Court Opinion

ID: 9730605
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 15:17:20.840002+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:23:45.888303
License: Public Domain

STEINMETZ, J.
(dissenting). I disagree that the trial court's dismissal constituted an acquittal of the underlying charge. I therefore would reverse the trial court and remand for a new trial.
Turley moved for a judgment of acquittal and for an order dismissing the information against him with prejudice. The court did not grant an acquittal but dismissed the information. The trial court observed that the "State's main witnesses were experienced law enforcement offices [officers] and that they disagreed on the incident and that some dispute would occur at re*52trial." Agreement between eyewitnesses to an event is not always present and such agreement is not necessary for the evidence to be sufficient to support a conviction.
We gave the trial court another opportunity to acquit if that was his intent by remanding the case for a ruling on Turley's motion for judgment of acquittal and for reconsideration and clarification of the order dismissing the information. For the second time, the trial court denied the defense motion for acquittal. The trial court commented:
"So really the final matter comes on as to whether or not the case should be dismissed. Now, the State has a burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant it (sic) guilty as charged. The State presented four witnesses — as I recall three of whom were trained police officers — all of whom were in a rather close position to observe what happened, and all of whom disagreed on what happened. I view this, frankly, as more than inconsistencies; I view that as testimony coming from police officers and other witnesses as their version of what happened. When you have three or four different versions as to what happened over a five or six minute time period by officers who ought to be trained to observe, I think the State meets an impossible burden, the jury has an impossible situation.
"They can't say, well, let's discount the testimony of officer Frea and decide the testimony of Officer so- and-so or discount the testimony of Officer so-and-so and decide upon Officer Frea. They have to view all the testimony, all the witnesses are credible. None of them were prejudiced that I can recall. As was brought out in the testimony, they are all reasonable witnesses.
*53"There can't be a clear version of what happened in that cell or in that holding room that night that would substantiate or justify any jury finding that this case was proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, the Court will grant the motion to dismiss."
The statement in the first paragraph on which the majority relies is incomprehensible. The trial judge stated: "I think the State meets an impossible burden, the jury has an impossible situation." The second phrase states what juries are charged to do and that is to resolve an "impossible situation" when conflicts in observances and testimony are before them. The jurors do this by determining credibility and weight of testimony and applying burdens of proof as instructed by the court and either find guilt or acquit. The jury may not agree with the judge's conclusion that all of the state's witnesses were credible.
In the second paragraph, the trial court made a determination reserved for the jury. It found that the testimony of "all the witnesses are credible." The trial judge may find testimony incredible as a matter of law, but otherwise the credibility and weight to be given to each witness's testimony is exclusively for the jury. The judge made no reference in his dismissal to the respective weight assessment to be given each witness's testimony, but rather, only discussed credibility.
The third paragraph states that "There can't be a clear version of what happened in that cell or in that holding room that night that would substantiate or justify any jury finding that this case was proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, the Court will grant the motion to dismiss." It is not necessary that there be a "clear version" of events to uphold the burden of proof. Rather, the jury must determine what took place after *54applying the instructions of credibility and weight of evidence and after applying burdens of proof.
During a subsequent discussion of proposed findings in support of his order, the judge again discussed the question of dismissal. The judge stated: "[I]n this case all of the witnesses' testimony was credible, but it was so at odds that the testimony of one witness was so at odds with the other that the Court has to find that the State could not carry the burden of proof." He did not determine the facts proved by the evidence, but made a determination of law.
Conflict in the testimony is for the jury to resolve by applying the instructions received. The trial court did not resolve the facts or conflicts of testimony but as a matter of law stated they could not be resolved by the jury to arrive at a guilty verdict. Therefore, the judge created a conflict by stating the testimony was all credible for the jury to accept but as a matter of law the jury could not determine weight or apply the appropriate burden of proof to resolve the conflict. The court could find some or all of the testimony incredible and acquit, but it could not find the evidence credible and take the weight determination from the jury. To do this was an error of law.
In his order the judge stated he would not acquit but would dismiss. This was a legal judgment by the trial court because the judge did not base his judgment on fact. The judge could not determine the facts by his own statement because all of the state's testimony was credible and he could not choose between the various witnesses' versions. The trial court did not determine facts but in effect found he could not determine facts due to total credibility of witnesses from his consideration of the evidence. The problem is the judge did not *55apply the instructions, regarding weight of testimony and burden of proof, that the jury would have been required to consider. He did not pick one witness over another or others which would have resolved facts. He said he could not do that. Therefore, contrary to the majority's holding, United States v. Martin Linen Supply Co., 430 U.S. 564 (1977), does not control the instant case to require a finding of acquittal. The ruling of the trial judge did not represent "a resolution, correct or not, of some or all of the factual elements of the offense charged." Id. at 571. The trial court never found the evidence was "legally insufficient to sustain a conviction." Id. at 572. This trial judge actually found there was too much evidence for the jury because the state presented evidence both for and against its position of legal guilt and it was "all credible." No ruling of this trial judge resolved factual elements of the offense in favor of Tur-ley as claimed by the majority at 49-50.
In Martin Linen the trial court determined that the evidence was legally insufficient to sustain a conviction. Under those circumstances, trial judges are required to acquit. However, the trial judge in the case under consideration never made such a determination. This trial judge never found the evidence was legally insufficient to sustain a conviction but only that he could not determine which facts to accept.
This was not a fact-based judgment of acquittal on the merits as covered by Martin Linen. The trial judge made that clear when on three opportunities to acquit he refused to do so and held each time there was too much evidence from which the jury could choose, all of which was credible, so that when he stated the evidence was insufficient, that statement was incorrect and inconsistent with his constant findings of credible *56but contrasting evidence. He could not find the evidence insufficient as he stated but rather due to his total analysis, it was conflicting. There is no explanation by him of the use of the term insufficient and its use was inconsistent with all of his other comments. His entire and repeated explanation is the evidence was all credible but conflicting.
The motion to acquit is in all respects the same as the motion for a directed verdict or a motion to dismiss. All of the motions are directed to the legal proposition of whether the evidence taken most favorably against the accused is sufficient to support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Gresens, 40 Wis. 2d 179, 181, 161 N.W. 2d 245 (1968), discussed the identical nature of the test for a motion for a directed verdict and motion to dismiss.
In Gresens, at 182, in further explanation, the court wrote:
"We have pointed out that the test of beyond a reasonable doubt does not exclude every possible doubt but is that moral certainty which 'is a reasonable certitude or conviction based on convincing reasons and excludes all doubts that a contrary or opposite conclusion can exist based on any reasons. One having such a state of mind is said to be convinced beyond a reasonable doubt.' State v. Johnson (1960), 11 Wis. 2d 130, 135, 136, 104 N.W. 2d 379. See also State v. Stevens (1965), 26 Wis. 2d 451, 132 N.W. 2d 502."
In a jury case, the judge may not apply his own judgment as to the evidence but rather the judgment of reasonable jurors rationally considering the evidence.
In State v. Duda, 60 Wis. 2d 431, 439, 210 N.W. 2d 763 (1973), we stated:
*57"The test of the sufficiency of the evidence on a motion to dismiss in the trial court is the same as that on appeal. It is whether, considering the state's evidence in the most favorable light, the evidence adduced, believed and rationally considered, is sufficient to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Gresens (1968), 40 Wis. 2d 179, 181, 161 N.W. 2d 245; Welsher v. State (1965), 28 Wis. 2d 160, 166, 135 N.W. 2d 849."
In Welsher v. State, 28 Wis. 2d 160, 165, 135 N.W. 2d 849 (1965), the court quoting the trial court's language in denying a motion to dismiss stated:
" 'The court has no hesitancy in denying your motion. There are indeed inconsistencies in the testimony as to clothing. There is testimony that conflicts with the comment on the automobile. There are other factors in the defendant Welsher's favor, but there is by no means a sufficient case so the court can say, as a matter of law, the defendant is not guilty.'"
While the judge's language in the case was challenged as placing an improper burden on the defendant, this court found no error in the judge's comment. That trial judge recognized inconsistencies and conflicts in the testimony but applied the proper test that the evidence taken most favorably against the accused is sufficient if it will support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The trial judge in the instant case did not apply the proper test as established by this court when as a matter of law he found the evidence all credible but too conflicting for the state to meet its burden on retrial. He did not look at the evidence most favorable to the state, which the jury could believe, in determining the state could not meet its burden. This judge could not *58acquit by his own analysis of the evidence and therefore the majority is in error when it holds that no matter the judge's analysis of the evidence, no matter what he said, he meant to acquit.
I will not write at length on the issues concerning the statutory language "before jeopardy attaches" nor whether a trial court has the authority to prevent a retrial unless there is an acquittal because the majority does not reach those issues. If the judge only dismissed the complaint as I interpret he did and as he said he did, then that was an abuse of discretion and the issue of double jeopardy does not arise since he would be without authority to prevent a retrial.
I would reverse the trial court ordér and return the case to the circuit court for retrial.