Opinion ID: 2245258
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: issues

Text: Perry Murphy and Margaret Thomas, her infant son and Mark Howard were at Murphy's residence. Murphy and Margaret left briefly, and Howard remained to care for the child. While Murphy and Margaret were gone, the defendant and one Milford Clark broke into the house. Clark had a shotgun, and the defendant had a pistol. Howard was hit in the head with the shotgun and tied while the intruders awaited the return of the others. When Murphy and Margaret returned, they were confronted by defendant and Clark, and Murphy was struck in the head several times. One of the intruders also struck Margaret. The defendant demanded that Murphy give him his money, and Murphy reached for his wallet but it was gone. He started towards the door but was shot in the back by the defendant. Clark at this time was beating Margaret and took $10.00 from her. The defendant then attempted to aid her, and Clark shot him with the shotgun. The challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence is predicated upon a variance between the proof and the allegations of the charging affidavit. Counts I and II charged a robbery of Perry Murphy, whereas the evidence revealed that the money was taken not from him but from Margaret. The evidence in this case disclosed the commission of two crimes under the armed robbery statute, an armed robbery of Margaret and an attempted armed robbery of Murphy. That an armed robbery of Margaret was proved under a charge of an armed robbery of Murphy appears to us to be immaterial under the circumstances of this case, because an attempted armed robbery of Murphy was clearly proved, was proscribed by the statute and was an offense necessarily included in the charging affidavit. The defendant insists that he could not be convicted of the armed robbery of Perry Murphy upon evidence that Milford Clark robbed Margaret Thomas. This cannot be disputed, but the evidence also disclosed that the defendant attempted an armed robbery of Murphy, an offense necessarily included in the charge of armed robbery of Murphy. One who is charged with the commission of a crime may be convicted of an attempt to commit the charged offense, if the attempt, as well as the contemplated act is itself proscribed. Crump v. State, (1972) 259 Ind. 358, 287 N.E.2d 342. Were the penalty provided for the attempt less than that provided for the contemplated robbery, we would be required to remand the cause for sentencing in conformity with the statute and the crime proved. In this case, however, the completed act and the attempt thereof are both proscribed by the same statute and the same penalty is provided for each. We, therefore, see no harm to the defendant that he was sentenced for armed robbery rather than for an attempted armed robbery. What has been said above with reference to the sufficiency of the evidence upon the charge of armed robbery applies with equal logic to the crime of inflicting an injury in the commission of a robbery, inasmuch as the crime charged necessarily included the crime proved, and the penalties provided are the same.