State v. Warren

843 P.2d 224, 252 Kan. 169, 1992 Kan. LEXIS 196
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedDecember 11, 1992
Docket67,239
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 843 P.2d 224 (State v. Warren) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Warren, 843 P.2d 224, 252 Kan. 169, 1992 Kan. LEXIS 196 (kan 1992).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Abbott, J.:

This is a direct appeal by the defendant, Waddell Warren, from his convictions for aiding and abetting aggravated robbery, aiding and abetting aggravated battery, and conspiracy to commit robbery. Warren also appeals his sentence.

On March 7, 1991, between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m., 87-year-old Pauline Willhardt was walking home in Leavenworth. Donna Tanksley, who was accompanied by Suzy Majors, forcibly took Mrs. Willhardt’s purse, knocking the elderly woman to the ground. Mrs. Willhardt spent almost three months in the hospital recovering from a dislocated shoulder, a broken kneecap, broken teeth, and facial abrasions. Mrs. Willhardt suffered permanent injury. Since the incident, she must use a cane to assist her in walking.

Witnesses saw the two young women take Mrs. Willhardt’s purse and run from the scene. Shortly thereafter, one of the witnesses saw the two women in a car being driven by the defendant. Another witness testified that he saw the two women get into the car driven by the defendant and that they ran straight for the car as if Warren was waiting for them.

Tanksley and Majors were arrested the day of the crime and voluntarily gave a statement to the police. Tanksley pled guilty to aggravated robbery, aggravated battery, and conspiracy to commit robbery. Majors pled guilty to aiding and abetting robbery, *171 aiding and abetting aggravated battery, and conspiracy to commit robbery.

Tanksley and Majors testified for the State at the defendant’s trial. Both testified to the following: Prior to the robbery, Tanksley, Majors, and Warren had been smoking crack cocaine. The defendant said that if they wanted to do more crack, they needed money. He suggested that the two women rob someone or snatch a purse and that he would provide the transportation for getting away. Warren took them initially to a mall and then dropped them off downtown. After robbing Mrs. Willhardt, Tanksley and Majors ran until they found Warren in his car. The two women entered the car, and Warren drove off. Majors also stated that with the money found in the purse, they bought more crack and smoked it. The three were arrested later that day.

Tanksley and Majors testified that William Larry “Kenyata” Bradley, a friend of Warren’s, had been with the three prior to the crime and that Bradley heard the others discuss the plan but did not participate in the crime. Bradley testified for the defense that he had been with the defendant from approximately 8 a.m. until approximately 3 p.m. on the day of the crime and that Tanksley and Majors had not been with them during that period of time. Although Warren did not testify at trial, his version of the story was that the two women had walked up to his car. and requested a ride and that he had no knowledge of or involvement in the robbery.

A jury convicted Warren of aiding and abetting aggravated robbery, aiding and abetting aggravated battery, and conspiracy to commit robbery. Pursuant to the Habitual Criminal Act, Warren was sentenced to a controlling term of 45 years to life.

The defendant timely appeals his conviction and his sentence.

I. Lesser Included Offense

On appeal, Warren contends the trial court erred in not instructing the jury on aiding and abetting robbery as a lesser included offense of aiding and abetting aggravated robbery. Technically, the jury was instructed on aggravated robbery and separately on aiding and abetting. The jury instructions reflected the following statutory language.

*172 “Aggravated robbery is a robbery committed by a person who is armed with a dangerous weapon or who inflicts bodily harm upon any person in the course of such robbery.” K.S.A. 21-3427. “Robbery is the taking of property from the person or presence of another by threat of bodily harm to his person or the person of another or by force.” K.S.A. 21-3426. Aiding and abetting is defined, in part, as follows:

“(1) A person is criminally responsible for a crime committed by another if such person intentionally aids, abets, advises, hires, counsels or procures the other to commit the crime.
“(2) A person liable under section (1) hereof is also liable for any other crime committed in pursuance of the intended crime if reasonably foreseeable by such person as a probable consequence of committing or attempting to commit the crime intended.” K.S.A. 1991 Supp. 21-3205.

Warren argues that the evidence supported an instruction on robbery because there was no evidence he intended for the two women to arm themselves or to inflict bodily harm. Although acknowledging that Majors testified he suggested the two women rob someone or snatch a purse, Warren emphasizes that both women’s testimony focused on his suggestion of snatching a purse. He also points out that neither woman had a prior conviction and that there was no evidence the women had a propensity for violence. Additionally, based upon Majors’ testimony, the defendant stresses he proposed that the women go into a mall for the purpose of snatching a purse and he dropped them off at a mall for that purpose. Warren implies that the two women’s actions surpassed his intent when they left the mall and found a victim outdoors. He suggests that the reason for choosing a mall in which to snatch a purse was because a mall is a likely location for shoppers to leave a purse unattended temporarily. Why a mall was chosen is not discussed in the record. The record, however, contains evidence that after failing at the mall, the defendant took the two women from the mall to downtown Leavenworth, where the robbery occurred.

The defendant then directs the court’s attention to subsection (2) of the aiding and abetting statute, which upholds a finding of liability for any crime committed in pursuance of the intended crime if the crime committed was a reasonably foreseeable consequence. Warren contends that the foreseeability of the crime *173 committed is a question of fact for the jury to decide. In support of this contention, he cites State v. Davis, 4 Kan. App. 2d 210, 213, 604 P.2d 68 (1979), in which the Court of Appeals stated:

“A review of the facts in each case is necessary to determine whether violence is reasonably foreseeable as a probable consequence of committing the crime intended. State v. Edwards, 209 Kan. 681, 686, 498 P.2d 48 (1972). Defendant has a heavy burden, for the necessary intent and foreseeability may be inferred from circumstantial evidence [citation omitted] and is a fact question for jury determination. State v. Edwards, 209 Kan. at 686.”

Warren fails to take into account that the Davis

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

Related

State v. Craig
462 P.3d 173 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2020)
State v. Betancourt
322 P.3d 353 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2014)
State v. Tully
262 P.3d 314 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2011)
State v. Murray
174 P.3d 407 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2008)
State v. Schoonover
133 P.3d 48 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2006)
State v. Moody
132 P.3d 985 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2006)
State v. Escalante
130 P.3d 1235 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2006)
State v. Bolden
129 P.3d 120 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2006)
State v. Hankerson
122 P.3d 408 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2005)
Warren v. Bruce
119 F. App'x 204 (Tenth Circuit, 2004)
State v. Groves
95 P.3d 95 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2004)
State v. Groves
70 P.3d 717 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2003)
State v. Schuette
44 P.3d 459 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2002)
State v. Robbins
32 P.3d 171 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2001)
State v. Garcia
32 P.3d 188 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2001)
State v. Thomas
993 P.2d 1249 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1999)
State v. Buhr
966 P.2d 690 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1998)
State v. Taylor
965 P.2d 834 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1998)
State v. Mincey
963 P.2d 403 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 1998)
City of Wichita v. Edwards
939 P.2d 942 (Court of Appeals of Kansas, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
843 P.2d 224, 252 Kan. 169, 1992 Kan. LEXIS 196, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-warren-kan-1992.