Opinion ID: 2443037
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: Initially, we note that we cannot, as the State urges, decide the issue of whether the evidence was sufficient to support the verdict on law of the case principles. That doctrine applies only when the evidence in the second trial does not materially differ from the evidence presented in the first trial. See Bussard v. State, 300 Ark. 174, 778 S.W.2d 213 (1989). In the first trial of this case, the State relied heavily on three statements Findley made to the police concerning the murder. In addition, Findley testified as part of his own case-in-chief. On appeal, we ruled that although the evidence was sufficient to support the conviction, Findley's statements should have been suppressed. At the second trial, instead of Findley's statements, the State offered the testimony of Jim Moore. Moore described the events surrounding the murder, as related to him by Findley, as well as both parties' participation in disposing of the victim's body. Findley did not testify. Although the testimony of the other witnesses in the two trials was substantially the same, the exclusion of Findley's statements and the addition of Moore's testimony upon retrial, varies such that we are required to examine the evidence anew. In determining whether there is sufficient evidence to support a jury verdict, the appellate court reviews the evidence in the light most favorable to the appellee and affirms if there is substantial evidence to support it. Substantial evidence is that which is of sufficient force to compel a conclusion one way or another; it must be more than mere speculation or conjecture. Gillie v. State, 305 Ark. 296, 808 S.W.2d 320 (1991). Findley's conviction for capital murder arose from his participation in the robbery and shooting death of David Phillips. Phillips' co-workers revealed that Phillips had given Findley $1,700 in cash to purchase a car for him through some contacts of Findley's in Memphis. The teller at Phillips' bank testified that Phillips had withdrawn $1,800 from his savings account on Wednesday, March 2, 1988, and mentioned buying a car in Memphis. Phillips told his co-workers that the car was to be delivered during his break that evening. They chided him about not having received a bill of sale and getting ripped off. When the car did not arrive that evening, Phillips left work early to investigate. Findley's ex-wife, Judy Findley Jones (they were married at the time in question), testified that she remembered Phillips coming over late one night the first week in March and discussing the car deal and the fact that the guys at work were teasing him about Findley ripping off his money. Phillips returned to work on Thursday, March 3, and told his co-workers that everything was fine and he was to get the car on Friday. He was last seen at work on Thursday evening. Phillips' body was later discovered in a drainage ditch in Crawford County on March 24. It was tied and weighted with a concrete block and wrapped in plastic. Phillips had been shot twice in the upper chest, once in the neck, and once in the back. State Medical Examiner, Dr. Fahmy Malak, estimated that the body had been placed in the water less than 24 hours after Phillips died. As previously stated, testimony concerning the actual murder came from Jim Moore. Moore testified that Findley came by his house around dusk on Saturday, March 5, and asked Moore to accompany him to Paragould to sell some guns. Findley drove them in his car. After stopping at a liquor store, Findley informed Moore that there were no guns and they were just taking a trip to Paragould. Findley and Moore stopped at the home of Darla Clark, in Paragould, and visited with her and a friend of Ms. Clark's. Moore testified they drank several beers and left after a few hours. Leaving Paragould, Findley began driving towards Bay, Arkansas, and informed Moore that he had a body to get rid of, and offered Moore $500 to help him. Findley told Moore the body was David Phillips and that Findley had set up a car deal and it went sour.... [T]hese two guys in Memphis were supposed to rough us up and we were supposed to split the $1,700, but he (Phillips) got killed. Moore stated Findley told him that when he and Phillips arrived in Memphis, Phillips noticed the gun Findley was carrying and asked to see it, whereupon one of the other men got the gun from Phillips, shot him, and then told Findley to deal with it. Findley took Moore to an abandoned farm house where he had stored Phillips' body in a refrigerator. The two men loaded the body in the trunk of the car and eventually deposited it in the drainage ditch. They returned to Phillips' home in Truman, Arkansas, and moved his car to a parking lot in Bay so that people would think he had left. Findley then drove Moore home, arriving at approximately 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 6. Moore went with Findley the next day to get a new spare tire and trunk mat. Moore testified that the old, blood stained tire and mat were thrown out alongside a country road. Moore stated Findley never paid him the $500 as promised, and that Findley had used the $1,700 to pay bills. This testimony was corroborated by Findley's ex-wife who testified that Findley gave her money between March 2 and 4 to pay the rent and to have the phone reconnected. Mrs. Jones also testified that she had remarked to Findley about the disappearance of the spare tire and mat and that she had seen some green plastic in the trunk. The Findleys' landlord confirmed that on March 1 the Findleys were behind on their rent and on March 2 they paid $610 in cash. An expert with the Arkansas State Crime Lab established that the bullets recovered from David Phillips' body were fired from Findley's gun. Findley purchased the gun from a pawn shop on March 4. Mrs. Jones testified that after Findley was arrested, he asked her to dispose of the gun shells in their apartment or to have his sister do it. Findley argues the evidence is insufficient to support the fact that a robbery occurred at the time of Phillips' death and thus there was no proof of an underlying felony to support a capital murder conviction. Ark.Code Ann. § 5-10-101(a)(1) (1987) provides: (a) A person commits capital murder if: (1) Acting alone or with one (1) or more other persons, he commits or attempts to commit rape, kidnapping, arson, vehicular piracy, robbery, burglary, or escape in the first degree, and in the course of and in furtherance of the felony, or in immediate flight therefrom, he or an accomplice causes the death of any person under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life.... Findley contends, at most, the State's evidence suggests that Findley committed theft or theft by deception and then several days later Phillips was killed, not immediately thereafter, as provided by the capital murder statute. A person commits robbery if, with the purpose of committing a theft or resisting apprehension immediately thereafter, he employs or threatens to immediately employ physical force upon another. Ark.Code Ann. § 5-12-102(a) (1987). There is ample evidence in the record to support the conclusion that Findley obtained money from Phillips for a phony car purchase and then, either acting alone or with others, killed Phillips in order to keep that money. As in the first appeal, we reject Findley's argument that the robbery and murder had to occur within a brief interval of time. Although the robbery scheme originated earlier in the week, it culminated when Findley's accomplice (or Findley himself) employed lethal force, either to take Phillips' money or to ensure his silence when he asked for its return. See Hall v. State, 299 Ark. 209, 772 S.W.2d 317 ( 1989) (theft by receiving held to be a continuing offense), and our analogy to this case in Findley v. State (I), supra. Findley also argues the evidence is insufficient to prove that the murder took place in Arkansas and, therefore, the trial court was without jurisdiction. The State is not required to prove jurisdiction unless evidence is admitted that affirmatively shows that the court lacks jurisdiction. Ark.Code Ann. § 5-1-111(b) (1987). Before the State is called upon to offer any evidence on the question of jurisdiction, there must be positive evidence that the offense occurred outside the jurisdiction of the court. Gardner v. State, 263 Ark. 739, 569 S.W.2d 74 (1978). Here, there was no positive evidence that the crime occurred in Memphis, as Findley contends. It was only through the State's witness, Jim Moore, that the murder was linked to Memphis, and the State has never contended that Moore's testimony should be accepted as the sole truth of what occurred. Furthermore, it is not essential that all of the elements of the crime charged take place in Arkansas. We have said it is generally accepted that if the requisite elements of the crime are committed in different jurisdictions, any state in which an essential part of the crime is committed may take jurisdiction. Glisson v. State, 286 Ark. 329, 692 S.W.2d 227 (1985) (quoting Gardner v. State, supra ). As we explained, evidence shows the robbery scheme initiated in Arkansas, but culminated (if Findley's story, as told by Moore, is to be believed) in Memphis. The trial court was correct in refusing Findley's motion for directed verdict on the issue of jurisdiction. Lastly, under Findley's sufficiency argument, he contends the State's own evidence proves, as a matter of law, his affirmative defense to the offense of capital murder as defined in Ark.Code Ann. § 5-10-101(b) (1987). This argument is meritless and will be addressed under our discussion of jury instructions.