Opinion
346845
08-12-2021
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. STEVEN JEROME GOODMAN, Defendant-Appellant.
UNPUBLISHED
Wayne Circuit Court LC No. 16-001486-01-FC
Before: Riordan, P.J., and M. J. Kelly and Shapiro, JJ.PER CURIAM
Following a bench trial, defendant was convicted of two firearm charges although he was never seen with a gun or in proximity to a gun. Neither a firearm nor bullets were found in defendant's possession, his home or in any other location to which he had access. Defendant argues on appeal that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions. We agree and therefore reverse, vacate defendant's convictions and remand for dismissal of the charges.
Defendant was convicted of one count of felon in possession of a firearm (felon-in-possession), MCL 750.224f; and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (felony-firearm), MCL 750.227b. He was sentenced to three to ten years in prison for the felon-in-possession count, to be served consecutive to the mandatory five-year sentence for the felony-firearm count, as it was his second such conviction.
I. BACKGROUND
This case arises out of the investigation into the death of defendant's girlfriend, Chantel Carrington. Carrington's location could not be accounted for after the evening of June 6, 2015. Her body was found in an abandoned house in Detroit on July 14, 2015, and it was determined that she died of a gunshot wound from a .25 caliber or 6.35 millimeter firearm. Defendant was charged with first-degree murder, felon-in-possession, and felony-firearm. After hearing the evidence and argument from counsel at the bench trial, the trial court acquitted defendant of murder, but found him guilty of felon-in-possession and felony-firearm.
The trial court based its guilty verdicts upon two witnesses who testified to events that occurred after Carrington's disappearance. The first witness was Willie Plummer, a neighbor of defendant. In the days or weeks after June 6, Plummer ran into defendant and had a conversation with him, which Plummer described at trial:
Plummer: And then he [defendant] asked me did I know anybody who wanted to buy a gun.
Q. I'm sorry.
A. He wanted to know if I wanted to buy one.
Q. He asked you do you know anyone who wanted to buy --
A. If I wanted to buy a gun. A couple guns.
Q. Okay. And I'm sorry, did you describe the guns when you talked to the police?
A. Yes.
Q. What did you describe them as?
A. A shotgun and a .32.
Plummer told defendant he was not interested in purchasing a gun.
The second witness was Detroit Police Officer James McDonald, who in July 2015 impounded defendant's vehicle as part of the investigation into Carrington's disappearance. He conducted an inventory search of defendant's vehicle and found what he characterized as a "gun case" in the trunk:
Q. Was there anything of note that you observed in the vehicle?
A. Yes.
Q. What was that?
A. It was a-in the trunk of the vehicle was a gun case that was empty.
Q. Okay. When you say gun case, can you describe it?
A. I believe it was a small square plastic box that a handgun could fit into.
Q. I'm sorry. You said that a handgun could fit into?
A. Yes.
In finding defendant guilty of felon-in-possession and felony firearm, the trial court concluded that defendant had constructive possession of a firearm.
II. DISCUSSION
Defendant argues that there was insufficient evidence to support his convictions because the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he possessed a firearm. We agree.
A challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence is reviewed de novo. People v Cline, 276 Mich.App. 634, 642; 741 N.W.2d 563 (2007). When reviewing a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, the reviewing court "must view the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution and determine whether a rational trier of fact could find that the essential elements of the crime were proven beyond a reasonable doubt." People v Hill, 257 Mich.App. 126, 140-141; 667 N.W.2d 78 (2003). Because we agree with defendant that there was insufficient evidence to support his convictions, we need not address his alternative argument that his convictions were against the great weight of the evidence.
Possession of a firearm may be actual or constructive. People v Hill, 433 Mich. 464, 470; 446 N.W.2d 140 (1989). "[A] defendant has constructive possession of a firearm if the location of the weapon is known and it is reasonably accessible to the defendant." Id. at 470-471.
We begin by noting that the prosecution has not referred us to any case of record in which conviction on a gun-possession charge was upheld despite the fact that the alleged gun was never located, seen or photographed. Given the absence of such evidence, defendant's convictions rest solely upon two pieces of circumstantial evidence. The first was Plummer's testimony that defendant asked him if he knew "anybody who wanted to buy a gun. . . . A couple guns. . . . A shotgun and a .32." This witness, however, never saw a gun, did not know whether in fact defendant had one in his possession or control, and the police investigation did not provide further information or reveal the whereabouts of the guns allegedly offered for sale. Further, defendant was asking a question, not making an offer for sale. Defendant did not display the guns or state that he presently possessed the guns or even that he was the seller. This brief conversation was too vague to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant possessed a firearm.
We recognize, however, that if a defendant is found guilty of an assaultive crime that was perpetrated with a firearm the evidence relevant to the underlying charge would be sufficient to establish defendant's guilt as to the felony-firearm charge. However, in this case, defendant was acquitted of the underlying assaultive crime.
The second piece of evidence in support of the charges was the police officer's testimony that when he searched the trunk of defendant's vehicle he found what he termed a "gun case." The officer described the case only as a "small plastic box that a handgun could fit into," a description that would fit many plastic boxes that never held a weapon. The prosecution did not ask him to provide a more detailed description and neither the box nor a photo of it was offered into evidence or published at trial. Merely naming the box a "gun case" without introducing it into evidence or providing a reasonable description of it does not demonstrate that the empty plastic box in the trunk had been intended to hold a gun or that it had ever been used for such a purpose.
From the evidence one could conclude that defendant possibly or, at best, probably, possessed a firearm at some time or that he planned to obtain one. Certainly such evidence would be sufficient to establish probable cause to conduct a search for a firearm in a location over which defendant had control. However, it does not establish possession beyond a reasonable doubt and proofs that do not rise to that standard are by definition insufficient. See People v Ericksen, 288 Mich.App. 192, 196; 793 N.W.2d 120 (2010) ("Circumstantial evidence and the reasonable inferences it permits are sufficient to support a conviction, provided the prosecution meets its constitutionally based burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt."). See also People v Xun Wang, 505 Mich. 239, 251; 952 N.W.2d 334 (2020) ("[C]ircumstantial proof must facilitate reasonable inferences . . ., not mere speculation."). While the prosecution need not affirmatively disprove alternative inferences that could have been drawn, the proofs to support a necessary element of the offenses must be sufficient to satisfy the beyond-a-reasonable-doubt standard. Here, they did not.
We reverse and remand for dismissal of the charges. We do not retain jurisdiction.
Michael J. Riordan, P.J. (dissenting).
I respectfully dissent.
Defendant Steven Jerome Goodman appeals as of right his bench-trial convictions of one count of felon in possession of a firearm (felon-in-possession), MCL 750.224f; and one count of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony (felony-firearm), MCL 750.227b. Defendant was sentenced to three to ten years in prison for the felon-in-possession count, to be served consecutive to the mandatory five-year sentence for the felony-firearm count, as it was his second such conviction. Now defendant argues that the prosecution failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he actually or constructively possessed a firearm or, alternatively, that reversal is required because the guilty verdicts are against the great weight of evidence. I disagree with the majority which concludes that because a firearm was not found in defendant's possession at his home or in another location, the convictions cannot stand and I would affirm defendant's convictions.
The majority also supports its analysis, and reversal, with the notion that because the prosecutor fails to present any cases with a factual scenario similar to the one presently before us, by extension, defendant's convictions must be vacated. Interestingly, neither the majority nor defendant cite any constructive possession cases where the absence of a firearm in evidence necessarily requires acquittal.
In finding defendant guilty of possessing a firearm, the trial court explained as follows:
Um, there is a stipulation that he was convicted felon and his rights had not been restored.
We have testimony from. . . . Willie Plummer that, uh, subsequent to June 6th, um, Mr. Goodman attempted to, uh, sell a firearm. Or I think the testimony was that the defendant, uh, asked Mr. Plummer if he knew anyone, uh, he wanted to buy a gun.
Mr. Plummer was very specific it was a shotgun and a .32 caliber, uh, pistol. And um, Mr. Plummer based on my view of him was a very credible witness. He, he certainly, you know, even after some time was able to provide details about the conversation and about other things that are pertinent to this case. And there's no question that these facts arose a number of years ago back in June of 2015, but he was very clear about, um, his answers and the fact that it was the defendant who wanted to sell these firearms.
Additionally, um, Mr. Goodman had a Chrysler, um, that was searched, and in the back there was a gun case that was in the back of his vehicle. And while that gun case was empty, um, that would be additional indicia that even though no one saw him, uh, um, actually holding a gun, that doesn't mean that he didn't possess one during any relevant, uh, timeframe.
In fact, in order to establish possession, the, uh, Michigan Criminal Jury Instruction, 11.34b, uh, clearly provides that possession does not necessarily mean ownership. It simply means that the person has -- actually physical -- it could mean that he was either actual physical control of the thing.
In other words, could be on his person, or that he knows the location of the firearm and has reasonable access to it. So, it was not . . . Mr. Goodman didn't have to have, uh, a gun on him at the time that he, uh, spoke to Mr. Plummer in order to, uh, possess one. The law does not require that. It simply provides that there has to be evidence that he possessed, uh, a gun.
You know, in this, in a case -- in this case I, I think there is constructive possession.
Um, it's clearly I, I think it's incredible to believe that somebody who's offering to sell a gun doesn't have possession of it. In other words, the right to control it. Um, so I think there is evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that he is guilty of, uh, felon in possession of a firearm.
Uh, additionally with regard to the crime of felony firearm, um, to establish the elements of that crime it is necessary to find that the -- beyond a reasonable doubt that, uh, the defendant committed the crime of felon in possession, and that, um, he at the time that he committed that crime he knowingly, uh, possessed a firearm. And again, possession can be constructive.
So, uh, because possession of a firearm is an essential element of felon in possession and felony firearm, it would be, uh, a bit strange and incongruous to find him guilty of felon in possession of firearm [sic] and find him not guilty of felony firearm. So, um, I do think there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt that he's also guilty of the felony firearm.
Defendant now appeals.
The sufficiency of the evidence to support a conviction may be raised for the first time on appeal. People v Patterson, 428 Mich. 502, 514-515; 410 N.W.2d 733 (1987). A challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence is reviewed de novo. People v Cline, 276 Mich.App. 634, 642; 741 N.W.2d 563 (2007). When reviewing a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, the reviewing court "must view the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution and determine whether a rational trier of fact could find that the essential elements of the crime were proven beyond a reasonable doubt." People v Hill, 257 Mich.App. 126, 140-141; 667 N.W.2d 78 (2003). A trier of fact may make reasonable inferences from the facts if the inferences are supported by direct or circumstantial evidence. People v Metzler, 193 Mich.App. 541, 547; 484 N.W.2d 695 (1992).
A trial court's factual findings are reviewed for clear error and its conclusions of law are subject to review de novo. Ligon v Detroit, 276 Mich.App. 120, 124; 739 N.W.2d 900 (2007). A trial court commits clear error "when the reviewing court is left with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made." People v Kurylczyk, 443 Mich. 289, 303; 505 N.W.2d 528 (1993). Generally, where the factual findings are insufficient, the appropriate remedy is to remand the case for additional fact-finding. People v Jackson, 390 Mich. 621, 628; 212 N.W.2d 918 (1973).
MCL 750.224f sets forth the crime of felon-in-possession. MCL 750.224f(1) provides that "a person convicted of a felony shall not possess, use, transport, sell, purchase, carry, ship, receive, or distribute a firearm . . . ." It was stipulated that the defendant was previously convicted of a felony and ineligible to own a firearm.
MCL 750.227b sets forth the crime of felony-firearm. MCL 750.227b(1) provides that "[a] person who carries or has in his or her possession a firearm when he or she commits or attempts to commit a felony . . . is guilty of a felony . . . ." "The elements of felony-firearm are that the defendant possessed a firearm during the commission of, or the attempt to commit, a felony." People v Avant, 235 Mich.App. 499, 505; 597 N.W.2d 864 (1999).
The trial court found defendant guilty of felon-in-possession and felony-firearm under a constructive possession theory. A person has constructive possession of an object if there is proximity to the article together with indicia of control. People v Johnson, 293 Mich.App. 79, 83; 808 N.W.2d 815 (2011) (quotation marks and citation omitted). In addition, "a defendant has constructive possession of a firearm if the location of the weapon is known and it is reasonably accessible to the defendant." People v Hill, 433 Mich. 464, 470-471; 446 N.W.2d 140 (1989). Possession is not dependent on the defendant's access to the firearm at the time of arrest, and ownership of the firearm is not required to find that defendant possessed the firearm. See People v Burgenmeyer, 461 Mich. 431, 438-439; 606 N.W.2d 645 (2000).
In this case, when viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, there was sufficient evidence for a rational trier of fact to find that defendant constructively possessed a firearm. As the trial court noted, the testimony showed that defendant's vehicle contained a firearm case, and defendant offered to sell Mr. Plummer two firearms. Importantly, although not noted by the trial court, Mr. Plummer explained that he specifically "described" the two firearms to the police as "[a] shotgun and a .32." Logically, Mr. Plummer would not have been in a position to "describe" the two firearms to the police if he did not personally view them during the attempted sale with defendant, or if defendant did not provide a detailed description of the firearms. It therefore follows that defendant possessed the firearms at least constructively during his interaction with Mr. Plummer.
Like the majority does now, during the oral argument of this matter, defendant observed that not only were the police unable to produce the firearms connected to defendant, but the prosecution was unable to provide any evidence directly placing the firearms in the actual possession of defendant. However, while no witness may have explicitly claimed to see the firearms in the actual possession of defendant, I do not believe that the evidence connecting him to the firearms to be as insignificant as the defendant argues or that the majority concludes. M Crim JI 11.34b provides that, for the purposes of felony-firearm, "possession" includes a situation in which "the person knows the location of the firearm and has reasonable access to it." In my view, the evidence here is sufficient to support such a finding. As such, there is no requirement that the actual firearm, or its actual, physical location be introduced and admitted as evidence at trial.
Defendant also argues that his conversation with Mr. Plummer, in which he inquired into whether Mr. Plummer would be interested in purchasing firearms, was not an offer to sell firearms, but rather simply was a question. Defendant characterizes the conversation as a vague, noncommittal inquiry which does not connote that he had dominion and control over any firearms. In other words, defendant argues that because no price or other consideration, terms of sale, or timeframe for any hypothetical transaction was discussed with Mr. Plummer, the conversation was not an offer and did not connote possession.
However, contrary to defendant's argument, there is no requirement that an offer to sell firearms for purposes of felon-in-possession or felony-firearm be accompanied by a price or a timeframe for the transaction, or that the terms of such a conversation equate to that of a contractual agreement. Nothing in these statutes suggests the need for such a hyper-technical transaction. Furthermore, the testimony of Mr. Plummer seems to suggest that the reason the conversation regarding the sale of the firearms did not progress any further was because Mr. Plummer quickly declined defendant's offer and informed defendant that he did not deal with firearms. In any event, for the purposes of the felon-in-possession and felony-firearm offenses, the only necessary fact is that defendant possessed a firearm at some point. The attempted sale is irrelevant.
The trial court stated that Mr. Plummer was a credible witness and found that defendant offering to sell Mr. Plummer firearms indicated that defendant had the right to control such firearms. The trial court also found that the firearm case discovered in defendant's vehicle represented additional indicia of control over a firearm by defendant. Defendant attempts to attack the firearm case evidence by arguing that Officer McDonald, who testified to the discovery of the firearm case, was attempting to spin his discovery by labeling the black box a firearm case. Defendant claims that when Officer McDonald was pressed for details on the firearm case, he admitted that it was merely "a small square plastic box that a handgun could fit into."
However, defendant's argument clearly is a mischaracterization of Officer McDonald's testimony. The aforementioned description of the firearm case by Officer McDonald came after he was asked to describe the firearm case. It was not, as defendant attempts to characterize the testimony, Officer McDonald walking back his assertion that the box was a firearm case. Therefore, this was proper circumstantial evidence upon which the trial court could rely on in rendering its verdict on the charge of felon-in-possession and felony-firearm.
In summation, although a firearm was never recovered, there was testimony that defendant tried to sell two firearms in his constructive possession, and a firearm case was found in the trunk of his car. In addition, defendant conceded that he was a convicted felon who could not lawfully possess firearms. Taken in the light most favorable to the prosecution, there was sufficient evidence of felon-in-possession and felony-firearm.
There was sufficient evidence for defendant's convictions of felony-firearm and felon-in-possession and I would affirm the trial court.
Alternatively, defendant argues that reversal is required because the guilty verdicts were against the great weight of the evidence. I also would affirm the trial court as the guilty verdicts are not against the great weight of the evidence and reversal is not warranted. See People v Lemmon, 456 Mich. 625, 636; 576 N.W.2d 129 (1998) (when analyzing a great-weight of the evidence challenge, no court may sit as the "13th juror" and reassess the evidence). To support a new trial, the witness testimony must contradict indisputable physical facts or laws, be patently incredible or defy physical realities, be so inherently implausible that it could not be believed by a reasonable juror, or have been seriously impeached in a case that was marked by uncertainties and discrepancies. Id. at 643-644. Absent such exceptional circumstances, deference is given to the fact-finder's determinations. Id. at 642-644. If "the evidence preponderates heavily against the verdict and a serious miscarriage of justice would otherwise result," a new trial can be granted on this basis. Id. at 642 (quotation marks and citation omitted). In the matter before us, the testimony against defendant to support the trial court's verdict of felony-firearm and felon-in-possession was not impeached, nor was it patently incredible, inherently implausible, or defiant of physical realities. Defendant fails to show how the evidence preponderated so heavily against the verdict that it would be a serious miscarriage of justice to allow it to stand. Id.