Court Opinion

ID: 9789054
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 01:26:33.485667+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:19.125395
License: Public Domain

LUMPKIN, Judge:
concur in part/dissent in part.
1 I concur in the result reached by the Court but I must take issue with some of the opinion's syntax and analysis.
2 The opinion fails to apply a long line of case law precedent when it states "the State's argument that Owens waived his right to request an instruction on second degree robbery because he raised an alibi defense is not persuasive. This type of formalism defeats the ends of justice and ignores the duty of the court to charge the jury based on the evidence presented at trial". The problem with this analysis and syntax is that the "formalism" the opinion refers to is the Rule of Law that is the foundation of our legal system. In a long line of cases this Court has held "that a defendant is not entitled to instructions on any lesser included offense when he defends against the charge by proclaiming his innocence." Gilson v. State, 2000 OK. CR 14, ¶ 119, 8 P.3d 883, 918, and cases cited therein. The defense of alibi is the same as proclaiming innocence in this case. This Court should be strict disciples of the law and not perverters of it. Regardless, because the information charging the crime actually charged robbery by force or fear rather than by serious bodily injury, I agree the instruction should have been given as the primary offense charged in this case.
T8 I also disagree with the opinion's discussion of the other crimes evidence which was admitted pursuant to 12 O.S.2001, § 2404(B). While the opinion cites to Williams v. State, 2008 OK CR 19, 188 P.3d *1270208 and quotes a sentence that seems to confirm the opinion's analysis, it disregards the substance of the Court's analysis and decision in Williams. The Court actually found the evidence of the prior robbery in Williams was admissible $ 2404(B) evidence to prove identity. In doing so the opinion pointed out the Court had previously considered this same issue in Pickens v. State, 1988 OK CR 35, 751 P.2d 742. In both cases the Court analyzed the methods utilized to commit the robberies. As a part of that analysis the Court stated in Williams:
This Court should not be in the business of weighing the similarities against the dissimilarities. When there are enough similarities between the two erimes to support the trial court's decision, then we must give deference to the trial court's decision. Onee that threshold is met, any differences in the two crimes go to the weight of the evidence and not to the admissibility
2008 OK CR 19 ¶ 44, 188 P.3d at 220.
{4 That is what the Court should have done in this case. If that analysis had been done, it would reflect the evidence should have been admitted in that the facts relating to the similarities of the two crimes in this case are the mirror images of the factual analysis in Williams and Pickens. When the evidence in these three cases is reviewed side by side, there is no reason why the evidence was admissible in the first two cases, but not the present case. An objective analysis can make no reasonable distinction between the admissibility of the evidence in each of the three cases. Trying to make that distinction is like trying to strain a gnat's hair to find a discernable difference. Instead of engaging in that type of verbal gymnastics we should apply the straight forward, common sense approach the Court set out above in Williams. I would find the other crimes evidence properly admitted.