State v. Johnson, Unpublished Decision (12-20-2001)

CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 20, 2001
DocketNo. 76999.
StatusUnpublished

This text of State v. Johnson, Unpublished Decision (12-20-2001) (State v. Johnson, Unpublished Decision (12-20-2001)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Johnson, Unpublished Decision (12-20-2001), (Ohio Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION OF DECISION
Bobby Johnson appeals from a judgment of the common pleas court entered pursuant to a jury verdict finding him guilty of aggravated murder due to his involvement in the death of Clifford Beller. He assigns the following as error for our review:

I. THERE WAS INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANT'S CONVICTION FOR AGGRAVATED MURDER AND THE VERDICT WAS CONTRARY TO THE MANIFEST WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE.

II. APPELLANT'S TRIAL COUNSEL WAS INEFFECTIVE FOR REVEALING PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATIONS AND THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING APPELLANT'S OBJECTION TO THE ADMISSION OF COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN APPELLANT AND HIS ATTORNEY, THEREBY VIOLATING APPELLANT'S ATTORNEY-CLIENT PRIVILEGE AND HIS RIGHT TO EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL UNDER THE SIXTH AND FOURTEENTH AMENDMENTS TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLE I, SECTION 10 OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION.

III. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN PERMITTING EVIDENCE OF OTHER ACTS OR WRONGS, THEREBY DENYING APPELLANT JOHNSON HIS RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS AND TO A FAIR TRIAL AS GUARANTEED BY THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND ARTICLE I, SECTION 16 OF THE OHIO CONSTITUTION.

IV. THE ADMISSION OF GRUESOME, CUMULATIVE AND INFLAMMATORY CRIME SCENE AND AUTOPSY EVIDENCE VIOLATED OHIO RULE OF EVIDENCE 403(A) AND PREJUDICED DEFENDANT-APPELLANT'S RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL.

V. PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT DURING CLOSING ARGUMENT DEPRIVED THE DEFENDANT-APPELLANT OF HIS RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS.

Having reviewed the record and the legal arguments of the parties, we affirm the judgment of the trial court. The apposite facts follow.

Surenda Ramjit shot Clifford Beller three times in the back of the head. The State of Ohio also charged Bobby Johnson with the murder. Johnson associated with a group of young people who lived in the area of Bedford, Northfield and Macedonia, Ohio, including co-defendant Ramjit. Johnson eventually became involved in a rap group that consisted of some friends and family members, including his cousin, Laquan Stowers. The members of the group occasionally funded their enterprise by selling marijuana. Stowers was entrusted with the proceeds of the sales; however, sometime in the later part of 1998, Stowers used a portion of the group's money to have his automobile repaired. This caused a rift between the cousins, and their various friends were forced to choose sides in the dispute. Ramjit remained loyal to Johnson; Beller became more closely associated with Stowers.

On the evening of January 12, 1999, Stowers and his friends visited the home of Mary Ellen MacGregor, one of the female members of their clique. Her house was located across the street from Johnson's home. Beller, one of the few in the group who had the use of a vehicle, brought with him Stowers and two other friends, Clarence Harris and Michael Knapp. Sometime thereafter, Beller's best friend, Sean Alvis, arrived.

At some point during that evening, the group wanted to smoke marijuana, so Knapp volunteered to go across the street to ask Johnson to sell him marijuana. Upon his arrival at Johnson's residence, Knapp observed Ramjit also was there. Johnson refused to sell him any marijuana because he was aware Knapp associated with Stowers. Knapp still was engaged in his effort when Harris arrived at Johnson's door to buy a blunt. Harris was Stowers' closest ally; thus, his audacity at taking this action angered both Johnson and Ramjit. Ramjit shouted at him, ordering him off of Johnson's property.

Ramjit's belligerence sparked Harris's anger as well as his retreat. When he and Knapp returned to MacGregor's garage where the group had gathered, Harris informed Stowers of the reception he had received and told Stowers he wanted to fight Ramjit. They all discussed the matter for a time, then noticed Johnson and Ramjit emerge from the house.

As the two approached Johnson's Cadillac, parked on the street, Harris ran outside and started arguing with Ramjit and Johnson. Stowers and the other members of his clique, including Beller, followed. Harris removed his shirt in preparation for a fight with Ramjit. Ramjit, however, refused to engage with the larger and more powerful Harris. Instead, he stared at Stowers while Harris insulted him and Johnson.

Johnson and Ramjit eventually left in Johnson's Cadillac and afterwards, Stowers' group continued with their party for a time. Beller then provided a ride home to most of the young men.

After Beller dropped Harris off, Beller and Sean Alvis proceeded to a restaurant where they applied for employment. Upon being informed they could start working the following day, they proceeded to Alvis's house to attend a birthday party. The two were there for approximately an hour when Johnson telephoned. Johnson spoke to Alvis only briefly before requesting Beller. Following the telephone conversation, Beller informed Alvis he had to leave to pick up some money that Ramjit owed him. Beller first drove Alvis to the apartment complex where he and Beller had been staying with friends, then drove away from there alone at approximately 11:00 p.m., turning his vehicle left onto Sagamore Road rather than using the more typical right turn, which led to Northfield Road.

At approximately 1:20 a.m. on January 13, 1999, Walton Hills Police Sergeant David Choba was on routine patrol westbound on Sagamore Road when he observed a vehicle parked in the Metroparks picnic area. The unlit vehicle was not parked in a normal parking space. In view of the hour and the extremely inclement weather, Choba decided to investigate. He engaged his cruiser's video camera before exiting.

As Choba approached the vehicle, he observed what appeared to be steam coming off the vehicle, leading him to believe it recently had arrived in the lot. He also noticed what appeared to be two bullet holes in the front windshield of the vehicle. Upon closer observation, he saw the driver of the vehicle, later identified as Clifford Beller, sitting back in his seat with his head slumped slightly to his right. Beller's head was bloody. At that point, Choba radioed for additional assistance and notified ranger headquarters of the occurrence of a possible homicide on Metroparks property.

Subsequent testimony indicated the parking area had been empty within the hour prior to the discovery of Beller's vehicle. Although investigation of the case quickly was assigned to Ranger Sergeant John Manzatt, the hazardous road conditions prevented Manzatt from arriving on the scene until approximately 2:30 a.m. While Choba waited, he took some photographs and performed some cursory investigation of the crime scene. Some tire tracks, footprints, and blood spots were found in the area of the vehicle and the parking lot. A check of the vehicle's license, moreover, provided the victim's name.

Thereafter, Manzatt took additional photographs, obtained samples of the blood spots and also located the murder weapon buried in the snow a short distance from Beller's vehicle. The subsequent autopsy of Beller's body indicated he had been shot with a .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun at least three times in the back of the head at close range.

Some of the bullets shot from the handgun had also struck the interior of Beller's vehicle; one was lodged in the steering wheel.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
State v. Johnson, Unpublished Decision (12-20-2001), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-johnson-unpublished-decision-12-20-2001-ohioctapp-2001.