Massey v. State
Massey v. State
Opinion of the Court
delivered the majority opinion of the Court. Orth, J., concurs. Concurring opinion by ORTH, J., at page 618 infra.
The appellant was convicted by a jury in the Criminal Court of Baltimore of robbery, assault' with intent to rob and assault. He was sentenced to serve five years on the robbery conviction; three years on the assault with intent to rob conviction, to run concurrently with the sentence in the first conviction; and two years on the assault conviction, to run consecutively to the sentence on the first conviction.
The record indicates that John Givvines, a newspaper vending machine operator, collected the money from his newspaper racks at 1:40 a.m. and, after having a bite to eat at a friend’s house, was walking toward an intersection to take a bus home when he was “jumped from behind” by an individual who knocked him to the ground,
The victim was unable to identify the appellant at the trial. The arresting officer, however, identified the appellant, who was sitting among the spectators in the courtroom, as the inidividual he had chased on foot and apprehended after he had been pointed out to the officer by Givvines as the man who robbed him.
The appellant admitted being in the vicinity at the time of the crime but denied committing it.
In this appeal it is contended that the appellant’s conviction should be set aside because the victim’s failure to identify him at trial rendered the officer’s testimony concerning the victim’s identification of appellant at the scene of the crime inadmissible. This contention is not properly before us inasmuch as the officer’s testimony came in without objection. Md. Rule 1085; Smith v. State, 6 Md. App. 23, 28.
We find no merit in appellant’s additional contention that “it was error to have placed any credibility on the testimony of the State’s witness where this testimony was contrary to that of the appellant.” It is well settled that the credibility of witnesses is for the trier of facts to determine. Brown and Shepard v. State, 6 Md. App. 631; Graham v. State, 6 Md. App. 458.
Nor is there any merit in appellant’s contention that
We do agree, however, that the convictions for the crimes of assault with intent to rob and assault must be vacated. It is apparent, under the circumstances here, that the facts necessary to prove the assault with intent to rob and the assault were essential ingredients in proving the greater crime of robbery. Accordingly, they merged into the greater crime and must be vacated. Price v. State, 3 Md. App. 155, 160; Tender v. State, 2 Md. App. 692, 698-701; Burks v. State, 1 Md. App. 81, 85.
Judgment affirmed as to the first count: judgments as to the second and third counts vacated as merged into the first count and sentences imposed thereon vacated.
Concurring Opinion
concurring:
I fully agree with the holding of the Court affirming the judgment on the 1st count charging robbery and vacating the judgment on each of the 2nd and 3rd counts for the reason that the offenses therein charged merged into the robbery, the true test under the modern concept of merger of offenses being whether one crime necessarily involves the other. Tender v. State, 2 Md. App. 692, 699. I think it advisable, however, to clarify the holding with respect to the merger of the offense charged in the 3rd count into the robbery. The 3rd count charged an assault and a battery and the evidence established
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Larry Bruce Massey v. State of Maryland
- Cited By
- 10 cases
- Status
- Published