Court Opinion

ID: 9687061
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 16:15:14.074773+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:18:24.010195
License: Public Domain

Brickley, J.
(dissenting). I have been asked to determine whether the Court of Appeals erred in finding that the trial court erred in denying the defendant a directed verdict of not guilty of armed robbery, MCL 750.529; MSA 28.797, and whether the Court erred in reversing the defendant’s conviction of unarmed robbery. I would hold that the Court of Appeals did not err and would affirm its decision.
i
It appears that I am substantially in agreement with the majority regarding how to interpret this statute. I agree that, in order to survive a directed verdict motion in this case, the prosecutor needed to present sufficient evidence that the defendant used or fashioned some article in a manner to lead the victim to reasonably believe that the defendant was armed. However, I differ regarding whether the people presented sufficient evidence. The majority would hold that "an object pointing out from under a coat, together with statements threatening a victim with being shot, clearly satisfies the statutory definition of armed robbery.” Ante, p 468.1 disagree.
In order to convict a person of armed robbery, *476the people must prove that (1) the defendant assaulted the victim, (2) the defendant took property from the victim in the victim’s presence and (3) the defendant (a) was in fact armed or (b) possessed an article used or fashioned in a manner to lead the victim to reasonably believe it to be a dangerous weapon. MCL 750.529; MSA 28.797. It is the second prong of this third part of the armed robbery statute that is at issue in this case. Under this second prong, the statute first requires that there be evidence that the defendant possessed some article. Second, there must be some evidence that the defendant used or fashioned this article in a manner to lead the victim to reasonably believe that the article was a dangerous weapon.
In order to determine whether to direct a verdict for the defendant, a court must look at evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution and determine whether a rational trier of fact could have found that the essential elements of the crime were proven beyond a reasonable doubt. People v Hampton, 407 Mich 354, 368; 285 NW2d 284 (1979), cert den 449 US 885 (1980); Jackson v Virginia, 443 US 307; 99 S Ct 2781; 61 L Ed 2d 560 (1979), reh den 444 US 890 (1979). See also People v Wolfe, 440 Mich 508, 515; 489 NW2d 748 (1992). Circumstantial evidence and reasonable inferences drawn from it may be sufficient proof of the elements of the crime. See People v Wolfe, supra, pp 525-526; People v Petrella, 424 Mich 221, 275; 380 NW2d 11 (1985); People v Velasquez, 189 Mich App 14; 472 NW2d 289 (1991).
The Court of Appeals found that the people failed to present sufficient evidence that tended to prove that some article was used or fashioned to induce the belief that it was a dangerous weapon. In reaching its decision, the Court of Appeals relied on two decisions of this Court, People v *477Saenz, 411 Mich 454; 307 NW2d 675 (1981), and People v Parker, 417 Mich 556; 339 NW2d 455 (1983), cert den 466 US 962 (1984). In each case, this Court interpreted the prong of the armed robbery statute at issue here and found that the people had presented insufficient evidence of armed robbery.
In Saenz, the victim testified that the defendant demanded money while keeping a hand hidden under his coat and that he thought the defendant was holding some kind of weapon, but that he saw no bulge or article resembling a weapon and that the defendant did not state that he possessed a weapon. Id., p 456. The jury convicted the defendant of armed robbery. In reversing the conviction, we found that not only must it be established that the victim believed that the defendant had a weapon, hut "the belief must be induced by the use or fashion of 'any article’ with which the assailant is armed.” Id., p 458. We found that this had not been established. Id., p 455.
In Parker, the defendant was convicted of armed robbery and first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Id., p 559. The victim testified that an assailant had sprayed some substance into her face as she was getting out of her car, and threatened to stab her with a knife. He took money from her wallet, then drove her to another location and raped her. Evidence showed that the defendant was apprehended several hours later, and a nail file was found in his right rear pants pocket. Id., p 560. The trial court instructed the jury that in order to find the defendant guilty of armed robbery, it was not necessary to introduce a weapon at trial or to prove that the victim saw a weapon. Rather, it was only necessary to prove that the victim had a reasonable belief that the defendant was armed *478with a dangerous weapon. In holding these instructions to be erroneous,1 this Court stated:
It is not enough that the person assaulted is put in fear; a person who is subjected to an unarmed robbery may be put in fear.
To constitute armed robbery, the robber must be armed with an article which is in fact a dangerous weapon — a gun, knife, bludgeon, etc., or some article harmless in itself, but used or fashioned in a manner to induce the reasonable belief that the article is a dangerous weapon.
Words or threats may be evidence of the fact of being armed and under some circumstances they alone might support a verdict of guilty. When no other evidence of the presence of the weapon is adduced, however, it is imperative that the instructions stress the focus of the jury on the presence of the weapon or article and not the fear or belief of the victim. [Id., p 565. Emphasis added.]
These cases show that in cases in which no actual weapon is involved it is necessary to establish not merely that the victim reasonably believed that the defendant was armed, but that the defendant "used or fashioned some article in a manner to lead” the victim to have this belief. Furthermore, these cases suggest that in order to convict someone of armed robbery under this prong of the statute, it must be shown that the defendant intended to induce a belief in the victim that some article possessed by the defendant was a dangerous weapon. I believe that the very language of the statute compels such a conclusion. Under the most commonly recognized use of these words, a person *479does not "use” or "fashion” an article to resemble a weapon unintentionally. Further, I find it significant that the statute does not use words like "display” or "possess” that would leave open the possibility that it would be sufficient to show that the defendant inadvertently inspired such a belief by the mere appearance that he had an article that coincidentally resembled a weapon. Therefore, I would hold that in order for a person to be convicted of armed robbery on the basis that an article was used or fashioned to induce a belief that it was a dangerous weapon, it must be shown that the use or fashioning was intentional and not inadvertent.
Accordingly, with this concept and these cases in mind, I would find that the people have fáiled to present evidence sufficient to prove this element of the offense. In order to determine whether the people produced sufficient evidence of each of the elements of the second prong of the statute, I examine the evidence offered in proof. First, the victim testified that he saw a bulge at the defendant’s midsection. I find that this is sufficient to enable a rational jury to find that some article existed. However, no evidence whatsoever was presented that the defendant used or fashioned an article to induce a belief that he was armed. The victim testified that he noticed a bulge in the defendant’s midsection. He did not testify that the defendant or Jennifer Herzog called attention to the bulge in any way. Jennifer Herzog did not testify that she or the defendant called attention to the bulge. Nor did she testify that she and the defendant had planned to use this bulge in the robbery. The only effort to convey the impression of possession of a dangerous weapon was the oral assertion that the defendant was armed.
I acknowledge that the prosecution can satisfy *480its burden by introducing circumstantial evidence from which the jury may draw inferences. However, I would find that concluding from the evidence presented here that the defendant used or fashioned some article to create a bulge in order to look like a weapon would only be speculation. The people have presented no evidence that would tend to establish a connection between the bulge and the threat to shoot the victim. No rational trier of fact could find beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant used some article to create a bulge, with the intent of inducing the victim to believe that the bulge was a dangerous weapon.2 Therefore, I think the people failed to satisfy their burden, and the trial court erred in refusing to grant the defendant’s motion for a directed verdict.
ii
The Court of Appeals found that People v Vail, 393 Mich 460; 227 NW2d 535 (1975), required reversal in this case. I agree. In Vail, the defendant was charged with first-degree murder and convicted of voluntary manslaughter. Id., p 462. This Court found that there was insufficient evidence to warrant submission of a first-degree murder charge, and, thus, the manslaughter conviction had to be reversed. This Court stated that when a *481jury is allowed to consider a charge unsupported by the proofs:
[T]here is always prejudice because a defendant’s chances of acquittal on any valid charge is substantially decreased by the possibility of a compromise verdict. For this reason it is reversible error for a trial judge to refuse a directed verdict of acquittal on any charge where the prosecution has failed to present evidence from which the jury could find all elements of the crime charged. [Id., p 464.]
As I would find that the trial court erred in submitting the armed robbery charge to the jury, I would also hold that the defendant’s unarmed robbery conviction must be reversed, and a new trial would be required.
Accordingly, I would affirm the decision of the Court of Appeals.

 This Court did not reverse on this issue because other grounds for reversal existed; however, the Court stated that it would have reversed on these grounds had the question been before it. Id., p 566.

 While I would affirm the decision of the Court of Appeals, I point out an error in its opinion. The Court stated that in order to satisfy this prong of the armed robbery statute, the prosecutor must show that the defendant "at least [had] the article in hand and fashionfed] it to lead the victim to believe it [was] a dangerous weapon . . . .” People v Jolly, 193 Mich App 192, 201; 483 NW2d 679 (1992). I note that it is not necessary for a person to have some article in hand to be found guilty of armed robbery under this prong of the statute. The defendant need only use or fashion some article in some manner that induces a belief that it is a weapon. Indeed, I would hold that, under some circumstances, showing that a person placed some article in a belt for the purpose of inducing a belief that the article was a weapon could satisfy the requirements of the statute.