Wisehart v. State

484 N.E.2d 949, 1985 Ind. LEXIS 1011
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 31, 1985
Docket384S89
StatusPublished
Cited by56 cases

This text of 484 N.E.2d 949 (Wisehart 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
Wisehart v. State, 484 N.E.2d 949, 1985 Ind. LEXIS 1011 (Ind. 1985).

Opinions

PIVARNIK, Justice.

Defendant-Appellant Mark Allen Wise-hart was found guilty by a jury in the Madison Superior Court, Division III, of the crimes of murder, burglary, robbery and theft. The prosecuting attorney requested consideration of the death penalty on the murder charge. After finding Defendant guilty, the jury reconvened and returned a recommendation of death. On September 26, 1983, the trial court sentenced the defendant to death on the murder charge, said sentence to be carried out thirty (80) days after all appeals are exhausted.

Appellant Wisehart now directly appeals and raises thirteen (13) issues for our consideration as follows:

1. involuntariness of Defendant's confessions;

2. refusal by the trial judge to permit individual voir dire of prospective jurors;

8. improper questioning of jury during voir dire;

4. refusal of trial judge to permit defendant to hire a private sociologist at public expense;

5. improper exclusion of expert testimony;

6. improper exclusion of cross-examination questions to investigating officers;

7. alleged refusal of the State to reveal an agreement with one of the State's witnesses;

8. violation of separation of witnesses order;

9. improper exclusion of newspaper articles submitted by Defendant;

10. alleged improper argument by the State during final argument;

11. alleged improper exclusion of certain testimony in the penalty phase of the trial;

12. sufficiency of the evidence; and

183. constitutionality and propriety of the death sentence.

The facts tend to show that at 10:30 p.m. on October 9, 1982, Anderson, Indiana police officer Wasilewski entered Apartment 304 at 29th and Brown Streets. The police had received a phone call informing them they would find the body of a woman at that location. Officer Wasilewski, receiving this information by radio dispatch, found the body of Marjorie Johnson at said apartment. Her clothing was torn and wrapped around her mid-section and her head beaten and bloody. A bloody butter knife was lying near her body and numerous stab wounds appeared on her body. What appeared to be her billfold, with the contents removed and scattered was found on the bathroom floor.

Marjorie Johnson had been a regular visitor at the Christian Center where Mark Wisehart resided. The director of the Christian Center said that on the morning after the murder he noticed Mike Wisehart look at the papers, go straight to the article about Marjorie Johnson's murder, read it, and return the paper. Another resident of the Center, also named Johnson, said that earlier Wisehart had sent a letter to John[952]*952son, talking about going to old people's houses and robbing them. The letter was put into evidence and it concluded by saying defendant Wisehart would be armed and would kill if anyone got in his way. Johnson testified that he talked to Wise-hart after Marjorie Johnson's murder and Wisehart, aware Johnson would be a witness, said to him, "Try to make it look like I'm crazy." (Record at 1118).

On October 15, Officer Tracy and Detective Brown went to the Christian Center to pick up Mark Wisehart. He was cooperative and agreed to go to the police station. Once there, he executed a written waiver of rights and gave statements to the police confessing to this crime. In his statements to the police he admitted stabbing Marjorie Johnson several times with several weapons, striking her with his fist and hitting her about the head with a whisky bottle. He also stated he went through her purse and took fourteen ($14.00) dollars. He admitted it was he who had tipped off the police, disguishing his voice in a high-pitched manner to sound like a woman. An autopsy performed by forensic pathologist John Pless indicated there were several severe blunt force injuries and fractures to Marjorie Johnson's head and thirteen stab wounds to her body. A photograph of her body shows cuts just at or below the left jawbone, stab wounds to the chest and one on the left shoulder. The fibroid cartilage commonly called the "Adam's apple" was fractured with hemorrhage and she also had broken ribs. The cause of death was determined to be multiple blunt force injury to the head and multiple stab wounds to the face and chest. The pathologist was not able to determine the time of death.

I

Appellant first claims the trial court erred in failing to grant his motion to suppress his confessions. His argument is based solely on the statement made by Detective Brown during the suppression hearing. At that hearing, Detective Brown stated: "I advised him by signing it [the waiver] he was not admitting or denying any guilt or giving up any rights." (Record at 505). Appellant contends this indicates he was fooled or tricked into thinking that signing of a rights waiver did not constitute the waiver of any rights and therefore was an improper solicitation of his confession. The record shows, however, that Appellant was fully advised of all of his Miranda rights prior to having given any confessions or statements to the police. The written advisements and waiver by the defendant show that all of the rights were given to him therein. Furthermore, in his taped confession, taken immediately thereafter, it is apparent Defendant was fully advised of all of his rights and he indicated he understood them. Detective Brown's statement did not purport to be a direct quotation of what he may have told Wisehart, but was only a paraphrase of the standard rights advisement, in particular stressing that Defendant could still terminate the interrogation and retain counsel. This is borne out by the beginning of the taped confession which is as follows:

"The date is Saturday. The date is Saturday, the 16th of October, 1982 at approximately 12:30 a.m. in the morning. Present are Detective Lloyd R. Brown, Anderson Police Department, Detective Randy Tracy, Anderson Police Department, and Mark Allen Wisehart, ub, a resident of the Christian Center here in Anderson.
"Q. Uh, Mark, you understand at this time you are under arrest for the murder and robbery of a Marjorie Johnson in the Brock Apartments; correct?
"A. (No audible answer)
"Q. Okay, do you understand that you have the right to remain silent?
"A. Yes.
"Q. Do you understand anything you say can be used against you in court?
"A. Yes.
"Q. Do you understand you have a right to consult with an attorney and have an attorney present?
"A. Yes.
"Q. And do you also understand if you cannot afford a lawyer one will be ap[953]*953pointed for you before any questions if you so desire?
"A. Mm hmm.
"Q. Okay, do you also understand that if you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present you will still have the right to stop answering at any time? -
"A. Yes.
"Q. And do you also understand you also have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to a lawyer?
"A. Yes.
"Q. Okay, you've already given us...."

(Record at 685-686)

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

Related

Ward v. State
903 N.E.2d 946 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2009)
Adkins v. State
870 N.E.2d 465 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2007)
Mark A. Wisehart v. Cecil Davis
408 F.3d 321 (Seventh Circuit, 2005)
Black v. State
829 N.E.2d 607 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2005)
Logan v. State
729 N.E.2d 125 (Indiana Supreme Court, 2000)
Hernandez v. State
716 N.E.2d 948 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1999)
Conner v. State
711 N.E.2d 1238 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1999)
Wisehart v. State
693 N.E.2d 23 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1998)
Heeter v. State
661 N.E.2d 612 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1996)
Quick v. State
660 N.E.2d 598 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1996)
Jordan v. State
656 N.E.2d 816 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1995)
Roark v. State
644 N.E.2d 565 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1994)
State v. Alcorn
638 N.E.2d 1242 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1994)
Donaldson v. Indianapolis Public Transportation Corp.
632 N.E.2d 1167 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1994)
Baird v. State
604 N.E.2d 1170 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1992)
Patterson v. State
563 N.E.2d 653 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1990)
Evans v. State
563 N.E.2d 1251 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1990)
Davidson v. State
558 N.E.2d 1077 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1990)
Woods v. State
547 N.E.2d 772 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1989)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
484 N.E.2d 949, 1985 Ind. LEXIS 1011, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wisehart-v-state-ind-1985.