United States v. BaileyUnited States v. Bailey
- Reporters:
- ,
- Before:
- Davis, John M. Duhé Jr., Dowd
JOHN M. DUHE, JR., Circuit Judge:
Appellant Jimmy C. Bailey challenges his conviction on multiple counts related to his breaking and entering into the homes of Vicki LaShawn Griffin2 and Michelle Joshua, residents on the Fort Hood Military Reservation. For reasons that follow, we
BACKGROUND
Count 1 of the indictment charges Bailey with the aggravated sexual abuse of Griffin, in violation of
The acts alleged in counts 1 and 2 arose out of an incident occurring in Griffin‘s home on the Fort Hood military base in Texas.3 In the pre-dawn hours of May 25, 1992, Griffin, a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, awoke to being choked by a man she later identified as Bailey. As he was choking her, Bailey placed his hand in Griffin‘s underwear and inserted his finger into her vagina. Griffin pushed Bailey away, screamed for help, and asked Bailey to leave her alone. Bailey left but then returned,
Griffin, having observed her attacker in the bright hallway light while he stood in her bedroom doorway, described him as a five foot ten or eleven inches tall, light-skinned, Hispanic male with hair close to his head and a light mustache, and clothed only in light blue hospital pants and white canvas shoes.4 Although a police sketch was made, Bailey was not identified as Griffin‘s attacker until some months later when Griffin spoke with Staff Sergeant Yvette Smalls about a similar attack on Smalls. That conversation led Griffin to a high school yearbook containing Bailey‘s photo, by which she identified Bailey as her attacker. Griffin identified Bailey again in three subsequent photo line-ups.
Counts 3 and 4 of the indictment are based upon an incident that occurred on August 25, 1993, in the home of Michelle Joshua. Joshua, who lived alone on the Fort Hood base, was sleeping on her couch when she awoke in the pre-dawn morning because she felt that someone had pulled her toe. Awake, she began watching television but was interrupted by “a bumping sound.” Joshua arose from the couch, turned around, and saw a man in one of the bedrooms emerging from a closet. He wore a ski mask and dark-colored pants but no shirt. Joshua screamed and ran to a neighbor‘s house to call the police. When the police arrived, Joshua informed them that a foreign car she believed belonged to the intruder was parked at the
When questioned, Bailey initially denied entering Joshua‘s home but admitted to having been in the area. He then changed his story and confessed to entering Joshua‘s residence but claimed he did not know why he had done so. Bailey also acknowledged he owned a ski mask that he wore “for fun.” He denied having worn the mask in Joshua‘s home, however. He also stated that he had bought the gun found in his car with full knowledge that it was stolen.
Bailey was convicted by a jury on all counts.
DISCUSSION
Bailey argues that (1) the district court erred in admitting evidence of an extrinsic offense; (2) the evidence is insufficient to convict him on the burglary charge (count 3); (3) the district court erred in denying his motion to dismiss counts 3 and 4 for alleged violаtions of the Speedy Trial Act; and (4) the district court erred in refusing to instruct the jury on the lesser included offense of criminal trespass. We are unpersuaded by Bailey‘s arguments.
I.
During an interview conducted two days after the incident, Bailey admitted that he had entered Smalls‘s home uninvited, that he had stayed some length of time, that he had seen her breasts, and that he had asked Smalls to have sex with him. He denied
Bailey maintains that the admission of this evidence is not relevant to the charged burglary offenses and that its prejudicial effect outweighs its probative value. We disagree.
The decision to admit or exclude extrinsic evidence is subject to reversal only upon a clear showing of an abuse of discretion. See United States v. Sanchez, 988 F.2d 1384, 1393 (5th Cir. 1993); United States v. Peden, 961 F.2d 517, 521 (5th Cir. 1992).
Evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show action in conformity therеwith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident . . . .
This Court has established a two-prong test that governs the admissibility of
A.
The Government contends that the evidence of Bailey‘s attack
The Government proved that Bailey was the perpetrator of the crime against Smalls. Indeed, Bailey admitted to having been in Smalls‘s home without invitation the night of the offense. The jury thus could reasonably find that Bailey was Smalls‘s attacker. Evidence of Smalls‘s attack is therefоre clearly relevant to the issue of identity. We are also convinced that the 404(b) evidence is relevant to the issue of intent but pretermit any discussion of that issue as unnecessary in light of the holding regarding identity.
B.
Although relevant, the evidence may nonetheless be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of
1.
In determining the probity of 404(b) evidence, the test to be applied varies depending on the issue for which the evidence is offered. See id. at 911 n.15. Where 404(b) evidence is introduced to establish identity, the crucial consideration is the similarity of the extrinsic and charged offenses, but the degree of similarity must be much greater than that for intent. See id. at 911-12 n.15; see also United States v. Lail, 846 F.2d 1299, 1301 (11th Cir. 1988). “The physical similarity [between the offenses] must be such that it marks the offenses as the handiwork of the accused. In other words, the evidence must demonstrate a modus operandi.” Beechum, 582 F.2d at 911-12 n.15 (citation omitted). The Government maintains that the evidence shows that there were substantial similarities among the three incidents. All three took place uninvited in the homes of single women living on Fort Hood; all occurred during pre-dawn hours; and eаch victim was physically touched in some way without consent, two of whom were touched while they were sleeping. Bailey correctly points out that the facts that the women were all single and were physically touched in some way while they were sleeping is not compelling because these are characteristics shared by a number of sexual assaults. However, the location and timing of each intrusion--Fort Hood during pre-dawn hours--is of signature quality. Cf. Sanchez, 988 F.2d at 1394 (recognizing that similarity of locale of extrinsic and charged offenses is onе factor relevant in determining probity of extrinsic
2.
Our conclusion that the extraneous-act evidence is probative does not end our inquiry. We must balance the probative value of this evidence with its prejudicial effect. See
II.
Bailey next argues that there is insufficient evidence to support his conviction for burglary on count 3. He maintains the evidence does not establish that he entered Joshua‘s residence with intent to commit a felony--whether that felony is aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, sexual abuse, or theft--because he neither sexually assaulted or abused Joshua nor stole anything. Because Bailey failed to move for a judgment of acquittal, we review only to determine whether there was a manifest miscarriage of justice. See United States v. Laury, 49 F.3d 145, 151 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 116 S. Ct. 162 (1995). “Such a miscarriage of justice would exist only if the record is devoid of evidence pointing to
Although the evidence of intent to commit the named sex offenses is not overwhelming, it is sufficient. The evidence revealed that Joshua awoke to find Bailey exiting a bedroom closet while wearing a ski mask. From the use of the mask alone, the jury could have found that Bailey sought to hide his identity and that therefore, his entry could not have been for innocent reasons. That Bailey entered surreptitiously in the dark, wore a ski mask, pulled on Joshua‘s toe, wore no shirt, and hid in the bedroom closet could have led a jury to believe that Bailey intended to commit aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, or aggravated sexual abuse against Joshua.
Moreover, that Joshua‘s closet had been “messed up” and that books had been knocked out of their boxes could indicate to a jury Bailey‘s intent to commit theft. A non-consensual nighttime entry raises a presumption of intent to commit theft. See Mauldin v. State, 628 S.W.2d 793, 795 (Tex. Crim. App. 1982). Furthermorе, the actual commission of theft is not a prerequisite to the commission of a burglary, see Gutierrez v. State, 666 S.W.2d 248, 250 (Tex. App.--Dallas 1984); Longoria v. State, 663 S.W.2d 649, 652 (Tex. App.--Corpus Christi 1983). It is therefore inapposite that Joshua discovered nothing missing once she returned to her residence. A conviction on these facts is not so shocking as to render it a miscarriage of justice.
III.
On August 25, 1993, authorities arrested Bailey in connection with their investigation into the Joshua incident. The next day, the Government filed a misdemeanor information, charging Bailey with (1) possession of stolen property, a handgun, valued at less than $100, in violation of
A.
Bailey first maintains that
1.
This Court has adopted a narrow construction of the Act‘s
2.
This Court has recognized one exception to the general rule. Where “a subsequent charge merely ‘gilds’ the initial charge filed against an individual and the different accusatorial dates between the two charges are not reasonably explicable,” this Court has held that “the date of the initial arrest may trigger the applicable time periods of the Act as to prosecution for both offenses.” Giwa, 831 F.2d at 542 (citations omitted). Webster‘s Third New International Dictionary defines gilding as “embellishing.” Webster‘s Collegiate Dictionary defines it as “unnecessary ornamentation.” See United States v. Oliver, 683 F. Supp. 35, 38 (E.D.N.Y. 1988) (citing Webster‘s Collegiate Dictionary). Thus, a gilded charge is one thаt merely annotates in more detail the same charge alleged in the initial accusatory instrument--here, the misdemeanor information. See, e.g., United States v. Bilotta, 645 F. Supp. 369, 371 (E.D.N.Y. 1986) (holding that addition of certain factual allegations in superseding indictment did not change fact that actual crime charged was same as that charged in original
This view comports with Supreme Court precedent analyzing multiple prosecutions. See United States v. Dixon, 509 U.S. 688, 696 (1993) (evaluating multiple prosecutions under principles of double jeopardy). The Court views different charges as the same if they are composed of the same elements. This “same-elements test, sometimes referred to as the ‘Blockburger’ test, inquires whether each offense contains an element not contained in the other; if not, they are the ‘same offense’ and double jeopardy bars additional punishment and successive prosecution.” Id.
Bailey‘s strongest claim under § 3161(b) is his allegation that count 4 of the indictment merely gilds count 1 of the information because the charges alleged in each differ only as to the valuation of the firearm, a differenсe Bailey contends is insignificant for purposes of the Speedy Trial Act. Although this Court has never addressed this precise question, it has explained that “where an offense that is otherwise a misdemeanor becomes a felony if committed in a certain way or with certain consequences, the particular attribute that makes it a felony is an element of the offense, which must be alleged in the indictment and proved at trial.” United States v. Deisch, 20 F.3d 139, 147 (5th Cir. 1994). Citing its application of this rule to
That both charges involve the same handgun discovered during the same investigation of the same criminal act does not compel the oppositе conclusion. Legislative history reveals that “Congress considered and rejected [the] suggestion that the Act‘s dismissal sanction be applied to subsequent charges if they arise from the same criminal episode as those specified in the original complaint or were known or reasonably should have been known at the time of the complaint.” Napolitano, 761 F.2d at 137; accord United States v. Hausman, 894 F.2d 686, 688 (5th Cir. 1990) (“Whether the conviction arose from the same conduct as charged in the arrest warrant and complaint is immaterial.” (citation omitted)). The charges in the information and counts 3 аnd 4 of the indictment are distinct for Speedy Trial Act purposes and therefore dismissal is unwarranted.
B.
Bailey next maintains that count 4 of the indictment should have been dismissed because his trial was not held within 70 days of his initial appearance before a magistrate judge. Section 3161(c) requires an individual to be tried within 70 days of the
The August appearance was related to Bailey‘s misdemeanor information and not to his felony indictment, which forms the subject of the instant action. As we have already discussed, the charges alleged in the indictment are distinct from those in the earliеr misdemeanor information for purposes of the Speedy Trial Act. The 70-day time bar therefore did not begin to run until November 1, 1994, the date upon which Bailey‘s indictment was unsealed. We conclude that Bailey‘s trial was well within the statutory period.8
IV.
Bailey further claims the district court‘s refusal to instruct the jury on criminal trespass as a lesser included offense of burglary was error. Count three of the indictment charges Bailey
A defendant is entitled to a lesser included offense instruction under federal law when (1) the elements of the lesser offense constitute a subset of the elements of the charged offense, see Schmuck v. United States, 489 U.S. 705, 716 (1989) (interpreting Fed. R. Crim. P. 31(c)); United States v. Krout, 66 F.3d 1420, 1431 (5th Cir. 1995); cert. denied, 116 S. Ct. 963 (1996), and (2) the evidence at trial is sufficient to allow a rеasonable jury to find the defendant guilty of the lesser offense, yet to acquit him of the greater, see Keeble v. United States, 412 U.S. 205, 208 (1973), cited in Schmuck, 489 U.S. at 716 n.8.
Texas employs a different test to determine the necessity of a lesser included offense instruction: (1) proof of the lesser offense must be included within the proof necessary to establish the offense charged; and (2) there must be some evidence in the record that if the defendant is guilty, he is guilty of only the lesser offense. See White v. State, 698 S.W.2d 494, 495 (Tex. App.--Corpus Christi 1985); Daniels, 633 S.W.2d 899, 901 (Tex. Crim. App. [panel op.] 1982).
The elements of the offense of criminal trespass,
While the first prong of the federal and Texas tests are different, the second prong of the two tests are substantially the same: Unless the evidence permits a jury to conclude that the defendant is guilty of the lesser offense and innocent of the greater offense, the lesser offense instruction need not be given. A defendant‘s testimony alone is sufficient to raise an issue on the second prong. For Bailey to prevail, therefore, he must show that the evidence permits a reasonable jury to find that he entered Joshua‘s home without the intent to commit aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, aggravated sexual abuse, or theft as charged in cоunt 3.
We are not persuaded that the record permits a finding that if Bailey is guilty of any crime, he is guilty of only the lesser
Under these facts, we cannot hold that the evidence raises the issue of the lesser included offense of criminal trespass. The district court‘s refusal to so instruct was therefore not in error.
CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.
Notes
After all testimony, the court reiterated:Members of the Jury, evidence of this nature can be admitted for a very limited purpose. The limitеd purpose for which this testimony is going to be admitted is for you to consider it, if you wish, as to whether or not the Defendant had the intent to commit the acts alleged in the Indictment or when you‘re considering the identity of the person who committed the acts alleged in the Indictment, but only for those limited purposes.
During this trial, you have heard evidence of acts of the Defendant which may be similar to those charged in the Indictment, but which were committed on other occasions. You must not consider any of this evidence in deciding if the Defendant committed the acts charged in the Indictment. However, you may consider this evidence for other, very limited, purposes.
If you find beyond a reasonable doubt from other evidence in this case that the Defendant did commit the acts charged in the Indictment, then you may consider the evidence of the similar acts allegedly committed on other occasions to determine: 1) whether the Defendant had the state of mind or intent necessary to commit the crimes charged in the Indictment; 2) whether the circumstances of this uncharged act and the аcts charged in the Indictment were so distinctive and similar as to establish the identity of the Defendant as the perpetrator of the acts charged in the indictment.
These are the limited purposes for which any evidence of other similar acts may be considered.