Opinion ID: 888972
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: ISSUE 4. Was there sufficient evidence upon which a jury could find Morrisey guilty of deliberate homicide beyond a reasonable doubt?

Text: ¶ 86 We review the sufficiency of evidence to support a conviction to determine whether, after reviewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Shields, 2005 MT 249, ¶ 14, 328 Mont. 509, 122 P.3d 421; State v. Debus, 2002 MT 307, ¶ 15, 313 Mont. 57, 59 P.3d 1154.
¶ 87 The jury found Morrisey guilty of deliberate homicide. A person commits this offense if he or she purposely or knowingly causes the death of another human being. Section 45-5-102(1)(a), MCA (1987). Morrisey argues that the evidence presented at trial was not sufficient for a rational trier of fact to find that he purposely or knowingly caused Dolana's death. He observes that the police found no direct evidence connecting him to Dolana's disappearance or death, and he argues that the State's physical evidence was inconclusive. In Morrisey's view, the State's case rested on witnesses' concerns about the amount of time he and Dolana spent together and the detectives' impression that he was responsible for her death. Morrisey points out that he was a close friend of the Clark family, that he helped search for Dolana on the night she disappeared, and that he even put up a reward for information regarding her disappearance and contacted the National Center for Missing Children. Morrisey thus contends that his conviction must be reversed due to insufficient evidence of his guilt. We disagree. ¶ 88 This Court reviews a jury's verdict to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to support the verdict, not whether the evidence could have supported a different result. State v. Field, 2005 MT 181, ¶ 15, 328 Mont. 26, 116 P.3d 813. Here, the evidence against Morrisey was indisputably circumstantial. Shortly after Dolana disappeared in 1988, the investigating officers thoroughly searched Morrisey's residence; and although they gathered evidence of fibers and stains, none of this evidence indicated that Morrisey was involved in Dolana's disappearance. Similarly, after spending several days in 2002 searching his Colorado residence and vehicles, the officers again found no physical evidence conclusively connecting Morrisey to Dolana's death. ¶ 89 As a result, the prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence of Morrisey's guilt. Circumstantial evidence is that which tends to establish a fact by proving another and which, though true, does not of itself conclusively establish that fact but affords an inference or presumption of its existence. Section 26-1-102(1), MCA. Circumstantial evidence is sufficient by itself to sustain a conviction if it is of such a quality and quantity as to legally justify a jury in determining guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, when all of the facts and circumstances are considered collectively. See State v. Rosling, 2008 MT 62, ¶ 36, 342 Mont. 1, 180 P.3d 1102; State v. Hill, 2008 MT 260, ¶ 35, 345 Mont. 95, 189 P.3d 1201. Where, as here, circumstantial evidence is susceptible to two reasonable interpretations, one which supports guilt and the other which supports innocence, the trier of fact determines which interpretation is most reasonable. Rosling, ¶ 36. ¶ 90 According to the evidence presented at trial, Morrisey told the police in 1988 that on the day of her disappearance, Dolana stopped by his house at 10:00 a.m. for a short visit and was supposed to return at 12:30 p.m. so that he could drive her to the pet store to see the cat she wanted to purchase. Yet, Lisa (Dolana's half-sister) testified that she, Dolana, and their mother were together at the Clark home all of that morning until about 1:00 p.m. Morrisey also claimed in 1988 that he did not see Dolana again after their alleged 10:00 a.m. visit. Yet, during his interview with the detectives in 2002, he stated that he saw Dolana between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on the day she disappeared. ¶ 91 On the night of Dolana's disappearance, Morrisey, Lisa, and Rick (a brother-in-law of Dolana and Lisa) agreed to search for Dolana. Rick testified that he suggested they split up to cover more ground, but Morrisey rejected that idea. Rick also testified that Morrisey did not want to use either of his own vehicles in the search. ¶ 92 The Clarks did not have a telephone in their home and often used Morrisey's phone. Yet, after Dolana disappeared, Morrisey stayed at the Clark home for several days, even though he had told people that Dolana, if she could, would try to call him at his house or would simply show up there. In addition, Vicki (another of Dolana's half-sisters) testified that about a week after Dolana disappeared, Morrisey suggested, without explanation, that Vicki call the police and report that she had spotted Dolana's bike in a river, even though this information was untrue. ¶ 93 About two weeks after Dolana's disappearance, Morrisey discontinued all contact with the Clarks, despite having had a close relationship with the family for years. Two or three months later, he left Great Falls and never spoke to any of the Clarks again. Notably, during his interview with the detectives in 2002, he stated a number of times that he wished he had never met them people. ¶ 94 Dr. Jack Henneford testified at Morrisey's trial as an expert in forensic pathology. He had examined Dolana's skull in 1989 and located an entrance wound at the base of the skull and an exit wound in the forehead. Based on the measurement of these wounds, he concluded that they had been caused by a small-caliber bullet, such as a .22, though he acknowledged that a range of weapons could have produced the wounds. Likewise, neither Dr. Symes nor Dr. Gill-King could say for certain what caliber weapon was used; however, Dr. Symes thought that it could have been a .22-caliber rifle firing typical ammunition. ¶ 95 In 2002, Morrisey learned through his friend Melvin that the police had renewed their investigation into Dolana's death and were asking about Morrisey's cars and small-caliber guns. According to Melvin, Morrisey seemed nervous at the mention of his cars and stated that because Dolana had been in the Impala a lot, the police would find her DNA there. Morrisey thereafter destroyed his .22 riflea rifle his mother had given him when he was 12 years old. Moreover, when the detectives arrived in Colorado to execute the search warrants, they found his house to be almost sterile and his Camaro to be spotless. Likewise, the Impala was immaculate and the trunk had been sprayed with a heavy-duty black paint or bedliner. The detectives found the following items inside the Impala: a .45-caliber Tommy gun, a fully loaded 10-shot clip, an 11-shot clip, and 400 rounds of .45 ammunition; water bottles; cat food; and a drawer containing personal possessions such as family photographs, birth and death certificates, baby books, a Social Security card, school records, and other memorabilia. The tank was full of gas, and the keys were in the ignition. Morrisey told the detectives that he kept the ammunition in his vehicle in case of fire, because keeping it in the house would pose a danger to the responders; yet, they found a box of .38-special ammunition in the kitchen. ¶ 96 Morrisey's statements to the police, which were introduced into evidence, were riddled with inconsistencies and contradicted by the other testimony and evidence. For instance, at the time of Dolana's disappearance, Morrisey told investigators that he did not own any guns; however, he admitted to the detectives during the 2002 interview that he owned a .22-caliber rifle when he was living in Great Falls. Morrisey claimed that his gun was in a closet when the officers searched his house in 1988; yet, the investigating officers did not find any guns in Morrisey's closets. When asked where the .22 was now, Morrisey stated that he had sold it several years earlier at a flea market in Illinois, but after further questioning he changed his story and stated that he had thrown it off a bridge into the Mississippi River. Still later, Morrisey admitted that he had recently disposed of the gun after learning about the renewed investigation. He explained that he had done so because he was afraid that the gun would be used to pin Dolana's death on him. ¶ 97 Morrisey agreed with the detectives that either he or Dolana's father (Boyce) had killed Dolana and that there was no bogeyman out there, i.e., it's just down to [Morrisey] did it or [Boyce] did it. But Morrisey claimed that he had loaned his gun to Boyce about a week before Dolana disappeared and that Boyce had returned the gun about a week after her disappearance. Morrisey asserted that Boyce then admitted to killing Dolana with the .22. However, Morrisey acknowledged that he did not report this admission to the police at any point during the preceding 14 years, notwithstanding the fact that Morrisey had been a suspect back in 1988 and notwithstanding the fact that he purported to love Dolana. Morrisey explained that he kept Boyce's admission to himself because he and Boyce were friends and he was only revealing it now because he was in a big jam. Yet, Morrisey later characterized Boyce as a son of a bitch and stated that he wanted nothing to do with Boyce. ¶ 98 In conclusion, although the evidence presented at Morrisey's trial was susceptible to multiple reasonable interpretations, some pointing to his guilt and others pointing to alternative explanations for his actions, this does not mean that the evidence was insufficient to support a verdict of guilty. It was the province of the jury to decide which interpretation of the evidence was most reasonable, Rosling, ¶ 43. It was also the province of the jury to decide the credibility of each witness and the weight to be given their testimony and, in the event of conflicting evidence, to determine which will prevail. See State v. Merrick, 2000 MT 124, ¶ 13, 299 Mont. 472, 2 P.3d 242; State v. Baker, 2004 MT 393, ¶ 22, 325 Mont. 229, 104 P.3d 491; State v. Maetche, 2008 MT 184, ¶ 14, 343 Mont. 464, 185 P.3d 980. Having reviewed the record, we hold that when all of the facts and circumstances are considered collectively and in the light most favorable to the prosecution, the circumstantial evidence in this case was of sufficient quality and quantity that a rational trier of fact could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Morrisey purposely or knowingly caused Dolana's death.