Tramone Antonio Johnson v. Commonwealth of Virginia ( 2014 )


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  •                                              COURT OF APPEALS OF VIRGINIA
    Present: Judges Frank, Humphreys and Chafin
    Argued by teleconference
    UNPUBLISHED
    TRAMONE ANTONIO JOHNSON
    MEMORANDUM OPINION* BY
    v.     Record No. 2319-12-1                                      JUDGE TERESA M. CHAFIN
    MAY 27, 2014
    COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
    FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE CITY OF CHESAPEAKE
    Marjorie T. Arrington, Judge
    Stephen P. Givando for appellant.
    Susan Baumgartner, Assistant Attorney General (Kenneth T.
    Cuccinelli, II, Attorney General, on brief), for appellee.
    In a bench trial, Tramone Antonio Johnson (“appellant”) was found guilty of malicious
    wounding and attempted robbery. On appeal, appellant challenges the sufficiency of the
    evidence to support his convictions and argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion to
    set aside its verdicts because of the Commonwealth’s failure to disclose exculpatory evidence.
    For the reasons that follow, we affirm the decision of the trial court.
    I. BACKGROUND
    On the afternoon of November 14, 2010, Nyshawn Mikell was walking on a concrete
    path behind a shopping center when he saw appellant, Harvey Smith,1 and Jabre Bell
    approaching him. Appellant said Smith’s name loudly and then said, “He like you,” referring to
    *
    Pursuant to Code § 17.1-413, this opinion is not designated for publication.
    1
    Harvey Smith, also known as Harvey Williams, was convicted in connection with this
    incident of attempted robbery and malicious wounding at a separate bench trial held on August
    15, 2011. This Court affirmed his convictions. See Smith v. Commonwealth, No. 1266-12-1,
    2013 Va. App. LEXIS 383 (Va. Ct. App. Dec. 17, 2013).
    Mikell. While walking four or five feet in front of the three men, Mikell saw shadows and heard
    “low noises, like, if someone was following” him, which prompted him to walk faster. The three
    men, however, crept up behind Mikell and “jumped” him, with Smith striking him in the jaw.
    Mikell testified that he “blacked out”2 and fell to the concrete, while all three men continued
    hitting, punching, and kicking him. They shoved his face into the concrete, which chipped one
    of his teeth and damaged another. Mikell’s hands and face were injured, and his lips were
    “busted wide open.” Someone reached into Mikell’s front pockets and possibly his back pants
    pockets as well. As Mikell was staggering and attempting to rise from the ground, he was
    pushed back down and beaten some more. Eventually, Mikell “zoned back into. . .
    consciousness” and ran to a friend’s home. His friend’s parents called the paramedics and the
    police. Following the attack, Mikell received eight stitches in his chin.
    When speaking with the police, Mikell described his attackers, all of whom he
    recognized from school, and provided Smith’s name. Later, Mikell identified their photographs
    in a yearbook.
    Bell testified against appellant pursuant to a plea agreement and partially corroborated
    Mikell. Bell stated he, appellant, and Smith were walking on the path behind the shopping
    center when appellant told Smith that Mikell thought Smith was cute, and then one of them dared
    the other to hit Mikell. Bell testified he kept walking and, when he looked back from fifteen to
    twenty feet away, he saw appellant and Smith fighting Mikell. They fought about thirty seconds,
    and at some point Mikell fell to the ground. Bell claimed he did not know how the altercation
    ended, but he left with appellant and Smith. He further claimed that he did not touch Mikell, but
    2
    As the trial court noted both in its ruling and at a later hearing, the victim repeatedly but
    incorrectly referred to himself as “unconscious” or “blacked out” despite remaining fully aware
    of the attack and able to relate what had happened to him.
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    also stated that his guilty pleas to attempted robbery and assault and battery by a mob were not
    pleas to offenses he did not commit. Bell denied that anyone tried to take anything from Mikell.
    II. ANALYSIS
    A. STANDARD OF REVIEW
    When the sufficiency of the evidence is challenged on appeal, “a reviewing court does
    not ‘ask itself whether it believes that the evidence at the trial established guilt beyond a
    reasonable doubt.’” Crowder v. Commonwealth, 
    41 Va. App. 658
    , 663, 
    588 S.E.2d 384
    , 387
    (2003) (quoting Jackson v. Virginia, 
    443 U.S. 307
    , 318-19 (1979)). “Viewing the evidence in
    the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, as we must since it was the prevailing party in
    the trial court,” Riner v. Commonwealth, 
    268 Va. 296
    , 330, 
    601 S.E.2d 555
    , 574 (2004), “[w]e
    must instead ask whether ‘any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the
    crime beyond a reasonable doubt,’” 
    Crowder, 41 Va. App. at 663
    , 588 S.E.2d at 387 (quoting
    Kelly v. Commonwealth, 
    41 Va. App. 250
    , 257, 
    584 S.E.2d 444
    , 447 (2003) (en banc)). See
    also Maxwell v. Commonwealth, 
    275 Va. 437
    , 442, 
    657 S.E.2d 499
    , 502 (2008). “This familiar
    standard gives full play to the responsibility of the trier of fact fairly to resolve conflicts in the
    testimony, to weigh the evidence, and to draw reasonable inferences from basic facts to ultimate
    facts.” 
    Jackson, 443 U.S. at 319
    .
    B. VICTIM’S IDENTIFICATION OF APPELLANT AS A PERPETRATOR
    On appeal, appellant contends that the Commonwealth did not sufficiently prove
    appellant’s identity as one of Mikell’s attackers. “‘At trial, the Commonwealth bears the burden
    of proving the identity of the accused as [a] perpetrator beyond a reasonable doubt.’” Cuffee v.
    Commonwealth, 
    61 Va. App. 353
    , 364, 
    735 S.E.2d 693
    , 698 (2013) (quoting Blevins v.
    Commonwealth, 
    40 Va. App. 412
    , 423, 
    579 S.E.2d 658
    , 663 (2003)); see Brickhouse v.
    Commonwealth, 
    208 Va. 533
    , 536, 
    159 S.E.2d 611
    , 613-14 (1968). “The factors set forth in Neil
    -3-
    v. Biggers, 
    409 U.S. 188
    (1972), are used to determine ‘whether the identification evidence is
    sufficient, standing alone or in combination with other evidence, to prove beyond a reasonable
    doubt’ the identity of the perpetrator.” 
    Cuffee, 61 Va. App. at 364
    , 735 S.E.2d at 698 (quoting
    Brown v. Commonwealth, 
    37 Va. App. 507
    , 522, 
    559 S.E.2d 415
    , 423 (2002)).
    “[T]he factors to be considered in evaluating the likelihood of
    misidentification include the opportunity of the witness to view the
    criminal at the time of the crime, the witness’ degree of attention,
    the accuracy of the witness’ prior description of the criminal, the
    level of certainty demonstrated by the witness at the confrontation,
    and the length of time between the crime and the confrontation.”
    Id. at 
    364, 735 S.E.2d at 698
    -99 (quoting 
    Biggers, 409 U.S. at 199-200
    ). “Whether an
    identification is reliable ‘depends on the totality of the circumstances.’” 
    Brown, 37 Va. App. at 523
    , 559 S.E.2d at 423 (quoting Satcher v. Commonwealth, 
    244 Va. 220
    , 249, 
    421 S.E.2d 821
    ,
    839 (1992)). “[T]he credibility of the witnesses and the weight to be accorded their testimony
    are matters solely for the fact finder who can accept or reject the testimony in whole or in part.”
    Cooper v. Commonwealth, 
    30 Va. App. 26
    , 29, 
    515 S.E.2d 320
    , 321 (1999) (citations omitted).
    Appellant argues that Mikell’s identification of him as a perpetrator is insufficient
    because Mikell acknowledged at trial that he never actually saw appellant strike him or feel
    through his pockets. Mikell testified that he was attacked from behind, that he was knocked
    unconscious by the first punch from behind, and that he was being beaten by three people
    throwing punches when he regained consciousness. However, Mikell also testified that he saw
    appellant, Smith, and Bell, all whom he recognized from school, approaching and “eying” him
    before he was struck from behind with the first punch. Thus, the record supports the inference
    the victim was not completely unable to witness his attackers as the crime began. See 
    Biggers, 409 U.S. at 199
    .
    Furthermore, Mikell’s testimony identifying appellant as a perpetrator was partially
    corroborated by Bell’s testimony. Testifying pursuant to a plea deal, Bell placed himself,
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    appellant, and Smith at the scene of the crime and described appellant and Smith as being in a
    physical altercation with Mikell. The trial court specifically noted that it had observed Bell’s
    reluctance to testify and considered the possible reasons for, and significance of, that reluctance,
    because “[i]t was my obligation to consider the demeanor of the witnesses and to consider the
    totality of all the evidence presented to me.” The credibility of the victim’s testimony and the
    weight to be accorded it were solely matters for the trial court (acting as the factfinder here), as
    the trial court had “the opportunity to see and hear that evidence as it [was] presented.”
    Sandoval v. Commonwealth, 
    20 Va. App. 133
    , 138, 
    455 S.E.2d 730
    , 731 (1995).
    Thus, there were sufficient facts supporting appellant’s identity as an active participant in
    the crimes. See 
    Cuffee, 61 Va. App. at 365
    , 735 S.E.2d at 699 (explaining that, while the
    witness was not “[one] hundred percent” certain that the defendant was the shooter, other aspects
    of her testimony corroborated her identification of the defendant as the shooter); see also
    Stamper v. Commonwealth, 
    220 Va. 260
    , 273, 
    257 S.E.2d 808
    , 818 (1979) (explaining that the
    “combined force of many concurrent and related circumstances” may “lead a reasonable mind
    irresistibly to a conclusion” (internal quotation marks and citation omitted)).
    C. MALICIOUS WOUNDING
    Appellant contends the trial court erred in convicting him of malicious wounding because
    the evidence proved only a single blow by an unknown assailant, with all injuries caused by
    Mikell’s fall to the ground. And so, appellant argues, there was no evidence presented to show
    that he intended to maim, disfigure, disable, or kill Mikell. We find that this argument is without
    merit.
    “If any person maliciously shoot, stab, cut, or wound any person or by any means cause
    him bodily injury, with the intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or kill, he shall . . . be guilty of a
    Class 3 felony.” Code § 18.2-51. “To be guilty under Code § 18.2-51, a person must intend to
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    permanently, not merely temporarily, harm another person.” Johnson v. Commonwealth, 
    53 Va. App. 79
    , 101, 
    669 S.E.2d 368
    , 378 (2008) (citation omitted). While intent to maim
    ordinarily may not be presumed from a blow with a bare fist, sufficient violence and brutality,
    even in a bare-fisted assault, may demonstrate intent to maim, disfigure, disable, or kill. Burkeen
    v Commonwealth, 
    286 Va. 255
    , 259, 
    749 S.E.2d 172
    , 175 (2013); 
    Johnson, 53 Va. App. at 101-02
    , 669 S.E.2d at 379.
    Intent is often proven circumstantially. Carter v. Commonwealth, 
    280 Va. 100
    , 105, 
    694 S.E.2d 590
    , 594 (2010); see also Wilson v. Commonwealth, 
    249 Va. 95
    , 101, 
    452 S.E.2d 669
    ,
    673-74 (1995) (intent may be proven by a defendant’s acts or statements). “It is permissible for
    the fact finder to infer that every person intends the natural, probable consequences of his or her
    actions.” Ellis v. Commonwealth, 
    281 Va. 499
    , 507, 
    706 S.E.2d 849
    , 853 (2011). In other
    words, a defendant’s “intent must be determined from the outward manifestation of his actions
    leading to usual and natural results, under the peculiar facts and circumstances disclosed. This
    determination presents a factual question which lies peculiarly within the province of the [fact
    finder].” Ingram v. Commonwealth, 
    192 Va. 794
    , 801-02, 
    66 S.E.2d 846
    , 850 (1951).
    In Johnson, this Court affirmed a conviction for malicious wounding where the defendant
    delivered a single blow with a bare fist to the head of the victim, knocking the victim to the
    ground and resulting in a concussion, two cuts, and a sore shoulder. 
    Johnson, 53 Va. App. at 87
    ,
    669 S.E.2d at 371-72. The totality of the circumstances demonstrated the defendant’s intent.
    First, the attack was unprovoked, and the unsuspecting victim was defenseless and thus was
    more likely to suffer serious injury; “[t]he lack of provocation [was] significant evidence of an
    intent to seriously harm.” 
    Id. at 104,
    669 S.E.2d at 380. Second, the Court noted the victim’s
    “significant” injuries and also that the attacker “employed [such] great force in striking” his
    victim that he fell to the floor as well, and the use of such force also “indicates an intent to
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    severely harm.” 
    Id. Lastly, the
    defendant in that case made statements after the attack indicating
    that the attack was premeditated and was intended to punish the victim for perceived injustices.
    
    Id. Similarly, in
    Burkeen, the Supreme Court noted that, “It is proper for a court to consider
    not only the method by which a victim is wounded, but also the circumstances under which that
    injury was inflicted in determining whether there is sufficient evidence to prove an intent to
    maim, disfigure, disable or kill.” 
    Burkeen, 286 Va. at 260-61
    , 749 S.E.2d at 175. In Burkeen,
    the victim was struck “while he was defenseless and not expecting such a blow.” 
    Id. The defendant
    sought to continue the attack and was stopped only by another’s intervention. Hence,
    there was sufficient evidence of his intent to maim. 
    Id. at 261,
    749 S.E.2d at 176.
    In this case, Mikell was attacked without provocation. The only interaction between
    Mikell and his attackers was appellant’s comment made about him that preceded the attack, and
    then a dare between appellant and Smith to start the attack. Mikell was then struck from behind
    with enough force to knock him to the ground. It is a reasonable inference that appellant was
    then one of the three people beating Mikell as he lay on the ground, struggling to rise and instead
    having his face ground into the concrete. Here, Mikell received eight stitches and suffered a
    permanently damaged tooth. Moreover, in addition to the inherent viciousness of a three-on-one
    attack, the trial court had the opportunity to observe both appellant and Mikell and consider their
    relative sizes in determining intent. See Williams v. Commonwealth, 
    13 Va. App. 393
    , 398, 
    412 S.E.2d 202
    , 205 (1991) (even if not reflected in the record, a trial court has the ability to observe
    an attacker and his victim’s relative sizes when considering intent).
    Appellant argues that the testimony merely shows that Mikell was struck once by Smith,
    causing him to fall forward and receive all injuries, “entirely consistent” with the fall. There is
    no evidence, however, that Mikell’s facial injuries, broken tooth, or cut hands were caused by a
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    fall rather than from an attack. Moreover, Johnson mischaracterizes the evidence by claiming
    Mikell did not testify that he was assaulted after he fell to the walkway. Although Mikell
    improperly used the term “unconscious,” he made clear through his testimony that he felt himself
    “being beaten, compulsively beaten. . . . Hit. Punched. Kicked.” Appellant’s reliance on any
    inconsistencies is plainly misplaced on appeal. The trial court in its role as factfinder resolved
    any inconsistencies within Mikell’s testimony, and we will not disturb that finding on appeal.
    See 
    Cuffee, 61 Va. App. at 366
    , 735 S.E.2d at 699 (Inconsistencies in the witness’ testimony
    generally “go toward the [factfinder’s] weighing of the credibility of the witnesses, a matter
    within its sound discretion.”).
    For the reasons stated, there was sufficient evidence for the trial court to determine
    Johnson intended to permanently maim, disfigure, disable, or kill Mikell.
    D. ATTEMPTED ROBBERY
    Appellant argues that, “[a]part from Mikell’s vague recollection of someone checking his
    pockets as he began to regain consciousness, the Commonwealth presented no evidence that
    anyone attempted to take any property from Mikell.” We find that no other evidence was
    needed.
    Robbery is “the taking, with intent to steal, of the personal property of another, from his
    person or in his presence, against his will, by violence or intimidation.” Williams v.
    Commonwealth, 
    278 Va. 633
    , 637, 
    685 S.E.2d 178
    , 180 (2009). Mikell testified that three
    people, whom he knew as appellant, Bell, and Smith, beat him “brutally” by sneaking up behind
    him moments after they passed him. The three individuals continued to beat him while he lay on
    the ground. One of the attackers then reached into his pants pockets, “rummaged to see if
    [Mikell] had any belongings, any weapons, anything like that, money.” Mikell believed all his
    pants pockets were rummaged, and he was positive the front two were. Given the evidence that
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    Bell, Smith, and appellant attacked him in concert, it does not matter which one actually reached
    into his pockets. See, e.g., McMorris v. Commonwealth, 
    276 Va. 500
    , 505-06, 
    666 S.E.2d 348
    ,
    351 (2008) (accomplice liability exists where concert of action and shared intent or resulting
    crime was natural and probable consequence of wrongful act). Thus, sufficient facts support the
    trial court’s ruling to deny the defendant’s motion to strike and to find him guilty of attempted
    robbery.
    E. DISCLOSURE OF EXCULPATORY EVIDENCE
    Appellant argues that the Commonwealth violated Brady v. Maryland, 
    373 U.S. 83
    (1963), and its progeny by allegedly suppressing Mikell’s testimony at Smith’s trial and not
    revealing before trial that Bell would testify that he did not witness any assault or attempted
    robbery by appellant and Smith while Mikell was on the ground. For the reasons that follow, we
    find that if any error was made by the trial court in this regard, such error was harmless.
    In 
    Brady, 373 U.S. at 87
    , the Supreme Court of the United States held “that the
    suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused . . . violates due process
    where the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment, irrespective of the good faith or
    bad faith of the prosecution.” Under settled principles, there are “three components of a true
    Brady violation,” Strickler v. Greene, 
    527 U.S. 263
    , 281 (1999), and “[t]he accused has the
    burden of establishing each of these three components to prevail on a Brady claim,”
    Commonwealth v. Tuma, 
    285 Va. 629
    , 635, 
    740 S.E.2d 14
    , 17 (2013) (citing Skinner v. Switzer,
    
    131 S. Ct. 1289
    , 1300 (2011)). The first two components require the evidence to be favorable to
    the defendant and to have been suppressed by the prosecution. The third component, as
    necessary as the first two, is that the defendant must prove prejudice. See 
    Tuma, 285 Va. at 636
    ,
    740 S.E.2d at 18 (noting that, under Brady, “a defendant must show that the failure to earlier
    -9-
    disclose prejudiced him because it came so late that the information disclosed could not be
    effectively used at trial” (internal quotation marks omitted)).
    The victim in this case, Mikell, previously testified in co-defendant Smith’s case. In that
    matter, Mikell testified that he was punched by an unidentified person from behind and knocked
    unconscious. When he regained consciousness, he was no longer being attacked. At appellant’s
    trial, Mikell testified that he was “struck in my jaw, Your Honor. I was struck in my jaw with
    Mr. Smith’s right hand. As I was struck in my jaw, I completely blacked out.” He also
    described being hit, punched, and kicked. He said that he “tried to get back up,” but he was
    pushed down. He also felt someone going through his pockets. He further stated, “[W]hen I
    zoned back into, you know – I had – was back able to regain my consciousness, and that’s when
    I had ran [sic] across the street . . . .” Mikell knew the name of one of the attackers, and after
    looking at a yearbook, he was able to identify the other two attackers, including appellant.
    On cross-examination at appellant’s trial, counsel clarified that Mikell “blacked out”
    when he fell to the ground and was “no longer able to describe events that [were] occurring
    around [him].” Mikell also explained that he never saw who pushed him down. He felt someone
    checking his pockets after he regained consciousness, but he did not see the person. During
    closing argument, appellant’s counsel argued that the trial court should not rely on Mikell’s
    testimony because Mikell “blacked out” and “lost consciousness.”
    After hearing all of the evidence and argument, the trial court found appellant guilty of
    malicious wounding and attempted robbery. After the conviction, appellant filed a motion to set
    aside the verdict. He argued that the Commonwealth erred in not providing him with Mikell’s
    testimony at Smith’s trial. He claimed that Mikell testified inconsistently because he did not
    state in the earlier trial who hit him, as he did in appellant’s trial. Appellant argued that if
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    Mikell’s testimony was consistent with his testimony in the previous trial, appellant would not
    have been convicted.
    In ruling on the motion to set aside the verdict, the trial court stated that, “based on the
    argument that I’ve heard now, I do not find that my confidence in the verdict that I made then is
    undermined. I don’t find a reasonable probability.”
    On appeal, appellant argues that the evidence was exculpatory and material. He contends
    it raises a question as to the confidence in the verdict.
    “[A] constitutional error occurs, and the conviction must be reversed, only if the evidence
    is material in the sense that its suppression undermines confidence in the outcome of the trial.”
    United States v. Bagley, 
    473 U.S. 667
    , 678 (1985).
    Evidence is material “‘if there is a reasonable probability that, had
    the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the
    proceeding would have been different.’” 
    Strickler, 527 U.S. at 280
                   (quoting 
    Bagley, 473 U.S. at 682
    ). However, it is not necessary to
    demonstrate “by a preponderance that disclosure of the suppressed
    evidence would have resulted ultimately in the defendant’s
    acquittal.” Kyles v. Whitley, 
    514 U.S. 419
    , 434 (1995). A
    conviction must be reversed if the accused shows “that the
    favorable evidence could reasonably be taken to put the whole case
    in such a different light as to undermine confidence in the verdict.”
    
    Id. at 435.
    Coley v. Commonwealth, 
    55 Va. App. 624
    , 631, 
    688 S.E.2d 288
    , 292 (2010) (citations omitted).
    In this case, the record indicated that the trial court heard about Mikell’s inconsistencies
    during the trial and nevertheless found his testimony to be credible. The trial court also believed
    Mikell’s testimony over that of Bell. “The credibility of the witnesses and the weight accorded
    the evidence are matters solely for the fact finder who has the opportunity to see and hear that
    evidence as it is presented.” 
    Sandoval, 20 Va. App. at 138
    , 455 S.E.2d at 732. Assuming
    without deciding that the evidence was exculpatory, the fact that appellant did not receive a copy
    of the previous hearing’s transcript does not undermine the confidence in the outcome of
    - 11 -
    appellant’s trial. Mikell testified that he was unconscious after he was hit in the jaw, and
    appellant zealously cross-examined him on this fact. The trial court had this information when it
    considered whether appellant was guilty. Therefore, the trial court did not err when it denied
    appellant’s motion to set aside the verdict.
    III. CONCLUSION
    The evidence at trial was sufficient beyond a reasonable doubt to convict appellant of
    malicious wounding and attempted robbery. Accordingly, for the foregoing reasons, we affirm
    those convictions.
    Affirmed.
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