J-S07031-19
NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
: PENNSYLVANIA
:
v. :
:
:
ROBERT L. ROHRBACH :
:
Appellant : No. 1500 MDA 2018
Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered May 8, 2018
In the Court of Common Pleas of Berks County Criminal Division at
No(s): CP-06-CR-0004178-2016
BEFORE: OLSON, J., McLAUGHLIN, J., and PELLEGRINI*, J.
MEMORANDUM BY PELLEGRINI, J.: FILED: MARCH 27, 2019
Robert L. Rohrbach (Rohrbach) appeals from the judgment of sentence
of 16 to 40 years’ incarceration imposed following his conviction for third-
degree homicide. On appeal, Rohrbach raises issues as to evidentiary rulings
and the weight of the evidence. We affirm.
The trial court’s Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) opinion summarized the basic facts
as follows:
On the evening of December 18, 2015, the Defendant, Robert
Rohrbach, was at home with his girlfriend and victim, Deni[e]se
McAvoy. At some point that evening, they went upstairs to the
bedroom and an argument ensued, which was heard by the next
door neighbor. Ms. McAvoy lay down in the spare bedroom while
the Defendant went to bed in the master bedroom.
In the afternoon of December 19, 2015, the Defendant contacted
his estranged mother and asked her to come over to his house
because something horrible had happened. The mother came and
he eventually told her that his girlfriend, Ms. McAvoy, was dead.
His mother called the police and told them that the Defendant told
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* Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.
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her he had killed Ms. McAvoy. When the first police officer arrived
and encountered the Defendant for the first time, the Defendant
said, “I did it. I have mental problems. I killed her.” More officers
arrived and they found Ms. McAvoy's body in bed in the spare
bedroom. The officers also found two handwritten notes from the
Defendant. One said: “Call Police. Suicide. Downstairs
bathroom. Upstairs middle bedroom." The other had a short
explanation of the Defendant and Ms. McAvoy’s tumultuous
relationship and a short will. At the end it stated, “God forgive
me.” The officers also found a makeshift noose in the downstairs
bathroom.
An autopsy of Ms. McAvoy’s body was performed by Dr. Supriya
Kur[u]villa. She determined after her examination that the
manner of death should be classified as a homicide.
Trial Court Opinion, 10/30/18, at 2-3.
There was no dispute that Rohrbach was the only other person present
when Ms. McAvoy died. Because the underlying issue was the cause of her
death, a more detailed factual review is needed to analyze these claims.
I.
A.
Supriya Kuruvilla, M.D., performed the autopsy and opined that the
manner of death was homicide. Dr. Kuruvilla testified that Ms. McAvoy died
from “complications arising from blunt force injury to the abdomen.” N.T. Vol.
I, 4/5-12/18, at 206. The initial blow or blows were “to the abdominal wall
which resulted in laceration of the pancreas,” id., which in turn caused a
hemorrhage. Those injuries led to the colon leaking fecal matter into the
abdominal area, causing a fatal infection. Id. at 212. Dr. Kuruvilla stated
that the injury would not result in immediate death and estimated that the
inflammation and complications occurred over a period ranging from “several
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hours to a couple of days.” Id. As to the initial damage to the pancreas, she
explained that “less than .2 percent of injuries” in blunt force trauma cases
are to the pancreas, as the organ is well-protected since it sits towards the
back of the body. Id. at 209. The doctor testified that the force required to
cause injury to that organ is substantial and “usually requires a very focused
and hard force in the middle of the abdomen which would then crush the
pancreas against the spine and then produce injury.” Id. Dr. Kuruvilla stated
that a fall down the stairs1 or other type of fall would not cause pancreatic
lacerations “unless there’s a fall onto an object that would explain that kind of
impact.” Id. at 211. Additionally, Ms. McAvoy exhibited several injuries to
her face that were in various states of healing.
Samuel Land, M.D., a forensic pathologist, who the Commonwealth had
retained to review Dr. Kuruvilla’s findings, testified on behalf of Rohrbach.
While he agreed that blunt force trauma caused injury to the pancreas and
ruptured the colon, Dr. Land declined to rule the manner of death as a
homicide or accidental. Instead, he concluded it was undetermined. Dr. Land
stated that a fall down the stairs would be an atypical cause of such injuries,
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1 Rohrbach ultimately testified on his behalf. He and other defense witnesses
stated that Ms. McAvoy was frequently intoxicated and often fell when she was
drunk. He testified that Ms. McAvoy injured herself from a fall, complained of
feeling ill, and went to bed. Rohrbach said he checked on her several times
over the course of the next day and asked her to go to the hospital, which she
refused. When he woke up on December 19, he found her dead. Rohrbach
testified that he wrote the suicide note and did not immediately call the police
because he wanted to join Ms. McAvoy in heaven.
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“but had there been something on the steps, something heavy, let’s take a
barbell and this woman had fallen onto the barbell, that would be a possibility.”
Id. at 353. Dr. Land testified that he reviewed all the police reports, including
the notes written by Rohrbach, which did not change his opinion.
B.
To strengthen the case that Ms. McAvoy’s death was not an accident,
much of the Commonwealth’s evidence concerned the parties’ relationship.
Ms. McAvoy had been engaged to a man who developed cancer and died on
May 15, 2014. Tara Shinn, Ms. McAvoy’s work manager, testified that Ms.
McAvoy and Rohrbach began dating about two weeks later. Shortly
thereafter, Ms. McAvoy began coming to work smelling of alcohol and
occasionally with bruises on her face. The two spoke in private and Ms.
McAvoy indicated that Rohrbach was responsible for the injuries. Ms. McAvoy
stopped coming to work as of July 11, 2014, and was officially terminated on
August 12, 2014.2
Mrs. Shinn shared her concerns with Pamela Rodriguez, a fellow co-
worker. Mrs. Rodriguez was friends with Ms. McAvoy and noticed that the
abuse had escalated after Ms. McAvoy and Rohrbach moved in together, which
she said happened sometime in the fall. On at least three occasions, Ms.
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2 Mrs. Shinn explained the reason for the one-month gap as, “I was hoping
that, you know, she had that time to get herself together and that she would
come back to work and continue doing the job that she did do prior to the
passing of Tracy [her fiancé].” N.T. Vol. I, 4/5-12/18, at 320.
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McAvoy showed Mrs. Rodriguez injuries and asked her to take photographs as
proof. Mrs. Rodriguez took photos on November 7, November 20 and
December 4, 2014. Ms. McAvoy told Mrs. Rodriguez to keep the evidence in
case something happened to her.
On December 9, 2014, Ms. McAvoy called Mrs. Rodriguez crying and
requesting Percocet that Mr. Rodriguez had due to a back injury. Mrs.
Rodriguez left work and went to Ms. McAvoy’s home and observed severe
injuries. “The whole left side of her face and her shoulder were black, like not
black and blue, but black. Like her face was so swollen she was
unrecognizable.” Id. at 292. Knowing that Ms. McAvoy had an outstanding
warrant for unspecified alcohol charges, Mrs. Rodriguez reported her to the
police to force Ms. McAvoy’s removal from the home.
After Ms. McAvoy was released from jail, their socialization significantly
decreased. However, on May 10, 2015, Ms. McAvoy showed up at the
Rodriguez home nearly naked, bleeding and bruised. Mr. Rodriguez testified
that he called his wife, who left work to come home. The two decided to call
the police. The officer took no action as Ms. McAvoy did not want to pursue
charges.
C.
On appeal, with respect to evidence of prior abuse, Rohrbach challenges
only the testimony of Mr. Rodriguez, Mrs. Rodriguez and Mrs. Shinn. However,
the Commonwealth presented three additional witnesses, and in pre-trial
litigation, Rohrbach asserted that all of this testimony must be excluded.
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While Rohrbach has abandoned any challenge as to these other witnesses,
those additional facts are relevant to the Commonwealth’s theory of why the
foregoing evidence was admissible. We briefly set forth those facts.
Wilson Serrano-Aponte lived next door to Ms. McAvoy and Rohrbach.
Their homes shared a wall and on December 18, 2015, the day before Ms.
McAvoy died, he heard “screaming between a man and a lady . . . [the] lady
screaming like stop, stop, please stop.” Id. at 13. The screams started at
approximately 10:30 p.m. and went on for five to fifteen minutes. Id. at 15.
Another neighbor, Wendy Bobst, lived close to Rohrbach’s house and
would see Ms. McAvoy walking around the neighborhood. They would chat a
couple times per week. Ms. Bobst noticed bruising and cuts on multiple
occasions; on one of these, Ms. McAvoy’s eyes were almost swollen shut and
her face was bruised. Eventually, Ms. McAvoy asked Ms. Bobst to write down
a list of names and numbers. Ms. Bobst did so and Ms. McAvoy instructed her
to contact those persons if anything ever happened to her. Those names
included Pamela Rodriguez and Tara Shinn.
Finally, Erinn Fortson, an employee of Laurel House, a domestic violence
agency that provided shelter and counseling, testified that on November 23,
2015, Ms. McAvoy called to inquire about shelter. The two spoke and Ms.
McAvoy stated she would call back but never did.
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Rohrbach was convicted of third-degree homicide3 and aggravated
assault following a jury trial. His post-sentence motions were denied and he
raises six issues on appeal.
II.
Rohrbach’s first issue challenges the admission of the hand-written note
recovered from his home. The note stated:
I'm sorry for everything that happened. Deniese and I were
alcoholics. We fought about it all the time. I couldn't leave or
kick her out because I love her and she didn't have anywhere to
go. She got drunk Thursday morning and I got upset. We argued
and later I got drunk. She told me I flipped out and beat her.
This has happened before. I am truly sorry to her family. I see
no alternative but death for me. I would like all my assets, if any,
to go to my daughter . . . .
Cremate me / no service
God forgive me
Commonwealth’s Exhibit 12 (Reproduced at N.T. Vol. II, 4/5-12/18, at 658)
(names omitted).
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3 The Commonwealth originally charged generic criminal homicide at count
two of the information. While the opening and closing statements and jury
instructions are not transcribed, both the transcript and the order recording
the verdict state that the jury was not asked to consider count two. See
Order, 4/12/18, at 2 (“Count 2 of the Information, Criminal Homicide, was not
presented to the jury.”).
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Rohrbach challenges the admission of this note on hearsay grounds.4
His argument has five subparts, only two of which are developed in any
meaningful fashion.5
A.
First, Rohrbach argues that “the reason hearsay is generally
inadmissible as evidence is that the competency and veracity of the person
making the statement, in this case Ms. McAvoy, are not subject to
examination and this lack of ability to examine the source of the statements
renders the statements themselves untrustworthy and unreliable.”
Rohrbach’s brief at 17-18. That statement of the law is accurate but irrelevant
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4 “An appellate court’s standard of review of a trial court’s evidentiary rulings,
including rulings on the admission of hearsay . . . is abuse of discretion.”
Commonwealth v. Walter, 93 A.3d 442, 449 (Pa. 2014). Where the
admissibility turns on a question of law, our standard of review is de novo.
Id.
5 Specifically, his claim reads:
The trial court erred in denying Appellant Rohrbach’s motion in
limine seeking to exclude the admission of the handwritten
statements found in Appellant Rohrbach’s residence where the
notes themselves: (a) were hearsay without exception pursuant
to the Pennsylvania Rules of Evidence 801; (b) were not admission
of guilt to the crimes charged; (c) alluded to allegations of past
physical altercations between Appellant Rohrbach and the victim
that did not establish a nexus to the crimes charged; (d) lacked
any indicia of reliability; and, (e) were taken out of context and
carried a prejudicial effect that outweighed any possible probative
value.
Rohrbach’s brief at 6.
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as applied to the note because Ms. McAvoy is not the declarant: Rohrbach is,
as the writing is his own. The attempt to make Ms. McAvoy the declarant
apparently relates to Rohrbach’s reference, “She told me I flipped out and
beat her.” According to Rohrbach, the Commonwealth was introducing that
out-of-court statement.
The trial court explained that it admitted the notes as a party admission.
Trial Court Opinion, 10/30/18, at 4. This ruling was proper as it is well-settled
that statements made by a defendant are an exception to the hearsay rule.
“[A] defendant’s out-of-court statements fall within the party admission
exception to the hearsay rule.” Commonwealth v. Laich, 777 A.2d 1057,
1060 (Pa. 2001). The note reflects Rohrbach’s own words and thought
processes and was, therefore, admissible on that basis. See Commonwealth
v. Barnes, 871 A.2d 812, 818 (Pa. Super. 2005) (defendant’s handwritten
note admissible as party admission).
To the extent Rohrbach presented a challenge to the statements made
by Ms. McAvoy, i.e., that the writing contains hearsay within hearsay, we
disagree that the statements of Ms. McAvoy constituted hearsay. The hearsay
rule prohibits the admission of statements for their truth. The note had
evidentiary significance regardless of whether it was actually true that
Rohrbach beat Ms. McAvoy. The jury could draw significance from the mere
fact that Rohrbach believed that the statement was true. In effect, he
adopted the statements made by Ms. McAvoy. That behavior is probative of
consciousness of guilt and was relevant to his mental state.
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B.
Next, Rohrbach avers that even if the note falls within the hearsay
exception, it is not automatically admissible. He contends that “[m]erely
satisfying an exception to the hearsay exclusion is not enough to get past a
constitutional challenge based upon the Confrontation Clause. Sufficient
‘indicia of reliability’ are also required.” Rohrbach’s brief at 18. Rohrbach
avers that the note is unreliable because it is unclear from its face whether he
actually remembered striking Ms. McAvoy.
The “indicia of reliability” language comes from Ohio v. Roberts, 448
U.S. 56 (1980), which formerly governed the resolution of challenges to
hearsay on Confrontation Clause grounds. “According to our description of
that right in Roberts . . . [the Clause] does not bar admission of an
unavailable witness’s statement against a criminal defendant if the statement
bears adequate indicia of reliability.” Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S.
36, 40 (2004) (quotation marks and citation omitted). But in Crawford, the
United States Supreme Court abrogated Roberts, noting that its test was
simultaneously too broad and too narrow.
Roberts conditions the admissibility of all hearsay evidence on
whether it falls under a “firmly rooted hearsay exception” or bears
“particularized guarantees of trustworthiness.” 448 U.S., at 66,
100 S.Ct. 2531. This test departs from the historical principles
identified above in two respects. First, it is too broad: It applies
the same mode of analysis whether or not the hearsay consists of
ex parte testimony. This often results in close constitutional
scrutiny in cases that are far removed from the core concerns of
the Clause. At the same time, however, the test is too narrow:
It admits statements that do consist of ex parte testimony upon a
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mere finding of reliability. This malleable standard often fails to
protect against paradigmatic confrontation violations.
Id. at 60.
Here, Rohrbach cites cases predating Crawford, which held that a
Confrontation Clause issue arises when the Commonwealth seeks to introduce
testimonial statements. Rohrbach sets forth no argument as to how the
statement by Ms. McAvoy accusing him of beating her which he included in
his note qualifies as testimonial.6 We, therefore, reject his constitutional
challenge.
III.
Rohrbach’s second claim concerns the testimony of Mr. and Mrs.
Rodriguez and Mrs. Shinn, which the Commonwealth sought to introduce in
its notice of intent to introduce evidence pursuant to Pa.R.E. 404(b)(2).7
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6 There is no precise definition of “testimonial statements,” but the essence is
that the declarant is acting as a “witness” providing the equivalent of sworn
testimony. “It is the testimonial character of the statement that separates it
from other hearsay that, while subject to traditional limitations upon hearsay
evidence, is not subject to the Confrontation Clause.” Davis v. Washington,
547 U.S. 813, 821 (2006).
7 Rule 404(b) prohibits the use of other acts evidence to show that a person
acted in conformity with those acts. Rule 404(b)(2), which is non-exhaustive,
permits the introduction of that evidence for purposes of proving “motive,
opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, absence of
mistake, or lack of accident.” The evidence is admissible “only if the probative
value of the evidence outweighs its potential for unfair prejudice.” When
reviewing the decision to admit such evidence, our standard of review is as
follows:
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Rohrbach filed a motion in response and the trial court held an extensive
hearing on the matter, followed by post-hearing briefs from both parties.
Rohrbach’s argument has three subparts.8
A.
Rohrbach first asserts that the prior acts were insufficiently similar to
the acts that resulted in Ms. McAvoy’s death. We agree but the introduction
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[q]uestions regarding the admission of evidence are left to the
sound discretion of the trial court, and we, as an appellate court,
will not disturb the trial court’s rulings regarding the admissibility
of evidence absent an abuse of that discretion. An abuse of
discretion is not merely an error of judgment; rather, discretion is
abused when the law is overridden or misapplied, or the judgment
exercised is manifestly unreasonable, or the result of partiality,
prejudice, bias, or ill-will, as shown by the evidence or the record
....
Commonwealth v. Windslowe, 158 A.3d 698, 712–13 (Pa. Super. 2017)
(citation omitted).
8 The full text of his challenge states:
The trial court erred in denying Appellant Rohrbach’s motion in
limine seeking to exclude the testimony of Tara Shinn, Pamela
Rodriguez, and Miguel Rodriguez which was offered to establish
an alleged history to domestic abuse of the victim at the hands of
Appellant Rohrbach where such testimony: (a) was not so similar
to the incidents described by the Criminal Complaint filed in this
matter as to overcome the requirements of Pennsylvania Rules of
Evidence Rule 404(b); (b) only served to cast Appellant Rohrbach
in a bad light and prejudice the fact-finder such that its prejudicial
effect outweighed it probative value; and, (c) concerned prior
alleged assaults were all too remote in time and did not bear any
resemblance to the charged crime.
Rohrbach’s brief at 6.
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of this evidence did not rely on that theory. Our Supreme Court recently
summarized the principles when dealing with “similar acts” evidence in
Commonwealth v. Hicks, 156 A.3d 1114 (Pa. 2017) (OAJC):
This Court has long recognized an exception to the general
inadmissibility of other crimes evidence where there is a striking
similarity—or logical connection—between the proffered prior bad
acts and the underlying charged crime. As early as 1872, in
Shaffner v. Commonwealth, 72 Pa. 60 (1872), the Court
described the importance of such a connection as follows:
It is a general rule that a distinct crime, unconnected
with that laid in the indictment, cannot be given in
evidence against a prisoner. It is not proper to raise
a presumption of guilt, on the ground, that having
committed one crime, the depravity it exhibits makes
it likely he would commit another. ... To make one
criminal act evidence of another, a connection
between them must have existed in the mind of the
actor, linking them together for some purpose he
intended to accomplish; or it must be necessary to
identify the person of the actor, by a connection which
shows that he who committed the one must have done
the other.
Id. at 65.
In further explaining the logical connection standard, this Court
has noted “ ‘much more is demanded than the mere repeated
commission of crimes of the same class, such as repeated
burglaries or thefts. The device used must be so unusual or
distinctive as to be like a signature.’ ”
Id. at 1125–26 (some citations omitted).
Rohrbach is correct that the history of prior abuse is not similar to the
acts resulting in the victim’s death and would fail the foregoing test. But in
Hicks, the prior acts evidence concerned the defendant’s attacks on other
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women. Here, the Commonwealth introduced evidence of the prior acts
against the same person to establish (1) an escalation of violence as part of
a sequence of events, and/or (2) the absence of mistake (i.e., that the death
was not accidental). Thus, the “similarity” exception to Pa.R.E. 404(b) was
not at issue. Instead, the Commonwealth maintained that the evidence was
admissible for the separate reason that it was part of the history between the
parties. Hence, Rohrbach’s argument has no merit.
B.
Nor is there merit in Rohrbach’s remaining two contentions that (1) the
evidence was too remote in time and (2) its probative value did not outweigh
its potential for unfair prejudice. Rohrbach relies on Commonwealth v.
Green, 76 A.3d 575 (Pa. Super. 2013). Green was convicted of murdering
his girlfriend by a gunshot to the head. The Commonwealth called a witness
who testified that two to three months before the shooting, she and the victim
were preparing to go out when Green entered, pointed a gun at the victim,
and said “where the F are you going[?]” Id. at 583 (quoting trial transcript).
The trial court justified admitting the evidence as relevant to the chain of
events. Rohrbach quotes our disagreement with that rationale:
In the instant case, the res gestae exception is not applicable to
admit evidence of the gun-pointing incident. The delay in time
between the incident and the shooting, which was at least two
months, is by itself strongly suggestive that the exception does
not apply. Nevertheless, there is no specific timeframe that
dictates the applicability of the exception. However, it is also clear
that the gun-pointing incident was in no way part of the same
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transaction or sequence of events that constituted the crime for
which Appellant was being tried.
Id. at 584 (emphasis in original).9
Rohrbach emphasizes that Green deemed a two-month delay between
the prior act and the murder too remote while here, the challenged testimony
discussed events occurring much more than two months before the victim’s
death. But as Green also observed, there is no specific timeframe that
governs the res gestae exception and Rohrbach’s invocation of a per se rule
fails.
More importantly, the event analyzed in Green was a one-off incident
that had little relation to the ultimate murder. In contrast, we have recognized
the probative value of prior instances of abuse between a victim and assailant.
In Commonwealth v. Jackson, 900 A.2d 936 (Pa. Super. 2006), Jackson
and the victim had two children together and a long romantic relationship.
During a fight, Jackson grabbed a cord and strangled the victim until she died.
The Commonwealth introduced evidence that Jackson violated numerous
Protection From Abuse (PFA) orders, plus testimony from several police
officers that a pattern of abuse existed. Jackson, like Rohrbach, admitted to
the police that he killed the victim and also claimed that it was an accident.
Jackson argued that admission of this evidence was improper under Rule
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9Green held that the evidence was admissible as probative of motive and
absence of mistake.
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404(b). We held that the evidence was admissible under the res gestae
exception and that its probative value outweighed its prejudicial effect:
Specifically, Appellant contends that evidence relating to the
parties’ history of domestic abuse and prior PFA orders was
improper since Appellant readily admitted he killed the victim and
the only reason the Commonwealth offered the evidence was to
prove Appellant’s propensity for criminal behavior. We find no
merit to this claim.
It is axiomatic that evidence of prior crimes is not
admissible for the sole purpose of demonstrating a
criminal defendant’s propensity to commit crimes.
This rule is not without exception, however. . . . .
[Commonwealth v. Melendez–Rodriguez, 856
A.2d 1278, 1283 (Pa. Super. 2004)].
Here, the evidence established that, since 1993, police officers
responded to the parties’ residence for numerous incidents where
Appellant had beaten the victim, several times in violation of an
existing PFA order. The evidence suggests that the abuse by
Appellant of the victim continued to escalate until
Appellant ultimately murdered the victim. The challenged
evidence shows the chain or sequence of events which formed the
history of the case, is part of the natural development of the case,
and demonstrates Appellant’s motive, malice, intent, and ill-will
toward the victim. Therefore, the trial court did not err in
permitting the evidence to be introduced at trial.
Id. at 940–41 (emphasis added).
Here, we likewise find no abuse of discretion for the reasons expressed
in Jackson. The evidence in this case suggests a long pattern of abuse by
Rohrbach. Significantly, the victim specifically asked Ms. Bobst to maintain a
list of witnesses in case something happened to her. She also called a
domestic violence agency to inquire about shelter. While Rohrbach apparently
concedes that the trial court did not err in admitting that testimony, Ms. Bobst
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was instructed to speak to Mrs. Rodriguez and Mrs. Shinn. All of these events
are tied together to some degree and form a history of the case.
Finally, this pattern of abusive behavior was highly relevant to undercut
the argument that the injuries leading to death were accidental. We find no
abuse of discretion in admitting the evidence.
IV.
Rohrbach’s third, fourth and fifth claims all raise challenges to the
weight of the evidence, with one challenge each as to Mr. Rodriguez, Mrs.
Rodriguez and Mrs. Shinn. Rohrbach addresses all three together as do we.10
Rohrbach’s weight arguments as to these three witnesses relitigates his
Pa.R.E. 404(b) claim. Rohrbach’s brief at 25-31 (discussing Pa.R.E. 404 with
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10In Commonwealth v. Roberts, 133 A.3d 759 (Pa. Super. 2016), we
explained the applicable standard of review as follows:
A motion for a new trial based on a claim that the verdict is against
the weight of the evidence is addressed to the discretion of the
trial court. A new trial should not be granted because of a mere
conflict in the testimony or because the judge on the same facts
would have arrived at a different conclusion. Rather, the role of
the trial judge is to determine that notwithstanding all the facts,
certain facts are so clearly of greater weight that to ignore them
or to give them equal weight with all the facts is to deny justice.
In order for an appellant to prevail on a challenge to the weight of
the evidence, the evidence must be so tenuous, vague and
uncertain that the verdict shocks the conscience of the court.
Id. at 769-70 (citations and quotation marks omitted). Additionally, we only
review the trial court’s discretion in ruling on the claim, not the actual weight
claim itself. Commonwealth v. Clay, 64 A.3d 1049, 1055 (Pa. 2013).
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no reference to weight of the evidence). He fails to address how “certain facts
[were] so clearly of greater weight than to ignore them or to give them equal
weight” denies justice.
The one aspect that actually implicates the weight of the evidence
relates to the May 10, 2015 incident where Mr. and Mrs. Rodriguez testified
that they called the police after Ms. McAvoy arrived at their home bleeding
and nearly naked. On cross-examination, counsel asked, “Would you be
surprised to learn that in the report, Officer Lower indicates there were no
visible marks on Deniese McAvoy that day?” N.T. Vol. I, 4/5-12/18, at 300.
Both witnesses said yes. Rohrbach suggests this “testimony” deserves greater
weight, presumably because a police officer would not fail to document the
injuries.
However, Rohrbach fails to develop how the testimony of this one
incident undercuts all the other instances of abuse, especially when actual
photographs depicting said abuse were introduced. Furthermore, the claim
that “Officer Lower reported seeing no bruises on Ms. McAvoy” is not accurate,
as Officer Lower did not testify. There may or may not be reasons that the
police report failed to describe any abuse that only the officer could explain.
But in any event, the jury was entitled to resolve actual conflicts in the
testimony. Surely it can be entrusted to resolve theoretical ones. No relief is
due.
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V.
The final claim attacks the weight of the evidence with respect to Dr.
Kuruvilla’s expert testimony regarding the manner of death. We find no abuse
of discretion. The trial court cogently disposed of this issue in its opinion as
follows:
Lastly, the Defendant argues that Dr. Kur[u]villa's testimony was
against the weight of the evidence because she testified that any
number of means could have caused the death of Ms. McAvoy. He
further argues that this renders her testimony uncertain and that
the verdict issued in reliance of her testimony was not valid.
In her testimony at trial, Dr. Kur[u]villa was forthright and firm in
her conclusion that Ms. McAvoy died as a result of acute peritonitis
due to transverse colon perforation and pancreatic laceration due
to blunt force trauma of the abdomen. She determined that the
manner of death was a homicide. She stated that the most
common way to acquire that kind of injury was through an impact
applied with great force. Some examples she gave of the type of
force included a car accident, a punch, or a kick. Although a car
accident was an example of how one might incur injuries such as
those suffered by Ms. McAvoy, there was no evidence introduced
that established that Ms. McAvoy had been in a car accident. Dr.
Kur[u]villa also listed several other injuries that Ms. McAvoy had
at the time of her death. These included lacerations on her face,
bruises on her head, an injury to her neck indicative of manual
strangulation, and fractured ribs. Because of the types of injuries
that Ms. McAvoy suffered, Dr. Kur[u]villa was able to rule out
possible scenarios for receiving the injuries such as a fall down the
stairs or an accidental fall into an object. She also determined
that the injuries could not have occurred from alcoholism,
peritonitis, or a fecaloma. Dr. Kur[u]villa was confident that her
ultimate determination of a homicide was correct, saying at trial:
DR KUR[U]VILLA: My contention in calling it a
homicide was that there was no alternate explanation
that was offered to me to explain how this lady
developed the pancreatic laceration and the
transverse colon perforation or if she had, for
example, been in a car crash very recently or if she
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had reported very heavy object falling on her or if she
had - or there was a report of her falling onto, say, a
large blunt object to produce that kind of impact, then
I would have called it an accident or if - even if there
was any plausible doubt about some incident that
raised doubt in my head, I might have called it
undetermined. But in this case, none of those
explanations were forthcoming.
Although Dr. Kur[u]villa could not say with certainty what moment
the injuries occurred or what the actual force was, she was certain
that the injuries that resulted in Ms. McAvoy's death must have
been caused by the actions of another. Dr. Kur[u]villa's testimony
was consistent with the conclusion that the Defendant caused the
death of Ms. McAvoy and is not against the weight of the evidence.
Trial Court Opinion, 10/30/18, at 10-11.
We fully agree with this analysis and add only that Rohrbach’s brief
claims that the Commonwealth failed to rule out an accident as the
explanation for the injury and death:
In the instant case, Mr. Rohrbach contends that in light of the trial
testimony that Ms. McAvoy was prone to self-injury while drunk,
that Dr. Kuruvilla's testimony regarding the cause of Ms. McAvoy's
injury was weak and uncertain, and that Dr. Land's testimony
established that Ms. McAvoy's injuries most certainly could have
been received from a fall down a flight of stairs, the jury could not
have concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that any action on his
part caused the fatal injury. The verdict raises the question; upon
what proof does the jury's conclusion rest? What evidence
demonstrates beyond a reasonable doubt either of the competing
propositions; the one suggesting that Ms. McAvoy's injuries were
caused by Mr. Rohrbach or the one suggesting that Ms. McAvoy
was, yet again, falling down drunk and injured herself? The
answer, of course, is neither.
Rohrbach’s brief at 36.
By questioning the validity of the verdict, Rohrbach is challenging the
sufficiency of the evidence. Such arguments are improper in the weight
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context. See Commonwealth v. Moreno, 14 A.3d 133, 136 (Pa. Super.
2011) (“A motion for new trial on grounds that the verdict is contrary to the
weight of the evidence concedes that there is sufficient evidence to sustain
the verdict but contends, nevertheless, that the verdict is against the weight
of the evidence.”) (quotation marks and citation omitted). The only real
weight argument is that Dr. Land disagreed with Dr. Kuruvilla’s conclusions.
Obviously, it cannot be that the existence of competing expert opinions
precludes a verdict. This challenge fails.
Judgment of sentence affirmed.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 03/27/2019
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