Opinion ID: 2807496
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: A. Sufficiency of the Evidence with Respect to Robin’s AAWA Convictions as an Aider and Abettor This court has previously clarified that in order to prove a defendant guilty of AAWA under an aiding and abetting theory, the government must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant had the requisite mens rea to commit the crime. [W]hen the government prosecutes a defendant under an aiding and abetting theory of criminal liability, in addition to proving that the aider and abettor “participated” in the assault, the government must prove also that the aider and abettor himself intended to cause serious bodily injury or acted with extreme indifference to human life because he knew either that the principal would commit an assault with such intent, or that the principal would intentionally engage in an assaultive act that actually created a grave risk of serious bodily injury. Perry v. United States, 36 A.3d 799, 817 (D.C. 2011). 10 This court has dealt with the issue of whether there was sufficient evidence from which a jury could conclude that a defendant had the requisite intent to have “aided and abetted” the principal perpetrator of a crime on several occasions. For example, we have found insufficient evidence to convict a defendant as an aider and abettor after the defendant testified that he did not know that the principal had just committed a robbery when there was evidence that after he picked the principal up in his car, the defendant drove away at a normal speed, pulled over when the police signaled, and cooperated with police. See Clark v. United States, 418 A.2d 1059, 1061-62 (D.C. 1980). We also held that there was insufficient evidence to convict the defendant as an aider and abettor in Quarles v. United States, 308 A.2d 773, 774 (D.C. 1973), where the defendant was present on a bus when the principal committed petit larceny, remained on the bus after the theft to cooperate with police, and was not found to have the victim’s wallet on his person. In Quarles, there was also no evidence of any communication or connection between the defendant and the thief—they were never seen together before the theft or connected in any other way. 308 A.2d at 775. On the other hand, this court found that there was sufficient evidence from which a reasonable juror could convict the defendant of aiding and abetting an 11 armed robbery in Carter v. United States, 957 A.2d 9 (D.C. 2008). In that case, the evidence showed that at the time of the incident, a gray Mazda with distinctive tinted windows was parked on the street, which neighbors found unusual as generally only residents parked on the block and they had never seen the car before. 957 A.2d at 9. A gunshot went off, the gray Mazda pulled away, and a voice from the direction of the vehicle was heard saying, “Go man go.” Id. The shooter jogged in the same direction behind the Mazda, and a short time later, Carter was seen driving the Mazda with the shooter as a passenger. Id. When police began to pursue the car, Carter began driving erratically and at a high rate of speed, and when the police finally caught up with the Mazda, Carter fled the vehicle before being apprehended. Id. The gun that the shooter used in the assault was found to the left of Carter’s (driver’s) seat. Id. Although the evidence was “not overwhelming,” this court concluded that it was sufficient to support an inference that Carter participated in the crime from beginning to end and took actions in an effort to make it succeed. Id. at 18. Specifically, the court determined that a jury could reasonably infer: (1) that Carter was in the gray Mazda while it was parked on the street; (2) that his intention was to wait for Tucker to commit an assault and robbery and then drive him away once the act was complete; (3) that Carter signaled to Tucker about fleeing (the voice saying 12 “Go man go”); (4) that Carter tried to evade the police out of consciousness of guilt; (5) that the gun found to the left of the driver’s seat was used in the assault and that it belonged to Carter; and (6) that Carter supplied Tucker with the gun to help him carry out the crime. Id. at 17-18. Here, like in Carter, we are satisfied that the evidence supports an inference that Robin participated in the crime from the beginning and took steps to make it succeed. First, the jury could reasonably infer that Robin was waiting in the van with an intention to drive Terry away after the successful completion of the crime based on the fact that he was sitting in a stolen van in the vicinity at the time of the shooting. Unlike in Quarles, Robin and Terry were known to be connected, as evidenced by the fact that the two men were seen together on the morning of the shooting. Additionally, unlike in Clark and Quarles, here the jury could reasonably infer that Robin intended to aid Terry in the successful completion of the assault because rather than cooperating with police, Robin led over twenty police cars on a dangerous, high-speed chase that lasted over twenty minutes. Finally, the jury could reasonably infer that Robin’s attempt to dispose of the extra ski masks and hats (at least one of which featured Robin’s DNA) was evidence that the men were involved in the crime together from the outset. Because these are reasonable inferences that can be drawn from the evidence presented in this case, we are 13 satisfied that sufficient evidence was presented that Robin possessed the requisite mens rea to sustain his conviction as an aider and abettor. B. Sufficiency of the Evidence of Serious Injury with Respect to Appellants’ AAWA Convictions Both Terry and Robin argue that there was insufficient evidence to permit a reasonable trier of fact to find that victims Clipper and Williams suffered serious bodily injuries, an essential element of AAWA. See, e.g., Riddick v. United States, 806 A.2d 631, 639 (D.C. 2002). We review a challenge for sufficiency of the evidence “in the light most favorable to the government, giving full play to the right of the jury to determine credibility, weigh the evidence, and draw justifiable inferences of fact, and making no distinction between direct and circumstantial evidence.” Gathy v. United States, 754 A.2d 912, 917 (D.C. 2000) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). Thus, “[i]t is only where there is no evidence upon which a reasonable mind might fairly conclude guilt beyond a reasonable doubt that the trial court may properly take the case from the jury.” Id. (citations and internal quotation marks omitted). This court has defined “serious bodily injury” as an “injury that involves a 14 substantial risk of death, unconsciousness, extreme physical pain, protracted and obvious disfigurement, or loss or impairment of a bodily member or function.” Jackson v. United States, 970 A.2d 277, 279 (D.C. 2009) (citations omitted); Bolanos v. United States, 938 A.2d 672, 677 (D.C. 2007). This court has recognized “the high threshold of injury” that “the legislature intended in fashioning a crime that increases twenty-fold the maximum prison term for simple assault.” Bolanos, 938 A.2d at 677-78 (quoting Swinton v. United States, 902 A.2d 772, 775 (D.C. 2006) (internal citation omitted)). While “injuries such as knife or gunshot wounds are not per se serious bodily injury,” Scott v. United States, 954 A.2d 1037, 1046 (D.C. 2008) (citations and internal quotation marks omitted), the jury can use evidence of such injuries plus other evidence to infer that the victim suffered “serious bodily injury.” See, e.g., Jenkins v. United States, 877 A.2d 1062, 1071 (D.C. 2005) (sufficient evidence from which jury could find that victim suffered “serious bodily injury” where victim sustained multiple deep stab wounds to the chest, stomach, and arms, inflicted with a seven- or eight-inch blade). C. Extreme Physical Pain: Clipper and Williams The level of extreme physical pain necessary for a jury to find that a victim suffered serious bodily injury “must be exceptionally severe if not unbearable.” 15 Swinton, 902 A.2d at 777. There is no requirement that a victim testify to having experienced extreme pain for a jury to so find; rather, the important consideration is whether “a reasonable juror may be able to infer that pain was extreme from the nature of the injuries and the victim’s reaction to them.” Bolanos, 938 A.2d at 681 (citations omitted). Thus, we have held that there was sufficient evidence for the jury to conclude that a stabbing victim suffered extreme pain where: (1) the victim described that she had “felt the knife, that [i]t was burning . . . [i]t was very painful”; (2) testimony from her physician indicated that she was in pain when she came to the hospital, that the pain was “significant,” and that the injury required immediate surgery because “the knife had gone through [her] kidney”; (3) the surgery resulted in a six- to eleven-inch scar on the victim’s stomach; and (4) due to complications resulting from the first surgery, the victim was required to undergo a second surgery. See Anderson v. United States, 857 A.2d 451, 464 (D.C. 2004). On the other hand, we have held that there was insufficient evidence for a jury to conclude that the victim suffered extreme pain where the victim “stood in place for a while after he was shot, did not undergo surgery in connection with his injury, and was able to travel to El Salvador five days after the shooting.” Castillo-Campos v. United States, 987 A.2d 476, 487 (D.C. 2010). This court distinguished between situations in which there was sufficient 16 evidence from which a jury could conclude that the victim suffered extreme pain for purposes of finding “serious bodily injury” and those in which the evidence was insufficient for that inference in Bolanos. In that case, three victims (Mejia, Rodriguez, and Gonzalez) were stabbed multiple times after a fight broke out at a playground near their high school. 938 A.2d at 676-77. This court explained that there was sufficient evidence from which a jury could infer that victim Mejia suffered extreme pain because he testified that after being stabbed he could not breathe, his muscles hurt, his chest was in pain, and he kept thinking he was going to die. Id. at 682. His medical records, which indicated that upon arrival to the hospital he complained of shortness of breath related to pain and was prescribed pain medicine while hospitalized and also upon discharge, corroborated his testimony. Id. On the other hand, there was evidence that after being stabbed, victims Rodriguez and Gonzalez were able to walk with the assistance of a nurse and a security guard, respectively. Id. Neither man testified to how much pain he experienced. Id. While a detective testified at trial that both Rodriguez and Gonzalez were in pain and were given Percocet, this court concluded that his testimony was not sufficient to allow a jury to reasonably infer that Rodriguez and Gonzalez suffered extreme pain due to the stabbing. Id. Turning first to Clipper, the record indicates that he was shot in the left leg, 17 close to his shin or fibula, and that another bullet grazed his left foot. Clipper testified that he “knew his bone was broke[n]” and described his pain as a “7 or 6” out of ten. After being shot, he was able to hop on his right leg to the median in the center of North Capitol Street. Clipper required urgent medical treatment for his broken leg and was given intravenous morphine, though he was discharged from the hospital the same night. Though he had a broken fibula or tibia, no surgery was required. Clipper was prescribed Percocet, Tylenol 3, and medication to treat an infection, but he took only the infection medication. He was in a cast and used crutches for a month to heal his broken leg, and was on bed rest for an unknown amount of time afterwards to heal. There were no medical records introduced regarding Clipper’s injuries. Looking at the nature and extent of the injuries described in the record and the high threshold of injury required for AAWA, we are satisfied that a reasonable juror could not find that Clipper suffered the level of pain necessary to find that he suffered a serious bodily injury. Unlike in Anderson, where the victim testified that her stab wounds were very painful, and Bolanos, where victim Mejia testified that after being stabbed he could not breathe, his muscles hurt, his chest was in pain, and he kept thinking he was going to die, all of which was corroborated by his medical records, there is no such evidence that Clipper suffered similar pain here. Instead, 18 Clipper testified that his pain level was only a seven or a six out of ten, and though he was prescribed additional pain medication, he never took it. Furthermore, unlike in Anderson, no surgery was required to mend Clipper’s broken leg, and while it is not clear whether Clipper could walk like victims Rodriguez and Gonzalez in the Bolanos case, he was at least able to hop on his uninjured leg into the safety of the median. Under these circumstances, especially considering that Clipper’s own testimony was that his pain level was only a seven or six out of ten and that he did not continue to take pain medication after being released from the hospital, a reasonable jury could not find that he suffered the level of extreme pain necessary to find “serious bodily injury.” Victim Williams did not testify at trial, but evidence of the nature and extent of his injuries was presented by his treating physician, Dr. Philip Fidler. The record indicates that Williams was shot four times, twice below the right shoulder blade (near the collarbone), and twice to the left forearm. Williams was rushed to the hospital and given intravenous pain medication. Dr. Fidler testified that Williams was “reasonably stable” upon arrival, with minor heart rate and breathing issues, and was complaining of pain, though he did not testify as to how much. The two gunshot wounds to his forearm did not show signs of having injured any major blood vessels and his forearm was moving normally. The gunshots to the area below his 19 right shoulder blade were “through and through,” meaning that the bullets passed right through his shoulder. Williams had a limited ability to shrug his right shoulder and some weakness, which was judged to be secondary to pain. Dr. Fidler testified that Williams did not appear to have a life-threatening injury when he was brought in, and he was discharged the next morning. Dr. Fidler also testified that he expected Williams to make a “functional recovery,” but noted there was a possibility that he would have some ongoing nerve pain. Under these circumstances, no reasonable juror could have concluded that Williams suffered the level of extreme pain necessary for “serious bodily injury.” First, no evidence was introduced to suggest how much pain Williams experienced; rather, like in Bolanos where there was only the detective’s assertion that Rodriguez and Gonzalez were in pain, here there was only Dr. Fidler’s general assertion that Williams was complaining of pain when he arrived at the hospital. Williams did not require surgery and was released from the hospital the morning after he was admitted. There was no evidence in the record that Williams could not walk or was otherwise immobilized with pain, and no evidence that he was prescribed and/or took pain medication upon release from the hospital. Therefore, there was insufficient evidence in the record from which a reasonable juror could conclude 20 that Williams suffered the level of extreme pain required to prove “serious bodily injury.” D. Substantial Risk of Death: Williams The government argues that, alternatively, the jury could have found that Williams suffered “serious bodily injury” because the gunshot wounds to the area below his shoulder blade created a substantial risk of death. Specifically, the government argues that while Williams’ injuries were described as not being life-threatening once he was diagnosed at the hospital, that assessment “made in hindsight, and with the benefit of prompt emergency care, does not obviate the substantial risk of death that Williams faced . . . .” While we understand the government’s argument in this regard and have said that the severity of a victim’s injuries should not be understated due to the fact that he was fortunate enough to receive proper medical treatment, see Freeman v. United States, 912 A.2d 1213, 1222 (D.C. 2006), this court has always required some evidence that a victim’s injuries created a substantial risk of death before finding that the victim suffered “serious bodily injury” under this theory. See, e.g., id. (medical testimony established that the victim experienced substantial risk of death for purposes of “serious bodily injury” where he suffered three gunshot wounds, one of which broke 21 a vertebra, lodged inside his body, and caused the loss of sensation in his lower right leg and ankle, the result of which put him at risk of paralysis and also could have resulted in a major hemorrhage leading to death given its proximity to his aorta); Zeledon v. United States, 770 A.2d 972, 974 (D.C. 2001) (medical testimony that the arterial bleeding and broken collarbone victim suffered was severe enough to have resulted in death if untreated was sufficient to constitute substantial risk of death). Not only was there a lack of any evidence in this case that Williams was at a substantial risk of death, but in fact, Dr. Fidler testified that upon arrival at the hospital, Williams did not appear to have a life-threatening injury and he was discharged the next morning. As such, we are unpersuaded by the government’s argument that we can affirm appellants’ convictions on this alternative theory. Although we have concluded that the evidence is insufficient to support appellants’ convictions for AAWA with respect to Clipper and Williams and therefore those convictions must be vacated, the evidence is more than sufficient to support a finding that appellants committed the lesser-included offense of Assault with Significant Bodily Injury. See Collins v. United States, 73 A.3d 974, 985 (D.C. 2013). As the jury found appellants guilty of AAWA, it necessarily would have had to find them guilty of the lesser-included offense. For that reason, we remand the case to the trial court to vacate appellants’ convictions for AAWA in 22 connection with the shootings of Clipper and Williams and instead enter judgments of convictions for the lesser-included offense of Assault with Significant Bodily Injury and resentence appellants accordingly.