Opinion ID: 1494221
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Untainted Evidence of Planning

Text: Having identified the potentially tainted portion of Gerry's testimony, we next determine the extent to which the evidence exclusive of the improperly admitted evidence is sufficient to sustain a conviction. [89] We must therefore determine whether, excluding Gerry's testimony that Tom had asked to borrow Gerry's boat in the event that Tom had to do something to two extortionists, the State presented sufficient untainted evidence of planning to support a conviction for first degree murder. [90] The State's theory, as developed in its closing argument, was that Tom's conversations with Gerry about extortionists were merely the beginning of the evolution of a plan to kill Fahey. [91] Even though Capano offered innocent explanations in some instances, we conclude that a rational jury could have convicted Capano based on the following evidence of planning and motive: (1) Capano's purchase of a large cooler in April 1996; (2) his purchase of the lock and chain that he used to secure the cooler top; (3) his purchase of a gun through Debby MacIntyre in May 1996; (4) his immediate concealment of Fahey's death and disposal of her body; and (5) evidence that Fahey sought to end her romantic involvement with Capano and began dating another person early in 1996. First, the jury heard evidence that Capano purchased a very large, 162-quart cooler on April 20, 1996. [92] The State presented evidence that Capano made this purchase at approximately the same time that Fahey began to distance herself from him and to become closer to Michael Scanlon. [93] Second, the jury heard evidence that, at some point early in 1996, Capano purchased the lock and chain that he used to secure the cooler containing Fahey's body. Although Capano presented innocent explanations for these purchases, the State vigorously attacked these explanations in its rebuttal and closing. Capano testified that, around January 1996, he purchased a twelve-foot length of chain from a neighborhood hardware store to increase the traction of his car tires during the winter. [94] The State argued in its closing that it would make no sense for Capano to purchase only twelve feet of chain, without hooks, for this purpose. [95] In addition, the State presented testimony that the hardware stores in Capano's neighborhood had no record of purchases of chain over eight feet long from January of '96 through June 28, 1996. [96] Capano also testified that he purchased the lock early in 1996 because someone had broken into his locker at his country club and because the club president had issued a letter advising members to purchase locks for their lockers. [97] In rebuttal, the State presented testimony from several witnesses refuting this testimony. These witnesses testified that Capano's country club did not issue a letter advising members to purchase locks for their lockers. [98] From the State's evidence, the jury could reasonably infer that Capano purchased the lock and chain at approximately the same time as he purchased the cooler, as part of his overall plan to kill Fahey and to dispose of her body at sea. [99] Third, Deborah MacIntyre testified that Capano asked her to purchase a gun for him in April 1996  at approximately the same time that Capano purchased the cooler. [100] Although MacIntyre was unable to purchase the gun for him at that point, she testified that Capano renewed his request in May 1996. [101] After MacIntyre agreed to this second request, Capano drove her to a gun shop and she purchased a handgun. MacIntyre testified that she immediately gave the handgun to Capano and claims not to have seen it again. [102] From evidence of this transaction, the jury could infer that Capano sought to purchase a gun that could not be traced directly to him  once again, as part of his plan to kill Fahey. Fourth, the State presented substantial evidence that, immediately after Fahey died, Capano concealed her death and disposed of her body and other physical evidence. Capano testified that, at about 11:35 p.m., after he abandoned his attempts to revive Fahey after the accident, he retrieved the cooler from a crawlspace and placed Fahey's body inside. [103] At this point, he also retrieved a bottle of Clorox to remove the bloodstains on the loveseat. [104] Within approximately twenty minutes of Fahey's death, Capano drove to Fahey's nearby apartment to make a star-69 call from her phone and to leave a gift and some perishable groceries. [105] On cross-examination, Capano conceded that these actions, which were taken within twenty minutes of Fahey's death, were designed to give the appearance that Fahey had been at home recently. [106] Capano testified that he knew that Fahey was not going to work the next day, [107] and thus knew that her co-workers would be unaware of her disappearance until the following Monday. At 12:05 a.m. on June 28, 1996, approximately thirty minutes after Fahey's death, Capano also made a call to the voice mail system at his law firm to create an alibi that I was home because he knew that the system recorded the time of incoming calls. [108] Thus Capano admits that he acted immediately and decisively to conceal his involvement in Fahey's death and to create an alibi for himself. This admission is consistent with planning, and it supports a reasonable inference that, before June 27, 1996, Capano had planned Fahey's death. [109] Similarly, Capano's efforts to destroy physical evidence of Fahey's death are consistent with planning. By about 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 28, 1996  after Thomas and Gerry Capano returned to Wilmington from disposing of Fahey's body at sea  Thomas had transported the stained loveseat from his great room to a dumpster at a construction site run by his family. [110] His brother, Louis Capano, testified that Thomas asked him to have the dumpster emptied on Monday, July 1, 1996. [111] On June 29, 1996, less than one day after Fahey's death, Thomas placed the stained rug from his great room and various cleaning materials into a dumpster at a hotel in New Jersey owned by his family's business. [112] Because Capano effectively destroyed most of the physical evidence connecting him with Fahey's death in a relatively short time span, the jury could reasonably infer that his actions were the product of a pre-arranged plan to conceal her death. Fifth, the State presented evidence that Fahey sought to end her romantic involvement with Capano in January and February of 1996. [113] The State also presented evidence that Capano did not want the relationship to end and that he was upset about Fahey's attempts to break things off between them. [114] This evidence supports the State's theory that Capano had a motive to kill Fahey because she rejected him and started to date another man. [115]