Title: State v. Little

State: vermont

Issuer: Vermont Supreme Court

Document:

State v. Little  (2003-390); 177 Vt. 612; 868 A.2d 686

2004 VT 119

[Filed 13-Dec-2004]

                                 ENTRY ORDER

                                 2004 VT 119

                      SUPREME COURT DOCKET NO. 2003-390

                             OCTOBER TERM, 2004

  State of Vermont                   }     APPEALED FROM:
                                     }
                                     }
       v.                            }     District Court of Vermont,
                                     }     Unit No. 3, Caledonia Circuit
  Roderick Little                    }
                                     }     DOCKET NO. 275-3-02 Cacr

                                           Trial Judge: Mark J. Keller

            In the above-entitled cause, the Clerk will enter:

       ¶  1.     Defendant Roderick Little appeals his conviction of assault
  and robbery, arguing that the evidence was insufficient to support a
  conviction.  We affirm.

       ¶  2.     On March 22, 2002, after buying a bottle of vodka, defendant
  went to the house of his friends Ken and Trudy Blackburn in Glover. 
  Defendant knew that the Blackburns owned guns, and he asked for one to kill
  himself.  The Blackburns refused to give defendant a gun, defendant left,
  and the Blackburns called the police.  

       ¶  3.     Defendant then went to the home of Kevin and Caroline Hill
  in Sheffield, picking up a crowbar at his former home on the way.  Kevin
  Hill saw defendant coming and got his .44 caliber pistol.  Defendant
  entered the Hill home without knocking and asked for a gun.  An argument
  ensued, and defendant hit Kevin with the crowbar.  Kevin then pointed the
  gun at defendant and pulled the trigger, but the gun did not fire.  In the
  altercation that followed, defendant severely beat Kevin while shouting
  that he wanted the gun and threatening to destroy the Hill home if Kevin
  did not give it to him.  Caroline found a .22 Ruger pistol and Kevin found
  a clip, and, fearing for their safety, they gave defendant these items.

       ¶  4.     Defendant left the Hill home in his car and drove at a high
  rate of speed for less than a mile before losing control and going into a
  snowbank.  A Vermont State Trooper found defendant's car, and a standoff
  ensued.  Defendant was yelling at the trooper to shoot him.  Eventually,
  defendant shot himself in the chest and passed out from loss of blood,
  allowing the police to approach the car and arrest him.

       ¶  5.     Defendant was charged with burglary, aggravated assault, and
  assault and robbery.  The assault and robbery charge was based on the
  events at the Hill home when defendant took the Hills' gun.  At the close
  of the State's case, defendant moved for acquittal on the assault and
  robbery charge, arguing that there was no intent to permanently deprive the
  Hills of the gun.  The jury returned a guilty verdict only on the assault
  and robbery charge, and defendant again moved for acquittal.  The trial
  court denied both motions.  Defendant argues only one issue on appeal-that
  he did not have the requisite intent for the assault and robbery charge as
  a matter of law.

       ¶  6.     On appeal, our standard of review for denial of a motion for
  acquittal is whether, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to
  the State and ignoring any modifying evidence, the evidence "fairly and
  reasonably tends to convince a reasonable trier of fact that the defendant
  is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt."  State v. Prior, 174 Vt. 49, 53,