Jason Richmond v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

MEMORANDUM DECISION
FILED
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
May 24 2016, 8:53 am
this Memorandum Decision shall not be
regarded as precedent or cited before any CLERK
Indiana Supreme Court
court except for the purpose of establishing Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
the defense of res judicata, collateral
estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Jeffrey E. Kimmell Gregory F. Zoeller
South Bend, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
Tyler G. Banks
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Jason Richmond, May 24, 2016
Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.
71A03-1511-CR-1901
v. Appeal from the St. Joseph
Superior Court
State of Indiana, The Honorable Jeffrey Sanford,
Appellee-Plaintiff. Judge
Trial Court Cause No.
71D03-1404-CM-1626
Altice, Judge.
Case Summary
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[1] Following a bench trial, Jason Richmond was convicted of class A
misdemeanor Domestic Battery. Richmond now appeals, contending that the
State presented insufficient evidence to rebut his claim of self-defense.
[2] We affirm.
Facts & Procedural History
[3] On the evening of April 27, 2014, Richmond and his wife, Andrea, were lying
in bed together when Richmond said that he planned to file for divorce the next
day. Andrea got up and left the room briefly before returning and telling
Richmond that she had been in bed first and that he should sleep on the couch.
Richmond refused and called Andrea a number of crude names. In response to
one of these insults, Andrea slapped Richmond and told him never to call her
that again. Richmond repeated the slur, and Andrea slapped him again.
Richmond then grabbed her wrist and climbed on top of her, pinning her to the
bed while continuing to call her names. To free herself, Andrea bit Richmond
on the chest.
[4] Once she got away from Richmond, Andrea ran to their infant son’s bedroom
to collect the child and leave. Richmond pursued her and shoved her into a
chair in the baby’s room. Andrea then grabbed Richmond’s testicles and
squeezed, which held him off until he hit her in the face. Andrea then got up to
leave the room, Richmond pushed her down and forced her arms up to her
throat and choked her with her own arms. Andrea told him that she could not
breathe and that he needed to stop, and he said he did not care. Richmond told
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Andrea to call 911, and she responded that she was trying. She was able to get
an arm free and dial 911, and as soon as she did so, Richmond ripped the
phone from her hand and spoke to the operator as if he was the one who had
placed the call.
[5] Officer Joel Cyrier of the Mishawaka Police Department was dispatched to the
scene. When he arrived, Andrea was outside of the house with her infant son,
crying and pointing at her facial injuries. Andrea was visibly upset and
shaking, and Cyrier noted a “cut with blood” near her eye, “visible marks
across her neck,” and scratch marks in various places on her body. Transcript at
16. Richmond had no visible injuries and appeared “very calm, very collected,”
and did not complain of any pain. Id. at 17. Richmond told Officer Cyrier that
“nothing she can do can physically harm me.” Id. When Officer Cyrier asked
Richmond about Andrea’s cell phone, Richmond responded that he had it and
pulled it out of his pocket.
[6] As a result of these events, Andrea and Richmond were both arrested.
Richmond was subsequently charged with class A misdemeanor domestic
battery. Following a bench trial at which he argued that he had acted in self-
defense, Richmond was found guilty as charged. Richmond now appeals.
Discussion
[7] On appeal, Richmond argues that the State presented insufficient evidence to
rebut his self-defense claim. The standard for reviewing a challenge to the
sufficiency of evidence to rebut a claim of self-defense is the same standard used
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for any claim of insufficient evidence. Wallace v. State, 725 N.E.2d 837, 840
(Ind. 2000). We neither reweigh the evidence nor judge the credibility of
witnesses. Id. If there is sufficient evidence of probative value to support the
conclusion of the trier of fact, the judgment will not be disturbed. Id. “A valid
claim of self-defense is legal justification for an otherwise criminal act.” Id.
[8] To prevail on his self-defense claim, Richmond 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); see also Ind. Code. § 35-41-3-2. A person who provokes,
instigates, or participates willingly in the violence does not act without fault for
the purposes of self-defense. Shoultz v. State, 995 N.E.2d 647, 660 (Ind. Ct.
App. 2013). Additionally, the degree of force used must be proportionate to the
requirements of the situation, and a claim of self-defense will fail where a
person has used more force than is reasonably necessary to repel an attack.
Weedman v. State, 21 N.E.3d 873, 892 (Ind. Ct. App. 2014), trans. denied.
[9] When a self-defense claim is raised and finds support in the evidence, the State
bears the burden of negating at least one of the necessary elements. Wilson, 770
N.E.2d at 800. The State may meet its burden by offering evidence directly
rebutting the defense, by affirmatively showing that the defendant did not act in
self-defense, or by relying upon the sufficiency of the evidence from its case-in-
chief. Miller v. State, 720 N.E.2d 696, 700 (Ind. 1999). If a defendant is
convicted despite his claim of self-defense, we will reverse only if no reasonable
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person could say that self-defense was negated beyond a reasonable doubt.
Wilson, 770 N.E.2d at 801.
[10] Richmond’s arguments on appeal are merely requests to reweigh the evidence,
judge the credibility of witnesses, and consider evidence unfavorable to the
verdict, which we will not do on appeal. At Richmond’s trial, the State
conceded that Andrea was the initial aggressor because she slapped Richmond
in the face when he called her names. After this initial confrontation, however,
Andrea left the room to collect their infant son and leave. 1 Richmond pursued
her into the baby’s room and shoved her into a chair and, when she responded
by squeezing his testicles, hit her in the face. When Andrea attempted to leave
once more, Richmond pushed her down and choked her. As our Supreme
Court has observed, “[a] person claiming self-defense cannot reasonably base a
belief that the threat is imminent on the actions of another who has withdrawn
from the confrontation.” Henson, 786 N.E.2d at 278. Moreover, Richmond
told Officer Cyrier that “nothing [Andrea] can do can physically harm [him].”
Transcript at 17. For all of these reasons, it was reasonable for the factfinder to
find that Richmond was not in reasonable fear of bodily harm and therefore
reject his self-defense claim.
1
Richmond’s argument that he was trying to prevent Andrea from leaving with the baby because she was
intoxicated is based solely on his own testimony, which the fact finder was in no way obligated to credit.
Officer Cyrier testified that no one at the scene appeared to be intoxicated and that neither Andrea nor
Richmond smelled like alcoholic beverages.
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[11] Judgment affirmed.
[12] Bailey, J. and Bradford, J., concur.
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