FOR PUBLICATION
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE:
MARK A. THOMA PAMELA CARTER
Deputy Public Defender Attorney General of Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
MICHAEL K. AUSBROOK
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
CLIFTON MAURICIO, )
)
Appellant-Defendant, )
)
vs. ) No. 02A03-9511-CR-383
)
STATE OF INDIANA, )
)
Appellee-Plaintiff. )
OPINION - FOR PUBLICATION
II. Whether the evidence was sufficient to sustain his conviction.
We affirm.
The facts most favorable to the verdict reveal that Mauricio was to meet his twin
brother, Clayton, at a local car wash. While waiting for his brother, Mauricio talked with
Arasteed Hughes. When Clayton arrived, Hughes walked to his car and suggested that
Clayton fight with Raymond Britt. The two began fighting and the fight ended when Clayton
kneed Britt in the groin. Britt returned to his car. Hughes then began fighting with Clayton.
Hughes, who was larger than Clayton, wrestled Clayton to the ground and began punching
him in the head.
Mauricio then pulled out a gun and shot Britt who was still standing by his car. Britt
sustained gunshot wounds in his elbow and foot. Mauricio then ran to where Hughes and
Clayton were fighting and shot Hughes three times from close range. Hughes sustained
gunshot wounds in the back, the abdomen, and the hip. The shot in the back was fatal.
The State charged Mauricio with the murder of Hughes and battery upon Britt. After
a jury trial, Mauricio was found guilty on both counts. This appeal ensued.
Requested instructions must be reduced to writing (identified as to the party
making submission), separately numbered, and accompanied by a cover sheet
signed by the party, or his attorney, who request such instructions and will be
deemed sufficiently identified as having been tendered by the parties or
submitted by the court if it appears in the record from an order book entry, bill
of exceptions, or otherwise, by whom the same were tendered or submitted.
Where final instructions are submitted to the jury in written form after having
been read by the court, no indication of the party or parties by whom
instructions were tendered should appear on any instruction.
The entirely different procedures provided in T.R. 51(E) and C.R. 8(D) conflict with each
other. "The Indiana rules of trial and appellate procedure shall apply to all criminal appeals
so far as they are not in conflict with any specific rule adopted by this court for the conduct
of criminal proceedings." (Emphasis added). Ind. Crim. Rule 21. T.R. 51(E) has no
application as suggested by the dissenting opinion.See footnote
3
Too, it should be noted that T.R. 51(E) states: ". . . provided, however that in the
event of an appeal, where any objections are made to the giving of such instructions or the
refusal to give such instruction, such numbered instructions shall be set forth verbatim in the
argument section of the brief where argument is presented with reference to the refusal to
give or the giving of such numbered instruction." Ind. Appellate Rule 8.3(A) also requires
that any instructions be set out verbatim in the argument section of the brief. This Mauricio
failed to do which amounts to a waiver even if T.R. 51(E) applies. Lahr v. State, 640 N.E.2d
756, 763 (Ind. Ct. App.1994), trans. denied. Judge Sullivan concurred with Judge Kirsch and
Judge Rucker in Lahr that because Lahr failed to include the tendered lesser included offense
instruction verbatim in the argument section of his brief, he waived any error. Id.
Waiver notwithstanding, Mauricio's argument also fails on the merits. A person
commits involuntary manslaughter if he kills someone while attempting to commit battery.
Ind. Code § 35-42-1-4 (1993). Even though involuntary manslaughter is factually included
in the charged offense of murder, to support the giving of the tendered instruction there still
must exist a serious evidentiary dispute concerning Mauricio's intent such that a reasonable
juror could conclude that Mauricio committed involuntary manslaughter but did not commit
murder. Wright v. State, 658 N.E.2d 563, 567 (Ind. 1995). The evidence presented does not
support the giving of the requested instruction on involuntary manslaughter.
Here, although Mauricio testified that he did not intend to kill Hughes, contrary to the
dissent's position, the evidence overwhelmingly points in the opposite direction. No
witnesses, other than the Mauricio brothers, testified that Hughes had a gun in his hands.
Instead, the evidence shows that Hughes' gun was in his pocket with the safety engaged. In
addition, Mauricio did not simply fire the gun in Hughes' direction in an attempt to stop the
fight. He ran to where Hughes and Clayton were fighting and shot Hughes three times at
close range in the hip, the back and the abdomen. The location of these shots could not lead
to an inference that Mauricio simply intended to "touch" Hughes, but not kill him. The intent
to kill can be inferred from the use of a deadly weapon in a manner likely to cause death or
serious bodily injury. Cate v. State, 644 N.E.2d 546, 548 (Ind. 1994). Nothing in the
manner in which the crime was committed leads to the inference of any type of intent other
than the intent to kill. See, Castro v. State, 580 N.E.2d 232, 236 (Ind. 1991) (because death
is likely result of prolonged, severe beating, no issue of incidental death present which would
support instruction on involuntary manslaughter); Smith v. State, 506 N.E.2d 31, 33 (Ind.
1987) (four gunshot wounds to the back do not support intent to simply batter and giving of
instruction on involuntary manslaughter); Cardine v. State, 475 N.E.2d 696, 700 (Ind. 1985)
(giving of instruction on involuntary manslaughter not supported where despite defendant's
assertion of self-defense, evidence showed that he stabbed victim with sufficient force that
entire blade embedded in body and handle broke); Compare, Lynch v. State, 571 N.E.2d 537,
539 (Ind. 1991) (evidence concerning defendant's delusions and his immediate call to 911
support inference that he did not intend to kill victim but merely injure him); Brown v. State,
659 N.E.2d 652, 657 (Ind. Ct. App. 1995) (giving of instruction on involuntary manslaughter
supported where defendant immediately called 911 after shooting). Because the evidence
overwhelmingly shows Mauricio's intent to kill Hughes, no reasonable juror could conclude
that Mauricio intended simply to batter him and find him guilty of only involuntary
manslaughter.See footnote
4
Accordingly, the tendered instruction was correctly refused. Wright, 658
N.E.2d at 567.
Furthermore, the evidence indicates that Mauricio shot Hughes three times at close
range. The location of the three shots in Hughes' back, abdomen, and hip do not evidence
an intent to simply wound Hughes. Because the evidence showed that Hughes did not have
a gun in his hands and that Mauricio used an unreasonable degree of force, the jury could
reasonably conclude that the use of deadly force was unnecessary to stop the attack. Crisler,
509 N.E.2d at 823. Accordingly, we conclude there is evidence of probative value to support
the conviction. Jordan, 656 N.E.2d at 817.
Affirmed.
GARRARD, J., concurs in part and dissents in part with separate opinion.
SULLIVAN, J., dissents with separate opinion.
CLIFTON MAURICIO, )
)
Appellant-Defendant, )
)
vs. ) No. 02A03-9511-CR-383
)
STATE OF INDIANA, )
)
Appellee-Plaintiff. )
I concur with the majority except for its determination that under the Indiana Rules
of Criminal Procedure it is not an adequate tender of one of the pattern jury instructions to
simply refer to it in the manner set forth in T.R. 51(E). I would find that the tender to the
trial court was proper and adequate.
On the other hand, the purposes to be met by setting forth verbatim, in appellate
briefs, instructions tendered by the parties are distinct and meaningful. The requirement to
do so is, also, specifically imposed by both T.R. 51(E) and A.R. 8.3(A). Thus, any potential
error was waived for failure to set forth the requested instruction in the brief.See footnote
5
I therefore concur, except as to the issue of adequate tender of pattern jury
instructions in a criminal case, and on that issue I join the dissent.
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
CLIFTON MAURICIO, )
)
Appellant-Defendant, )
)
vs. ) No. 02A03-9511-CR-383
)
STATE OF INDIANA, )
)
Appellee.
.
SULLIVAN, Judge, dissenting
I respectfully dissent upon grounds that there was an adequate tender of an instruction
upon involuntary manslaughter and that there was a sufficient dispute as to the matter of
intent as to require that such instruction be given to the jury. Although the evidence was
sufficient to permit a reasonable jury to conclude that Mauricio did, in fact, knowingly and
intentionally kill Hughes, a different, but also reasonable, trier of fact might conclude to the
contrary.
With respect to the tender of the instruction, trial counsel tendered as Instruction 10,
the following:
"Instruction No. 3.09 Involuntary Manslaughter
3. Battery. . . (Part one)" (Record 101)
The trial court noted that, in his view, the tender was "not an adequate tender." Record at
567. The trial court erred in this conclusion. It is clear that trial counsel was seeking to
incorporate by reference, rather than duplicating verbatim, Indiana Pattern Jury Instructions-
Criminal No. 3.09 (1993 Supp.), and to reflect that the killing occurred while the defendant
was committing or attempting to commit Battery as a Class C felony pursuant to I.C. 35-42-
2-1(3). This procedure is specifically authorized by Rule 51(E) of the Indiana Rules of Trial
Procedure, which reads as follows:
"Any party requesting a trial court to give any instruction from the Indiana
Pattern Jury Instructions, prepared under the sponsorship of the Indiana Judges
Association, may make such request in writing without copying the instruction
verbatim, by merely designating the number thereof in the publication."See footnote
6
The instruction was a correct statement of law and Mauricio was entitled to have it given for
the reason that involuntary manslaughter is an included offense of murder. Baker v. State
(1991) Ind.App. 569 N.E.2d 369. Where, as here, the killing is accomplished by a shooting,
such constitutes a battery and renders involuntary manslaughter an included offense of the
murder charge. Lynch v. State (1991) Ind., 571 N.E.2d 537; Brown v. State (1995) Ind.App.,
659 N.E.2d 652; Simpson v. State (1994) Ind.App., 628 N.E.2d 1215. The sole
distinguishing element between murder and involuntary manslaughter in such circumstances
is the intent to commit the greater offense. Meriweather v. State (1995) Ind.App., 659
N.E.2d 133.
The majority cites Lahr v. State (1994) Ind. App., 640 N.E.2d 756, and correctly so,
for the proposition that failure to include tendered instructions in the appellate brief waives
the error, if any. In Lahr, however, the instruction sought was not merely a straightforward
Pattern Instruction defining the elements of Assisting a Criminal (Pattern Instruction No.
5.21) but was, rather, a request that the jury be instructed that "if the evidence warranted,
they could find Lahr guilty of assisting a criminal as a lesser-included offense of the charged
crime of Conspiracy to commit murder." 756 N.E.2d at 763. The instruction requested was
therefore apparently a combination of at least two general Pattern Instructions - the Assisting
a Criminal instruction and an Included Offenses instruction (Pattern Instruction 13.27). The
particular phrasing of such a hybrid becomes the subject of careful analysis as to its propriety
and applicability. The propriety is therefore not a clear-cut decision as is true of the tender
of a straightforward pattern instruction.
Be that as it may, and most importantly, despite its recitation of the general waiver
principle, the Lahr court proceeded to discuss the substantive merits of the requested
instruction and did not decide the issue upon the concept of waiver. To the same effect is
Riley v. State (1987) Ind., 506 N.E.2d 476, wherein our Supreme Court noted the waiver
principle but proceeded to hold that the tendered lesser offense instructions were correctly
refused.
The waiver principle contained within Ind.Appellate Rule 8.3(A)(7) is not a rigid or
directory provision. As noted in Sedelbauer v. State (1983) Ind. App., 455 N.E.2d 1159,
1163, quoting from Davis v. State (1976) Ind., 355 N.E.2d 836:
"We invoke Appellate Rule 8.3 to hold an appellant's specification of error
waived only when we find his non-compliance with the rule sufficiently
substantial to impede our consideration of the issue raised. In this case we
find that the issue of the propriety of this instruction is presented in a manner
sufficiently clear to allow us to reach the substance of the appellant's
contention."
The case before us calls for application of the same reasoning and warrants consideration of
the issue.
Notwithstanding its conclusion that the instruction tender was inadequate, the trial
court nevertheless considered the giving of an involuntary manslaughter instruction but
indicated an inclination to refuse the instruction in light of the evidence as to intent. Record
at 572-574. Trial counsel had correctly observed that a given defendant might intend to
shoot someone but not intend to kill them and alluded to the separate charge filed by the
State which alleged the separate shooting injury to Britt as a battery rather than, presumably,
an attempted murder. The court, however, apparently seized upon the evidence that
Mauricio walked close to the victim and fired three times.
While I might agree that such evidence points strongly to the existence of the
culpability required for a murder conviction, I am unwilling to conclude that the evidence
permits no other reasonable conclusion as to intent.
If this record reflected evidence that the car-wash meeting had been pre-arranged for
purposes of a "head-to-head" confrontation, contemplating firearms, I might have concurred.
I might surmise that this was, in part, a "gang" controversy and a preconceived battle which
led to Hughes' death. That surmise would favor a concurrence. But the State's proof does
not permit me to elevate my surmise to a reasonable inference of the facts surmised.
Given the circumstances of prior shooting incidents involving the defendant, of the
nature of the physical confrontations between his brother and Britt and Hughes, and the fact
that Mauricio testified he thought Britt had a firearm and that Hughes did in fact have a gun
and was using it to beat his brother, I believe that the element of intent was in genuine
evidentiary dispute. Lynch, supra, 571 N.E.2d 537; Brown, supra, 659 N.E.2d 652. The
testimony of the Mauricio brothers was not of such "incredible dubiosity" or so "inherently
unbelievable" as to be rejected out-of hand as a matter of law. See Davis v. State (1995)
Ind., 658 N.E.2d 896. The jury is entitled to believe or disbelieve evidence presented by the
State as well as to believe or disbelieve that presented by the defendant. Harris v. State
(1993) Ind., 617 N.E.2d 912; Owens v. State (1989) Ind.App., 543 N.E.2d 673. It is well
established that a conviction may be sustained upon the uncorroborated testimony of a single
witness. Taylor v. State (1993) Ind.App., 614 N.E.2d 944. It is not necessary that the single
witness be an objective disinterested party. A conviction may be supported even if the sole
witness is the victim. McKinney v. State (1990) Ind., 558 N.E.2d 829. So too, a given jury
may choose to believe the testimony of the defendant and to acquit or find him guilty of a
lesser offense. See Davidson v. State (1991) Ind., 580 N.E.2d 238. It is the prerogative of
the jury to weigh the evidence and to determine who, in their view, is telling the truth.
Graves.v. State (1984) Ind., 472 N.E.2d 190. In my view there is a sufficient, genuine
evidentiary dispute so as to render refusal to give the involuntary manslaughter instruction
reversible error.
I would reverse the murder conviction and remand for a new trial.
Instruction No. 3.09 Involuntary Manslaughter
3. Battery . . . (part one)
Record at 101. This is an incomplete instruction at best. A tendered instruction which is incomplete and insufficient is properly refused by a trial court. Corley v. State, 663 N.E.2d 175, 178 (Ind. Ct. App. 1996).
(H) The manner of objecting to such instructions, of saving questions thereon, and
making the same a part of the record shall be the same as in Rule 51(C) of the Rules
of Trial Procedure.
However, this is an entirely different section and procedure than that found in T.R. 51(E) and does not render T.R. 51(E) applicable.
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