Wall v. State

573 N.E.2d 890, 1991 Ind. LEXIS 121, 1991 WL 115498
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJune 27, 1991
Docket35S00-8912-CR-935
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 573 N.E.2d 890 (Wall v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Wall v. State, 573 N.E.2d 890, 1991 Ind. LEXIS 121, 1991 WL 115498 (Ind. 1991).

Opinions

GIVAN, Justice.

On August 3, 1989, appellant pled guilty but mentally ill to a murder charge. He was sentenced to forty (40) years enhanced by twenty (20) years for aggravating circumstances.

The facts are: In January of 1989, appellant and John Velasquez planned to burglarize the home of Eldon Anson in Hunt ington County. The purpose of the burglary was to steal guns. Appellant disliked Anson because he believed Anson was a homosexual drug abuser who might have been responsible for his uncle developing Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

On the night of February 8, 1989, appellant went to Velasquez' home, and following a discussion, he requested that Erick Esch help him burglarize Anson's home. Velasquez informed appellant and Esch that he was unable to go to Anson's home, but he did provide them with jackets, a satchel, and a knife. Appellant was armed with a loaded .22 caliber pistol and a hatchet that he had purchased.

Appellant and Esch drove to Anson's house and rang the doorbell. Anson answered the door, and appellant told him [892]*892they were interested in looking at one of his old vehicles. Anson let them in and then led them outside where he showed them vehicles in his garage and driveway. Appellant grew angry when he heard An-son's voice and thought of his uncle. As Anson was unlocking one of the vehicles, appellant pulled out his gun and shot An-son in the head. Appellant then shot An-son five more times. Upon noticing that Anson was not dead, appellant went to his vehicle to retrieve his hatchet and returned to strike Anson in the head. As appellant struck Anson, he covered his head with his hands further angering appellant and prompting him to strike Anson's hands. He also struck Anson in the back and on the buttocks.

Believing Anson to be dead, appellant and Esch went into Anson's home to look for the guns. When they were unable to locate the guns, appellant took a radio. Appellant and Esch hid a bloody jacket in a trash bin and threw the hatchet in the river. Anson did not die until four days later.

On February 24, appellant, Velasquez, and another individual burglarized the home of Deputy Sheriff Larry Kingrey, and a handgun was stolen. Thereafter, subsequent crimes relating to the possession of the handgun took place. Following his arrest and murder charge, appellant testified at the juvenile waiver hearing of codefendant Velasquez. However, before doing so the State extended to him, in exchange for his testimony, immunity from prosecution for burglary and subsequent crimes relating to the possession of the handgun. The Court granted appellant immunity pursuant to a written order which stated:

"IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that Jarrod Wall be and he is hereby granted immunity and complete discharge from prosecution and shall not be subject to penalty or forfeiture for or on account of the evidence produced or the testimony elicited.
IT IS FURTHER ORDERED, ADJUDGED AND DECREED that Jarrod Wall be and he is hereby granted immunity and complete discharge from prosecution for the burglary of the dwelling house of Larry W. Kingrey in Huntington, Indiana, on February 24, 1989, the taking of said weapon from that house, and the secondary crimes arising from the possession and discharge of said weapon through April 10, 1989, occuring [sic] in Huntington County, Indiana, in Marion County, Indiana, and in the State of Indiana, from February 24, 1989, through April 10, 1989."

During appellant's sentencing hearing, the judge questioned him regarding the burglary and theft on February 24. In addition, the judge questioned appellant concerning other acts involving the weapon, which appellant admitted. In listing the aggravating circumstances, the court referred to these crimes committed after the murder of Anson as evidence that appellant would likely commit other crimes and that he lacked remorse for the killing.

Ind.Code § 35-37-38-8 provides:

"(a) Upon the request of the prosecuting attorney, the court shall grant use immunity to a witness. The court shall instruct the witness, by written order or in open court, that any evidence the witness gives, or evidence derived from that evidence, may not be used in any criminal proceeding against that witness, unless the evidence is volunteered by the witness or is not responsive to a question by the prosecuting attorney. The court shall instruct the witness that he must answer the questions asked and produce the items requested."

Assuming for the sake of argument that the use-immunity agreement was violated, any error would be harmless due to the court's finding of other aggravating circumstances supporting the enhanced sentence. We find no reversible error.

Appellant contends the imposition of a sixty (60) year sentence is manifestly unreasonable.

He argues the sentencing order was inconsistent. The court sentenced appellant as follows:

[893]*893"'The defendant shall be committed to the custody of the Department of Corree-tions for classification and confinement for a period of forty (40) years to which the court now adds an additional twenty (20) years for aggravating circumstances making a total period of confinement a period of sixty (60) years. The Court recommends a minimum security facility. The Court recommends that the defendant be evaluated and then treated in such a manner as is pyschiatrically [sic ] indicated for his mental illness."

We note that appellant has failed to cite any authority to support his argument. Thus this issue is waived. See Ind.Appellate Rule 8.3(A)(7). However, notwithstanding the waiver, appellant pled guilty but mentally ill. Ind.Code § 85-86-2-5 provides:

"(a) Whenever a defendant is found guilty but mentally ill at the time of the crime, or enters a plea to that effect that is accepted by the court, the court shall sentence him in the same manner as a defendant found guilty of the offense."

We find the trial court was not inconsistent. The trial court's recommendation regarding evaluation and treatment followed the procedure as provided in the statute.

Appellant argues the sentencing order failed to identify significant mitigating and aggravating factors and failed to articulate a balancing process.

As this Court stated in Henderson v. State (1986), Ind., 489 N.E.2d 68, 71-2 the sentencing statement must contain the following:

"(1) it must identify all of the significant mitigating and aggravating circumstances, (2) it must state the specific reason why each cireumstance is considered to be mitigating or aggravating, and (8) the court must evaluate and balance the mitigating circumstances against the aggravating circumstances in order to determine if the aggravating circumstances offset the mitigating circumstances."

Aside from the immunity question dealt with above, the court found numerous aggravating cireumstances including:

1. A reduced sentence would depreciate the seriousness of the offense.
2.

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Wall v. State
573 N.E.2d 890 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
573 N.E.2d 890, 1991 Ind. LEXIS 121, 1991 WL 115498, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wall-v-state-ind-1991.