Court Opinion

ID: 9567433
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 19:53:48.521414+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:00:36.603670
License: Public Domain

*265Coleman, J.,
concurring in part and dissenting in part,
While I concur with all rulings of the majority except that the evidence is insufficient to support Scott’s conviction of attempted robbery of Bonnie Flett, I am unable to agree with some reasons assigned for the majority’s conclusions.
First, in Part V, I agree that the trial court did not err in ruling upon Scott’s discovery request for “a copy of [Hale’s] criminal record” when it directed that the Commonwealth’s attorney provide Hale’s record of prior criminal convictions, including juvenile adjudications of “not innocent.” Scott’s discovery request was expanded by an oral motion at the discovery hearing to permit defense counsel to personally review Hale’s juvenile records. Although the request might be construed to seek more than criminal convictions, Scott does not contend that the “criminal record” he requested involved anything other than Hale’s record of criminal convictions or the juvenile adjudications which the Commonwealth provided. Although on brief appellant states that permitting counsel access to juvenile records would be a “better rule . . . to determine the existence of any potential impeachment evidence,” he does not contend that he was not provided with the requested “criminal record.” Thus, Scott’s sole complaint is that the procedure utilized by the trial court to obtain the requested discovery was not the best possible procedure. I agree that the procedure was within the discretion of the trial court, that the procedure was one of several avenues available to the trial court, and there is nothing of record to indicate abuse of discretion in the procedure utilized. There is no suggestion that all requested discoverable material was not provided.
Although the majority concludes that the procedure was proper, the majority opinion unnecessarily indulges in an analysis of why records of apparently nonexistent juvenile adjudications would be inadmissible evidence at trial as general impeachment evidence. The majority engages in this exercise apparently to enable it to rule that even if other adjudications could have been discovered had counsel been permitted to inspect the record, such adjudications would nevertheless have been inadmissible under the Davis v. Alaska and Fulcher v. Commonwealth analysis. Because I fail to see any issue relating to admissibility of evidence before us, I would merely hold that the trial court did not err in the procedure utilized to provide the discovery.
*266Had the appellant presented a due process challenge that discoverable evidence was withheld in violation of United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97 (1976), or Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963), or made a due process argument that the procedure did not enable the accused to obtain specific evidence, see Pennsylvania v. Ritchie, 480 U.S. 39 (1987), an inquiry into the materiality of the evidence, not the admissibility, would be appropriate. See United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682 (1985). However, no due process challenge was raised.
Second, in regard to Scott’s conviction of attempted robbery of Bonnie Flett, I dissent from the majority holding and would rule that the evidence was sufficient to support the conviction. “[Wjhat inferences are to be drawn from proved facts is within the province of the jury and not the court so long as the inferences are reasonable and justified.” Higginbotham v. Commonwealth, 216 Va. 349, 353, 218 S.E.2d 534, 537 (1975) (quoting LaPrade v. Commonwealth, 191 Va. 410, 418, 61 S.E.2d 313, 316 (1950)). We are constrained to affirm Scott’s attempted robbery conviction unless it is plainly wrong or without evidence to support it. Code § 8.01-680; Sutphin v. Commonwealth, 1 Va. App. 241, 243, 337 S.E.2d 897, 898 (1985). In ruling that the robbers had no intent to rob Bonnie Flett, I believe the majority substitutes its view for a reasonable inference that the jury was entitled to draw. The majority discusses the conclusion which it deems most reasonable but fails to address whether the jury’s conclusion that Scott and Hale intended to rob Flett was reasonable and therefore sufficient.
The jury concluded that Scott and/or Hale intended to rob Flett. The circumstances support that deduction. The specific intent to commit a theft from the victim is a necessary element of attempted robbery. However, robbery is denominated as a crime against the person, not a property crime. Jordan v. Commonwealth, 2 Va. App. 590, 596, 347 S.E.2d 152, 156 (1986). Thus, an attempt to rob a person who has nothing of value is still an attempted robbery. The gravamen of the offense consists of “violence to the person” or “putting a person in fear,” robbery or an attempt to commit robbery is more than aggravated larceny. Id. at 596, 347 S.E.2d at 155. However, mere violence against a person without the specific intent to take property from the actual or constructive possession of the victim is not robbery or attempted robbery. See Patterson v. Commonwealth, 222 Va. 653, 664, 283 *267S.E.2d 212, 219 (1981).
Viewed in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, the evidence in this case was sufficient for the jury to conclude that the robbers laid in wait and intended to take the daily receipts from whichever employee had them, including Flett. When the two employees left the restaurant, the robbers accosted and physically assaulted both, killing the manager Horne. Violence or intimidation against either employee with an intent to take the receipts if either had them would constitute attempted robbery. The fact that the intent was conditioned upon whichever employee had the proceeds is of no consequence and does not negate an intent to rob Flett. The majority concedes: “It is also a reasonable inference that Scott’s intent to rob was not limited to the manager but rather extended logically to any employee of Arby’s in possession of the deposit bag at that particular time.” Despite this concession, the majority concludes that the robbers did not intend to rob Flett because Hale released his hold on her, and because they knew that the manager would probably have the receipts and that Flett was not the manager. However, the jury could reasonably have concluded that Hale released her because he determined she did not have the receipts, because he changed his mind or became fearful or for other reasons which do not belie an intent to take the receipts from Flett if she had them. However, we need not speculate on why she was released. To do so diverts attention from the critical question of whether there was credible evidence from which the jury could infer an intent to rob Flett. To conclude that the facts did not permit the jury reasonably to infer that Scott intended to rob Bonnie Flett of the daily receipts if they were in her possession, in my view, impermissibly substitutes our finding of fact of Scott’s intent for that of the jury.
Third, had I agreed with the majority that the evidence was insufficient to support the conviction for attempted robbery of Flett, I would have voted not to address the issue of whether the invalid conviction was barred by double jeopardy. Under the majority’s holding that the evidence is insufficient to prove attempted robbery of Flett, a determination of the double jeopardy issue is not necessary. The majority opinion, in effect, holds that an invalid conviction was nevertheless not barred by another conviction on the ground of former jeopardy. However, since I disagree with the majority on the sufficiency issue, under my view the double *268jeopardy challenge must be addressed. I would sustain the trial court’s ruling on the claim of double jeopardy based upon Kelsoe v. Commonwealth, 226 Va. 197, 308 S.E.2d 104 (1983), and Thomas v. Warden, 683 F.2d 83 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1042 (1982).