Lynette left the apartment. Dotson remained on the telephone with the police.

Shine observed that Clark was following him. He heard a shot and ducked around the comer of an apartment. He punched Clark as Clark ran by. Clark fell down. Shine told Clark, “[C]ome on, Steve, enough of this.” Shine told Lynette to go back to-her apartment.

Clark' fired a total of two shots in Shine’s direction. Before fleeing, Shine tried to convince Lynette to leave. Lynette stated to Shine that she could talk to Clark.- Clark then walked over to Lynette, pointed the gun at her, and said, “I told you this would happen.” Lynette reached towards Clark and said, “Steve, enough, [464]*464enough of this, enough of this.” As Clark got closer, Lynette bent down with her hands up toward her face. Clark fired die gun and Lynette fell. The autopsy revealed that Lynette had been shot in the left temple and that the muzzle of the gun was in contact with her skin when the trigger was pulled.

Police arrived in response to the 911 calls. They observed Clark lie down and drape himself over Lynette’s body. Incoherent and crying, Clark pointed the gun at his head, said he loved Lynette, and then cursed her because she had been with another man. Clark told the officers, “I killed her, I killed her, just shoot me.” Clark stated the killing was an accident. He stated he did not mean to kill Lynette and he had killed the only woman he had loved.

After Clark surrendered the gun, he was taken into custody and transported to the police department. Police testified that while being transported in the van, Clark yelled, “Did I kill the bitch?” over and over. Clark 'was charged with and convicted by a jury of first-degree murder of Lynette Odanga and attempted first-degree murder of Kenneth Shine.

I. LESSER INCLUDED OFFENSE INSTRUCTIONS

The defendant in a criminal prosecution has a statutory right to have the court instruct the jury on all lesser included offenses established by substantial evidence. The question is not whether, in the mind of the court, the evidence as a whole excludes the idea that the defendant is guilty of a lesser degree of the offense charged, but whether there is any substantial evidence tending to prove a lesser degree of the offense. If there is, then the question of such degree should be submitted to the jury. The unsupported testimony of the defendant alone, if tending to establish such lesser degree, is sufficient to requite the court to so instruct. State v. Deavers, 252 Kan. 149, Syl. ¶ 1, 843 P.2d 695 (1992), cert. denied 508 U.S. 978 (1993).

In addition to instructing on premeditated murder in the first degree and attempted premeditated murder in the first degree, the trial court instructed the jury on intentional second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter of Lynette Odanga and aggravated assault of Kenneth Shine. Clark [465]

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Bluebook (online)
931 P.2d 664, 261 Kan. 460, 1997 Kan. LEXIS 14, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-clark-kan-1997.