Gregory Smith v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) ( 2018 )

MEMORANDUM DECISION
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
this Memorandum Decision shall not be
FILED
regarded as precedent or cited before any May 16 2018, 9:16 am
court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK
Indiana Supreme Court
the defense of res judicata, collateral Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Michael R. Fisher Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Indianapolis, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
Angela N. Sanchez
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Gregory Smith, May 16, 2018
Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.
49A02-1709-CR-2031
v. Appeal from the Marion Superior
Court
State of Indiana, The Honorable Sheila Carlisle,
Appellee-Plaintiff. Judge
The Honorable Stanley Kroh,
Magistrate
Trial Court Cause No.
49G03-1606-MR-24373
Barnes, Judge.
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Case Summary
[1] Gregory Smith appeals his conviction for murder. We affirm.
Issue
[2] The sole issue before us is whether there is sufficient evidence to sustain Smith’s
conviction.
Facts
[3] At 10:47 p.m. on June 21, 2016, Smith called 911 and reported that he had
come home to find Eric Bonds unresponsive on the floor. Smith and Bonds
were in a romantic relationship and were living together. When Smith came
home, Bonds was wearing only his underwear and was already dead. Police
officers were dispatched to their apartment at 10:51 p.m. When the officers
arrived on the scene, they found a large amount of blood throughout the
apartment, including on the couch, floor, walls, door, in the kitchen, and in the
hallway outside the apartment. There were numerous signs of a struggle in the
apartment; appliances, a microwave, and silverware were on the floor in the
kitchen, and cushions in the living room were in disarray. The officers asked
Smith to step out of the apartment and observed what appeared to be blood on
his shirt. Officers conducted an extensive search of the apartment as well as the
area around the apartment but did not find the murder weapon.
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[4] Smith was taken to the police station, placed in an interrogation room, and
questioned about the incident. Smith spoke to officers numerous times,
providing conflicting and inconsistent accounts in these various statements.
Initially, Smith told officers that he and Bonds argued around 3:00 p.m., that
the argument did not become physical, and that he left the apartment after the
argument. At another point, Smith claimed that the argument with Bonds did
become physical but that there was no knife involved in the fight. In Smith’s
final account to the officers, he claimed that Bonds attacked him with a knife,
that he pulled Bonds’ arms down to his sides while he was holding the knife,
and that he may have stabbed Bonds at that time.
[5] Neighbors in the apartments below testified to hearing a loud crash or thud
sound as though someone had fallen or dropped a heavy object, and sounds of
someone moving things around in the apartment. One of the neighbors opened
his apartment door after hearing the loud noises, and saw Smith walking down
the stairs and out of the building carrying something.
[6] Bonds died of a stab wound to the left side of his chest. The injury extended
three to three-and-one-half inches into Bonds’ body, fracturing the rib,
puncturing the lung, and perforating the left ventricle of Bonds’ heart. Dr.
Darin Wolfe, a forensic pathologist, testified that this severe injury would have
caused Bonds to lose blood every time his heart beat. Dr. Wolfe also testified
that death would likely result in about five or ten minutes, and that a person of
slight stature, like Bonds, would enter shock faster than a larger person because
they have a lower blood volume to lose. Dr. Wolfe further testified that this
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injury “would be difficult to survive, even if you were standing there with a
thoracic surgeon next to you.” Tr. Vol. II p. 12. It would have required
significant force to cause this injury. Bonds had injuries consistent with a
struggle, including scratches to the left side of his face and neck, and on the side
of his hands. Bonds also had a large, deep abrasion on the back of his fingers
on his left hand. Smith had a cut on his hand consistent with his hand slipping
onto the blade of a knife, and a bite mark on his chest.
[7] The State charged Smith with murder, and he elected to have a bench trial. At
trial, Smith again claimed that he pulled Bonds’ arms down to his side while
Bonds had the knife, but he testified that he did not stab Bonds. Smith claimed
that, after placing Bonds’ hands at his side, he left the apartment while Bonds
was standing, alive, and not bleeding. Smith also claimed that he did not take
the knife with him and that Bonds had the knife when he left. Smith further
claimed that the apartment was not covered in blood when he left and that he
returned to find Bonds dead and the apartment covered in blood. Smith argued
that he acted in self-defense. The trial court questioned Smith’s credibility.
After reviewing the evidence, the trial court found Smith guilty of murder.
Smith now appeals his conviction.
Analysis
[8] Smith claims there is insufficient evidence to sustain his conviction for murder
and that the State failed to rebut his self-defense claim. The standard of review
for a challenge to the sufficiency of evidence to rebut a claim of self-defense is
the same as the standard for any sufficiency of the evidence claim. Wilson v.
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State, 770 N.E.2d 799, 801 (Ind. 2002). When analyzing a claim of insufficient
evidence to support a conviction, we must consider only the probative evidence
and reasonable inferences supporting the judgment. Sallee v. State, 51 N.E.3d
130, 133 (Ind. 2016). “It is the factfinder’s role, not that of appellate courts, to
assess witness credibility and weigh the evidence to determine whether it is
sufficient to support a conviction.” Id. The evidence does not have to
overcome every reasonable hypothesis of innocence, and it is sufficient if an
inference may reasonably be drawn to support the conviction. Id.
[9] A valid claim of self-defense is legal justification for an otherwise criminal act.
Wallace v. State, 725 N.E.2d 837, 840 (Ind. 2000). “A person is justified in using
reasonable force against any other person to protect the person or a third person
from what the person reasonably believes to be the imminent use of unlawful
force. However, a person: (1) is justified in using deadly force; and (2) does not
have a duty to retreat; if the person reasonably believes that that force is
necessary to prevent serious bodily injury to the person or a third person or the
commission of a forcible felony. No person in this state shall be placed in legal
jeopardy of any kind whatsoever for protecting the person or a third person by
reasonable means necessary.” Ind. Code § 35-41-3-2(c). To prevail on a self-
defense claim, the defendant must show that he: (1) was in a place where he
had a right to be; (2) acted without fault; and (3) was in reasonable fear or
apprehension of bodily harm. Henson v. State, 786 N.E.2d 274, 277 (Ind. 2003).
“When a claim of self-defense is raised and finds support in the evidence, the
State has the burden of negating at least one of the necessary elements.” Wilson
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v. State, 770 N.E.2d 799, 800 (Ind. 2002). “The State may meet this burden by
rebutting the defense directly, by affirmatively showing the defendant did not
act in self-defense, or by simply relying upon the sufficiency of its evidence in
chief.” Miller v. State, 720 N.E.2d 696, 700 (Ind. 1999). “If a defendant is
convicted despite his claim of self-defense, this Court will reverse only if no
reasonable person could say that self-defense was negated by the State beyond a
reasonable doubt.” Wilson, 770 N.E.2d at 800-01.
[10] Smith argues that the State failed to negate his self-defense argument and that
the evidence at trial was not sufficient to sustain the burden of proof.
According to Smith, Bonds was the initial aggressor. Smith claimed that Bonds
had tackled him, struck him with the microwave, and came after him with a
knife. However, the State presented evidence that Smith not only had blood on
his shirt when officers arrived, but Smith also changed his story multiple times
to officers and even at trial. As of the time of trial, Smith claimed that he pulled
Bonds’ arms down to his side while Bonds had the knife, but claimed that he
did not stab Bonds. Smith and Bonds’ neighbors testified to hearing a loud
crash or thud sound on the night in question. Following the loud noise, one of
the neighbors saw Smith walking down the stairs and out of the building
carrying something. Smith claimed that Bonds had the knife when Smith left
the apartment, but officers were unable to locate the murder weapon.
[11] Bonds died of a stab wound to the left side of his chest. Dr. Wolfe testified that
it would have required significant force to cause Bonds’ injury. This court has
held that “[t]he amount of force that an individual may use to protect himself
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must be proportionate to the urgency of the situation.” Pinkston v. State, 821
N.E.2d 830, 842 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004), trans. denied. “When a person uses more
force than is reasonably necessary under the circumstances, the right of self-
defense is extinguished.” Id. Smith’s injuries, conduct, and the amount of force
used on Bonds was not that of someone acting in self-defense, but in fact was
that of someone acting with intent to kill without justification. At the time of
trial, Smith had changed his story once again, claiming that he did not stab
Bonds, and that Bonds was standing, alive, and not bleeding when he left the
apartment. This testimony was wholly inconsistent with a claim of self-defense.
The State presented sufficient evidence to rebut Smith’s self-defense claim.
Conclusion
[12] There is sufficient evidence to sustain Smith’s conviction for murder. We
affirm.
Affirmed.
Najam, J., and Mathias, J., concur.
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