STATE vs. WILLIAM MURPHY
AUGUST 5, 1974
323 A.2d 561 | 113 R.I. 565
PRESENT: Roberts, C. J., Paolino, Joslin, Kelleher and Doris, JJ.
The appeal of the defendant is denied and dismissed, the judgment of conviction is affirmed, and the cause is remanded to the Superior Court.
Motion for reargument denied.
Richard J. Israel, Attorney General, Donald P. Ryan, Asst. Attorney General, for plaintiff.
Raymond J. Daniels, for defendant.
The records of the jury commissioner and the clerk of the Superior Court disclose that on May 25, 1972, John J. Gilbert, Jr. was notified that he had been chosen to serve as a petit juror in the Superior Court at any time up to and including the second Monday in July 1972. Gilbert, a resident of Providence, owns and operates a bar in Woonsocket. The bar is called the Gridiron Club. On May 30, 1972, a deputy city sergeant served a summons at Gilbert‘s residence telling him to appear in the Superior Court on Tuesday, June 6, 1972.
At this point, Gilbert said, Fontaine told him that he would be selected as a member of the jury that would hear the first degree murder case of State v. Richard Callei. He further informed Gilbert that he could earn $2,000 if he influenced the jury, $3,000 if there were a hung jury, and that if everything went right for Callei, it was worth $5,000. After first expressing shock at such an offer, Gilbert agreed to meet Fontaine the following evening in a Pawtucket diner to discuss the matter in greater detail. The conference ended. Fontaine rejoined Murphy at the bar. They finished their drinks and drove back to Providence. After their departure, Gilbert contacted Inspector Raymond Tempest, a veteran member of the Woonsocket Police Department, and informed him of the evening‘s events. The inspector and Gilbert are friends.
Murphy testified and gave a completely different reason as to why he and Fontaine went to Woonsocket on Sunday, June 4, 1972. He insisted that he did not call Gilbert.
Murphy told the jury that all three individuals participated in the corner conference. According to Murphy, Gilbert stated that he would guarantee a hung jury in the Callei trial but that the guarantee would cost $10,000. Murphy replied, “Are you crazy or something?” Fontaine and he left the premises and returned to Providence.
Having reported the contradictory versions of what occurred in the Gridiron Club on the mid-evening of June 4, 1972, we shall consider the motions for judgment of acquittal and a new trial. As we do, we shall relate these issues to other pertinent portions of the testimony.
In determining a motion for a judgment of acquittal, the trial justice does not weigh the evidence or assess credibility. He views the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, and draws therefrom all reasonable inferences favorable to the prosecution. We must do likewise on review. State v. Moretti, 113 R.I. 213, 319 A.2d 342 (1974). The denial of such a motion which is made at the conclusion of the prosecution‘s case is reviewable only if the defense has rested at the time it makes the motion. Here, the defense did not rest but offered evi-
We shall first dispose of the bribery indictment. Simply stated, the record is devoid of evidence that would serve as any basis for the bribery charge lodged against Murphy. By the testimony of Gilbert himself, Murphy was not present when Fontaine offered the bribe. He was at the bar. In this jurisdiction, the common-law distinction between a principal and an accessory is still preserved. State v. Colvin, 82 R.I. 212, 107 A.2d 324 (1954); State v. Patriarca, 71 R.I. 151, 43 A.2d 54 (1945). There is nothing in the evidence which would support any inference that Murphy had participated as a principal in the substantive offense of bribery.1 Compare, State v. Hart, 106 R.I. 213, 258 A.2d 70 (1969). Accordingly, the trial justice should have granted Murphy‘s motion for a judgment of acquittal on the bribery indictment.
However, the conspiracy indictment presents a different picture.
Initially, we shall consider Murphy‘s contention that, assuming the truth of all the evidence adduced against him, the prosecution has failed to prove the commission of a crime that violates any of the laws of this state. He emphasizes that on the date of the alleged conspiracy, Gilbert was not a member of the jury that would hear the Callei case. In taking this position, he relies on State v. Nadeau, 81 R.I. 505, 105 A.2d 194 (1954). Nadeau was a Woonsocket councilman who allegedly sought a payoff from an applicant who was seeking an appointment to the city‘s police department. The relevant statute in Nadeau is now cited as
The controlling statute here is
“Bribery of juror or person exercising judicial function.—Every person who shall give any sum of money or any bribe, present or reward, or any promise or security for any, to obtain or influence the opinion, judgment, verdict, sentence, report or award of any judge, justice of the peace, warden, juror, auditor, referee, arbitrator, master in chancery, or person summoned as juror, in any matter or cause pending or to be tried before him alone or before him with others, shall be imprisoned not exceeding seven (7) years or be fined not exceeding one thousand dollars ($1,000).”
The language is plain, unambiguous and all encompassing. The pertinent portions of this statute tell one and all that it is a criminal offense to offer a bribe to influence the verdict of a “juror” or a “*** person summoned as a juror, in any matter or cause pending or to be tried before him alone or before him with others ***” The entire thrust of
Murphy, in seeking to establish a paucity of evidence which would indicate his participation in the Fontaine fix, has cited numerous cases in his brief concerning the necessity of proof of knowledge and the effect of mere presence, friendship or acquaintance, and relationship with one who has been charged as a codefendant or a coconspirator. We have no reason to disagree with the ruling in those cases. However, the evidence in this case justifies a finding of something more than a mere friendship or association. We had occasion only last year to discuss the conspiracy question in State v. Gilman, 110 R.I. 207, 291 A.2d 425 (1972). We said in that case:
“In considering the conspiracy indictment it must be kept in mind that the gist of a conspiracy is the unlawful combination of two or more persons to do an unlawful act or a lawful act for an unlawful purpose with the offense being complete once the agreement is made. [cites omitted] Anyone, knowing of the conspiracy, who intentionally takes part in or does any act to further the illegal agreement becomes a participant in the conspiracy. [cite omitted]
“Furthermore, there need not be any evidence that participants came together and expressly agreed to pursue a common design. [cites omitted] It is enough if they knowingly engage in a mutual plan to do a forbidden act. Conspiracy can rarely be proven by direct evidence.” Id. at 218, 291 A.2d at 432.
There is no direct evidence connecting defendant with the conspiracy. No witness testified that he or she saw or heard defendant conspiring or agreeing with Fontaine to bribe Gilbert. Such testimony, as we noted in Gilman, is a rarity.
Thus, the question before us is whether the facts pre-
We are aware that a conviction in a criminal case is justified only if all the facts and circumstances necessary to establish guilt have been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. And, in the absence of direct evidence, a finding of guilt will be made only if these facts and circumstances not only are consistent with the hypothesis that a defendant was guilty but also are inconsistent with any reasonable hypothesis that he was innocent. State v. Fortes, 110 R.I. 406, 293 A.2d 506 (1972); State v. Franklin, 103 R.I. 715, 241 A.2d 219 (1968); State v. Montella, 88 R.I. 469, 149 A.2d 919 (1959); State v. Blood, 68 R.I. 160, 26 A.2d 745 (1942); State v. Di Noi, 59 R.I. 348, 195 A. 497 (1937).
We have within recent months emphasized that there is no legal distinction between direct and circumstantial evidence so far as its probative force is concerned. No greater degree of certainty is required when the evidence is circumstantial than when it is direct. The test for determining the sufficiency of the evidence to support proof beyond a reasonable doubt is a simple requirement, to wit, that the evidence be consistent only with a reasonable theory of guilt—if the evidence is consistent with any other reasonable conclusion, the requisite degree of guilt has not been established. State v. Rose, 112 R.I. 402, 311 A.2d 281 (1973). This court has also emphasized that the prosecution need not prove guilt beyond all doubt. State v. Walsh, 113 R.I. 118, 318 A.2d 463 (1974). A reasonable doubt has been defined as an actual substantial doubt of a defendant‘s guilt arising from the evidence or want thereof as distinguished from a mere suspicion or appre-
In reviewing the evidence we must look at it in the light most favorable to the prosecution. Thus we find Murphy calling Gilbert for an appointment. To keep this appointment two friends of Callei travel from Providence to Woonsocket and back to Providence, a distance of at least 32 miles. At the trial Murphy acknowledged his friendship with Callei and testified that Fontaine was friendly with Callei because Callei was the best man when Fontaine was married. Murphy was one of the wedding guests. He could also be considered as Fontaine‘s contact man in that he made the necessary introductions at the bar and told Gilbert that Fontaine wanted to talk to him in the corner. In the corner, after Murphy‘s return to the bar, Fontaine told Gilbert that he would be on the Callei jury and propositioned him. Gilbert agreed to pursue the matter further the following evening at a meeting with Fontaine at a diner located in Pawtucket. It was Murphy who called Gilbert on the following evening to tell him that Fontaine had left town and would be unable to keep the appointment.
Gilbert reported for jury duty on June 6 and was one of over 100 jurors qualified for service. Three subpanels were then chosen for service in various pending trials. Gilbert was chosen for Subpanel A. It consisted of 40 individuals and was dispatched for service in the courtroom where the Callei case was to be tried. Gilbert was in fact tentatively chosen as a member of the panel.
It was at this point that he called Murphy twice on the phone. One call was placed on June 8 and the second oc-
The calls originated from Gilbert‘s bar. In the first call the jury heard against the background of the usual barroom clatter the following exchanges:
Gilbert: “And, ah, I‘m going to be taken [sic] off tomorrow. And, you know, I haven‘t seen ah, our friend there.
Murphy: “Oh, you mean—Oh, I know who you‘re talking about now. Well, ah is he supposed to see you or what?
Gilbert: “Well, you called me Monday, [June 5] and you know—.
Murphy: “Well, that was the message I got, I haven‘t seen him myself.”
Gilbert went on to tell Murphy that he had a business to run and he wanted “to beg out of this, ah, (expletive deleted) deal.” When Gilbert repeated his desire to beg off, Murphy said, “I see what you mean” and then said, “All right because I - I think I know what you‘re getting at. But, if that‘s the case, I‘ll, I‘ll I don‘t know if I can get in touch with him, but I know somebody that, may be able to.” During this conversation, Gilbert told Murphy that he was leaving the bar but would return sometime near 9:30 or 10 p.m. Murphy is heard saying, “All righty, then and you want him to get in touch with you about 9:30 or ten o‘clock?” Gilbert gave an affirmative reply. Gilbert then said, “But, you know what I
The following evening, Gilbert called Murphy and told him, “I didn‘t, ah, hear anything.” Murphy said he had not “seen nobody or nothing,” and he really didn‘t know “what‘s going on.” Gilbert spoke of the pressure on him, that he was getting out of town, and that if anyone “is lookin for me, I won‘t be back until late Sunday night, Billy.” Murphy answered, “All right, Jack, but like I say, I don‘t know—you know. I mean you know what I‘m trying to say too.” One of Murphy‘s last remarks was to tell Gilbert that “*** I want to stop and talk to you about something entirely different altogether when I stop by, Jack.”
It is clear that after the bribe had been offered, Gilbert went to the police.
An illegal confederacy may be inferentially established by proof of the relationship, conduct, circumstances and acts of the parties. State v. Gilman, supra. Taking the totality of the evidence to which we have just alluded, we note first the furtive manner Murphy exhibited on the evening of June 4. His use of the name “Bobby” when introducing Fontaine and his insistence that they go to the corner manifest a desire for privacy which in turn indicates a knowledge of what was on Fontaine‘s mind. Murphy‘s continuing role as an intermediary in relaying or attempting to relay messages of Fontaine to Gilbert and vice versa, his reply of “Oh, I know who you‘re talking about now” to Gilbert‘s complaint that Gilbert had not seen “our friend,” plus his express desire to stop by and
As we consider the denial of Murphy‘s motion for a new trial, it should be stressed that no objections were taken to the charge nor does he press any objections to the evidence3 presented by the prosecution. It is elemental that a trial justice when considering a motion for a new trial is bound to follow the law he has given to the jury in his charge. State v. Walsh, 108 R.I. 518, 277 A.2d 298 (1971). No objection having been taken to the charge, the instructions as given were the law of the case. State v. Card, 105 R.I. 753, 255 A.2d 727 (1969). Rule 30 of the Superior Court‘s Rules of Criminal Procedure specifically bars a party from assigning as error any portion of the charge or omission therefrom unless he specifically directs the trial justice‘s attention to the matter to which he objects and gives the ground for his objection.
The trial justice did not, nor was he asked to, give the so-called Montella4 rule, and accordingly he did not inform
One seeking to set aside the denial of his motion for a new trial has the burden of showing that the trial justice was clearly wrong or that in reviewing the evidence and its weight and the witnesses‘s credibility he misconceived or overlooked some material evidence on a controlling issue. State v. Rose, supra.
Murphy has argued that the trial justice in denying his new trial motion had completely rejected his testimony and that in doing so the only evidence relating to the conspiracy charge came from the lips of Gilbert. Such evidence, he claims, was not sufficient to establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Murphy has totally misconceived the thrust of the trial justice‘s comments. The pertinent portions of his remarks are:
“* * * I fully agree with what the jury did here. We had here, head-on conflicts between the principal witnesses, Mr. Gilbert and Mr. Wheeler for the State, and Mr. Murphy and Mr. Brady6 for the defendants. Gilbert impressed me as telling the truth. I think he was a truthful witness and I‘m satisfied that Murphy and Brady lied under oath. The cross-examination of Murphy fully demonstrated that his testimony on direct, which itself was hard to take at face value, was not worthy of belief and the same can be said of Brady, in content and manner. *** And I‘m satisfied that he, Mr. Fontaine, who, according to Murphy, had been the best man for Callei at Callei‘s wedding, was, of course, the one who made the approach to Gilbert with the help of his friend Murphy. As far as Mr. Murphy‘s testimony is concerned, the testimony he gave is completely inconsistent with the responses made over the telephone on June 8th and June 9th—completely inconsistent.” (emphasis added)
One of the state‘s witnesses was a state police detective, Richard M. Wheeler. Detective Wheeler testified that he was driving past the Gridiron Club on June 4 when he noticed Fontaine‘s car in the club‘s parking lot. Wheeler, who was off-duty at this particular time, parked his car and entered the club. There, he observed Fontaine and Murphy at the bar. He knew Fontaine but did not know Fontaine‘s companion. The officer told the jury about Gilbert‘s 8 p.m. entrance, the exchange of greetings at the bar, the trip to the corner table, and Murphy‘s return to the bar while Gilbert and Fontaine talked in the corner. When the duo left the bar, Wheeler asked Gilbert what went on in the corner and Gilbert told him that Fontaine asked him about his forthcoming jury duty.
Wheeler called the Lincoln barracks and reported what he had witnessed. Trooper Thomas Hefner testified that at approximately 8:55 p.m. on June 4, he stopped the Fontaine vehicle on Route 146 as it was traveling south. Trooper Hefner said the stop occurred in Providence near the Branch Avenue on-ramp. Fontaine‘s passenger identified himself as William J. Murphy, a Providence councilman.
The tapes of Murphy‘s telephone conversations with Gilbert are completely at odds with the picture he at-
In his cross-examination of Murphy the prosecutor further demonstrated the weakness of his direct testimony. Two tales of bribery were told. Gilbert, after receiving the offer, went to the police. Murphy, an elected public official, conceded that he did not tell either Trooper Hefner or Providence‘s Commissioner of Public Safety or the city‘s police chief of his encounter with Gilbert because he was “befuddled” or “upset.” He explained that because of Gil-
Again, in direct examination, Murphy testified that during a seven-month period in 1969 he managed a cocktail lounge in Woonsocket. During this time he had seen Gilbert “several times.” During cross-examination, he conceded that from late 1969 until June 4, 1972 he had seen Gilbert no more than three times and each of these encounters consisted of greetings such as a simple, “Hello * * * because I just don‘t have that much to say to Mr. Gilbert.” Murphy agreed with the cross-examiner‘s assertion that prior to June 1972, Gilbert had never called him except to inquire about the whereabouts of a Frank DiIorio or to talk about a bar bill Gilbert allegedly owed to the lounge Murphy managed. The trial justice remarked that it was highly unlikely that Gilbert would approach a casual acqaintance such as Murphy in the manner Murphy described.
We see no need to pinpoint other facets of the record that warranted the jury‘s verdict and the denial of the new trial motion.
The defendant‘s appeal is affirmed in part and denied in part and the cause is remanded to the Superior Court for further proceedings.
MR. JUSTICE DORIS, dissenting. I concur with the majority that the trial justice erred when he denied the defendant Murphy‘s motion for judgment of acquittal on the indictment charging bribery. I also concur with the majority that when the trial justice considered Murphy‘s motion for judgment of acquittal on the conspiracy indictment there was evidence in the record from which the jury could find a conspiracy between Murphy and Fontaine and that consequently the trial justice did not err in denying Murphy‘s motion. In considering the defendant‘s appeal from the denial of his motion for a new trial
It is significant that the trial justice in denying defendant‘s motion for a new trial stated that Gilbert impressed him as telling the truth, but that Murphy had lied under oath and his testimony was not worthy of belief. It is true that the trial justice in considering the testimony of a witness may accept or reject the entire testimony or may accept part and reject part thereof. If he accepts a part and rejects a part of the testimony, it is incumbent upon him to point out in the record what part he accepts and what part he rejects. Here the majority indicates that only a portion of Murphy‘s testimony was rejected by the trial justice. However, on my reading of the record, especially in the absence of any statement by the trial justice as to what portions are accepted and/or rejected, I conclude that the entire testimony of Murphy was rejected by the trial justice when he stated that Murphy‘s testimony was not worthy of belief. I might also point out that the state in its brief concedes that the entire testimony of Murphy was rejected by the trial justice.
There is no claim by Murphy that the trial justice failed to exercise his independent judgment or misconceived or overlooked material evidence. Murphy does not question the ruling of the trial justice as to credibility. He does not question the conclusion of the trial justice that Fontaine made an approach to Gilbert with an offer of money. The defendant disputes, however, the conclusion of the trial justice that the record indicates that he knowingly helped Fontaine in making such an offer to Gilbert. Murphy argues strenuously that the evidence and the inferences reasonably to be drawn therefrom are insufficient to sustain a finding that he had knowledge of the offense charged in the indictment. The defendant urges that we follow
“Our conclusions are based not on the credibility of witnesses but rather on the insufficiency of the evidence to exclude every other reasonable hypothesis but defendants’ guilt. For these reasons we are of the opinion that the trial justice was clearly wrong in denying the motions for a new trial.”
In determining the issue as raised by defendant, we are required to accept as truthful all competent evidence, which, if believed, would support the verdict, and then decide whether that evidence is sufficient to prove a defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Contreras, 105 R.I. 523, 253 A.2d 612 (1969). In this case there is no direct evidence that Murphy conspired as charged in the indictment. Proof of guilt can be found, if at all, only by inferences which can reasonably be drawn from the established facts.
Before there can be a conspiracy, there must be an agreement or joint assent of the minds of two or more persons, and such agreement or joint assent need not be proved by direct evidence, but there must be evidence to prove the agreement or joint assent directly or such a state of facts that an agreement or joint assent may be legally inferred. Conspiracies cannot be established by a mere suspicion, nor does evidence of a relationship or association between the parties show a conspiracy. Johnson v. State, 208 Ind. 89, 194 N. E. 619 (1935).
The standard of proof necessary to sustain a criminal charge is guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. In a case where there is no direct evidence, as here, a finding of guilt will be warranted only if all the facts and circumstances necessary to establish that guilt, taken together, not only are consistent with the hypothesis that defendant was guilty, but also are inconsistent with any reasonable hypothesis
Since I consider the trial justice‘s statement that Murphy‘s testimony was not worthy of belief to be a rejection of the defendant‘s entire testimony, the action of the jury and the trial justice must be viewed as based entirely on the evidence presented by the state. I do not dispute that it may be reasonable to infer from the state‘s evidence that Murphy had knowledge of and was a party to a conspiracy to bribe Gilbert, yet I cannot agree that the same facts do not support a reasonable hypothesis of innocence of such a conspiracy. I consequently conclude that the evidence fails to exclude any reasonable hypothesis of innocence and that the evidence adduced has not proved the defendant guilty of conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt. I therefore conclude that the trial justice was clearly wrong in denying the defendant‘s motion for a new trial.
Accordingly I would sustain the appeal of the defendant as to the denial of his motion for a new trial. I therefore dissent from the opinion of the majority insofar as it relates to the defendant Murphy‘s appeal from the trial justice‘s denial of his motion for a new trial on the conspiracy indictment.
Motion for reargument denied.
Richard J. Israel, Attorney General, Donald P. Ryan, Asst. Attorney General, for plaintiff.
McKinnon & Fortunato, Stephen J. Fortunato, Jr., for defendant.