State v. Coffman

562 N.W.2d 766, 1997 Iowa App. LEXIS 15, 1997 WL 229159
CourtCourt of Appeals of Iowa
DecidedFebruary 26, 1997
Docket95-1677
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 562 N.W.2d 766 (State v. Coffman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Coffman, 562 N.W.2d 766, 1997 Iowa App. LEXIS 15, 1997 WL 229159 (iowactapp 1997).

Opinion

VOGEL, Judge.

On Monday July 25, 1994, defendant Michael P. Coffman (age sixteen) and Jeremy Allen (age fifteen) attended a driver’s education course at Ottumwa High School. During the preceding weekend the boys had argued over Michael’s treatment of a girl. Michael brought one of his father’s guns, loaded, to the class on Monday. The boys exchanged threats during the class, and afterward, outside the school, Michael shot Jeremy twice and killed him. After waiver of jurisdiction to district court, a jury found Michael guilty of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Michael appeals.

Waiver of jurisdiction. Our scope of review in determining .whether the court abused its discretion in ordering the waiver from juvenile court to district court is de novo. State v. Bickell, 493 N.W.2d 100, 102 (Iowa App.1992); State v. Greiman, 344 N.W.2d 249, 251 (Iowa 1984). We also review de novo to the extent that the constitutional due process issue is implicated. State v. Derifield, 467 N.W.2d 297, 298 (Iowa App.1991).

Michael filed an interlocutory appeal challenging the waiver of jurisdiction to district court. The appeal was denied. He subsequently filed a motion seeking a return of jurisdiction to the juvenile court. Michael claimed the State had not presented exculpatory evidence at the waiver hearing regarding threats and assaults made against him by Jeremy. The district court concluded it had no authority to return jurisdiction to the juvenile court.

Michael maintains the State had access to evidence of Jeremy’s threats and assaultive behavior toward Michael but failed to present “all material evidence” to the juvenile court. Such evidence, he maintains, was relevant as to whether an offense had been committed and whether jurisdiction should be waived to district court. Secondarily, Michael argues that a justification defense *768 would suggest that he was amenable to rehabilitative services from the juvenile court.

Contrary to Michael's contention, Iowa Code section 232.45(5) (1993) does not confer an obligation on the state to present all material evidence to the juvenile court in a waiver hearing. Rather, this is an evidentia-ry section, establishing admissibility of all relevant and material evidence at a waiver hearing. See State v. Wright, 456 N.W.2d 661, 662, 664 (Iowa 1990). A waiver hearing is dispositional, not adjudicatory. Id. at 664-65. If the State were required to present every piece of relevant and material evidence at the waiver hearing, this would effectively transform the hearing into an adjudicatory trial and undermine the dispositional purpose of waiver hearings.

Michael argues that due process requires the juvenile court be notified of exculpatory evidence in some manner. Iowa Code section 232.45(5) accords the same right to the juvenile to present “all relevant and material evidence” consonant with due process as it does the State. See State v. Wright, 456 N.W.2d 661, 665 (Iowa 1990). To claim the waiver report was slanted in favor of the State, thus denying Michael his due process right to a fair hearing, is to overlook the circumstances and procedure of the waiver hearing. The exculpatory evidence Michael claims the juvenile court should have been made aware of was also known by Michael, namely the threats and physical assault Jeremy made on Michael. Some of that information, although scant, was included in the waiver report which was presented to the juvenile court. Michael had the right and opportunity to testify and raise his defense of justification. He could have called his own witnesses to support his position as there were many of his friends present at the time leading up to and including the shooting. Having failed to take timely advantage of the opportunity to expand on his justification defense, we find no merit to Michael’s claim that his due process rights were violated at the waiver hearing. Michael raises no other challenge to the waiver hearing. We find the juvenile court did not abuse its discretion in waiving jurisdiction to district court.

Justification defense. Michael next argues the trial court erred in failing to grant his motions for judgment of acquittal as he claims the State failed to establish he acted without justification. Our standard of review is substantial evidence when the denial of a motion for judgment of acquittal is based on the alleged insufficiency of the evidence. State v. Schrier, 300 N.W.2d 305, 306 (Iowa 1981). The evidence is considered in a light most favorable to the State. State v. La Pointe, 418 N.W.2d 49, 51 (Iowa 1988). We must consider all of the evidence and not just the evidence which supports the verdict. State v. Blair, 347 N.W.2d 416, 419 (Iowa 1984). Provided the evidence raises “a fair inference of guilt and [does] more than create speculation, suspicion or conjecture,” direct and circumstantial evidence are equally probative. State v. Hamilton, 309 N.W.2d 471, 479 (Iowa 1981).

The burden rests with the State to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, justification did not exist. State v. Mayes, 286 N.W.2d 387, 392 (Iowa 1979). The State can meet its burden by proving any one of the following:

1. The defendant started or continued the incident which resulted in death; or
2. An alternative course of action was available to the defendant; or
3. The defendant did not believe he was in immediate danger of death or injury and the use of force was not necessary to save himself; or
4. The defendant did not have reasonable grounds for the belief; or
5. The force used by the defendant was unreasonable.

Mayes, 286 N.W.2d at 392-93; State v. Thornton, 498 N.W.2d 670, 673 (Iowa 1993).

It is undisputed that an increased animosity developed between Michael and Jeremy, evidenced by frequent verbal threats, beginning the weekend before the shooting. Angela Grimes, who monitored a call Jeremy made to Michael on Saturday evening, testified that Michael said to Jeremy, “I’ll shoot you.” No other threats were made during that call.

On Monday morning, two days after the phone conversation, Michael took a loaded *769 .22 caliber revolver to school.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
562 N.W.2d 766, 1997 Iowa App. LEXIS 15, 1997 WL 229159, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-coffman-iowactapp-1997.