State v. Tinsley

706 A.2d 1008, 47 Conn. App. 716, 1998 Conn. App. LEXIS 64
CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
DecidedFebruary 17, 1998
DocketAC 16992
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 706 A.2d 1008 (State v. Tinsley) 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. Tinsley, 706 A.2d 1008, 47 Conn. App. 716, 1998 Conn. App. LEXIS 64 (Colo. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

Opinion

O’CONNELL, C. J.

The defendant appeals from the judgment of conviction, rendered after a jury trial, of robbery in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-134 (a) (4),1 and commission of a class A, B or C felony with a firearm in violation of General Statutes § 53-202k.2

[718]*718The defendant claims that (1) it was constitutionally impermissible to convict him of robbery in the first degree because there was insufficient evidence to establish that he was guilty of one of the two alleged alternative methods of committing the crime and (2) the trial court improperly denied his motion for a judgment of acquittal as to the violation of § 53-202k because there was insufficient evidence to establish possession of a firearm. We affirm the judgment in part and reverse it in part.

The jury reasonably could have found the following facts. On May 5, 1995, the victim was having trouble starting his car, which was parked on South Avenue in Bridgeport. He had raised the car’s hood and was attempting to remedy the problem when the defendant approached, stuck a handgun in his side and demanded money. The victim gave him $20, and the defendant walked away, still holding the gun in his hand. The victim subsequently made a photographic identification of the defendant and also an in-court identification at trial.

The defendant was charged, in a substitute information, with robbery in the first degree and with committing a class A, B or C felony with a firearm. He was convicted of both crimes.

I

The defendant first claims that it is constitutionally impermissible to convict him of robbery in the first degree when the information charged him with alternative methods of committing that crime and the state failed to prove one of the two alleged methods. The information on which the defendant was tried alleged in part that “the [defendant] stole certain property from [the victim], and in the course of the commission of the crime he displayed what he represented by his words or conduct to be a firearm.” (Emphasis added.)

[719]*719The defendant concedes, and the evidence shows, that he represented by his conduct that he was armed with a pistol or a revolver. He argues, however, that the state must also prove that he represented by his words that he was so armed. The defendant did not raise this issue in the trial court and now seeks review under State v. Golding, 213 Conn. 233, 239-40, 567 A.2d 823 (1989).3 This claim is not of constitutional magnitude and, therefore, does not meet the second Golding prong.

State v. Chapman, 229 Conn. 529, 643 A.2d 1213 (1994), controls the resolution of this issue. In Chapman, our Supreme Court, relying on Griffin v. United States, 502 U.S. 46, 112 S. Ct. 466, 116 L. Ed. 2d 371 (1991), held that “a factual insufficiency regarding one statutory basis, which is accompanied by a general verdict of guilty that also covers another, factually supported basis, is not a federal due process violation.” State v. Chapman, supra, 539.

In the present case, the information charged the defendant with two alternative methods of committing robbery in the first degree. Consistent with the language contained therein, the trial court instructed the jury on robbery in the first degree, during the commission of which the defendant displayed what he represented by his words or conduct to be a firearm. As in Chapman, the instruction at issue in this case was based on a [720]*720legally adequate theory of liability. There was insufficient evidence, however, to convict the defendant on the theory that he represented “by his words” that he possessed a gun. Because the instruction was of a factual nature, the jury was “well equipped to analyze the evidence” and also to determine whether the defendant’s representation that he had a gun was made by his words or by his conduct. (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Id., 539. We therefore conclude that the defendant’s claim is not of constitutional magnitude and, thus, decline to review this claim. State v. Golding, supra, 213 Conn. 239-40.

II

The defendant next claims that the trial court improperly denied his motion for judgment of acquittal on the charge of violating § 53-202k because the evidence failed to establish that the defendant “use[d] or was armed with” a “firearm.”

As a preliminary procedural matter, it must be noted that, subsequent to the sentencing in this case, our Supreme Court decided State v. Dash, 242 Conn. 143, 698 A.2d 297 (1997), which applies retroactively to the date of trial in this case. Dash held that § 53-202k is a sentence enhancement provision and not a separate crime. Id., 150. A defendant is permitted to file a motion for judgment of acquittal only for crimes for which he has been on trial. Because § 53-202k is not a separate crime, a motion for judgment of acquittal was not appropriate here.

During oral argument, defense counsel agreed that § 53-202k is not a separate crime, but argued that even under Dash, § 53-202k cannot enhance the sentence imposed for the robbery conviction because the state failed to establish that the defendant used or was armed with a firearm. The defendant contends that § 53-202k requires that the state not only prove that the defendant [721]*721represented by his conduct that he possessed a firearm, but also that he used or was armed with one.

The relevant portion of § 53-202k provides: “Any person who commits any class A, B or C felony and in the commission of such felony uses, or is armed with and threatens the use of, or displays, or represents by his words or conduct that he possesses any firearm, as defined in section 53a-3 . . . shall be imprisoned for a term of five years, which shall not be suspended or reduced and shall be in addition and consecutive to any term of imprisonment imposed for conviction of such felony.” Section 53a-3 (19) defines a “firearm” as “any sawed-off shotgun, machine gun, rifle, shotgun, pistol, revolver or other weapon, whether loaded or unloaded from which a shot may be discharged.” The defendant argues that the phrase in § 53-202k, “and threatens the use of, or displays, or represents by his words or conduct that he possesses” a firearm, comprises a second set of elements, one of which the state must prove in addition to proving that the defendant “use[d] or was armed with” said firearm. We disagree.

To be convicted of violating § 53-202k, the defendant must first have been convicted of a class A, B or C felony and either (1) have used a firearm, or (2) have been armed with and threatened to use a firearm, or (3) have displayed a firearm, or (4) have represented by his words or conduct that he possessed a firearm. Contrary to the defendant’s contention, the phrase “is armed with” is not the beginning of a second set of elements to be proven. Such an interpretation would be illogical.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Smith v. Commissioner of Correction
215 Conn. App. 167 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2022)
State v. Lanier
205 Conn. App. 586 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2021)
State v. Nieves
873 A.2d 1066 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2005)
Tinsley v. Warden, No. Cv98-0002712 (Feb. 10, 2003)
2003 Conn. Super. Ct. 2171 (Connecticut Superior Court, 2003)
State v. Cooper
783 A.2d 100 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2001)
State v. Aponte
774 A.2d 1035 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2001)
State v. Brown
760 A.2d 111 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2000)
State v. Latorre
723 A.2d 1166 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 1999)
State v. Cummings, No. Cr93-9390935 (May 7, 1998)
1998 Conn. Super. Ct. 9780 (Connecticut Superior Court, 1998)
State v. Faulkner
709 A.2d 36 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 1998)
State v. Tinsley
713 A.2d 833 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
706 A.2d 1008, 47 Conn. App. 716, 1998 Conn. App. LEXIS 64, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-tinsley-connappct-1998.