State v. Robinson

838 A.2d 243, 81 Conn. App. 26, 2004 Conn. App. LEXIS 21
CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
DecidedJanuary 13, 2004
DocketAC 23177
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 838 A.2d 243 (State v. Robinson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Appellate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Robinson, 838 A.2d 243, 81 Conn. App. 26, 2004 Conn. App. LEXIS 21 (Colo. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

Opinion

MIHALAKOS, J.

The defendant, Timothy Robinson, appeals from the judgment of conviction, rendered after a jury trial, of kidnapping in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-94' and unlawful restraint in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-95.1 2 On appeal, the defendant claims that (1) the court’s charge to the jury violated his constitutional right to a [28]*28fair trial by referring to the complainant as the “victim,” (2) the state failed to prove the elements of each offense beyond a reasonable doubt and (3) the conviction of both kidnapping in the second degree and unlawful restraint in the first degree was legally inconsistent. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

The jury reasonably could have found the following facts. On September 19, 1999, the complainant, J, and a friend went to a pool hall in New Haven, where J saw the defendant, with whom she was acquainted. Upon learning that J did not have a way to get home, the defendant offered her a ride, which she accepted. J told the defendant that she wanted to return home. The defendant responded that it was his birthday and that he wanted to “go out and do something.” She again told the defendant that she wanted go home. Instead, he drove onto Route 34 and eventually arrived at Peck Place School in Orange. J demanded that the defendant take her home, threatening to walk if he did not comply. The defendant, however, again refused, and J exited the car. The defendant then persuaded her to get back into the vehicle by promising to take her home.

The defendant turned off the ignition. J again attempted to exit the car, whereupon the defendant put his arms around her to prevent her from leaving. Although initially she was able to leave the car, the defendant then blocked her path. J ran away, and the defendant chased her, dove at her feet and then dragged her back to his vehicle. She again managed to free herself and ran toward a nearby home owned by Stanley Cohen. Cohen opened the door and called the police upon hearing J banging on his door and screaming that “he’s going to kill me.”

Officer Jude Fedorchuck of the Orange police department responded to the call. While he was speaking with J outside the Cohen home, the defendant drove by the [29]*29residence. J identified the defendant as her attacker, and Officer Michael Morin of the Orange police department placed the defendant under arrest.

After a jury trial, the defendant was convicted of kidnapping in the second degree and unlawful restraint in the first degree. The court sentenced the defendant to a total effective term of thirteen years imprisonment plus seven years special parole. This appeal followed. Additional facts will be set forth as necessary.

I

The defendant first claims that the court’s charge to the juiy violated his right to a fair trial under the fourteenth amendment to the United States constitution and the constitution of Connecticut by referring to the complainant as the “victim.” Specifically, the defendant contends that the court, by using the term “victim” to describe the complainant, prejudiced his case by removing the presumption of innocence afforded to a criminal defendant.

The defendant argues that the court, in describing J as a victim, influenced the juiy’s determination of whether she in fact had been victimized. He also claims that the use of the term influenced the jury’s perception of the veracity of J’s accusations. The defendant contends that the court’s use of the term “victim” on thirteen separate occasions was not limited to a particular portion of the charge, but occurred throughout, furthering its prejudicial effect. He further asserts that defense counsel refused a curative instruction because it would have drawn further attention to the court’s characterization of J as a victim.

The defendant waived his claim when defense counsel specifically refused the court’s offer for a curative instruction. “A criminal defendant cannot forgo opportunities granted to him to cure his procedural lapses, [30]*30and then raise the procedural issue on appeal. It is axiomatic that our system of law encourages the conservation of judicial time and resources. . . . We have repeatedly and recently held that a defendant who fails to take advantage of curative options presented by the trial court to remedy possible prejudice waives his right subsequently to claim prejudice.” (Citation omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. McIntyre, 242 Conn. 318, 333, 699 A.2d 991 (1997); State v. Arena, 235 Conn. 67, 79-80, 663 A.2d 972 (1995).

The defendant seeks review under State v. Golding, 213 Conn. 233, 567 A.2d 823 (1989), for any unpreserved claim.3 The defendant argues that the issue merits Golding review because it concerns his right to a fair trial and the presumption of innocence afforded to a criminal defendant. Before the charge can be held to violate the defendant’s constitutional right to a fair trial, however, the charge must be examined in its entirety.

“The standard of review for constitutional claims of improper jury instructions is well settled. In determining whether it was . . . reasonably possible that the jury was misled by the trial court’s instructions, the charge to the jury is not to be critically dissected for the purpose of discovering possible inaccuracies of statement, but it is to be considered rather as to its probable effect upon the jury in guiding them to a cor[31]*31rect verdict in the case. . . . The charge is to be read as a whole and individual instructions are not to be judged in artificial isolation from the overall charge. . . . The test to be applied ... is whether the charge, considered as a whole, presents the case to the jury so that no injustice will result.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. Reynolds, 264 Conn. 1, 128, 836 A.2d 224 (2003).

Our resolution of the issue is guided by this court’s analysis in State v. Arluk, 75 Conn. App. 181, 191-93, 815 A.2d 694 (2003). See also State v. Hersey, 78 Conn. App. 141, 157, 826 A.2d 1183, cert. denied, 266 Conn. 903, 832 A.2d 65 (2003). The court in Arluk relied on State v. Cooper, 38 Conn. App. 661, 664 A.2d 773, cert. denied, 235 Conn. 908, 665 A.2d 903 (1995), cert. denied, 517 U.S. 1214, 116 S. Ct. 1837, 134 L. Ed. 2d 940 (1996), and stated that “[w]e are mindful that in the usual Golding situation, the defendant raises a claim on appeal which, while not preserved at trial, at least was not waived at trial.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) State v. Arluk, supra, 192. “[In Cooper], we held that a defendant could not satisfy the third prong of Golding where he had implicitly waived at trial a challenge to the alleged constitutional deprivation that was the basis of his claim on appeal.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
838 A.2d 243, 81 Conn. App. 26, 2004 Conn. App. LEXIS 21, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-robinson-connappct-2004.