COURT OF APPEALS OF VIRGINIA
Present: Judges Elder, Fitzpatrick and Annunziata
Argued at Richmond, Virginia
MICHAEL JOHN CANIPE
OPINION BY
v. Record No. 1669-96-2 JUDGE LARRY G. ELDER
OCTOBER 14, 1997
COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF ALBEMARLE COUNTY
Paul M. Peatross, Jr., Judge
Francis McQ. Lawrence (Charles Y. Sipe;
St. John, Bowling & Lawrence, on briefs), for
appellant.
Eugene Murphy, Assistant Attorney General
(James S. Gilmore, III, Attorney General;
Margaret Ann B. Walker, Assistant Attorney
General, on brief), for appellee.
Michael John Canipe (appellant) appeals his conviction of
second degree murder. He contends (1) that the trial court erred
when it prohibited him from offering testimony and making
arguments regarding the crime of "hit and run"; (2) that the
trial court erred when it excluded the testimony of a potential
witness regarding the victim's character for aggression; and
(3) that the evidence was insufficient to prove that he was
guilty of murder. For the reasons that follow, we affirm.
I.
FACTS
Around 7:30 p.m. on February 14, 1995, both appellant and
the victim were driving on the "250 bypass" near Charlottesville
to a local shopping mall. Appellant was driving with his wife
and child, and the victim was driving to meet his wife at the
mall.
The cars were near each other as they approached the exit
for Park Street, which was the road that eventually led to the
mall. The victim was in the right lane preparing to exit onto
Park Street. Appellant was in the left lane next to the victim,
traveling "fast" and talking with his wife. Appellant suddenly
realized he was passing the Park Street exit and, from the left
lane, "made a quick right-hand turn to get over to the ramp." In
doing so, appellant "cut off" the victim and forced the victim to
sharply apply his brakes. Both cars proceeded up the exit ramp
and turned right onto Park Street.
The portion of Park Street on which appellant and the victim
initially traveled is a two-lane road with a painted, "double
yellow" line separating the two lanes. Shortly after turning
onto Park Street, the victim sped past appellant by moving his
car across the double yellow line and into the lane designated
for oncoming traffic. The victim then pulled his car in front of
appellant's and slowed down to a speed of between 15 and 20 miles
per hour. The speed limit for Park Street is at least 35 miles
per hour. Appellant proceeded to drive close to the victim's
rear bumper, and at one point, the victim sharply applied his
brakes, causing appellant to sharply apply his.
When appellant and the victim reached the point where Park
Street becomes a four-lane road with two lanes designated for
traffic in each direction, appellant passed the victim in the
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left lane, pulled in front of him, and slowed his car down.
Appellant and the victim then engaged in a "cat and mouse game."
The victim would move his car over to the left lane in an
attempt to pass appellant, and appellant would move over to the
left lane and block the victim's path. The victim responded by
driving close to appellant's rear bumper. Appellant and the
victim continued driving in this fashion until they reached the
left hand turning lane at the intersection that led to the
parking lot of the shopping mall. A driver who passed appellant
and the victim during this time testified that "you could tell
they were mad." Appellant later testified that he was upset
because the victim had passed him by crossing a double yellow
line.
When appellant and the victim reached the stoplight adjacent
to the shopping mall, appellant pulled into the left-hand turning
lane and stopped his car several feet short of the intersection.
The victim pulled in behind him. Appellant exited his car and
walked back to the victim's car. He yelled at the victim, kicked
his driver's side door, and told him to get out of his car. The
victim remained in his car and motioned to the mall parking lot.
Appellant later testified that he was "pretty mad" and "angry"
at the victim and "might have been ready to fight" him.
Appellant returned to his car and turned left into the
parking lot of the shopping mall, which was "basically empty."
Appellant's wife started yelling at him about the incident.
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Appellant drove his car by the mall, turned into an area of the
parking lot, "circled back around," and stopped his car. He
remained in his car with the motor running. Less than a minute
later, the victim pulled up in his car. The victim "jumped" out
without turning off his headlights, "threw down" his jacket, and
started walking toward appellant's car. The victim did not
display a weapon and was unarmed. Appellant became scared when
he noticed that the victim was much larger than him and that the
victim's face looked angry.
The victim continued to walk toward appellant's car, and
appellant decided to abandon the confrontation and drive away
from the parking lot. Although appellant could have left the
scene by backing away from the victim or by driving to the left
or right of him, appellant drove toward the victim, accelerated
his car to a speed of 15 miles per hour, and hit him. Appellant
did not apply the brakes or attempt to turn before striking the
victim. The impact of the victim's right shoulder on the
windshield made a large indention of shattered glass in the shape
of a half moon. The victim rolled off of appellant's hood and
landed on the pavement. He died of a "closed head" injury three
days later. Appellant sped from the parking lot without stopping
to check on the victim's condition.
Appellant drove straight to his home and parked his car in
his driveway. He became aware of media coverage of the incident
involving him and the victim, and the next day he parked his car
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in his garage and closed the garage door. A few days after the
incident, appellant called a local glass shop to purchase a
windshield to replace the one damaged by the impact of the
victim's body. He later testified that he planned to install the
windshield himself "so [he] could correct the damage before
anybody found it." Appellant enlisted the help of a friend to
complete this project. He told his friend that the windshield
had been damaged "during a fight out at the mall" when his
opponent had confronted him with a crowbar and struck his
windshield with the tool.
Appellant and his friend purchased a replacement windshield
from the glass shop on February 17. Unknown to appellant, an
array of police officers in plain clothes and unmarked cars were
surveilling the glass shop when he made the purchase. After
appellant and his friend left the glass shop, several officers
followed them as they drove to appellant's house. Appellant was
arrested at his home later in the day on February 17 and taken to
the police station. Later that evening, appellant falsely told a
police officer that the victim was carrying a tire iron when he
approached appellant in the parking lot.
Appellant was charged with murdering the victim. At his
trial, appellant's lawyer made several references to the crime of
"hit and run." During his voir dire of the jury, appellant's
counsel asked:
The evidence will show that [appellant] was
guilty of a serious crime, and that's the
crime of hit and run, leaving the scene of a
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personal injury. Would any of you have
difficulty acquitting [appellant] of any
crime, that is finding him not guilty, even
though you believe he committed a serious
crime, but it's not a crime he's charged
with?
Appellant's counsel referred to this question during his opening
statement. Then, during his motion to strike following the
conclusion of the Commonwealth's evidence, appellant's counsel
argued:
[W]e think even in the light most favorable
to the Commonwealth that the Commonwealth
fails to present a prima facie case. We have
ample evidence in this case, Your Honor, as I
suggested at voir dire, of a . . . serious
charge of hit and run.
The trial court responded by saying:
Hit and run is not before this Court. I
don't think you should argue some other crime
when we're addressing only a charge of
murder.
The Commonwealth subsequently made a motion in limine to
prohibit appellant's counsel from eliciting testimony or making
arguments regarding the crime of "hit and run." Appellant
conceded that he should not offer any evidence or testimony
regarding "hit and run" but argued that prohibiting him from
referring to this crime unduly restricted the scope of his
closing argument. The trial court ruled that appellant's counsel
could not use the term "hit and run" in his closing argument but
that he could "argue that [appellant] did something else wrong."
Appellant's counsel objected to this ruling. The Commonwealth's
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attorney then moved the court to order appellant's witnesses to
refrain from referring to "hit and run," and the trial court
responded:
Well, [appellant's counsel has] already
agreed to that and I so ruled that his
witnesses won't address an offense of hit and
run or use the words hit and run.
Appellant's counsel did not disagree with the trial court's
characterization of his position.
Near the end of his case, appellant's counsel informed the
trial court that he had recently learned of a witness who would
testify regarding the victim's character for aggression. He
proffered her testimony for the record. He stated that the
witness would testify that twice within the six months prior to
the victim's death, the victim had followed the witness home in
his automobile and confronted her about her driving in excess of
the speed limit. The witness would also testify that the
victim's demeanor was "angry and abrupt" and "confrontive and
abusive" and that she was "frightened by what he did." Appellant
argued that even though "[t]his is not a self-defense case,"
evidence of the victim's character for aggression is admissible
because the issue of who was the aggressor in the mall parking
lot -- appellant or the victim -- was a material issue for the
jury. The trial court denied appellant's request to offer this
evidence of the victim's character because appellant had not
established a foundation of self-defense.
At the conclusion of the Commonwealth's case-in-chief and
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again after his evidence, appellant made a motion to strike. The
trial court denied both motions. A jury convicted appellant of
second degree murder and sentenced him to a prison term of ten
years.
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II.
TESTIMONY AND ARGUMENT REGARDING THE CRIME OF "HIT AND RUN"
Appellant contends that the trial court abused its
discretion when it prohibited him from offering testimony and
making arguments regarding the crime of "hit and run." We
disagree.
First, we agree with the Commonwealth that appellant failed
to preserve for appeal his argument that the trial court
erroneously prohibited the introduction of testimony regarding
the crime of "hit and run." Appellant did not object to the
trial court's ruling excluding such testimony. See Rule 5A:18.
During his argument on the Commonwealth's motion in limine,
appellant's counsel conceded that witnesses should not testify
about the crime of "hit and run" "because that's not the charge."
When the trial court stated that appellant agreed with its
ruling prohibiting testimony about "hit and run," appellant's
counsel did not object.
We also hold that the trial court's decision to prohibit
appellant's counsel from referring to the specific crime of "hit
and run" during his closing argument was not an abuse of
discretion.
The purpose of closing argument is to
summarize the evidence for the jury, to
persuade the jury to view the evidence in the
light most favorable to the client, and to
apply that evidence to the law in a manner
which will result in a verdict favorable to
the client.
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Charles E. Friend, The Law of Evidence in Virginia § 21-1(b)(1)
(4th ed. 1993). The decision regarding the appropriateness of a
closing argument is committed to the discretion of the trial
court. See Griffin v. Commonwealth, 22 Va. App. 622, 624, 472
S.E.2d 285, 287 (1996); see also O'Dell v. Commonwealth, 234 Va.
672, 703, 364 S.E.2d 491, 509 (1988) (citing Jordan v. Taylor,
209 Va. 43, 51, 161 S.E.2d 790, 795 (1968)) (stating that a trial
court has broad discretion in the supervision of closing
arguments).
This [C]ourt will not interfere with the
exercise of this broad discretion unless it
affirmatively appears that such discretion
has been abused and that the rights of the
complaining litigant have been prejudiced.
Cohen v. Power, 183 Va. 258, 262, 32 S.E.2d 64, 65 (1944).
We cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion
when it prohibited appellant's counsel from making arguments
regarding the crime of "hit and run" during his closing argument.
Such arguments were not relevant to the charge for which
appellant was on trial and would have confused the issues before
the jury. Consistent with the purpose of closing argument,
appellant's counsel was entitled to make the full range of
arguments relevant to persuading the jury that appellant was not
guilty of the crime of which he was charged. However, appellant
was not charged with "hit and run" and that crime is not a lesser
included offense of murder. The argument that appellant was
guilty of "hit and run" had no bearing on whether the
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Commonwealth had proven beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant
was guilty of murder. In addition, the trial court's provision
in its ruling that appellant's counsel could argue that
"[appellant] did something else wrong" furnished appellant's
counsel with sufficient latitude to advocate fully for his client
in his closing argument.
III.
EXCLUSION OF TESTIMONY
REGARDING THE VICTIM'S CHARACTER FOR AGGRESSION
Appellant contends that the trial court erred when it
refused to admit testimony about the victim's prior aggressive
conduct toward another driver. We disagree.
A criminal defendant may offer evidence regarding the
victim's character for violence, turbulence, or aggression for
two purposes: (1) to show "who was the aggressor" or (2) to show
"the reasonable apprehensions of the defendant for his life and
safety." Randolph v. Commonwealth, 190 Va. 256, 265, 56 S.E.2d
226, 230 (1949); see also 1A, 2 John H. Wigmore, Evidence § 63,
63.1, 246 (Tillers rev. 1983). However, it is well established
that such evidence of the victim's character is admissible only
when the defendant "adduces evidence that he acted in
self-defense." Jordan v. Commonwealth, 219 Va. 852, 855, 252
S.E.2d 323, 325 (1979); see also Burford v. Commonwealth, 179 Va.
752, 767, 20 S.E.2d 509, 515 (1942) (stating that evidence of a
victim's character for violence "is admissible only when the
defendant has interposed a plea of self-defense . . . , and when
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a proper foundation is laid by proof of some overt act justifying
such defense"); Mealy v. Commonwealth, 135 Va. 585, 596, 115 S.E.
528, 531 (1923) (stating that evidence of the victim's
"quarrelsome, dangerous, and ferocious" character was not
admissible "because there was no foundation in the case for the
theory of self-defense"); Harrison v. Commonwealth, 79 Va.
(4 Hans.) 374, 379 (1884) (stating that evidence of the victim's
"brutal and ferocious" character is inadmissible "where no case
of self-defence has been made out"). If the defendant has
established prima facie evidence of self-defense, then the
evidence of the victim's character must also satisfy additional
tests of relevance. See Randolph, 190 Va. at 265, 56 S.E.2d at
230 (stating that the test of relevance depends upon the purpose
for which the evidence of the victim's character is offered); see
also Barnes v. Commonwealth, 214 Va. 24, 26, 197 S.E.2d 189, 190
(1973).
We hold that the trial court did not err when it excluded
the testimony regarding the victim's prior aggressive conduct.
The record indicates that appellant did not establish the
foundation of self-defense that is required before evidence of
the victim's character for aggression is admissible. At trial,
appellant conceded that "[t]his is not a self-defense case."
Because a review of the evidence discloses no overt act on the
part of the victim that would justify a plea of self-defense by
appellant, the exclusion of appellant's evidence regarding the
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victim's character for aggression was not erroneous. See Jordan,
219 Va. at 855-56, 252 S.E.2d at 325-26.
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IV.
SUFFICIENCY OF THE EVIDENCE
It is undisputed that appellant caused the victim's death by
hitting the victim with his car on February 14, 1995 between 7:30
p.m. and 8:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the shopping mall. On
appeal, appellant contends that the evidence was insufficient to
prove that he acted with malice when he drove into the victim.
He argues that this Court should reverse his conviction and
remand for a new trial on a charge no greater than voluntary
manslaughter. We disagree.
In Virginia, criminal homicide is divided into two
categories: murder and manslaughter. See Moxley v.
Commonwealth, 195 Va. 151, 157, 77 S.E.2d 389, 393 (1953).
"Murder" is the unlawful killing of another with malice. See
Thomas v. Commonwealth, 186 Va. 131, 139, 41 S.E.2d 476, 480
(1947) (citing Scott v. Commonwealth, 143 Va. 510, 519, 129 S.E.
360, 363 (1925)). "Manslaughter, on the other hand, is the
unlawful killing of another without malice." Barrett v.
Commonwealth, 231 Va. 102, 105, 341 S.E.2d 190, 192 (1986)
(citation omitted).
Malice is an essential element of murder and is what
distinguishes it from the crime of manslaughter. See Rhodes v.
Commonwealth, 238 Va. 480, 485, 384 S.E.2d 95, 98 (1989) (citing
Moxley, 195 Va. at 157, 77 S.E.2d at 393). The element of malice
requires the Commonwealth to prove that the accused committed the
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homicide "wilfully or purposefully." See Essex v. Commonwealth,
228 Va. 273, 280, 322 S.E.2d 216, 220 (1984) (citing Williamson
v. Commonwealth, 180 Va. 277, 280, 23 S.E.2d 240, 241 (1942)).
Malice may be either express or implied
. . . . "Express malice is evidenced when
'one person kills another with a sedate,
deliberate mind, and formed design.' . . .
Implied malice exists when any purposeful,
cruel act is committed by one individual
against another without any, or without great
provocation; . . . ."
Id. (citation omitted). Implied malice may be inferred from
"conduct likely to cause death or great bodily harm, wilfully or
purposefully undertaken." Id. at 281, 322 S.E.2d at 220.
Whether or not an accused acted with malice is generally a
question of fact and may be proved by circumstantial evidence.
See Pugh v. Commonwealth, 223 Va. 663, 667, 292 S.E.2d 339, 341
(1982); Painter v. Commonwealth, 210 Va. 360, 364-65, 171 S.E.2d
166, 170 (1969) (citing Bradshaw v. Commonwealth, 174 Va. 391,
401, 4 S.E.2d 752, 756 (1939)).
In making the determination whether malice
exists, the fact-finder must be guided by the
quality of the defendant's conduct, its
likelihood of causing death or great bodily
harm, and whether it was volitional or
inadvertent . . . .
Essex, 228 Va. at 282, 322 S.E.2d at 221.
"To reduce a homicide from murder to voluntary manslaughter,
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the killing must have been done in the heat of passion and upon
reasonable provocation." Barrett, 231 Va. at 105-06, 341 S.E.2d
at 192 (citing Martin v. Commonwealth, 184 Va. 1009, 1016-17, 37
S.E.2d 43, 46 (1946)). "Malice and heat of passion are mutually
exclusive; malice excludes passion, and passion presupposes the
absence of malice." Id. at 106, 341 S.E.2d at 192 (citations
omitted).
"Heat of passion" refers to "the furor brevis which renders
a man deaf to the voice of reason." Hannah v. Commonwealth, 153
Va. 863, 870, 149 S.E. 419, 421 (1929). In order to show that a
killing occurred in the heat of passion, the evidence must prove
the simultaneous occurrence of both "reasonable provocation" and
"passion." See Martin, 184 Va. at 1016, 37 S.E.2d at 46. "Heat
of passion is determined by the nature and degree of the
provocation and may be founded upon rage, fear, or a combination
of both." Barrett, 231 Va. at 106, 341 S.E.2d at 192 (citations
omitted).
A reasonable provocation is always necessary
to reduce a felonious homicide, committed
upon sudden provocation, from the degree of
murder . . . to that of manslaughter; . . . .
Words alone, however insulting or
contemptuous, are never a sufficient
provocation to have that effect . . . .
Read v. Commonwealth, 63 Va. (22 Gratt) 924, 938 (1872).
Generally, whether a killing was done in the heat of passion upon
reasonable provocation is a question of fact. See Barrett, 231
Va. at 106, 341 S.E.2d at 192.
Only when the trial court, giving the
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defendant the benefit of every reasonable
inference from the evidence, can say that the
minds of reasonable men could not differ does
the question become a question of law.
McClung v. Commonwealth, 215 Va. 654, 656, 212 S.E.2d 290, 292
(1975) (citations omitted).
When considering the sufficiency of the evidence on appeal
to support a criminal conviction, this Court views the evidence
in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth. Higginbotham v.
Commonwealth, 216 Va. 349, 352, 218 S.E.2d 534, 537 (1975). On
review, this Court does not substitute its judgment for that of
the trier of fact. Cable v. Commonwealth, 243 Va. 236, 239, 415
S.E.2d 218, 220 (1992). Instead, the jury's verdict will not be
set aside unless it appears that it is plainly wrong or without
supporting evidence. Code § 8.01-680; Traverso v. Commonwealth,
6 Va. App. 172, 176, 366 S.E.2d 719, 721 (1988).
We hold that the evidence was sufficient to support the
jury's conclusion that appellant acted with malice when he struck
the victim with his car. The evidence regarding appellant's
conduct before, during, and after the incident established that
appellant willfully and deliberately engaged in a cruel act that
was likely to cause great bodily harm to the victim. Prior to
the incident in the mall parking lot, appellant and the victim
had angered each other while engaging in a "cat and mouse game"
of aggressive driving. When appellant confronted the victim at
the stoplight near the entrance to the mall, the victim motioned
toward the mall parking lot. Appellant then drove into the
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parking lot, parked his car, and remained in it with the motor
running. The victim pulled up in his car less than a minute
later, "jumped" out, and started walking toward appellant's car.
Appellant responded to the victim's approach by driving his car
straight toward the victim and striking him. Appellant neither
applied his brakes nor attempted to turn before hitting the
victim. The evidence established that the parking lot was
"basically empty" and that appellant could have avoided the
victim by backing up or by driving to the left or right of him.
Appellant's decision to drive toward the victim when he could
have exited the parking lot by driving in other directions and
the fact that he never applied his brakes support the conclusion
that he deliberately struck the victim with his car.
Appellant's actions after hitting the victim further support
the conclusion that he acted with malice. Rather than stopping
his car to check on the victim's condition, appellant sped from
the parking lot and drove home. He then attempted to conceal his
role in the incident by attempting to purchase and install a
windshield to replace the one damaged by the impact of the
victim's body. He also falsely told both his friend and a police
officer that the victim was carrying a crowbar as he approached
appellant in the parking lot.
In addition, the evidence supports the jury's conclusion
that appellant was not acting in the heat of passion when he
drove his car into the victim. The victim's approach toward
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appellant in the parking lot did not constitute the reasonable
provocation that establishes a heat-of-passion defense and
reduces a charge of murder to manslaughter. The evidence proved
that the victim merely walked toward appellant after exiting his
car. The victim did not display a weapon and, other than his
large size and infuriated expression, did not appear threatening
to appellant. In addition, appellant was sitting in the driver's
seat of a running automobile in a sparsely-occupied parking lot
at the time of the victim's approach. The record established
that appellant could have driven to the right or to the left of
the victim or backed the car away from him. Although appellant
and the victim had minutes earlier been enmeshed in a fit of
"road rage" spurred by each other's aggressive driving, such
conduct alone does not render a reasonable person "deaf to the
voice of reason." Hannah, 153 Va. at 863, 149 S.E. at 421.
Moreover, the evidence of the victim's nonviolent, nonthreatening
confrontation of appellant in the parking lot supports the jury's
conclusion that appellant was not reasonably provoked to drive
his car into the victim.
For the foregoing reasons, we affirm the conviction of
second degree murder.
Affirmed.
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