Commonwealth v. Brown
Commonwealth v. Brown
Opinion
*1194 **164 A jury in the District Court convicted the defendant, Johnelle M. Brown, of assault and battery and witness intimidation. After beginning the sentencing hearing, the trial judge revoked the defendant's bail and delayed sentencing for four days. After reconvening, the judge imposed a sentence of a one-year commitment to a house of correction, suspended for two years, probation, and restitution. The defendant disputes the District Court's jurisdiction over the witness intimidation prosecution. The defendant also appeals from the denial of her motion for a new trial, revocation of bail, and order of payment of restitution. We affirm.
Facts . We recite the facts as the jury could have found them, reserving certain facts for later discussion.
Mahboobe Aria and Mehdi Aria 1 managed a restaurant. On April 6, 2014, the restaurant closed at 2:30 A.M. At approximately 2:40 A.M. , Mahboobe and Mehdi were completing tasks relevant to closing the restaurant. Mehdi was outside, cleaning the outdoor seating. Mahboobe was inside.
The defendant and a man arrived in an automobile and parked outside the restaurant. The man was not identified by name at trial, but the defendant's motion for a new trial, appellate brief, and affidavits identify this man as Tyrell Carr. Carr remained in the automobile while the defendant went into the restaurant. Mahboobe **165 was near the cash register when the defendant walked into the restaurant.
Mahboobe told the defendant that the restaurant was closed. The defendant said that she needed to use the bathroom. Mahboobe refused to allow the defendant to use the bathroom because Mahboobe had already cleaned it. The defendant said that she would "call [her] boyfriend" if Mahboobe refused her use of the bathroom; Mahboobe still refused. The defendant took a bottle of juice from a refrigerator in the restaurant, placed it in front of the register, and told Mahboobe that she was going to purchase it. Mahboobe replied that the credit card machine and cash register were already closed so she could not make any more sales. The defendant opened the door to the restaurant and called out to someone. Carr came inside the restaurant and loudly asked Mahboobe why she was not allowing the defendant to use the bathroom. Mahboobe reiterated that the bathroom was closed.
Carr waved a credit card at Mahboobe and offered to pay for the bottle of juice the defendant had placed on the counter. Mahboobe refused payment, explaining that the restaurant and credit card machine were closed. Mehdi entered the restaurant and asked the defendant and Carr to leave. The defendant took the juice bottle off the counter and threw it in Mahboobe's direction. The bottle struck glass that separates the cashier from the kitchen. Carr grabbed Mehdi. Carr hit and slapped Mehdi's face and pulled his shirt. While Carr struggled with Mehdi, the defendant kicked the bathroom door. Mahboobe retrieved a telephone from underneath the cash register and moved out *1195 from behind the counter toward the defendant. Mahboobe was standing one to two feet away from the defendant when she tried to dial 911. The defendant grabbed the wrist of the hand in which Mahboobe was holding the telephone and said, "You're bad fuck." After approximately one minute, the defendant let go of Mahboobe's wrist. As Mehdi and Carr continued to fight, Mahboobe left the restaurant and telephoned 911. The defendant followed. The defendant asked Mahboobe why she telephoned the police. The defendant then punched Mahboobe in the face, causing Mahboobe to drop the telephone. The telephone fell to the ground and broke. A man was inside of a nearby bar when he "heard a commotion next door, like tables and chairs being banged around." He and a bar security employee went outside and saw Mahboobe being punched in the face.
The defendant opened the door to the restaurant and told Carr that Mahboobe had telephoned the police. Carr came out of the **166 restaurant and drove away with the defendant in a vehicle that had been parked on the street.
A police officer responded to the 911 call. Upon arrival, he noticed that Mahboobe had a red mark on her face and Mehdi's head and mouth were bleeding.
Discussion
. 1.
Jurisdiction
. The defendant argues that, following our decision in
Commonwealth
v.
Muckle
,
The defendant seeks to analogize her case to Muckle , arguing that the District Court did not have jurisdiction because, at the time of the assault, Mahboobe was not a "witness" but was a "potential witness." The defendant seeks to draw a distinction between a "witness" and a "potential witness" in the intimidation statute. However, when assessing the District Court's jurisdiction, we must begin our interpretation with the meaning of "witness" in the jurisdiction statute. We interpret a statute's text, construing its words "by the ordinary and approved usage of the language."
*1196
Energy Express, Inc
. v.
Department of Pub. Utils
.,
**167
We are bound to "interpret the statute so as to render the legislation effective, consonant with sound reason and common sense."
Harvard Crimson, Inc
. v.
President & Fellows of Harvard College
,
The term "witness" is broadly used to characterize an individual with information that is pertinent to an investigation or case and is often used interchangeably with "potential witness." See
Commonwealth
v.
Rakes
,
The distinction advocated by the defendant would cause the District Court to gain and lose jurisdiction repeatedly over prospective **168 witness intimidation prosecutions during the course of a crime, investigation, trial, and subsequent proceedings. Indeed, Mahboobe's status at the time of the assault could be characterized as both a "witness" and a "potential witness." She was a "witness" to the assault of Mehdi with information to provide to the 911 operator and police officers and a "potential witness" to further criminal activity. When the trial commenced, she was a "potential witness" who might have been called to testify and, upon being called, became a "witness." Common sense dictates that "witness" in the jurisdictional statute includes "a witness or potential witness at any stage of a criminal investigation, grand jury proceeding, trial or other criminal proceeding of any type," as protected by G. L. c. 268, § 13B (1) ( c ) (i). Therefore, the District Court properly exercised jurisdiction over the prosecution of the defendant for witness intimidation. *1197 2. Motion for a new trial . The defendant moved for a new trial, arguing that counsel was constitutionally ineffective, the jury were improperly instructed, her right to allocution was violated, her right not to be placed in jeopardy twice was violated, and her restitution order was invalid. 3 In support of her motion for a new trial, the defendant submitted numerous affidavits and exhibits. After a nonevidentiary hearing, the judge denied the defendant's motion for a new trial "under all theories" but did not issue a written decision.
The defendant appeals from the denial of her motion for a new trial, repeating the grounds on which she sought relief below. A judge may grant a motion for a new trial "if it appears that justice may not have been done." Mass. R. Crim. P. 30 (b), as appearing in
a.
Ineffective assistance of counsel
. In his opening statement, defense counsel argued that the defendant was defending her property, a debit card that Mahboobe had taken from her and refused to return. Defense counsel presented no witnesses; instead, he elicited testimony in support of that defense during cross-examination. The defendant claims that trial counsel was ineffective in failing to develop sufficient evidence of the defense of property and in advising her not to testify. Specifically, she alleges that trial counsel should have called Carr to testify in support of her defense and that he should not have advised the defendant not to testify. As explained
infra
, even if the information provided in the affidavits were presented at trial, when considered in context with the testimony of the Commonwealth's witnesses, "we are not persuaded that [testimony] likely would have influenced the jury's decision."
Commonwealth
v.
Duran
,
During cross-examination, defense counsel elicited from the responding police officer that Mahboobe gave him the defendant's debit card. In contrast, Mahboobe testified that the police found the debit card on the restaurant's floor. Counsel sought to exploit the difference between these statements to suggest that Mahboobe had kept the defendant's debit
*1198
card, so the defendant had had to use force to recover the card. The judge declined counsel's request for a "defense of property" jury instruction and permission to argue that theory in his closing argument.
4
**170
In furtherance of her claim in the motion for a new trial, the defendant submitted affidavits from Carr and herself about what their testimony would have been had defense counsel called them as witnesses.
5
Implicit within the defendant's argument is the contention that, after investigating, counsel would have introduced Carr as a defense witness. See
Commonwealth
v.
Lang
,
Counsel was ineffective if his conduct fell "measurably below that which might be expected from an ordinary fallible lawyer" and "likely deprived the defendant of an otherwise available, substantial ground of defence."
Commonwealth
v.
Saferian
,
Carr's affidavit, considered with the evidence presented by the Commonwealth, is insufficient to show that his testimony "might have accomplished something material for the defense." See
Commonwealth
v.
Satterfield
,
**171
This potential testimony is only credible if all percipient witnesses are disbelieved. See
Commonwealth
v.
Jenkins
,
Counsel exploited inconsistencies in the testimony about whether the debit card was found on the floor or given to police by Mahboobe as skillfully as the facts permitted. Although this discrepancy could have bolstered the proposed defense testimony, such a sliver of support is not enough to yield a conclusion that this testimony would have changed the outcome. Therefore, the defendant was not prejudiced by the lack of testimony and the judge did not err in denying the motion for a new trial.
The second claim raised under the rubric of ineffective assistance of counsel is the defendant's claim that counsel's advice caused her to unknowingly waive her right to testify. Testifying in one's own criminal defense is a fundamental right that must be waived knowingly and intelligently.
Jenkins
,
The judge did not abuse her discretion when she denied the motion for a new trial. The defendant's affidavit is best summarized as follows: she asked Mahboobe to use the restroom; Mahboobe said the defendant would have to make a purchase in order to use the restroom; the defendant gave Mahboobe her debit card and tried to make a purchase; Mahboobe took the defendant's debit card but told the defendant she did not meet the ten-dollar minimum required for all debit card purchases; the defendant asked for her debit card; Mahboobe refused to return the debit card; Carr entered the restaurant and encouraged the defendant to leave; Mahboobe ushered both Carr and the defendant out of the restaurant, still holding the defendant's debit card; outside, Mahboobe held the defendant's debit card over the defendant's head; while the defendant reached for the card, her hand hit Mahboobe; the defendant never saw Mahboobe holding a telephone and did not knock a telephone from Mahboobe's hand; she and Carr left in Carr's automobile.
The defendant's affidavit alleges that she would have testified had counsel informed her that her testimony would have been
**172
necessary to advance a defense of property defense. When asking for a jury instruction on defense of property, counsel indicated that he had discussed the decision to testify with the defendant after Mahboobe testified. The defendant was aware of all testimony against her. Although counsel may have misjudged the minimum showing required to merit a defense of property jury instruction, the defendant nonetheless knew that the jury had heard no testimony about Mahboobe's keeping the defendant's debit card and the defendant seeking to recover it. "It can reasonably be inferred that the defendant, after listening to the testimony of the Commonwealth witnesses, realized that the jury would not hear [her] version of the events unless [she] placed it before them."
Degro
,
b.
Inadequate jury instructions
. The judge told the jurors: "It's essential that you confine your deliberations only to the evidence which is presented to you in the courtroom." The defendant contends that because the judge did not instruct the jury to refrain from researching the case on the Internet, jurors could have searched for information about the defendant and found two news articles published online about the defendant's past alleged criminal activity. The defendant did not object to this omission at trial or request that the judge specifically instruct the jury to refrain from Internet research. Therefore, we consider whether the omission was error and, if so, whether it created a substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice.
Commonwealth
v.
Horne
,
The absence of a jury instruction specifically prohibiting research on the Internet is not, in and of itself, reversible error. The judge instructed the jury to refrain from outside research, using social media, visiting the scene of the incident, and "talk[ing] to anyone outside of the jury about the case." The better practice would have been to include in the instructions a prohibition on Internet research. See
Commonwealth
v.
Rodriguez
,
Further, the defendant has demonstrated no substantial risk of a miscarriage of justice. Jurors are presumed to have followed the judge's instruction not to consider any outside information. See
Commonwealth
v.
Watkins
,
c. The sentencing hearing . After her convictions, the judge held a sentencing hearing. The Commonwealth recommended a one-year sentence in a house of correction, with the defendant serving ninety days and the balance of the sentence suspended for two years. Defense counsel requested probation. The judge allowed *1201 defense counsel to present mitigating information about the defendant, including details of her background and that she was "very sorry" about the incident. The judge then allowed the defendant to speak. The defendant told the judge that she wished she had testified. The judge told the defendant that she had had an opportunity to testify at trial and, now that the trial was over, the judge was "not going to hear [the defendant's] side." The defendant **174 further indicated her willingness to testify or to be subjected to the Commonwealth's cross-examination. The judge then adjourned and ordered the defendant held without bail until the hearing resumed four days later. 7
When the hearing resumed, defense counsel spoke more about the defendant's background and requested mercy in the defendant's sentencing, reporting that she had been "absolutely distraught" while in custody. The judge addressed the defendant, saying, "I trust that I got your attention by holding you over the weekend in custody." The judge then sentenced the defendant to one year in a house of correction, suspended for two years, and ordered her to pay restitution. 8
i.
Right to allocution
. The modern meaning of "[a]llocution is ... the right to make a statement to the sentencing judge before he pronounces sentence."
United States
v.
Foss
,
A defendant's right to speak in his or her own defense was recognized by the common law as early as 1682. Marshall, Lights, Camera, Allocution: Contemporary Relevance or Director's Dream?,
Our approach in the Commonwealth, Mass. R. Crim. P. 28 (b),
The requirements of rule 28 were satisfied when her attorney made a statement during sentencing and the judge permitted the defendant to speak. The defendant contends that because the judge allowed her to speak at all, the judge erred in ceasing the defendant's allocution before the defendant finished speaking. The judge had no obligation to do more than satisfy the requirements of rule 28, either through statements from the defendant or the defendant's attorney. Even in satisfying rule 28, some reasonable limits are necessary. See
Commonwealth
v.
McKay
,
ii. Double jeopardy . The defendant contends that the judge punished her twice for a single offense, in violation of double jeopardy principles, when the judge held the defendant without bail pending the completion of the sentencing hearing and then imposed a sentence during the sentencing hearing.
In order to determine whether a penalty violates double jeopardy
**176
principles, we analyze the statute that authorizes the restriction on the defendant's liberty. See
Hudson
v.
United States
,
d. Restitution hearing . At the close of the sentencing hearing, the judge scheduled a restitution hearing and said, "I'm going to hold it because I know the facts of the case." On the day of the hearing, the trial judge was not at the court house and a different judge presided over the restitution hearing. The defendant requested a continuance so that the trial judge could preside over the hearing. The hearing judge denied this request and proceeded with the hearing. Mahboobe testified about the damage the defendant caused to the restaurant and her telephone. Defense counsel conceded that each item was broken during the assault. Mahboobe provided written estimates of repair costs and a receipt for replacing the telephone. The judge ordered the defendant to pay $3,100 in restitution.
The defendant identifies three issues in the disposition of her restitution hearing: the restitution judge did not follow orders entered by the trial judge; her restitution order was not supported by adequate evidence; and counsel at the restitution hearing was ineffective.
The defendant urges us to vacate her restitution order because a judge other than the trial judge conducted the restitution hearing. We review the decision to proceed with the hearing for abuse of discretion.
Commonwealth
v.
Baro
,
The defendant conceded that she caused the harm,
14
and the Commonwealth properly proved the amount damaged. Mahboobe submitted a receipt for replacing the broken telephone and estimates from contractors to fix the window and bathroom door damaged by the defendant. The final determination of restitution was less than the "actual loss" proffered by Mahboobe. See
Commonwealth
v.
Henry
,
The defendant also contends that counsel was ineffective at the restitution hearing for not disputing that the defendant caused the damage and for not cross-examining Mahboobe about the time gap between the incident and the invoices. We evaluate whether counsel's behavior fell measurably below that which can be expected of an "ordinary fallible lawyer" and prejudiced the defendant.
Saferian
,
Conclusion . None of the defendant's claims merits disturbing the jury's verdicts.
Judgment affirmed .
We refer to Mahboobe Aria and Mehdi Aria by their first names to avoid confusion.
The defendant raised this claim for the first time in a letter pursuant to Mass. R. A. P. 16 (l), as amended,
We address the merits of each of the defendant's claims, but do not necessarily analyze each argument she advances in support of those claims. To the extent that we have not specifically addressed other points made by the defendant in her brief, they "have not been overlooked. We find nothing in them that requires discussion."
Commonwealth
v.
Domanski
,
A defendant may successfully assert a defense of property defense if "(1) the defendant used only nondeadly force, and (2) the force used was 'appropriate in kind and suitable in degree, to accomplish the purpose.' "
Commonwealth
v.
Haddock
,
The defendant's ineffective assistance of counsel argument is premised on the theory that counsel was ineffective for not introducing sufficient evidence to merit a defense of property instruction. In making such an argument and failing to raise any claim that the judge erred, the defendant implicitly concedes that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to warrant a defense of property instruction.
Mahboobe is not identified by name in the affidavits, but it appears that both parties are referring to Mahboobe when describing their interactions with the woman working at the restaurant. Therefore, when summarizing the affidavits, we use Mahboobe's name where appropriate.
The defendant's argument that she could not build such a record because she could not contact jurors is without merit. Rule 3.5 (c) of the Massachusetts Rules of Professional Conduct, as appearing in
The final day of trial and the first sentencing hearing were held on Thursday, January 22, 2015. The judge adjourned the hearing and held the defendant without bail until Monday, January 26, 2015.
The judge also required the defendant to have no contact with the Arias or their restaurant, to have a mental health evaluation, and to attend anger management.
"Before imposing sentence the court shall afford the defendant or his counsel an opportunity to speak on behalf of the defendant and to present any information in the mitigation of punishment." Mass. R. Crim. P. 28 (b),
The defendant's time in custody was not a punishment, as the defendant urges us to hold. Even if it were a punishment, the defendant would nonetheless not have been punished twice in violation of double jeopardy protections. Had the judge sentenced the defendant to any period of incarceration or had the defendant violated the terms of her probation and had to serve her suspended sentence, the four nights in custody would have been credited toward that sentence. See G. L. c. 279, § 33A.
Because the bail statute does not apply, we do address the defendant's additional argument that the judge did not comply with the statute's procedural requirements.
A judge, of course, must be careful not to create the appearance of intemperance.
The defendant's suggestion that a judge could not revoke bail and postpone a sentencing hearing for a reasonable time encourages hasty decision-making that could harm many defendants in the future. Postponing sentencing provides a judge the opportunity to think about the sentence.
The defendant asserts that defense counsel's concession amounts to ineffective assistance of counsel. We address that argument infra . Assuming for the purpose of analysis that counsel's concession was proper, the judge did not err in relying upon it when determining restitution.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- COMMONWEALTH v. Johnelle M. BROWN.
- Cited By
- 22 cases
- Status
- Published