PEOPLE v HAMPTON
Docket No. 59843
Supreme Court of Michigan
Decided November 26, 1979
Rehearing denied post, 1164.
407 Mich. 354
Argued December 6, 1978 (Calendar No. 15).
REFERENCES FOR POINTS IN HEADNOTES
[1, 2]
[3]
[4, 6, 7]
[5-7]
[8]
[9, 17]
Propriety, and effect as double jeopardy, of court‘s grant of new trial on own motion in criminal case. 85 ALR2d 486.
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
[16]
[18, 19]
[20]
1. The trial judge did not grant a directed verdict of acquittal, but a new trial; granting a new trial in this case was not an abuse of discretion and the order is affirmed. (Chief Justice Coleman, Justices Fitzgerald, Levin, and Williams.)
2. The trial judge, when ruling on a motion for a directed verdict of acquittal, must consider the evidence presented by the prosecution up to the time the motion is made, viewed in the light most favorable to it, and determine whether a rational trier of fact could find that the essential elements of the crime were proved beyond a reasonable doubt. (Chief Justice Coleman, Justices Fitzgerald, Ryan, Kavanagh, and Moody.)
Chief Justice Coleman, joined by Justice Fitzgerald, wrote:
1. The resolution of the issue of the proper standard to be applied in deciding motions for directed verdicts in criminal cases is now controlled by the rationale underlying a recent decision of the Supreme Court of the United States. In determining whether a conviction was based on sufficient evidence, a court must consider not whether there was any evidence to support the conviction but whether there was sufficient evidence to justify a rational trier of fact in finding guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The Supreme Court of the United States stated that an essential of the due process guaranteed by the
2. In rejecting the “any evidence” test, the Supreme Court of
3. Due process requires that the prosecutor introduce sufficient evidence which could justify a trier of fact in reasonably concluding that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt before there can be a conviction of a criminal offense. If sufficient evidence is not introduced, a directed verdict or judgment of acquittal should be entered. Statements in prior cases to the effect that a trial judge should direct a verdict only where there is no evidence on a material element of the offense are specifically disapproved.
4. When ruling on a motion for a directed verdict of acquittal in a criminal case, the court must consider the evidence presented by the prosecution up to the time the motion is made, view that evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, and determine whether a rational trier of fact could have found that the essential elements of the crime were proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
5. In this case the trial court did not direct a verdict of acquittal, although that was the motion being argued. The statements in the trial court‘s order are ambiguous in light of the court‘s oral explanations; but the order does not represent a conclusion by the trial court that a verdict of acquittal was required as a matter of law, even under the standards announced by the Supreme Court of the United States. Instead, the trial court set aside the verdict and ordered a new trial. The testimony, arguments of counsel, and statements by the trial judge preceding the rulings on the motions clearly indicate that the trial judge did not consider the prosecution‘s evidence in its best light, considered evidence offered by the defense, and may have permitted an inaccurate view of the
6. The standards governing the grant of a new trial are different from those for a directed verdict. Under the statute, a new trial may be granted if the trial judge finds that the verdict of guilty was not in accordance with the evidence introduced and that an injustice has been done. Whether to grant a motion for a new trial is entrusted to the discretion of the trial court, and that decision will not be disturbed on appeal without a showing of an abuse of discretion.
7. The defendant‘s appellate brief concludes that the trial judge‘s findings and order were consistent with the standards governing the ordering of new trials. He requested that the order of the trial judge vacating the defendant‘s conviction be upheld and a new trial ordered. The defendant has not appealed or requested a review of the trial court‘s order; therefore, the Court declines to reverse the order of a new trial and order that a directed verdict of acquittal be entered. A review of the record in this case does not show that the trial judge abused his discretion in granting a new trial or that his actions impermissibly invaded the province of the jury.
Justice Levin, joined by Justice Williams, observed that the trial judge‘s explanatory statements do not change the nature of the order he entered, which as a matter of Michigan law was an order for a new trial. He agreed that the trial judge is authorized, although there is, prima facie, sufficient evidence to present a question for the jury, to grant a new trial, and unless the trial judge‘s discretion is abused, an order granting a new trial because the judge regards the verdict as contrary to the great weight of the evidence or as not in accord with a just result does not invade the province of the jury. He agreed with the Chief Justice that the trial judge did not in this case abuse his discretion in granting a new trial. However, he could not sign either of the other opinions because there is no need to consider the standard for directing a verdict of acquittal where, as a matter of Michigan procedural law, a verdict was not directed and because, although it appears that the defendant has a substantial double jeopardy claim, that claim is not before the Court. The only issue upon which leave to appeal was granted was whether the trial court erred in granting the defendant‘s motion for a directed verdict. The Court‘s misapprehension of the nature of the issue when leave to appeal was
Justice Ryan, joined by Justices Kavanagh and Moody, concurring in part, agreed with the standard adopted for ruling upon a motion for a directed verdict in criminal cases, but did not agree that a new trial could be ordered in this case. The conclusion by the Chief Justice that reversal is not required on the facts of this case is based on a finding that the trial judge did not direct a verdict but instead exercised his discretion to order a new trial on the ground that the verdict was against the great weight of the evidence. The trial judge in this case, however, could not properly reach the issue whether a new trial should be ordered unless and until he first resolved the defendant‘s pending motion for directed verdict, which sought to test the legal sufficiency of the prosecution‘s proofs to establish a case submissible to the jury. Therefore, it was necessary that, before the trial judge could properly sua sponte order a new trial on the ground contended, he must first have resolved the defendant‘s pending motion for directed verdict against the defendant. Thus, while the trial judge‘s written order purports, in its modified form, to deal only with the matter of a new trial, it has the inescapable effect of working a denial of the defendant‘s otherwise unresolved motion for directed verdict, and the basic issue that emerges is whether that denial was error.
1. Due process requires that the prosecutor introduce sufficient evidence to justify a trier of fact in reasonably concluding that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt before a defendant can be convicted of a criminal offense. If sufficient evidence is not introduced, a directed verdict or judgment of acquittal should be entered. In a case where the prosecution does not introduce sufficient evidence to justify a trier of fact in reasonably concluding that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the error committed is in the trial court‘s
2. Certainly a trial court has the discretion to grant a new trial after a verdict of guilty has been returned where the court finds that verdict was against the great weight of the evidence. However, careful examination of the transcript of the colloquies between the court and trial counsel which occurred at the close of the evidence and immediately following the verdict suggests that while the trial court may have been unsure what to label the relief being requested, he clearly understood that the issue presented went to the sufficiency of the evidence to support the verdict. The written order of the court states that the evidence presented was not sufficient to convince a reasonable person beyond a reasonable doubt of the defendant‘s guilt. The question then is whether it was error for the court, having set aside the verdict for insufficient evidence, to order a new trial.
3. The Supreme Court of the United States has held that the Double Jeopardy Clause of the
4. An examination of the record in this case, conducted in conformance with the standard announced by the Supreme Court of the United States, leads to the conclusion that the trial court did not err in finding that the evidence produced by the prosecutor was legally insufficient to support a finding of
Affirmed.
OPINION BY COLEMAN, C.J.
1. CRIMINAL LAW — DUE PROCESS — SUFFICIENCY OF EVIDENCE — REASONABLE DOUBT.
In determining whether a conviction was based on sufficient evidence, a court must consider not whether there was any evidence to support the conviction but whether there was sufficient evidence to justify a rational trier of fact in finding guilt beyond a reasonable doubt (
2. CRIMINAL LAW — DUE PROCESS — SUFFICIENCY OF EVIDENCE — REASONABLE DOUBT.
An essential element of the due process guaranteed by the
3. EVIDENCE — ADMISSIBILITY — RELEVANCE.
The standards for admissibility of evidence are designed to permit the introduction of all relevant evidence, not otherwise excluded, on the theory that it is best to have as much useful information as possible in making decisions (
4. EVIDENCE — SUFFICIENCY — QUESTION OF FACT.
The concept of sufficiency of evidence, in contrast to its relevance, is designed to determine whether all the evidence, considered as a whole, justifies submitting the case to the trier of fact or requires a judgment as a matter of law.
5. CRIMINAL LAW — DIRECTED VERDICT — ACQUITTAL — SUFFICIENCY OF EVIDENCE.
The fact that some evidence is introduced to support a conviction does not necessarily mean that the evidence is sufficient to raise a jury issue; statements in prior cases to the effect that a trial judge should direct a verdict of acquittal only where there is no evidence on a material element of the offense are specifically disapproved.
6. CRIMINAL LAW — DUE PROCESS — DIRECTED VERDICT — ACQUITTAL.
7. CRIMINAL LAW — DIRECTED VERDICT — ACQUITTAL.
When ruling on a motion for a directed verdict of acquittal, a court must consider the evidence which had been presented by the prosecution up to the time the motion is made, view that evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, and determine whether a rational trier of fact could have found that the essential elements of the crime were proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
8. CRIMINAL LAW — APPEAL AND ERROR — NEW TRIAL — ACQUITTAL.
A grant or denial of a motion for a new trial is reviewed by a different standard from that for a directed verdict; whether to grant or deny a motion for a new trial is entrusted to the discretion of the trial judge and the decision will not be disturbed on appeal without a showing of an abuse of discretion (
9. CRIMINAL LAW — NEW TRIAL.
A new trial may be granted by the trial judge under the statute if the trial judge finds that the verdict of guilty is not in accordance with the evidence introduced and that an injustice has been done (
10. HOMICIDE — SECOND-DEGREE MURDER — NEW TRIAL — DISCRETION.
Review of the record does not show that the trial judge abused his discretion in granting a new trial or that his actions in setting aside a verdict of guilty of second-degree murder impermissibly invaded the province of the jury where the prosecution‘s theory of the case was that the defendant had aided and abetted a codefendant, who had robbed and later shot the victim after binding and gagging him in the trunk of a car, the chief factual issue in the case was whether the defendant had pushed the trunk-release button on the dashboard of the car to permit the codefendant to take the victim out of the trunk, and the trial court found that the testimony on the factual issue lacked sufficient “clarity” to support the verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt (
See headnotes 8-10, 15.
11. JUDGMENT — COURTS.
Courts speak through their judgments and orders, not their oral statements or written opinions.
12. APPEAL AND ERROR — ISSUES ON APPEAL — DICTUM.
There is no need to consider in an appeal what the standard is for directing a verdict of acquittal where, as a matter of Michigan procedural law, no verdict was directed.
13. APPEAL AND ERROR — ISSUES ON APPEAL — GRANT OF LEAVE TO APPEAL.
Misapprehension by the Supreme Court of one issue in a case when it granted leave to appeal on one issue does not expand the scope of the grant to another issue not necessarily implicated by the limited grant of leave to appeal.
OPINION CONCURRING IN PART AND DISSENTING IN PART BY RYAN, J.
See headnotes 1-7.
14. CRIMINAL LAW — NEW TRIAL — DIRECTED VERDICT — ACQUITTAL.
Before a trial judge may properly order a new trial sua sponte on the ground that a verdict of guilty is against the great weight of the evidence, he must first resolve against the defendant a pending motion for a directed verdict of acquittal; in a case where the prosecution does not introduce sufficient evidence which could justify a trier of fact in reasonably concluding that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the error committed is in the trial court‘s failure to grant a defendant‘s motion for a directed verdict of acquittal, an error which cannot be remedied by ordering a new trial (GCR 1963, 527).
15. CRIMINAL LAW — NEW TRIAL — VERDICT OF GUILTY.
A trial court has the discretion to grant a new trial after a jury verdict of guilty has been returned where the court finds that the verdict was against the great weight of the evidence (GCR 1963, 527.1[5]).
16. CRIMINAL LAW — NEW TRIAL — APPEAL AND ERROR — DOUBLE JEOPARDY.
The Double Jeopardy Clause of the
17. CRIMINAL LAW — NEW TRIAL — DOUBLE JEOPARDY.
There is no justification for reaching a result that the Double Jeopardy Clause permits a second trial where a trial judge, rather than a reviewing court, determines as a matter of law that the prosecution‘s proofs in the first trial are insufficient to support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt (
18. CRIMINAL LAW — NEW TRIAL — DOUBLE JEOPARDY — DIRECTED VERDICT — ACQUITTAL.
A trial court which finds that the evidence presented, viewed most favorably toward the prosecution, is legally insufficient to support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is compelled to enter a judgment of acquittal and is thus precluded by the Double Jeopardy Clause from granting the defendant a new trial (
19. HOMICIDE — SECOND-DEGREE MURDER — EVIDENCE — SUFFICIENCY.
A finding that the evidence produced by the prosecution was insufficient to support a verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of second-degree murder was not error where the prosecution‘s theory of the case was that the defendant had aided and abetted a codefendant charged with first-degree murder, where the codefendant robbed and later shot the victim after binding and gagging him in the trunk of a car, the chief factual issue in the case was whether the defendant had pushed the trunk-release button on the dashboard of the car to permit the codefendant to take the victim out of the trunk, and the trial court found that the testimony on the factual issue was not sufficient to support the verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt (
20. CRIMINAL LAW — DOUBLE JEOPARDY — DIRECTED VERDICT — ACQUITTAL.
Double jeopardy considerations do not preclude appellate review of a trial court‘s legal determination, after a jury verdict of guilty, that the prosecution‘s evidence was insufficient to support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt; a reversal of the ruling would not require the defendant to undergo a new trial, but would merely result in the reinstatement of the jury‘s verdict of guilty (
LeRoy W. Daggs for defendant.
COLEMAN, C.J. Defendant and a codefendant, Lewis Griffin, were charged with two counts of first-degree murder (premeditated and felony murder),
I
On appeal, the prosecutor claims that the trial
Recognizing that the reported opinions of the appellate courts of this state contain different and
Jackson held that a Federal habeas corpus court, in determining whether a state conviction was based on sufficient evidence, must consider not whether there was any evidence to support the conviction but whether there was sufficient evidence to justify a rational trier of fact in finding guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
In explaining the constitutional considerations underlying the decision in Jackson the Court stated:
“In short, [In re] Winship [397 US 358; 90 S Ct 1068; 25 L Ed 2d 368 (1970)] presupposes as an essential of the due process guaranteed by the
Fourteenth Amendment that no person shall be made to suffer the onus of a criminal conviction except upon sufficient proof — defined as evidence necessary to convince a trier of fact beyond a reasonable doubt of the existence of every element of the offense.* * *
“[T]he Federal Courts of Appeals have generally assumed that so long as the reasonable-doubt instruction has been given at trial, the no-evidence doctrine of Thompson v Louisville [362 US 199; 80 S Ct 624; 4 L Ed 2d 654 (1960)] remains the appropriate guide for a federal habeas corpus court to apply in assessing a state prisoner‘s challenge to his conviction as founded upon insufficient evidence. We cannot agree.
“The Winship doctrine requires more than simply a trial ritual. A doctrine establishing so fundamental a
In rejecting the any evidence test, the Court focused on the differences between the concepts of relevancy and sufficiency of the evidence. Under
The concept of sufficiency, on the other hand, is designed to determine whether all the evidence, considered as a whole, justifies submitting the case to the trier of fact or requires a judgment as a matter of law. This is in contrast to the standards
Due process requires that the prosecutor introduce sufficient evidence which could justify a trier of fact in reasonably concluding that defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt before a defendant can be convicted of a criminal offense, see, Jackson, supra. If sufficient evidence is not introduced, a directed verdict or judgment of acquittal should be entered. The statements in Johnson, supra; Abernathy, supra; Eaton, supra, to the effect that a trial judge should direct a verdict only where there is no evidence on a material element of the offense are specifically disapproved.
In summary, the trial judge when ruling on a motion for a directed verdict of acquittal must consider the evidence presented by the prosecution up to the time the motion is made, Garcia, supra, view that evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, People v Vail, 393 Mich 460, 463; 227 NW2d 535 (1975), and determine whether a rational trier of fact could have found that the essential elements of the crime were proven beyond a reasonable doubt, Jackson, supra, p 319.
However, the standards governing directed verdicts do not require that the jury‘s verdict of guilty be reinstated. From the facts as they have evolved, we find that the trial judge did not direct a verdict of acquittal. He set aside the jury‘s verdict and ordered a new trial. Although this ruling was made following arguments on defendant‘s motion for a directed verdict, the judge actually ordered a new trial and did not direct a verdict.3 The trial judge‘s order provided:
“Defendant having moved for a directed verdict at the close of the prosecution‘s proofs, and that motion having been denied, the court ruling that the prosecution had presented some evidence on all the elements of the offense; and that motion having been renewed at the close of all proofs, and decision reserved by the court until after return of the verdict, and the jury having returned verdicts of guilty of second-degree murder against defendant; this court hereby finds that the evidence presented was not sufficient to convince a reasonable person beyond a reasonable doubt of defendant‘s guilt, consequently:
“It is ordered that the jury verdicts as to Defendant Hampton [handwritten by Judge Crockett] be set aside, defendant‘s renewed motion for--a- directed vordiet—is
The statements in the two paragraphs of the order are ambiguous and even confusing in light of the judge‘s oral explanatory statements. We do not interpret the order as representing a conclusion by the trial judge that a verdict of acquittal was required as a matter of law, even under the Jackson standards. The testimony, arguments of counsel and statements by the trial judge preceding the rulings on these issues clearly indicate that when ruling on these motions, the trial judge did not consider the prosecution‘s evidence in its best light, considered evidence offered by the defense and may have permitted an inaccurate view of the possible punishment to affect his decision.4 Because
“The Court: All right. That‘s different from an element of compulsion.
“[Prosecutor]: The only overt threatening act was that. After that time there was ample opportunity for Mr. Hampton to disassociate himself with the chain of events that led to Mr. Coleman‘s death. He in fact was present during the time when Mr. Coleman was being bound and gagged. There is some evidence, at least the way I look at the evidence, to indicate that Mr. Griffin could not have bound and gagged and retained possession of the shotgun in the home.
“There is an opportunity of Mr. — that Mr. Hampton had to reveal his predicament at the time when he got out of the car, went to the gas station, obtained some gas. There was another opportunity for him to disassociate himself with the chain of events when he returned the gas can. He didn‘t make any of those efforts.
“The Court: Now during all of this time he is operating under circumstances where his sister is in the presence of his codefendant, who has a sawed-off shotgun.
“[Prosecutor]: But there is no evidence whatsoever, your Honor, that Mr. Griffin‘s presence with the sister was threatening at all to the sister. There was no threats made to the sister. She apparently went along with this thing voluntarily. She didn‘t testify that Mr. Griffin made her do anything at all.
“The Court: Wasn‘t there some testimony to the effect that Mr. Hampton initially was reluctant or refused to get in the car when they were leaving the house and his sister, according to his testimony, indicated to him that he had better comply? Don‘t you remember that testimony?
“[Prosecutor]: Once again, your Honor, that‘s Mr. Hampton‘s testimony. It‘s not — it‘s not — it‘s not his sister‘s testimony at all. There was ample opportunity for defense to bring that out. It never came out. There is no evidence whatsoever that his sister felt — felt threatened or that anyone felt threatened at any time except for that one instance when, if you believe Mr. Hampton, Mr. Griffin made a threatening gesture when he first obtained the car. That is the only evidence that any threats or any type of duress was used at all towards Mr. Hampton.”
After the verdict was returned, defendant requested a ruling on his motion and the following discussion took place:
“[Prosecutor]: Secondly, I think that we have a jury to decide these matters. I don‘t believe that we can review their findings. I think that there was sufficient evidence that —
“The Court: What do you mean — you said you don‘t think we can review their findings?
“[Prosecutor]: I think that — I think —
“The Court: Don‘t you always do that on a motion to set aside the jury‘s verdict and grant a new trial?
* * *
“The Court: The whole theory of the prosecution, as I indicated before, in prosecuting Hampton was that he voluntarily aided and
The standards governing the grant or denial of a motion for a new trial are different from those for a directed verdict.
“The court in which the trial of any indictment shall be had may grant a new trial to the defendant, for any cause for which by law a new trial may be granted, or
abetted in this killing and also in the robbery. I indicated earlier when the motion was made at the close of all of the proofs for a directed verdict, that in my judgment the only act, assuming that the evidence established that act, on which the prosecution could rely to show aiding and abetting, was the contention that Mr. Hampton was the one who pressed the release that caused the back trunk to open to permit Mr. Griffin to take out the body.
“Mr. Hampton denied that he did that. The prosecution‘s star witness, Mr. Griffin‘s sister, who was sitting right on the front seat, denied that he did it, and testified that Mr. Griffin himself was — I didn‘t mean to say Mr. Griffin‘s sister; Mr. Hampton‘s sister. And she testified that Mr. Griffin himself was the one that came back into the front of the car, pressed the release to open the trunk.
“The prosecution relies on the testimony of Mr. Griffin‘s sister. But her testimony, as I recall it, is pretty clear to the effect that she not only was overly excited, she was frightened, she was down on the floor of the car behind the seat. And her only basis for concluding that Mr. Hampton was the one who pressed the release was that she believes he leaned over the back seat.”
A prior inconsistent statement in which Ms. Griffin stated that Mr. Hampton pressed the release button that opened the trunk was introduced to impeach her testimony that she did not see Mr. Hampton press the button.
“Now whether he leaned over the back seat to press the release or whether he leaned over the back seat for any other reason or whether in fact he leaned over the back seat, does not come through with as much clarity as I think the law requires if you are going to send a man away under a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment.
“I am not satisfied that justice was done in this case. I am not satisfied that the jury followed the court‘s instructions. I am not satisfied that the prosecution‘s evidence was sufficient to convince a reasonable person beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Hampton is guilty. The jury‘s verdict is set aside. A new trial is ordered in the case of Mr. Hampton.”
Under this statute, a new trial may be granted if the trial judge finds that the guilty verdict was not in accordance with the evidence introduced and that an injustice has been done. People v Henssler, 48 Mich 49, 51; 11 NW 804 (1882), People v Rayford Johnson, 391 Mich 834; 218 NW2d 378 (1974). See, also,
Even the defendant, who argued that this Court should adopt a directed verdict standard similar to the one required by Jackson, concludes that the trial judge‘s findings and order were consistent with the standards governing the ordering of new trials. In his brief, it is argued that:
“Here, the record shows that the trial judge in passing upon defendant-appellee‘s motion gave full pay [sic, play?] to the right of the jury to determine credibility, draw inferences of fact, and determine whether a reasonable mind might fairly conclude guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The trial judge determined upon the evidence that a reasonable mind might have a reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the defendant-appellee and so set the verdict aside and ordered a new trial. In doing so he was not required to apply the standards required had he acquitted the defendant-appellee.
* * *
“Wherefore, appellee respectfully requests that the
order of the trial judge vacating the defendant‘s convic- tion be upheld and a new trial ordered.”
For these reasons and because defendant has not appealed or requested a review of this order, we would decline to reverse the order for a new trial and to order that a directed verdict of acquittal be entered.
A review of the record in this case does not show that the trial judge abused his discretion in grant- ing a new trial or that his actions impermissibly invaded the province of the jury.5
Affirmed.
FITZGERALD, J., concurred with COLEMAN, C.J.
LEVIN, J. (concurring). The trial judge‘s state- ments explaining his decision to grant the defen- dant post-verdict relief do not, as a matter of Michigan procedural law, change the nature of the order which he entered—as a matter of Michigan law he ordered a new trial and did not direct a verdict.1
I agree with my colleagues that a trial judge is
authorized, although there is, prima facie, suffi-
cient evidence to present a question for the jury, to
grant a new trial “for any cause for which by law
I agree with the Chief Justice that the judge did not in this case abuse his discretion in granting a new trial. In so concluding, I have considered the judge‘s statements before entry of the order which, although not material in deciding what he did, are pertinent in deciding whether what he did was justified.
I cannot sign the Chief Justice‘s opinion, how- ever, because there is no need to consider the standard for directing a verdict in a case where, as a matter of Michigan procedural law, no verdict was directed. For the same reason I cannot sign Justice RYAN‘S opinion.
Although, as appears from Justice RYAN‘S opin- ion, Hampton may have a substantial double jeop- ardy claim,4 it is not before us. This appeal was brought by the prosecutor. The only issue on which leave was granted was “whether * * * the trial court invaded the province of the jury when he granted the defendant‘s motion for directed
It now appears that the judge did not direct a verdict, but simply ordered a new trial, and that the case should be disposed of on that basis. Our misapprehension of the issue when we granted leave to appeal does not expand the scope of the grant to an issue not necessarily implicated by the limited grant of leave to appeal. No double jeop- ardy issue was raised by the prosecutor.5 Nor was such an issue raised by Hampton, who did not seek leave to cross appeal and has made no argument in that regard. It is therefore inappropriate, with- out briefing or argument, to reach a double jeop- ardy issue. Similarly, since Hampton did not seek leave to cross appeal the implicit denial of his motion for directed verdict and has made no argu- ment that the judge erred in failing to direct a verdict, we cannot properly decide whether Hamp- ton is entitled to affirmative relief on the ground that the failure to direct a verdict was error.
Although the judge did not, as a matter of Michigan procedural law, direct a verdict, he may have done so, as Justice RYAN writes, as a matter of Federal double jeopardy law. This is still an- other reason why I cannot sign the Chief Justice‘s opinion as some of her observations may be read as bearing on whether the judge directed a verdict as a matter of Federal double jeopardy law.
WILLIAMS, J., concurred with LEVIN, J.
RYAN, J. (concurring in part; dissenting in part). We are asked the specific question:
“Whether, under the circumstances of this case, the trial court invaded the province of the jury when he granted the defendant‘s motion for directed verdict after the jury had returned a verdict finding the defen- dant guilty.”1
The Chief Justice recognizes that in order to answer this question we must first determine the correct standard to be utilized by a trial court in ruling upon a motion for a directed verdict in criminal cases. We agree with the standard she adopts but do not agree that a new trial may be ordered in the instant case.
We recognize that our case law has failed in the past to clearly articulate the standard trial judges are to apply in ruling on motions for directed verdict in criminal cases.2 Moreover, we are per-
suaded, as is the Chief Justice, that the rationale of Jackson v Virginia, 443 US 307; 99 S Ct 2781; 61 L Ed 2d 560 (1979), supports our adoption of the following standard to be utilized by trial courts in ruling upon these motions: Whether the evidence presented by the prosecution, viewed in the light most favorable to it, is sufficient evidence from which a rational trier of fact could find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt of each of the essential elements of the crime.
However, after adopting this standard, the Chief Justice determines it does not require reversal on the facts of this case. Her conclusion is based on a finding that the trial judge in this case did not direct a verdict, but instead exercised his discre- tion to order a new trial on the ground that the verdict was against the great weight of the evi- dence.
We disagree. As the Chief Justice‘s opinion accu-
rately reports, the defendant made separate mo-
tions for directed verdict of acquittal at the conclu-
sion of the prosecution‘s case and again at the
conclusion of all of the proofs. The trial judge
denied the first motion, and reserved his ruling on
the second. No motion was made or argued for a
new trial, and it is undoubted that none is neces-
Thus, while the trial judge‘s written order pur- ports, in its modified form, to deal only with the matter of a new trial, it has the inescapable effect of working a denial of the defendant‘s otherwise unresolved motion for directed verdict. The basic issue thereby emerges: Whether the trial judge erred in his resolution of the defendant‘s motion(s) for directed verdict of acquittal?
As the Chief Justice correctly states: “Due proc-
ess requires that the prosecutor introduce suffi-
cient evidence which could justify a trier of fact in
reasonably concluding that defendant is guilty
beyond a reasonable doubt before a defendant can
be convicted of a criminal offense, see Jackson,
In a case where the prosecution does not intro- duce sufficient evidence which could justify a trier of fact in reasonably concluding that defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, the error com- mitted is in the trial court‘s failure to grant a defendant‘s motion for a directed verdict of acquit- tal and enter judgment thereon, an error which cannot be remedied by ordering a new trial.
Certainly a trial court has the discretion to
order a new trial after a guilty verdict has been
returned when the court finds that verdict is
against the great weight of the evidence.
“The weight to be given the testimony, where conflict- ing, should be left to the jury. If at a subsequent time the trial court is of opinion that the verdict was not in accordance with the evidence introduced and that injus- tice has been done thereby, full power is possessed by the court to correct the error or mistake of the jury by granting a new trial.”
Similarly, in People v Johnson, 397 Mich 686, 687; 246 NW2d 836 (1976), where the trial court
set aside a guilty verdict and ordered a new trial
because it disbelieved the prosecution witnesses,
we upheld its power to do so while holding that
the same court could not dismiss the charges
against the defendant because there was sufficient
evidence produced to support a conviction. The
trial court had found, in effect, that the verdict
was against the great weight of the evidence;
consequently, it had the discretion to order a new
We do not think the trial judge made, or could properly have made, a finding that the verdict was against the great weight of the evidence in the case before us. Instead, we find that the trial judge, after applying a standard consistent with the one we announce today, directed a verdict of acquittal.
Careful examination of the transcript of the colloquies between the court and both trial counsel which occurred at the close of all the evidence and again immediately following the jury verdict, sug- gests that while the trial judge may have been unsure what label to assign the relief being re- quested of him, he clearly understood that the issue presented concerned the sufficiency of the evidence to support a guilty verdict.
After all the evidence was in and before closing arguments to the jury, the following occurred:
”The Court: Anything further, gentlemen:
“[Defense Counsel]: Your Honor, I should just like to renew my motion again to the court on a dismissal as to Mr. Hampton, just briefly.
“Your Honor, at this time I would renew my motion as to both counts as to Mr. Hampton. And I think that now the court has before it all the testimony of the witnesses, and I believe that the testimony of the
witnesses at this particular juncture, your Honor, re- veals no evidence whatsoever that a homicide was committed pursuant to any plan, advice, or suggestion of the defendant Mr. Wayne Hampton; but in fact reveals that the homicide was a spontaneous act on the part of the defendant Lewis Griffin, who had told every- one else at the scene that the deceased would not be harmed. “And further, your Honor, I should like to state that the testimony also indicates that the murder itself was too separated in time and action from the robbery to be considered for a felony-murder charge as to Wayne Hampton.
“And the testimony further shows, your Honor, that Wayne Hampton was merely present at the scene of the murder, and his position is no different from that of the other witnesses in the automobile.
“So as to both counts here, your Honor, I don‘t think the people have sustained a prima facie case as to Mr. Wayne Hampton. I think all the testimony is diametri- cally opposed, uncontradicted, as to Mr. Hampton, and I would renew my motion again for the court. That is a legal question here, and that the court should on its own motion dismiss Mr. Hampton from this particular case without it going to the jury.
”The Court: Do you wish to be heard, Mr. [Prosecu- tor]?
“[Prosecutor]: Well, your Honor, I would merely re- peat the argument that I have made on a previous occasion at the end of my proofs. I would rest on that argument. I don‘t think there has been any indication, any evidence, which could negate the elements of my argument. Perhaps there is an additional element for the jury to consider, but that‘s a jury question.
”The Court: The only basis on which you can get a conviction against the defendant Hampton is on the theory that he aided and abetted in the commission of this homicide. And as I recall the proofs, I‘m inclined to think that you are dependent almost entirely on that evidence as to whether he was the one who pressed the release in the Buick that opened the trunk. I think everything else that you claim he did lends itself to the
conclusion that it was not done voluntarily, that it was done under maybe two or three different species of compulsion. One, for his own protection dealing with a person considerably his senior, a former Marine, who had regaled him time and time again about his exploits, and who during all of this period of time is with Mr. Hampton‘s knowledge armed with a sawed-off shotgun. And secondly, for the safety of his sister, who seemed to be dumb enough to cultivate that kind of friendship and posed the danger for her younger brother. And third, his own immaturity. “Now I am wondering if that sort of summary of the evidence with respect to him isn‘t enough to warrant the conclusion that no reasonable person could conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty.” (Emphasis added.)
There ensued a long colloquy between the court and the assistant prosecuting attorney, including a recitation by defense counsel of his reason for asking that the court “dismiss Mr. Hampton” which he concluded by stating:
“And I feel there has not been substantial evidence or testimony in this case to find this man guilty of anything, and I don‘t think it is a case to go to the jury. I really don‘t, and I think the court on its own motion should dismiss Mr. Hampton. I don‘t believe this is a case at all to go to the jury.”
The trial judge then asked:
”The Court: Do I have to decide this motion now, or can I let it go to the jury and reserve my decision?
“[Defense Counsel]: Well, if you want—
”The Court: Mr. Prosecutor?
“[Prosecutor]: I think you can reserve your decision.
”The Court: I think that‘s what I‘ll do. Anything further?
“[Defense Counsel]: No, your Honor.”
”The Court: The whole theory of the prosecution, as I indicated before, in prosecuting Hampton was that he voluntarily aided and abetted in this killing and also in the robbery. I indicated earlier when the motion was made at the close of all of the proofs for a directed verdict, that in my judgment the only act, assuming that the evidence established that act, on which the prosecution could rely to show aiding and abetting, was the contention that Mr. Hampton was the one who pressed the release that caused the back trunk to open to permit Mr. Griffin to take out the body.
“Mr. Hampton denied that he did that. The prosecu- tion‘s star witness, Mr. Griffin‘s sister, who was sitting right on the front seat, denied that he did it, and testified that Mr. Griffin himself was—I didn‘t mean to say Mr. Griffin‘s sister; Mr. Hampton‘s sister. And she testified that Mr. Griffin himself was the one that came back into the front of the car, pressed the release to open the trunk.
“The prosecution relies on the testimony of Mr. Griffin‘s sister. But her testimony, as I recall it, is pretty clear to the effect that she not only was overly excited, she was frightened, she was down on the floor of the car behind the seat. And her only basis for concluding that Mr. Hampton was the one who pressed the release was that she believes he leaned over the back seat.
“Now whether he leaned over the back seat to press the release or whether he leaned over the back seat for any other reason or whether in fact he leaned over the back seat, does not come through with as much clarity as I think the law requires if you are going to send a man away under a mandatory sentence of life imprison- ment.
“I am not satisfied that justice was done in this case. I am not satisfied that the jury followed the Court‘s instructions. I am not satisfied that the prosecution‘s evidence was sufficient to convince a reasonable person beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Hampton is guilty. The jury‘s verdict is set aside. A new trial is ordered in the case of Mr. Hampton.” (Emphasis added.)
Having once wondered on the record “if that sort of summary of the evidence with respect to [Hampton] isn‘t enough to warrant the conclusion that no reasonable person could conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty” and having later declared that he was “not satisfied that the prosecution‘s evidence was sufficient to convince a reasonable person beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Hampton is guilty“, the court can only be understood to have set aside the verdict on the basis that, as a matter of law, there was insuffi- cient evidence to sustain the jury verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
If there was any question about that, it was laid to rest when the court‘s written order was entered which recited:
“[T]his court hereby finds that the evidence presented was not sufficient to convince a reasonable person be- yond a reasonable doubt of defendant‘s guilt * * *.”
The question then is whether it was error for the court, having set aside the verdict for insuffi- cient evidence, to order a new trial. We hold that it was.
The United States Supreme Court has held that
the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amend-
ment of the United States Constitution precludes a
second trial when conviction in the first trial was
reversed by the reviewing court solely for lack of
In Greene v Massey, 437 US 19, 25; 98 S Ct 2151; 57 L Ed 2d 15 (1978), decided the same day as Burks, the Court said the same result would obtain upon comparable facts following a state court conviction.
There is no justification for reaching a contrary result because a trial judge, rather than a review- ing court, has determined as a matter of law that the prosecution‘s proofs are insufficient to support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Hav- ing found that the evidence, viewed most favorably toward the prosecution, was legally insufficient to support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the trial court was compelled to enter a judgment of acquittal and was thus precluded from granting defendant a new trial.4
Upon our own painstaking examination of the
record in this case, conducted in conformance with
the constitutionally binding standard announced
in Jackson v Virginia, supra, we conclude that the
trial court did not err in finding that the evidence
The trial court‘s order setting aside the jury verdict against defendant should be affirmed, the order granting a new trial should be vacated, and a judgment of acquittal should be entered.
KAVANAGH and BLAIR MOODY, JR., JJ., concur- red with RYAN, J.
Notes
“The Court: The only basis on which you can get a conviction against the defendant Hampton is on the theory that he aided and abetted in the commission of this homicide. And as I recall the proofs, I‘m inclined to think that you are dependent almost entirely on that evidence as to whether he was the one who pressed the release in the Buick that opened the trunk. I think everything else that you claim he did lends itself to the conclusion that it was not done voluntarily, that it was done under maybe two or three different species of compulsion. One, for his own protection dealing with a person considerably his senior, a former Marine, who had regaled him time and time again about his exploits, and who during all of this period of time is with Mr. Hampton‘s knowledge armed with a sawed-off shotgun. And secondly, for the safety of his sister, who seemed to be dumb enough to cultivate that kind of friendship and posed the danger for her younger brother. And third, his own immaturity.
“Now I am wondering if that sort of summary of the evidence with respect to him isn‘t enough to warrant the conclusion that no reasonable person could conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty.
“[Prosecutor]: I would think that‘s not the case, your Honor. There are a chain of events here which would lead or should be able to lead a jury to reasonably find that he is guilty. The only element of compulsion that was ever testified to was that the defendant Mr. Griffin somehow touched his gun at the time when he first picked up the car and told the defendant Mr. Hampton to get in.
“The Court: Well, you don‘t mean the only element of compulsion. You might mean the only overt threatening act.”
In Burks v United States, 437 US 1; 98 S Ct 2141; 57 L Ed 2d 1 (1978), the United States Supreme Court held that the Double Jeopardy Clause precludes a second trial following a reviewing court‘s reversal of a defendant‘s conviction in a prior trial solely for lack of sufficient evidence to sustain the jury‘s verdict. A companion case, Greene v Massey, 437 US 19, 24; 98 S Ct 2151; 57 L Ed 2d 15 (1978), declared that the Burks standard applied to state proceedings as part of the constitutional prohibition against double jeopardy. See Benton v Maryland, 395 US 784; 89 S Ct 2056; 23 L Ed 2d 707 (1969). Where the prosecution fails to introduce sufficient evidence on each essential element of the crime which could justify a trier of fact in reasonably concluding that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, due process requires the entry of a judgment of acquittal, and the trial judge clearly has no discretion to do otherwise. Where the prosecution does introduce sufficient evidence on each essential element of the crime which could justify a trier of fact in reasonably concluding that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, but such technically sufficient evidence is greatly overwhelmed by contrary evidence, the trial judge has discretion to set aside a jury verdict of guilty and order retrial of the case before another fact-finder. In the former instance, the judge is required to make a purely legal determination; while in the latter the judge is empowered, not to substitute his factual judgment for the jury‘s, but to substitute another fact-finder for the original one.