State v. Kinney

2019 Ohio 629
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided February 21, 2019·No. 106952·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

Court of Appeals of Ohio

EIGHTH APPELLATE DISTRICT COUNTY OF CUYAHOGA

JOURNAL ENTRY AND OPINION No. 106952

STATE OF OHIO

PLAINTIFF-APPELLEE

vs.

DARIUS KINNEY

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT

JUDGMENT:

AFFIRMED

Criminal Appeal from the

Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Case No. CR-17-617832-A

BEFORE: Celebrezze, J., E.T. Gallagher, P.J., and Headen, J.

RELEASED AND JOURNALIZED: February 21, 2019

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT

Joseph V. Pagano P.O. Box 16869 Rocky River, Ohio 44116

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE

Michael C. O’Malley Cuyahoga County Prosecutor BY: Kristin M. Karkutt Assistant Prosecuting Attorney The Justice Center, 9th Floor 1200 Ontario Street Cleveland, Ohio 44113

FRANK D. CELEBREZZE, JR., J.:

{¶1} Defendant-appellant, Darius Kinney (“appellant”), brings the instant appeal challenging his convictions and sentence for aggravated vehicular homicide, failure to stop after an accident, and tampering with evidence. More specifically, appellant argues that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel because his trial counsel failed to file a motion to suppress, and that the trial court’s imposition of consecutive sentences was contrary to law. After a thorough review of the record and law, this court affirms.

I. Factual and Procedural History

{¶2} On May 29, 2017, at 1:00 a.m., appellant was operating his vehicle at an excessive rate of speed, 51 mph in a 35 mph zone. As appellant’s vehicle approached the intersection of East 93rd Street and Gibson Street in Cleveland, Ohio, his vehicle struck and killed two individuals, Denise Bradley and Leo Pinkard, as they were attempting to cross East 93rd Street.

Appellant failed to stop after his vehicle struck the two victims and failed to render aid. Appellant fled the scene traveling southbound on East 93rd Street.

{¶3} Later that same day, approximately 12 hours later, Cleveland police received an anonymous tip that led investigating officers to appellant’s residence. Investigating officers observed appellant’s vehicle backed into his garage. The vehicle was backed into the garage such that the front half of the vehicle was observed by investigating officers. Although a blanket covered a portion of the hood of the vehicle, officers were able to observe damage to the vehicle’s windshield. The damage to the windshield was consistent with what had been observed at the scene of the accident.

{¶4} As officers were approaching appellant’s vehicle, appellant exited his residence and admitted to investigating officers that he had been driving his vehicle the previous evening. Appellant also stated to officers that he was going to turn himself in. Appellant was subsequently arrested.

{¶5} Appellant was charged in the following four-count indictment with the following offenses: (1)-(2) aggravated vehicle homicide in violation of R.C. 2903.06(A)(2)(a), third-degree felonies; (3) failure to stop after accident in violation of R.C. 4549.02(A), a third-degree felony; and (4) tampering with evidence in violation of R.C. 2921.12(A)(1), a third-degree felony. Appellant pleaded not guilty to the indictment.

{¶6} After unsuccessful plea negotiations, appellant eventually pleaded no contest to the indictment on January 2, 2018. The trial court found appellant guilty on all four counts.

{¶7} On February 16, 2018, the trial court held a sentencing hearing. The state and appellant’s counsel filed sentencing memorandums. The state advocated for the imposition of consecutive sentences. Appellant’s trial counsel advocated for the imposition of community control sanctions. Several individuals wrote letters to the trial court on appellant’s behalf. These individuals also provided statements to the trial court at the sentencing hearing. Family members of the victims also provided statements to the trial court at the sentencing hearing. The trial court ultimately sentenced appellant to the following prison term: four years on Count 1, four years on Count 2, two years on Count 3, and two years on Count 4. The trial court ordered each count to be served consecutively for an aggregate prison sentence of 12 years.

{¶8} Appellant thereafter filed the instant appeal and assigns two errors for our review.

I. Appellant’s Sixth Amendment rights were violated because [trial] counsel did not file a motion to suppress.

II. Appellant’s sentence is contrary to law because the record does not support the imposition of consecutive sentences.

II. Law and Analysis

A. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

{¶9} In appellant’s first assignment of error, he argues that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel because his counsel failed to file a motion to suppress.1

{¶10} In order to establish a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must prove (1) his counsel was deficient in some aspect of his representation, and (2) there is a reasonable probability that, were it not for counsel’s errors, the result of the trial court proceedings would have been different. State v. Cobb, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 106928, 2018-Ohio-5043, ¶ 16, citing Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). “Reasonable probability” is such “probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.” Strickland at 694. An appellant’s failure to prove either prong of

1 We note though that appellant’s trial counsel did file a motion in limine a week prior to trial seeking to exclude any photographs of either victim and photographs of appellant’s SUV. The trial court denied this motion.

the Strickland two-part test makes it unnecessary for a court to consider the other prong. State v. Madrigal, 87 Ohio St.3d 378, 389, 721 N.E.2d 52 (2000), citing Strickland at 697.

{¶11} We note that the failure to pursue a motion to suppress in the trial court does not automatically establish an ineffective assistance of counsel claim on appeal. State v. Musleh, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 105305, 2017-Ohio-8166, ¶ 31.

To establish ineffective assistance of counsel for failure to pursue a motion to suppress, a defendant must prove that there was a basis to suppress the evidence in question and that there was a reasonable probability both that a motion to suppress would have been successful if pursued and that suppression of the challenged evidence would have changed the outcome of the case.

Id.

{¶12} Trial counsel is not obligated to pursue a motion to suppress if such a motion would be futile. Id. “‘Even if some evidence in the record supports a motion to suppress, counsel is still considered effective if counsel could reasonably have decided that filing a motion to suppress would have been a futile act.’” State v. Moon, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 101972, 2015-Ohio-1550, ¶ 28, quoting State v. Suarez, 12th Dist. Warren No. CA2014-02-035, 2015-Ohio-64, ¶ 13. Therefore, if established principles of law demonstrate that a motion to suppress would have been denied, counsel cannot be considered ineffective for failing to pursue such a motion. State v. Brooks, 11th Dist. Lake No. 2011-L-049, 2013-Ohio-58, ¶ 57.

{¶13} Appellant argues that all evidence seized in the instant matter was seized in violation of the Fourth Amendment. More specifically, appellant argues that the plain view exception to the warrant requirement is not applicable because the area searched, appellant’s garage, fell under the protections of the Fourth Amendment because the garage was within the curtilage of his home.

{¶14} Under the Fourth Amendment, the state is “prohibited from making unreasonable, warrantless intrusions into areas where people have legitimate expectations of privacy.” State v. Crenshaw, 8th Dist. Cuyahoga No. 90635, 2008-Ohio-4859 ¶11, citing United States v. Chadwick, 433 U.S. 1, 7, 53 L.Ed.2d 538, 97 S.Ct. 2476 (1977).

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