State v. Nash

342 N.W.2d 177, 1984 Minn. App. LEXIS 2973
CourtCourt of Appeals of Minnesota
DecidedJanuary 11, 1984
DocketC4-83-1151
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 342 N.W.2d 177 (State v. Nash) 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. Nash, 342 N.W.2d 177, 1984 Minn. App. LEXIS 2973 (Mich. Ct. App. 1984).

Opinion

OPINION

SEDGWICK, Judge.

Defendant appeals his conviction for aggravated robbery under Minn.Stat. § 609.-245 following a jury trial before Hennepin County District Court. Defendant claims (1) that the evidence was insufficient to justify the conviction because the alleged victim’s wallet was never recovered; (2) that the trial court erred in failing to instruct the jury on the lesser offenses of attempted aggravated robbery, simple robbery and attempted simple robbery; and (3) that the trial judge should have departed downward in durational sentencing, from the presumptive sentence, because the victim suffered only minimal injury and defendant’s conduct only met the minimal requirements of the offense. We affirm.

FACTS

The incident giving rise to this case occurred on December 18, 1982 at about 1:00 a.m. in front of the Taste Bar in downtown Minneapolis. On his way out of the Taste Bar, the victim stopped in the restroom where he checked his wallet to count his cash; he had $70 left. He returned the wallet to his right rear pocket.

The victim left the bar and stood outside the door waiting for the traffic to clear so he could cross the street to get to his ear. While standing there Roosevelt Nash, appellant, approached him smiling. Nash gave him a bear hug; he asked Nash what he wanted. The victim felt Nash’s hand reach for and go into his back right pocket where he had his wallet. The victim yelled for help during this struggle attracting the attention of two police officers stationed across the street. He felt his wallet being removed from his pocket and tried to get his arms free to stop Nash but was unable to. Nash struck him on the left side of his *179 face cutting his lip, knocking his glasses off, and forcing him to the ground. The victim’s face swelled, causing him pain; the cut lip filled his handkerchief with blood. Nash ran down the street passing through two groups of people. The police officers who observed Nash’s attack on the victim, chased Nash and apprehended him about 75-100' from where the victim was knocked down. The wallet was not found. Nash was charged with aggravated robbery.

On March 21, 1983, the first jury trial was conducted in Hennepin County District Court. At this trial the jury was instructed on aggravated robbery, simple robbery, theft from a person, and assault in the fourth degree. A mistrial was declared when the jury was unable to reach a verdict.

On May 9-10, 1983, a second jury trial was held. After the case was presented, the parties met in the judge’s chambers to discuss the proposed instructions. Defendant elected to have the court submit to the jury assault in the fourth degree as the only lesser included offense rather than the alternatives offered at the first trial. The jury was then instructed on aggravated robbery and assault in the fourth degree. Defense counsel did not object to these instructions. After approximately one hour of deliberation, the jury returned a verdict of guilty of aggravated robbery.

On June 2, 1983, defendant was sentenced to the minimum presumptive sentence of 90 months at Stillwater, with a seven month credit for time already served.

ISSUES

1. Whether the evidence was sufficient to support the jury’s finding that the appellant-Nash committed the crime of aggravated robbery?

2. Whether the jury instructions of the trial court were proper?

3. Whether appellant-Nash received the appropriate sentence under the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines?

ANALYSIS

1. The basic principles for evaluating the sufficiency of the evidence were stated by the Minnesota Supreme Court in State v. Merrill, 274 N.W.2d 99 (Minn.1978):

In reviewing a claim of insufficiency of the evidence, we are limited to ascertaining whether, given the facts in the record and the legitimate inferences that can be drawn from those facts, a jury could reasonably conclude that the defendant was guilty of the offense charged. State v. Whelan, 291 Minn. 83, 85, 189 N.W.2d 170, 172 (1971); State v. Norgaard, 272 Minn. 48, 52, 136 N.W.2d 628, 631 (1965) We cannot retry the facts, but must take the view of the evidence most favorable to the state and must assume that the jury believed the state’s witnesses and disbelieved any contradictory evidence. State v. Darrow, 287 Minn. 230, 235, 177 N.W.2d 778, 781 (1970); State v. Ellingson, 283 Minn. 208, 211, 167 N.W.2d 55, 57 (1969); State v. Thompson, 273 Minn. 1, 36, 139 N.W.2d 490, 515, certiorari denied, 385 U.S. 817, 87 S.Ct. 39, 17 L.Ed.2d 56 (1966). If the jury, giving due regard to the presumption of innocence and to the state’s burden of proving the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, could reasonably have found the defendant guilty, that verdict will not be reversed. State v. Norgaard, supra., 272 Minn. at 52, 136 N.W.2d at 632. (Emphasis added.)

274 N.W.2d at 111. See also State v. Turnipseed, 297 N.W.2d 308, 313 (Minn.1980).

Viewing the evidence most favorable to • the state, the jury could reasonably have found defendant guilty of aggravated robbery.

2. Defendant now claims on appeal that he was also entitled to instructions on the lesser crimes of attempted aggravated robbery, simple robbery and attempted simple robbery even though the court gave the instructions he requested.

Although Minn.Stat. § 609.04 (1982) provides that “the actor may be convicted of either the crime charged or an included *180 crime,” there is no statutory requirement that the actor be charged with lesser crimes or that a jury be instructed on lesser crimes.

The Minnesota Supreme Court has given courts discretion in instructing juries on lesser included crimes even where a defendant objects to such instructions. In State v. Pankratz, 238 Minn. 517, 57 N.W.2d 635 (1953), the court stated:

Where the evidence will justify a verdict of a lesser degree of the crime than is charged in the indictment, defendant may not demand as a matter of right that the court submit only the degree of the crime charged in the indictment. If, however, his request to do so is granted by the court, he cannot thereafter complain of the court’s action.

57 N.W.2d at 647.

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Bluebook (online)
342 N.W.2d 177, 1984 Minn. App. LEXIS 2973, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-nash-minnctapp-1984.