State v. McCornell

631 N.E.2d 1110, 91 Ohio App. 3d 141, 1993 Ohio App. LEXIS 4640
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 12, 1993
DocketNo. 63543.
StatusPublished
Cited by31 cases

This text of 631 N.E.2d 1110 (State v. McCornell) 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. McCornell, 631 N.E.2d 1110, 91 Ohio App. 3d 141, 1993 Ohio App. LEXIS 4640 (Ohio Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

Harper, Judge.

Appellant, Voltaire McCornell, appeals as of right from his conviction of felonious assault by the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas. For the reasons set forth, we affirm.

I

On November 4, 1991, after returning home from accompanying his wife, Lauren McCornell, on a job interview, Mr. McCornell had an argument with his wife. The couple argued because Mrs. McCornell told appellant that he should also look for a job.

He pulled out his gun and shot her. The bullet entered the right side of her chest and exited through the back. She begged appellant to call 911. She called 911 and told the dispatcher that she was shot during a robbery attempt while alone in the apartment.

Officer Joseph Madachy arrived at the scene and found appellant exiting the apartment. Mrs. McCornell opened the door which was locked behind the appellant.

Appellant informed Officer Madachy that he had been arguing with his wife. He accidentally shot her when she bumped into him and the gun went off.

Joseph Korpon, of the Cleveland Emergency Medical Services (“EMS”), testified that when he arrived at the scene, Mrs. McCornell was sitting in a pool of *144 blood. She told him that she was shot in the bedroom from a distance of two to three feet. She related to him that it was not an accident.

Detective Kenneth Kaselonis of the Euclid Police Department testified that he interviewed Mrs. McCornell at the hospital on November 4, 1991. She told him that appellant pointed a gun at her and fired from a distance of about two to three feet. She told him that the shooting was purposeful. She told the detective that she lied to the dispatcher to protect herself and her thirteen-year-old daughter from appellant.

Mrs. McCornell, when called to testify at trial, testified that the shooting was accidental. She admitted telling the EMS personnel and the detective that appellant shot her on purpose.

The state presented evidence that appellant slashed Mrs. McCornell with a kitchen knife on April 27,1991. When she ran to the bathroom to escape him, he attempted to pry the door open with a knife slashing the bathroom door with the knife. She signed a statement concerning the incident with the police and later called the police, informing them that she would not prosecute because she provoked him.

II

Appellant assigns the following errors for our review:

“A. The defendant was not brought to trial within the time limits set forth in R.C. 2945.71.

“B. The trial court erred in permitting the introduction of evidence regarding prior acts of the witness and prior acts of the defendant.

“C. The trial court erred in refusing to instruct the jury on the lesser included offense of negligent assault.”

Appellant argues in his first assignment of error that his due process right to speedy trial was violated when the state failed to bring him to trial within the time allowed by statute. R.C. 2945.71 provides in pertinent part as follows:

“(C) A person against whom a charge of felony is pending:

“(2) Shall be brought to trial within two hundred seventy days after his arrest.

« * * *

“(E) For purposes of computing time under divisions (A), (B), (C)(2), and (D) of this section, each day during which the accused is held in jail in lieu of bail on the pending charge shall be counted as three days.”.

*145 Crim.R. 45 states in pertinent part as follows:

“(A) Time: Computation. In computing any period of time prescribed or allowed by these rules, by the local rules of any court, by order of court, or by any applicable statute, the date of the act or event from which the designated period’ of time begins to run shall not be included. The last day of the period so computed shall be included, unless it is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, in which event the period runs until the end of the next day which is not Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday. When the period of time prescribed or allowed is less than seven days, intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays shall be excluded in computation.”

The record shows that appellant was arrested on November 4, 1991, and remained in jail until February 3, 1992, when the trial commenced. By statutory requirement appellant was to be brought to trial within ninety days, State v. Walker (1974), 42 Ohio App.2d 41, 71 O.O.2d 238, 327 N.E.2d 796, which would have been on February 2, 1992, since the date of arrest is not included in the speedy trial computation. State v. Steiner (1991), 71 Ohio App.3d 249, 593 N.E.2d 368. A careful review of the 1992 calendar shows that February 2, 1992 was a Sunday. Appellant’s speedy trial date was automatically extended to the next day, which was Monday, February 3,1992, the date appellant was brought to trial. Therefore, by law, appellant was brought to trial within the statutorily allowed time.

Since appellant’s due process right of speedy trial was not violated as explained supra, we need not address the validity of his speedy trial waiver since such determination adds nothing to the argument. See App.R. 12. We overrule appellant’s first assignment of error.

Ill

In his second assignment of error, appellant argues that the trial court erred by permitting the state to introduce evidence of prior acts of stabbing the witness (his wife) to impeach both the defendant and the witness. Evid.R. 404(B) provides as follows:

“Other crimes, wrongs or acts. Evidence of other crimes, wrongs or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show that he acted in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident.”

While evidence of other crimes, wrongs or acts committed by the accused either prior to or subsequent to the crime charged is inadmissible to show that the accused has a propensity to commit crimes, State v. Adams (1978), *146 53 Ohio St.2d 223, 7 O.O.3d 393, 374 N.E.2d 137; State v. Mann (1985), 19 Ohio St.3d 34, 19 OBR 28, 482 N.E.2d 592; State v. Burson (1974), 38 Ohio St.2d 157, 67 O.O.2d 174, 311 N.E.2d 526, they may be admissible for such limited-purpose to show motive or intent, the absence of mistake or accident on his part, or his scheme, plan or system in committing the act in question. In those cases where other acts evidence is shown to be relevant its admission is still proper even though such proof may show or tend to show the commission of another crime by the accused, unless prejudice is shown. See R.C. 2945.59.

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Bluebook (online)
631 N.E.2d 1110, 91 Ohio App. 3d 141, 1993 Ohio App. LEXIS 4640, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mccornell-ohioctapp-1993.