Court Opinion

ID: 9634226
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 13:06:13.598328+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:08:59.013770
License: Public Domain

JOYCE, J.,
Dissenting.
¶ 1 I respectfully dissent from my esteemed colleagues’ conclusion that the evidence in this case was insufficient to support Appellant’s conviction for aggravated assault. As the Majority properly notes, it is indisputable that the victim in this case suffered serious bodily injury, specifically, an orbital blowout and frontal rim and sinus fractures. Thus, the determination is solely whether Appellant had the requisite intent to inflict serious bodily injury.
¶ 2 In Commonwealth v. Alexander, All Pa. 190, 383 A.2d 887 (1978), upon which the Majority relies, our Supreme Court found that a single punch to the victim’s head without more was insufficient to establish intent to inflict serious bodily injury. However, the holding was also premised on the fact that the victim did not sustain serious bodily injury, a fact that was conceded to by the Commonwealth. Furthermore, the Court noted that intent may be established by the circumstances surrounding the assault, and that no such circumstances existed in that case.6 I find Alexander to be distinguishable for two reasons: first, unlike Alexander, we are presented with a situation where the victim indisputably suffered serious bodily injury. Second, and more importantly, it is my opinion that the circumstances surrounding the attack are sufficient to establish Appellant’s intent. See also Commonwealth v. Caterino, 451 Pa.Super. 42, 678 A.2d 389, appeal denied, 546 Pa. 652, 684 A.2d 555 (1996)(for purposes of establishing the offense of aggravated assault, intent to cause serious bodily harm may be shown by the circumstances surrounding the incident); Commonwealth v. Cassidy, 447 Pa.Super. 192, 668 A.2d 1143 (1995), appeal denied, 545 Pa. 660, 681 A.2d 176 (1996) (intent to cause serious bodily injury can be inferred from circumstantial evidence).
*774¶ 3 My review of the record reveals that as the victim and his friend were leaving the bar, Appellant, who was twice the size of the victim, asked him if he wanted to arm wrestle. The victim stated that he did not and proceeded towards the exit of the bar where Appellant pushed him. The victim did not retaliate but simply left the bar only to realize that Appellant and his companion were pursuing him. Appellant overtook the victim from behind in an alley and tauntingly asked him whether “he thought he was a tough guy.” When the victim turned around, Appellant delivered a closed fist punch to the victim’s eye, a vulnerable organ. This punch was so powerful it caused the victim to lose consciousness, fall backwards, and crack his head open when he hit the cement. When cursed at by the victim’s friend, Appellant then turned his aggressiveness to that individual and challenged him as to what he was going to do about it. Appellant’s conduct was only thwarted by the fortuitous arrival of the police. Appellant demonstrated his consciousness of guilt by fleeing upon observing the approaching police vehicle.
¶ 4 These facts indicate that the victim did nothing to instigate this attack. Rather, the victim tried to avoid this confrontation by first backing down from Appellant’s challenge to arm wrestle, then walking away from Appellant when he was shoved in the bar and then again by continuing to walk away as Appellant pursued him down the sidewalk. Clearly, Appellant had one item on his agenda: to engage in a physical altercation with a stranger who was half his size and who did nothing to warrant the attack. His provoking actions, to which the victim did not succumb, escalated to the point where he struck the victim in the vulnerable organ of the eye with such force that he caused an orbital blowout and bone fractures to such an extent that the victim had to be hospitalized for five days, undergo surgery and still suffered from straight upward double vision gaze six months later. It is difficult to imagine a situation where Appellant’s attempt to inflict serious bodily injury is more apparent. Furthermore, even if it could be argued that Appellant did not intentionally cause the serious bodily injury, the fact-finder could have easily determined that Appellant acted recklessly. See Commonwealth v. Hlatky, 426 Pa.Super. 66, 626 A.2d 575, (1993), appeal denied, 537 Pa. 663, 644 A.2d 1200 (1994).
¶ 5 That Appellant acted with the requisite intent to sustain his conviction is also supported by Commonwealth v. Davis, 267 Pa.Super. 370, 406 A.2d 1087 (1979). In that case, Mr. Davis was engaged in the assault of his girlfriend. During the altercation, Mrs. Amos, the victim, attempted to provide safety to the appellant’s girlfriend by sheltering her in her vehicle. As a result of her assistance, “in one motion, appellant swiveled and punched Mrs. Amos in the face causing her to black out.... Mrs. Amos suffered multiple fractures to her lower jaw which forced her to spend four days in the hospital and six weeks with her jaw wired shut.” Id. at 1088. In finding the evidence sufficient to sustain the appellant’s conviction, this Court distinguished Alexander on the basis that there was no serious bodily injury in Alexander and that the Commonwealth instead argued that a jury could infer extreme indifference to the value of human life simply by the fact that the punch was to the victim’s face. Id. at 1089. Our Court further relied on the appellant’s overall conduct as evidence of his intent. Id. See also, Commonwealth v. Cassidy, 447 Pa.Super. 192, 668 A.2d 1143 (1995), (evidence was sufficient for aggravated assault conviction where defendant was larger and stronger than victim, and that in course of argument defendant threw victim into wall causing loss of consciousness, *775hospitalization for two days, and victim had to wear body brace and wrist cast for two months).
¶ 6 In conclusion, I would find that Appellant acted intentionally when he caused serious bodily injury to the victim and that the evidence was sufficient to sustain his conviction for aggravated assault. My conclusion is based on Appellant’s manifestation of his intent when he initiated the encounter with the victim, a man half of his physical size, asked him to arm wrestle, shoved him, pursued him outside the bar, and then engaged in an unprovoked attack in a belligerent and aggressive manner. Thus, I would affirm the judgement of sentence.

. The Supreme Court provided examples of circumstances that might support the finding of the requisite intent, noting that they were not present in that case. Examples included instances in which "appellant was not disproportionately larger or stronger than the victim; appellant was not restrained from escalating his attack upon the victim; appellant had no weapon or other implement to aid his attack; appellant made no statements before, during or after the attack which might indicate his intent to inflict further injury upon the victim.” Alexander, supra, 383 A.2d at 889.