v.
Lavelle Moore
06/29/2017 IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE AT JACKSON February 7, 2017 Session
STATE OF TENNESSEE v. LAVELLE MOORE
Appeal from the Criminal Court for Shelby County No. 13-06261 James M. Lammey, Judge ___________________________________
No. W2016-00094-CCA-R3-CD ___________________________________
A Shelby County jury convicted the defendant, Lavelle Moore, of six counts of theft of property over $500 but less than $1000. The trial court merged the convictions into two counts and imposed an effective sentence of twelve years. On appeal, the defendant contends the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions; the trial court abused its discretion by ruling the defendant could be impeached with his prior theft conviction; the theft convictions violate double jeopardy; the trial court erred by ordering the defendant, during deliberations, to stand before the jury and display his eyes; the trial court abused its discretion by telling the jury to keep working after it reached an impasse; and the trial court abused its discretion when imposing consecutive sentences. After a thorough review of the record, we conclude the evidence was sufficient; the trial court properly allowed the defendant to be impeached with his prior theft conviction; and the convictions did not violate principles of double jeopardy. However, we also conclude the trial court erred when allowing the jury to view the defendant’s eyes in close proximity for the first time after the case had been submitted to the jury. This error was not harmless. Accordingly, we reverse the judgments of the trial court and remand for a new trial. Because we have remanded this matter for a new trial, the defendant’s final issues concerning the trial court directing the jury to continue deliberations and sentencing are pretermitted.
Tenn. R. App. R. 3 Appeal as of Right; Judgments of the Criminal Court Reversed and Remanded
J. ROSS DYER, J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which THOMAS T. WOODALL, P.J., and CAMILLE R. MCMULLEN, J., joined.
Lance R. Chism, Memphis, Tennessee, for the appellant, Lavelle Moore.
Herbert H. Slatery III, Attorney General and Reporter; Zachary T. Hinkle, Assistant Attorney General; Amy P. Weirich, District Attorney General; and Chris Lareau, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.
OPINION
Facts and Procedural History
The record reflects a Shelby County grand jury indicted the defendant on December 19, 2013, for theft of property over $500 – conduct involving merchandise. His jury trial went forward May 12, 2015, and the parties presented the following evidence:
Around 10:00 a.m. on March 10, 2012, the defendant entered a Best Buy store in Shelby County, Tennessee. David Tolbert, a Best Buy employee, witnessed the defendant walking around the store, holding a bag, and wearing black pants, a black shirt, and a black hat. Video surveillance from the store shows the defendant walking through the store holding a blue bag with an item in it. As the defendant exited the store, the security alarm sounded. Store employees noted the defendant was carrying a bag containing a laptop with a security device still attached. They asked the defendant to produce a receipt for the laptop, and he refused.
Around 7:44 p.m. the same day, the defendant returned to Best Buy with another man. The defendant wore the same black pants, black shirt, and back hat. Justin Jaynes, a Best Buy employee, noticed the man with the defendant carrying a bag containing a Toshiba laptop, and asked Patrick Hitt, a Best Buy employee working at the asset protection desk, to check the man’s receipt before allowing him to leave the store. When the men exited the store, Mr. Hitt complied and asked to see the receipt and the contents of the bag. Matthew Salamon, another Best Buy employee, approached and witnessed the defendant hand a receipt to Mr. Hitt, while his accomplice walked into the parking lot with the bag, sounding the security alarm. Mr. Hitt told the defendant he needed to see the contents of the bag, and the defendant grabbed the receipt from Mr. Hitt’s hand, said “f**k you,” and walked into the parking lot.
Once in the parking lot, the defendant and his accomplice got into the same car, and the defendant drove away. Mr. Salamon recorded the license plate number on the vehicle and contacted Detective Raual Gonzales with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department. Detective Gonzales researched the tag numbers and determined the vehicle was registered to the defendant. Mr. Salamon performed an inventory check after the store closed and noted two laptops were missing – a Samsung with an $873 value, and a Toshiba with a $750 value.
[*2]A couple weeks after the theft, Detective Gonzales returned to Best Buy with a photo lineup. Mr. Tolbert could not identify the defendant, but Mr. Salamon did. Mr. Salamon testified he was able to identify the defendant in the lineup due to his eyes because “[h]is eyes are very dark, and they just – they stand out to me.” Both Mr. Hitt and Mr. Tolbert also acknowledged remembering the defendant due to his eyes. According to Mr. Tolbert, “there was something strange about his eyes.” According to Mr. Hitt, he remembered the shape of the defendant’s eyes and the way “he looked at me directly in the eyes when he said, ‘F**k you,’ to me, and you know that was something that I didn’t really forget.”
The State called Mr. Tolbert, Detective Gonzales, Mr. Jaynes, Mr. Hitt, and Mr. Salamon to testify at trial. In addition, the State played store surveillance video from the day in question, and Mr. Salamon identified the defendant in footage from both the morning and evening thefts. The defendant did not present proof.
After closing arguments and being charged, the jury began to deliberate at 10:52 a.m. on May 14, 2015, and subsequently broke for lunch from 12:39 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. At 2:11 p.m., the jury sent a note to the trial court indicating they were deadlocked. The trial court told the jury to continue to deliberate. Deliberations resumed, and at 2:29 p.m., the trial court informed the parties that the jury “wants to take a look – close up look at the defendant’s eyes.” The defendant objected, stating he had been in the court room for two days, giving the jury ample opportunities to observe his eyes. The trial judge disagreed, noting the defendant raised the defendant’s eyes on cross-examination and relied heavily on the identification of the defendant only by his eyes in closing. The trial court found it would “only be fair that [the jury] should be able to get a better look at his eyes,” particularly due to the good lighting in Best Buy and the poor lighting in the courtroom. The trial court then directed the defendant to stand close to the jury, in the light, and walk in multiple directions. The jury resumed deliberations at 2:42 p.m. and returned a verdict at 3:20 p.m., finding the defendant guilty of six counts of theft of property over $500 but less than $1000.
The defendant’s sentencing hearing went forward September 23, 2015. The trial court noted counts one through three and counts four through six were alternative factual scenarios for the same theft, so counts two and three merged into count one and counts five and six merged into count four. When considering the applicable enhancement factors, the trial court found the defendant had a previous history of criminal convictions and behavior in addition to that necessary to establish the appropriate range. Moreover, the defendant was on probation at the time he committed the crimes at issue. The trial court, therefore, sentenced the defendant as a Range 3, persistent offender, to two sentences of six years to be served at forty-five percent. After finding the defendant to be a professional criminal who knowingly devoted his life to criminal acts as a major source of livelihood, the trial court ordered the defendant to serve these sentences consecutively, for a total effective sentence of twelve years.
[*3]The defendant filed a timely motion for new trial, arguing, in part: the trial court erred when allowing the defendant to be impeached with a prior felony conviction for theft over $1000; the trial court erred when responding to a jury question; the trial court erred when allowing the jury to observe the defendant’s eyes after the close of proof and while in the process of deliberating; and the trial court erred when sentencing the defendant. The trial court denied the motion on November 23, 2015. The defendant filed a motion for permission to file a late notice of appeal in this Court on January 14, 2016. On January 20, 2016, this Court, pursuant to Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 4(a), found that the interest of justice required the waiver of the timely filing of the defendant’s notice of appeal, so the defendant proceeding with filing his late notice on January 27, 2016.
Analysis
On appeal, the defendant argues: the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions; the trial court abused its discretion by ruling he could be impeached with his prior theft conviction; his convictions violate the double jeopardy clauses; the trial court erred by not giving the expanded identity jury instruction; the trial court erred by ordering the defendant to display his eyes to the jury during deliberations; the trial court abused its discretion by telling the jury to keep working when it was clear the jury was unable to reach a verdict; and the trial court abused its discretion when ordering consecutive sentencing.
I. Sufficiency of Evidence
When the sufficiency of the evidence is challenged, the relevant question of the reviewing court is “whether, after viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt.” Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319 (1979); see also Tenn. R. App. P. 13(e) (“Findings of guilt in criminal actions whether by the trial court or jury shall be set aside if the evidence is insufficient to support the findings by the trier of fact of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”); State v. Evans, 838 S.W.2d 185, 190-92 (Tenn. 1992); State v. Anderson, 835 S.W.2d 600, 604 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1992). All questions involving the credibility of witnesses, the weight and value to be given the evidence, and all factual issues are resolved by the trier of fact. See State v. Pappas, 754 S.W.2d 620, 623 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1987). “A guilty verdict by the jury, approved by the trial judge, accredits the testimony of the witnesses for the State and resolves all conflicts in favor of the theory of the State.” State v. Grace, 493 S.W.2d 474, 476 (Tenn. 1973). Our Supreme Court has stated the rationale for this rule:
[*4]This well-settled rule rests on a sound foundation. The trial judge and the jury see the witnesses face to face, hear their testimony and observe their demeanor on the stand. Thus the trial judge and jury are the primary instrumentality of justice to determine the weight and credibility to be given to the testimony of witnesses. In the trial forum alone is there human atmosphere and the totality of the evidence cannot be reproduced with a written record in this Court.
Bolin v. State, 405 S.W.2d 768, 771 (Tenn. 1966) (citing Carroll v. State, 370 S.W.2d 523 (1963)). “A jury conviction removes the presumption of innocence with which a defendant is initially cloaked and replaces it with one of guilt, so that on appeal a convicted defendant has the burden of demonstrating that the evidence is insufficient.” State v. Tuggle, 639 S.W.2d 913, 914 (Tenn. 1982).
Guilt may be found beyond a reasonable doubt where there is direct evidence, circumstantial evidence, or a combination of the two. State v. Matthews, 805 S.W.2d 776, 779 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1990) (citing State v. Brown, 551 S.W.2d 329, 331 (Tenn. 1977); Farmer v. State, 343 S.W.2d 895, 897 (Tenn. 1961)). The standard of review for sufficiency of the evidence “‘is the same whether the conviction is based upon direct or circumstantial evidence.’” State v. Dorantes, 331 S.W.3d 370, 379 (Tenn. 2011) (quoting State v. Hanson, 279 S.W.3d 265, 275 (Tenn. 2009)). The jury as the trier of fact must evaluate the credibility of the witnesses, determine the weight given to witnesses’ testimony, and reconcile all conflicts in the evidence. State v. Campbell, 245 S.W.3d 331, 335 (Tenn. 2008) (citing Byrge v. State, 575 S.W.2d 292, 295 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1978)). Moreover, the jury determines the weight to be given to circumstantial evidence and the inferences to be drawn from this evidence, and the extent to which the circumstances are consistent with guilt and inconsistent with innocence are questions primarily for the jury. Dorantes, 331 S.W.3d at 379 (citing State v. Rice, 184 S.W.3d 646, 662 (Tenn. 2006)). This Court, when considering the sufficiency of the evidence, shall not reweigh the evidence or substitute its inferences for those drawn by the trier of fact. Id.
Under Tennessee law, a person commits theft of property if, with intent to deprive the owner of property, the person knowingly obtains or exercises control over the property without the owner’s effective consent. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-14-103(a). For the purposes of Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-14-103, a person commits theft of merchandise if, with intent to deprive the merchant of the stated price of the merchandise, the person knowingly conceals, removes, takes possession of, or causes the removal of the merchandise. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-14-103(a). “A person acts knowingly with respect to a result of the person’s conduct when the person is aware that the conduct is reasonably certain to cause the result.” Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-11-302(b).
[*5]At trial, the State had to prove the defendant intended to deprive Best Buy of property, and the defendant knowingly concealed, removed, took possession of, or caused the removal of merchandise. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-14-146. To sustain the defendant’s Class E felony conviction, the State also had to prove the value of the property was over $500. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-14-105(2). Tennessee Code Annotated section 39-11-106 defines “value” as “(i) [t]he fair market value of the property or service at the time and place of the offense; or (ii) [i]f the fair market value of the property cannot be ascertained, the cost of replacing the property within a reasonable time after the offense[.]” Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-11-106(a)(36)(A). The fair market value of property is a question of fact for the trier of fact. See State v. Hamm, 611 S.W.2d 826, 828-29 (Tenn.1981); see also, State v. Leverette, No. M2009-01286-CCA-R3-CD, 2010 WL 2943290, at *2 (Tenn. Crim. App. Jul. 26, 2010).
In the present matter, the defendant argues the evidence is insufficient to support his convictions for theft of property over $500. With respect to the morning incident, the defendant asserts the State did not adequately identify the defendant, failed to present proof he concealed the laptop into his bag, and failed to prove the value of the laptop. However, despite being unable to identify the perpetrator in the lineup presented two weeks after the incident, Mr. Tolbert was able to identify the defendant at trial. Mr. Salamon, who witnessed the defendant in the store during the evening incident, positively identified him during the morning incident based on surveillance video footage. Mr. Tolbert testified that he saw the defendant in the store holding a bag the morning of May 10, 2012, and Mr. Salamon confirmed this when explaining the surveillance video to the jury. Critical to the eyewitnesses’ identification of the defendant was a detailed description of his eyes. While this proof is required to be considered when reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, it also magnifies the harm of the trial court’s error which requires reversal of the convictions and remand for a new trial.
The security alarm sounded when the defendant exited the store the morning of May 10, 2012, and Mr. Tolbert noted the defendant had a bag containing a laptop bound with a security device. The inventory check performed at the end of the day revealed two missing laptop computers, one Samsung and one Toshiba. Mr. Salamon saw the Toshiba laptop in the bag carried by the defendant’s accomplice during the theft that occurred later the evening of May 10, 2012, and reasoned the missing Samsung laptop was the one taken by the defendant that morning. Mr. Salamon testified the Samsung laptop had a value of “eight seventy-three.”
[*6]Considering this testimony in the light most favorable to the State, there was ample evidence at trial to support the defendant’s conviction for theft of property over $500 as a result of the morning incident. By challenging the reliability of the identification of the defendant by Mr. Tolbert and Mr. Salamon, the defendant questions the credibility of their testimony. The trier of fact is in a better position than this Court to assess the credibility of witnesses, determine the weight of the evidence and the value afforded it, and resolve any conflicts in the evidence. State v. Odom, 928 S.W.2d 18, 23 (Tenn. 1996). We will not disturb this credibility finding on appeal.
Moreover, the defendant’s challenge of Mr. Salamon’s testimony regarding the value of the stolen Samsung computer is without merit. The fair market value of property is a question of fact for the jury that may be demonstrated through testimony as to the listed price of the stolen merchandise. See State v. Leverette, No. M2009-01286-CCA- R3-CD, 2010 WL 2943290, at *2 (Tenn. Crim. App. July 26, 2010) (finding sufficient evidence for a rational trier of fact to find the fair market value of the stolen property to be over $500 where store employees testified eight tires were stolen, and those tires typically sold in the store for $79 each). Through its verdict, the jury found the stolen Samsung computer to have a fair market value of $873. Juries are able to use their collective knowledge, experience, and common sense when reaching factual determinations, and a rational jury could find that when testifying the stolen Samsung laptop had a value of “eight seventy-three,” Mr. Salamon meant $873. See State v. Keen, 31 S.W.3d 196, 212 (Tenn. 2000) (stating “[a] jury’s ability to use its collective knowledge, experience, and common sense to assist in reaching a determination in these weighty and complex matters is the very strength of the jury system”). The defendant is not entitled to relief on this issue.
With respect to the evening incident, the defendant again contends the State failed to establish the defendant’s identity as the perpetrator of the offense. The defendant argues Mr. Salamon’s identification occurred over two weeks after the theft, making it suspect. Likewise, when the State asked Mr. Hitt at trial whether he saw the suspect in the courtroom, Mr. Hitt expressed hesitation by stating, “I believe so.” Again, the defendant challenges the credibility of the testimony rendered by Mr. Salamon and Mr. Hitt, and this Court does not make credibility determinations. The defendant is not entitled to relief on this issue.
The defendant further contends the evidence was insufficient to establish he committed theft of property the evening of March 10, 2012. According to the defendant, the man with him carried the bag containing the Toshiba laptop; the defendant himself did not physically take anything out of the store that night. In addition, the defendant contends the State failed to prove the value of the laptop. Our review of the record, however, reveals the defendant exited the store with the man carrying the laptop, attempted to present a receipt for the item carried by his companion, refused the store employee’s request to inspect the contents of the bag, and drove away with the other man in a car registered in the defendant’s name. Mr. Salamon saw the Toshiba laptop in the bag carried by the defendant’s accomplice and, with respect to the value of the laptop, testified “I believe it was seven fifty.”
[*7]When viewing this evidence in the light most favorable to the State, the evidence was sufficient to show the defendant intended to deprive Best Buy of the laptop and knowingly caused it to be removed from the store the evening of May 10, 2012. With respect to the value of the property, again, the evidence was sufficient for a rational jury to conclude the stolen Toshiba laptop had a fair market value of $750. The defendant is not entitled to relief on this issue.
II. Impeachment with Prior Conviction
The defendant next contends the trial court abused its discretion by ruling the defendant could be impeached with his prior conviction for theft of property over $1000 in the event he testified at trial. He argues the prior offense was identical or substantially similar to the offense for which he was tried, so the probative value did not outweigh the prejudicial effect on the substantive issues. The State argues the trial court did not err when it determined the defendant’s prior conviction would be admissible. Discerning no error, we affirm the decision of the trial court.
This Court reviews the trial court’s ruling on the admissibility of a prior conviction for impeachment purposes under an abuse of discretion standard. State v. Russell, 382 S.W.3d 312, 317 (Tenn. 2012). “A trial court abuses its discretion when it applies an incorrect legal standard or reaches a decision that is against logic or reasoning that causes an injustice to the party complaining.” Id.
Tennessee Rule of Evidence 609 allows impeachment with a prior conviction if these conditions are satisfied:
(a) [T]he conviction is for a crime punishable by death or imprisonment in excess of one year, or the conviction is for a misdemeanor which involved dishonesty or false statement; (b) less than ten years has elapsed between the date the accused was released from confinement and the commencement of the subject prosecution; (c) the State gives reasonable pretrial written notice of the particular conviction or convictions it intends to use as impeachment; and (d) the trial court concludes that the probative value of the prior conviction on the issue of credibility outweighs its unfair prejudicial effect on the substantive issues.
[*8]State v. Mixon, 983 S.W.2d 661, 674 (Tenn. 1999).
When determining whether the probative value of the prior conviction outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice, the trial court should “analyze the relevance of the impeaching conviction as to the issue of credibility.” Id. If the trial court finds the prior conviction is relevant, then it should state the reason for its finding on the record, and “‘assess the similarity between the crime on trial and the crime underlying the impeaching conviction.’” Mixon, 983 S.W.2d at 674 (quoting Cohen, Sheppeard Paine, Tennessee Law of Evidence § 609.9 at 376 (3d ed. 1995)). The potential for prejudice as to the substantive issues increases greatly when the impeaching conviction is the same as the crime for which the accused is being tried. Mixon, 983 S.W.2d at 674. However, “[t]he mere fact a prior conviction of the accused is identical or similar in nature to the offense for which the accused is being tried does not, as a matter of law, bar the use of the conviction to impeach him as a witness.” State v. Baker, 956 S.W.2d 8, 15 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1997). Convictions for theft and burglary are crimes of dishonesty and, as such, are “highly probative of credibility.” Id. Accordingly, this Court has affirmed the use of prior convictions for impeachment purposes even when the defendant is being tried for the same or similar offense. See, e.g., State v. Mickey Edwards, No. W2014- 00987-CCA-R3-CD, 2015 WL 5169110, at[*16] -17 (Tenn. Crim. App. Aug. 27, 2015) (theft convictions admissible to impeach defendant in prosecution for theft); Baker, 956 S.W.2d at 15 (prior convictions for burglary admissible to impeach defendant in prosecution for aggravated burglary).
The defendant is only entitled to relief if the error “more probably than not affected the judgment to the defendant’s prejudice.” State v. Taylor, 993 S.W.2d 33, 35 (Tenn. 1999). When determining “whether the erroneous impeachment would have an impact on the result of the trial” this Court considers whether the trial court’s ruling prejudiced the defendant by examining the defense theory presented through the arguments of counsel, the presentation of evidence during the defendant’s case-in-chief, and the defendant’s cross-examination of the State’s witnesses. State v. Lankford, 298 S.W.3d 176, 182-83 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2008). In cases where the defendant elects not to testify, the defendant is not required to make an offer of proof regarding what his testimony would have been. State v. Galmore, 994 S.W.2d 120, 125 (Tenn.1999). However, our Supreme Court has also recognized that, “[d]epending on the facts and circumstances of a case, an offer of proof may be the only way to demonstrate prejudice.” Id.
[*9]Here, after filing the requisite written notice, the State asked to impeach the defendant with a conviction for theft of property over $1000 dated January 24, 2010.1 The defendant objected, arguing the prejudicial effect of impeachment with the same crime would outweigh its probative value. The trial court disagreed and granted the request. In support of its ruling, the trial court noted on the record that the defendant’s prior conviction was both a felony and a crime of dishonesty. The trial court referenced case law allowing impeachment with a prior similar crime when that crime is also one of dishonesty, acknowledging, “[i]f [the prior conviction] didn’t have any value as far as dishonesty – if it was a drug case, you would have a good argument.”
The trial court did not abuse its discretion when ruling that the defendant could be impeached with his prior conviction if he chose to testify. While the conviction sought to be used by the State was virtually identical to the crime for which the defendant was being tried, the trial court stated, on the record, it would allow the use of the prior conviction because it was a felony and highly probative of the defendant’s credibility. Again, a conviction for theft is highly probative of a defendant’s credibility. See Baker, 956 S.W.2d at 15.
Additionally, the defendant failed to show how the trial court’s ruling prejudiced his case. The defendant did not testify or present any other evidence at trial, and the closing arguments presented by the parties are not part of the record. Based on the defendant’s cross-examination of the State’s witnesses and the arguments of counsel during trial, the defendant theorized he had not been properly identified as the perpetrator, and the State failed to present proof the defendant himself put the laptops in the shopping bag and walked out of the store without paying for them. The defendant did not present a defense theory that required his testimony and did not make an offer of proof as to his proposed testimony. See Taylor, 993 S.W.2d at 35; State v. Deangelo Jackson, No. W2014-01981-CCA-R3-CD, 2015 WL 7526949, *8 (Tenn. Crim. App. Nov. 24, 2015). Even if the trial court had abused its discretion in allowing the State to impeach the defendant with his prior conviction, the defendant has failed to prove he was prejudiced by that ruling. The defendant is not entitled to relief on this issue.
III. Double Jeopardy
The defendant next argues his convictions for theft of property over $500 violate the double jeopardy clauses of both the Federal and State constitutions because they arise