State v. Gaines

408 N.W.2d 914, 1987 Minn. App. LEXIS 4558
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedJuly 14, 1987
DocketCX-87-160
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 408 N.W.2d 914 (State v. Gaines) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Minnesota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Gaines, 408 N.W.2d 914, 1987 Minn. App. LEXIS 4558 (Mich. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

OPINION

LANSING, Judge.

Appellant John Gaines pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated robbery and three counts of criminal sexual conduct in the first degree. The court sentenced Gaines to 200 months in prison, an upward departure from the presumptive sentence under the guidelines. Gaines appeals the departure as an abuse of discretion. We affirm.

FACTS

The offenses to which John Gaines pleaded guilty involved the robbery of the Family Store in south Minneapolis, the beating of the store owner, and the brutal rape of the store owner’s wife and a female customer. On April 3, 1986, John Gaines and Kevin Brinston entered the store between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. and, while Gaines threatened the owner, D.S.K., and his wife, T.S.K., with a semi-automatic pistol, Brin-ston emptied the cash register. Gaines ripped the telephone from the wall and struck both D.S.K. and T.S.K. several times with his gun. Gaines also tore a diamond pendant from T.S.K.’s neck.

While the robbery was in progress, a customer, K.D., and her 4V2-year-old daughter, entered the store. They tried to leave when they realized what was happening, but Gaines motioned them inside with his pistol. He took K.D.’s watch and purse, forced them down one of the store aisles, and told K.D. to strip. When she did not undress quickly enough, Gaines became angry and ripped her clothes off. Her daughter witnessed the entire incident.

Gaines ordered everyone to the rear of the store and told K.D. to send her daughter to the basement nearby. .While in the rear of the store, Gaines, still armed, forced K.D. to perform oral sex on him and then penetrated her anally while simultaneously forcing her to have oral sex with Brinston. D.S.K. and T.S.K. were present at the time. Gaines next ordered T.S.K. to undress and partially penetrated her vagina. Brinston struck D.S.K. when he tried to intercede.

After the rape of T.S.K., Gaines ordered K.D. to perform oral sex on T.S.K. He next ordered K.D. to lie on her back and struck her with his gun hand when she moved too slowly. Gaines then penetrated K.D. vaginally with his penis and penetrated her anally with a pop bottle. After he had finished, Gaines ordered everyone to the basement.

D.S.K. called the police from an office phone in the basement. Gaines came down to the basement shortly afterward, demanding K.D.’s bank card identification number. She gave him a number, apparently realized it was wrong, and Gaines hit her. Before she could tell him again, Brin-ston yelled from upstairs that he had seen some police officers, and both fled out the back door. They were apprehended by police while fleeing.

Gaines and Brinston were subsequently charged with three counts each of aggravated robbery and criminal sexual assault. Gaines pleaded guilty to and was convicted of three counts of aggravated robbery in violation of Minn.Stat. §§ 609.245, 609.11 and 609.05, and of three counts of criminal *917 sexual conduct in the first degree in violation of Minn.Stat. §§ 609.342, subds. 1(d) and 2; 609.11 and 609.05 (1986). The court held sentencing hearings on October 14, 1986, and November 21, 1986. Gaines testified on his own behalf, claiming he did not remember anything about the incident because he had been under the heavy influence of drugs at the time, including heroin, cocaine, speed and alcohol.

The court sentenced Gaines to 200 months in prison, 72 months for the aggravated robbery of D.S.K. and 90 months for the rape of T.S.K.; both sentences are double the presumptive sentence and were ordered to be served concurrently. For the sexual assault of K.D., the court ordered Gaines to serve a consecutive term of 110 months, two and one-half times the presumptive sentence. He did not receive a sentence for the remaining three charges. See Minn.Stat. § 609.035 (1986). Gaines appeals, claiming the trial court abused its discretion in departing upward from the presumptive sentence and failed to consider his culpability, especially his lack of a criminal record.

ISSUE

Did the trial court abuse its discretion in departing upward when sentencing appellant under the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines?

ANALYSIS

Ordering sentences to be served consecutively is not a departure under the sentencing guidelines when a defendant is convicted of multiple current felonies for crimes against different persons. Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines II.F.2. Thus, Gaines’ consecutive sentencing falls within the presumptive guidelines. However, the individual sentences constitute an upward departure. The trial court has broad discretion in deciding whether to depart from the sentencing guidelines, State v. Garcia, 302 N.W.2d 643, 647 (Minn.1981), but such a decision must be supported by “substantial and compelling” circumstances. Id.) Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines II.D.

The Guidelines provide a nonexclusive list of aggravating factors that may be considered in departing from the presumptive sentence, Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines II.D.2.b., and, generally, when upward departures are justified, the upper limit will be double the presumptive sentence length. State v. Evans, 311 N.W.2d 481, 483 (Minn.1981). We find that aggravating circumstances present in each offense justify the sentence.

Aggravated Robbery of D.S.K.

D.S.K. was beaten several times during the robbery and was forced to witness his wife being robbed, beaten, stripped and raped. One of the aggravating factors which justifies departure from the presumptive sentence is treating the victim with particular cruelty during the offense, Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines II.D.2.b.(2). The forms of cruelty which D.S.K. suffered are not usually associated with the offense in question, but the gratuitous infliction of pain qualifies as “particular cruelty” within II.D.2.b.(2) of the Guidelines. State v. Schantzen, 308 N.W.2d 484, 487 (Minn.1981). We believe the court’s double departure for this offense was justified.

Sexual Assault of T.S.K.

Several factors are present which justify a double departure with respect to the offenses committed against T.S.K. First, Gaines repeatedly beat T.S.K. while robbing her. There is no evidence she resisted or otherwise acted against his wishes; the beatings were cruelly gratuitous. As discussed above, gratuitous cruelty qualifies as an aggravating factor under the guidelines. Schantzen at 487. Second, T.S.K. was subjected to multiple forms of penetration. Gaines penetrated her vaginally and forced her to submit to oral penetration by K.D. This clearly qualifies as a more “serious” type of rape case, *918 State v. Morales, 324 N.W.2d 374, 377 (Minn.1982), and serves as an aggravating factor to consider in a durational departure. State v. Van Gordon, 326 N.W.2d 633, 635 (Minn.1982).

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Bluebook (online)
408 N.W.2d 914, 1987 Minn. App. LEXIS 4558, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-gaines-minnctapp-1987.