State v. Johnson

167 N.W.2d 696, 1969 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 829
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedMay 6, 1969
Docket52884
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 167 N.W.2d 696 (State v. Johnson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court 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. Johnson, 167 N.W.2d 696, 1969 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 829 (iowa 1969).

Opinion

BECKER, Justice.

Defendant was indicted for assault with intent to commit murder. After jury trial he was convicted of assault with intent to commit manslaughter. He was sentenced to five years in the Iowa State penitentiary, to be served consecutively after the 25 year sentence imposed for conviction of the robbery with aggravation portion of the charges. See State v. Johnson, Iowa, 162 N.W.2d 453. Defendant appeals on various *698 grounds herein. We affirm the conviction and sentence.

I. Defendant argues his motion for a directed verdict should have been sustained because the conflict in the identification of defendant by the State’s witnesses raised a reasonable doubt as a matter of law. The rule is stated in State v. McClelland, Iowa, 162 N.W.2d 457, 461: “1. On an appeal by defendant based upon claimed insufficiency of evidence to support a conviction, we view the evidence in that light most favorable to the State. It is the function of the jury, not ours, to decide disputed questions of fact, including permissible inferences to be drawn therefrom, and its finding is binding upon us unless without substantial support in the record or clearly against the weight of the evidence. * 5¡£ * »

Viewed in light of the above rule the evidence generated a jury question. William Dean Miller, Jr. was working on his car at a service station in Des Moines when it was robbed by Glen Shiffer who entered the station wearing a silk stocking over his face and a gun in his hand. Defendant Johnson was seen standing outside the station. Mr. Miller, Jr. saw Shiffer leave the station with the gun and a money bag. He saw both Shiffer and defendant Johnson running from the station. As they ran Shiffer handed the gun and the money bag to defendant who then turned and fired a shot at Miller, Jr. The witness heard the bullet strike a pole about three feet from him. Mr. Miller had seen defendant Johnson two or three times before the incident and had talked to him but did not know defendant’s name. The identification was positive.

Mr. Miller, Jr. described defendant Johnson as taller than Shiffer and Shiffer was wearing light pants while Johnson was wearing blue levis.

William Dean Miller, Sr., the father of the first witness, was also at the station that night. He identified Shiffer as the man who came into the station with the gun but could not identify the man who fired at his son. He testified the man who fired the shot was the taller of the two and had on dark pants. Both men stated Shiffer walked with a stagger or a strange limp. Both Mr. and Mrs. Day, nearby residents, testified they saw the shot fired and both said the taller of the two fired the pistol. Mr. Miller, Sr. also testified the shorter of the two had a silk stocking pulled down over his face.

There were some discrepancies in the various witnesses’ description of the way the men walked and ran and which wore the darker clothes. These matters were clearly for the jury. Defendant places his main reliance on the testimony of State’s witness Patricia Ann Lewis who also viewed his flight from the station. She agreed he was wearing the light-colored pants, limped some and she saw him remove the stocking from his face. Miss Lewis testified positively it was Shiffer who fired the shot and then gave the gun to defendant Johnson.

The conflict between the testimony of Mr. Miller, Jr. and Miss Lewis was for the jury. Their testimony had to be assessed in light of all of the other evidence in the case. The evidence generates a fair inference of guilt and raises something more than mere suspicion or conjecture. State v. Daves, 259 Iowa 584, 586, 144 N.W.2d 879. Stated otherwise the jury verdict on this issue is binding on us unless clearly against the weight of the evidence.

“ Tn a criminal action the cause should be submitted to the jury and the court should not direct a verdict of acquittal, if there is any substantial evidence reasonably tending to support the charge.’ (Emphasis supplied.)” State v. McClelland, supra, (loc. cit. 162 N.W.2d, page 461).

II. Defendant next urges the jury reached an impossible verdict. The only evidence of assault is the evidence of firing a gun in the direction of Miller, Jr. Malice may be inferred from assault with a deadly weapon. Since the difference between as *699 sault with intent to murder and assault with intent to commit manslaughter is the absence of malice, the jury had to find defendant guilty of assault with intent to commit murder, or find him innocent. In State v. Crutcher, 231 Iowa 418, 425, 1 N.W.2d 195, we said: “An assault with intent to commit manslaughter is an assault under such circumstances that had death ensued the crime would have been voluntary manslaughter. It lacks the element of malice necessary in assault with intent to murder. * *

We must first say this argument is raised here for the first time. No objection to submission of the included offense is shown either at the time of submission or in a motion for a new trial. The matter is not properly before us. State v. Everett, Iowa, 157 N.W.2d 144, 148. While admittedly unnecessary to this opinion, we are constrained to add that the law permits, but does not require, the jury to infer malice from the circumstance of use of a deadly weapon. This is a matter for the fact finder, and the jury may, as it apparently did here, find the entire evidence did not justify a finding of malice. We have repeatedly approved the submission of assault with intent to commit manslaughter. State v. Marish, 198 Iowa 602, 200 N.W. 5; State v. Mart, 237 Iowa 181, 20 N.W.2d 63; Mart v. Lainson, 239 Iowa 21, 30 N.W.2d 305; State v. Shipley, 259 Iowa 952, 146 N.W.2d 266. In State v. Marish, supra, we said: “ * * *. The crime of an assault with intent to commit manslaughter, while somewhat anomalous in some aspects, is recognized as included in a charge of assault with intent to commit murder. State v. White, 45 Iowa, 325; State v. Postal, 83 Iowa, 460, 50 N.W. 207; State v. McGuire, 87 Iowa, 142, 54 N.W. 202; State v. Bunn, 195 Iowa, 9, 190 N.W. 155 and other cases there cited.” (loc. cit. 198 Iowa, page 606, 200 N.W. page 7). Despite the doctrinal problems inherent in the submission of such a charge as an included offense, we are not prepared to abandon the rule followed in State v. Marish, supra.

III. Defendant also contends the assault itself was not proved. Enough facts have heretofore been recited to dispose of the contention. The gun was fired in the direction of Miller, Jr., close enough for him to hear the bullet pass through the leaves of the tree and strike a pole. The jury might have found defendant did not fire at Miller, as defendant now contends. The verdict does not so indicate.

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Bluebook (online)
167 N.W.2d 696, 1969 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 829, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-johnson-iowa-1969.