Opinion ID: 782526
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Joseph Newman

Text: 32 Joseph Newman was raised in the Canton, Ohio, area. His family was acquainted with defendant's family. Newman was disabled and was not employed. He received SSI benefits and food stamps. In August 1995, Newman was released from prison. He lived with his sister until October 1995 when he moved into an apartment several doors down from defendant. 33 Ethel Newman testified that she last saw her brother Joseph in late October 1995. The following day she saw defendant removing Newman's belongings from Newman's apartment. The landlord testified that when he went to collect the November rent from Newman on November 1, 1995, no one answered the door. The landlord filed an eviction action in late November and recovered the property in early January 1996. He has not seen or heard from Newman since October 1995. John Newman testified that he visited his brother at his apartment almost every day in October and that Newman moved out of the apartment because he could not pay the rent. John Newman testified that his brother lived with defendant for two weeks before he disappeared. 34 A Bank One representative testified that in October 1995 numerous empty envelope deposits were made through the automatic teller machine to Joseph Newman's account. During this time period, no money was deposited into Newman's account, but approximately $4000 was withdrawn. When the bank questioned Newman about his account on October 26, 1995, Newman claimed he did not make the empty envelope deposits even though the bank's video showed he was present at the time of the transactions. The bank asked Newman to come back the next day. Newman did not show up, and no one at the bank ever saw him again. Newman also failed to show up for a scheduled mental health appointment on November 21, 1995. 35 Ethel Newman and John Newman questioned defendant about their brother's disappearance. Defendant told them that there was a warrant out for Newman's arrest and that he left town to avoid being arrested. Defendant told them that he did not know where Newman was but that Newman was doing fine. Defendant explained that he was cashing Newman's SSI checks for him and putting the money in the mailbox for Newman to retrieve. 36 Ethel Newman filed a missing person report on her brother in October 1996. She testified that although Newman had left town in the past, someone always knew where he was. This time no one had heard from him or knew where he was. John Miller, a detective with the Canton police department, questioned defendant on October 23, 1996, regarding the missing person report on Joseph Newman. Defendant told Miller that Newman was hiding from some people. Defendant advised that he had not seen Newman for a year. He later changed his story to four months, then to two months. Defendant stated that he would receive Newman's checks in the mail, put the check in a plain envelope, and put it back in the mailbox. Sometime in the middle of the night Newman or his designee would come to defendant's home, sign the back of the check, and place the check back in defendant's mailbox. The next day defendant would cash the check, place the cash in the envelope, and put it back in the mailbox for Newman to pick up sometime during the night. 37 Shortly after defendant was questioned by Detective Miller, defendant cashed Newman's November 1, 1996, SSI check. Although defendant knew about the missing person report, he did not contact the police to advise them that he expected to communicate with Newman regarding the arrival and cashing of the November check. 38 The operations supervisor of the Akron, Ohio, Social Security Administration office testified that in November 1995, Newman's SSI payment was deposited directly into his bank account. After a telephone contact in November 1995, his next 12 checks, from December 1, 1995 to November 1, 1996, were sent by mail to defendant's residence at 903 5th Street in Canton. The SSI payments were suspended after Newman's sister filed the missing person report. The government's handwriting expert testified that the signatures on the SSI checks were not Newman's signature but tracings of his signature. Newman has never contacted the Social Security Administration to question the suspension of his SSI benefits or to request further benefits. 39 An administrator of the Stark County Department of Job and Family Services testified that office records indicated that Newman picked up his food stamps in September, October, and finally on November 15, 1995, but that he was never seen after that time. Defendant collected food stamps as representative payee for Joseph Newman in December 1995 and January 1996. Because Newman failed to show for a scheduled interview on January 10, 1996, his food stamp file was closed and his food stamps were terminated effective January 31, 1996. 40 Gregory Patton, a Special Agent with the Secret Service, testified that he participated in a search of defendant's residence on May 30, 1997. At that time, defendant corroborated the statement he had previously given to Miller about how he placed Newman's checks in the mailbox. Defendant showed Patton his collection of other mail addressed to Newman. Defendant could not explain to Patton why he did not provide Newman with his other official mail at the same time he was allegedly providing Newman with his SSI checks. 41 Postal Inspector Duerr testified that numerous personal items belonging to Newman were found during the search of defendant's house. These included Newman's wallet found in defendant's bedroom, which contained Newman's driver's license, fishing license, mental health appointment card, family photographs, and birth certificate. Also found in defendant's bedroom were Newman's mail from the Social Security Administration, Newman's social security card, Newman's court documents, and copies of SSI checks with Newman's signature on them. Duerr also testified that Newman's aunt, Wilma Henry, told him that Newman had complained to her that defendant was taking his money and was trying to get him involved in homosexual activity. Newman told his aunt that if anything happened to him, defendant had killed him. 42 Defendant presented evidence at the sentencing hearing regarding other possible explanations for Newman's disappearance. John Newman was aware that defendant was associated with a drug dealer. Diane Lewis testified that Newman had lived with her for about a month but that she made him leave the house because he brought prostitutes and drugs into the house. She testified that she heard DeLay threaten Newman's life. She also testified defendant told her that between Thanksgiving and Christmas of 1995, three men came to the house looking for Newman because he owed them over a thousand dollars for drugs and they said that if they did not get their money something would happen to Newman. 43 Defendant contends that because Newman's body has not been found, there is no evidence that he died, much less that he was murdered. The district court noted that Newman was living with defendant at the time of his disappearance; that Newman's disappearance coincided with the beginning of defendant's fraudulent endorsement of checks made payable to Newman; and that defendant retained Newman's personal effects. Finally, the district court noted that the completely unbelievable statement defendant gave to investigators about placing Newman's checks in the mailbox strongly supports an evil understanding of what happened to Newman. On review, we are satisfied that the evidence was sufficient to enable the district court to find by a preponderance of the evidence that defendant killed Woehlk, Hazzard, and Newman.