State v. Sing

746 N.W.2d 690, 275 Neb. 391
CourtNebraska Supreme Court
DecidedApril 4, 2008
DocketS-07-345
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 746 N.W.2d 690 (State v. Sing) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Nebraska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Sing, 746 N.W.2d 690, 275 Neb. 391 (Neb. 2008).

Opinion

746 N.W.2d 690 (2008)
275 Neb. 391

STATE of Nebraska, appellee,
v.
Danny L. SING, appellant.

No. S-07-345.

Supreme Court of Nebraska.

April 4, 2008.

*692 Thomas C. Riley, Douglas County Public Defender, Mikki C. Jerabek, and Scott C. Sladek, Omaha, for appellant.

Jon Bruning, Attorney General, and James D. Smith, Lincoln, for appellee.

HEAVICAN, C.J., WRIGHT, CONNOLLY, GERRARD, STEPHAN, McCORMACK, and MILLER-LERMAN, JJ.

*693 WRIGHT, J.

NATURE OF CASE

Danny L. Sing was convicted of first degree murder, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, and possession of a deadly weapon by a felon, following the death of Edi Torres. Sing was sentenced to life in prison, a consecutive term of 5 to 10 years in prison for use of a weapon, and a concurrent term of 5 to 10 years for possession of a deadly weapon. He appeals.

SCOPE OF REVIEW

In reviewing a claim chat the evidence was insufficient to support a criminal conviction, an appellate court does not resolve conflicts in the evidence, pass on the credibility of witnesses, or reweigh the evidence; such matters are for the finder of fact, and a conviction will be affirmed, in the absence of prejudicial error, if the evidence admitted at trial, viewed and construed most favorably to the State, is sufficient to support the conviction. See State v. Thurman, 273 Neb. 518, 730 N.W.2d 805 (2007).

FACTS

Sing lived on South 9th Street in Omaha, Nebraska. A common driveway ran between Sing's house and the house next door, in which Loc Nguyen and Johanna Nguyen resided. The Nguyens had moved in several weeks prior to September 30, 2005, and in that time, police had been called to the Nguyens' house for a noise complaint and a complaint about a dog. The police had also towed a vehicle from the backyard of the Nguyens' house.

Torres was a friend of Loc's and often came to the Nguyens' house to lift weights. On September 30, 2005, Loc and Torres made plans to meet around midnight. When Loc and Johanna arrived home, Torres was waiting on the enclosed front porch. Because Loc had sprained his hand and could not lift weights, he and Torres decided to buy some beer. Loc, Johanna, and Torres were on the porch when Sing came over at about 1 a.m.

Sing drank two or three beers in 15 to 30 minutes. He repeatedly talked about a stolen vehicle that had been parked behind the Nguyens' house. Loc asked Sing if he had called the police about the vehicle, and Sing said he was not a "snitch." Because Loc's wrist was wrapped, Sing repeatedly asked Loc what was wrong with his wrist. Loc finally responded that he was about to sprain his other wrist if Sing did not stop asking about it. Loc, Johanna, and Torres all laughed at this, but Sing did not. At Loc's suggestion, Sing left, and Loc secured the door to the porch.

A few minutes later, Loc saw Sing run up the steps to the porch. Torres was seated on a chair, Johanna was sitting on the weight bench, and Loc was standing against the house near Johanna. Sing tried to open the door, but it was locked. He had a small pistol in his left hand and a shotgun in his right hand. Sing asked Loc if he had "anything to say now" and asked Loc and Torres if they were "tough now." Sing pointed the pistol at Loc and Torres, and the muzzle of the pistol was touching the glass in the door.

Torres told Sing not to point the gun at him or anyone else. Sing then pointed the pistol at Loc's face and fired, but Loc dodged and the shot missed him. Torres told Loc to take Johanna inside the house, and Loc walked behind Johanna to protect her. Before Johanna got into the house, she heard a gun-shot that was louder than the first. As Loc reached the doorway, he looked at Torres to tell him to come into the house. At that moment, a gun was fired and Loc saw Sing with both hands on the shotgun, which was pointed at Torres. *694 Torres was knocked backward, and his chair flew against the wall. Loc saw Sing run away.

Inside the house, Johanna called the 911 emergency dispatch service. Loc went into the kitchen, grabbed two knives, and went to the back door because he thought Sing might try to return through that door. Loc then returned to the front porch and saw Torres struggling to move. When medical personnel arrived, Loc told them to hurry because Torres was badly injured. Loc saw Sing on his porch, looking out. When the police arrived, Loc directed them to Sing's house. Torres died later that day from a gunshot wound to the head. The shot had been roughly parallel to the top of Torres' head.

Police officers ordered Sing to come out of his house, and he was taken into custody. Police found a shotgun shell on the ground near the garage of Sing's house and a shotgun in a wooded area behind Sing's house. The shotgun was test fired and found to be operational.

Sing told the officer who transported him to police headquarters that he had gone next door to confront Loc and Johanna about a car which had been "dumped" in his backyard and that they laughed at him. He said that Loc and Torres told him they were going to "storm troop his residence, kill him, [and] rape his wife." Loc and Johanna denied that anyone made any threats to Sing and denied that there had been foul language spoken that night or raised voices.

During a police interview the morning of October 1, 2005, Sing stated that he had gone to tell the Nguyens that they lived in a quiet neighborhood and that it was not "cool" to bring the police around. Sing claimed Loc stated that if they found out Sing had called the police about the stolen car, they would come to his house, rape his wife or girlfriend, and kill him while he was sleeping. Sing gave several explanations for the events of the night of September 30, 2005: (1) He got his guns from his house and went next door because he wanted to scare the Nguyens and Torres; (2) the shooting was an accident; (3) he stumbled, and the shotgun went off; and (4) he blacked out and had no memory of that segment of time.

Sing told police that he did not have to work on September 30, 2005, and that he began drinking about 11 a.m. He claimed that he consumed approximately 34 beers between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. and napped until about 8 p.m. When his girlfriend arrived home, they went to a neighborhood bar. He claimed to have consumed six or seven beers there, as well as seven shots of liqueur. Sing then went home and drank "a couple" of beers before going to the Nguyens' house.

Sing was charged in an amended information with first degree murder, use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony, and possession of a deadly weapon by a felon. A jury returned verdicts of guilty on all three charges.

Sing was sentenced to life in prison for first degree murder and 5 to 10 years' imprisonment for use of a weapon to commit a felony, to be served consecutively to the life sentence. He was sentenced to 5 to 10 years' imprisonment for possession of a deadly weapon by a felon, to be served concurrently to the sentence for the weapons conviction. He was given credit for time served of 522 days against the sentence imposed for first degree murder.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

Sing's assignments of error can be summarized to allege that the evidence was insufficient to support the conviction for first degree murder and that the district court erred in sustaining the State's motion *695 in limine regarding the victim's alleged gang affiliation.

ANALYSIS

SUFFICIENCY OF EVIDENCE

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Related

State v. Golyar
301 Neb. 488 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2018)
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291 Neb. 577 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. Davis
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832 N.W.2d 459 (Nebraska Supreme Court, 2013)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
746 N.W.2d 690, 275 Neb. 391, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sing-neb-2008.