Com. v. McCauley

• Decision Date: 07 April 1969
• Citation: 246 N.E.2d 425,355 Mass. 554
• Parties: COMMONWEALTH v. Lawrence J. McCAULEY.
• Court: United States State Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts Supreme Court

Page 425

246 N.E.2d 425

355 Mass. 554

COMMONWEALTH v. Lawrence J. McCAULEY.

Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, Middlesex.

Argued Dec. 3, 1968.

Decided April 7, 1969.

Robert A. Stanziani, Boston, Mass., for defendant.

Robert M. Mardirosian, Asst. Dist. Atty. (Ruth I. Abrams, Asst. Dist. Atty., with him), for the Commonwealth.

Before WILKINS, C.J., and CUTTER, KIRK, SPIEGEL and REARDON, JJ.

KIRK, Justice.

Upon an indictment charging murder the defendant McCauley was found guilty of murder in the second degree at a trial subject to G.L. c. 278, §§ 33A--33G. The case is here on his appeal with assignments of error.

We state the evidence, consisting mainly of eyewitness testimony, which bears upon the issues sought to be raised by the appeal. Shortly after 10:30 P.M. on November 24, 1967, three young men, Alexander Gedutis (the deceased), Brian Johnson and William J. Sullivan were walking on the ramp which leads to the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) station at Charles Street, Boston. ¹ Earlier in the day Johnson had driven to Boston from Concord, New Hampshire. He met Gedutis in Boston in the afternoon. The two met Sullivan on Charles Street about 10:30 P.M. Gedutis knew Sullivan; Johnson did not. Gedutis was eighteen years old; Johnson and Sullivan were seventeen and nineteen years old, respectively, at the time of the trial. The three young men intended to take an MBTA train to Cambridge. Someone from the street called out 'Sully!' It was McCauley, who ran up the ramp and joined the group. McCauley knew Sullivan but not the others. ² There were some signs that McCauley had been drinking. After introductions the four proceeded by subway to Central Square, Cambridge. On the way Sullivan, McCauley and Gedutis finished the remaining half of a one-half pint of anisette which Sullivan had purchased and partly consumed with two other friends earlier in the evening. From Central Square the group walked to Sullivan's Living quarters at nearby Columbia Street, Cambridge.

Upon arrival at Sullivan's room, the group looked at pictures of nudes on the walls and ceiling. A marihuana cigarette was rolled and smoked by all. Sullivan saw McCauley remove an automatic pistol from the bureau drawer where Sullivan kept it. He told McCauley that the gun was loaded. Sullivan and McCauley were seated beside one another on the bed. The other two were seated on chairs facing them. McCauley was just looking at the gun. Then he pressed the hammer back, pointed the weapon at Sullivan's head and squeezed the trigger. The gun did not fire. It did not fire because, although the magazine clip was fully loaded with live ammunition, there was no bullet in the chamber. Sullivan took the gun away from McCauley. He removed the clip from the handle and placed it on his bed near or under the pillow. McCauley said something like, 'Don't you trust me?' to Sullivan, who thereupon gave him the pistol, then empty. For a while, McCauley was 'fooling around' with the empty gun.

Thereafter, Sullivan heard the click of the clip being inserted into the gun. He saw McCauley then point the gun toward the floor and pull the slide back and release it. McCauley raised the gun, pointing it at Gedutis. Sullivan saw pressure being exerted by McCauley's finger on the trigger. He could tell by the red and white blotches. The gun fired and Gedutis fell forward clutching his chest. McCauley laughed. Sullivan took the gun from him and unloaded it. McCauley lifted Gedutis' head, put his hand over his mouth and said, 'Let's put a bullet in his head, let's not leave any witnesses.'

Sullivan took a suitcase and left with McCauley and Johnson. Gedutis was abandoned as dead. The three young men went by cab first to the Greyhound Bus Terminal in Boston and then to the dwelling of a friend of McCauley, Ralph Iamondi. They all wanted Iamondi to give them a ride to New York. Sullivan told Iamondi what had occurred at his apartment. Iamondi then left to go upstairs to talk to his wife. In his absence McCauley said to Sullivan, 'Give me the bullets to the gun, I'm going upstairs and I'm going to wipe out Ralph and his wife and the kid.' Later Iamondi and the three young men drove around in Iamondi's car. Sullivan repeated to Iamondi the story of what had happened in the apartment. At this point McCauley laughed and said, 'Don't believe him.' The four then drove to Castle Island where Sullivan, over McCauley's protest, threw the weapon and the clip into the harbor. They were later recovered by the police.

There was no evidence of any unpleasantness or anger or fights prior to the shooting.

At the close of the Commonwealth's case the defendant moved for a directed verdict of not guilty, which was denied. At a conference then held with counsel the judge stated that he thought the evidence did not warrant submitting the issue of manslaughter, whether voluntary or involuntary, to the jury. The defendant's counsel replied that he understood. Later in the conference the judge said, in part, to counsel: '(I)f there is any evidence of any kind that you think warrants submission on the issue of manslaughter to the jury, will you give ti to me or point it out to me before 2 o'clock. * * * (T) here is a complete vacuum of the elements of voluntary manslaughter * * * (and) the evidence of involuntary manslaughter was suggested only in the form of the questions which were never adopted by a witness. * * * (T)hat's the way I read his evidence.' The prosecution stated that there was nothing to warrant submitting the issue of manslaughter to the jury. Shortly after two o'clock, the defence rested, making no suggestion to the judge on the theory of manslaughter on the evidence.

We first dispose of a question of evidence. The defendant contends that there was error in admitting testimony of McCauley's demand for the bullets from Sullivan so that he could 'wipe out' the Iamondi family. The demand was made after McCauley learned that Iamondi had been informed of the shooting and had left the group to talk to his wife. The statement was offered and admitted solely to show consciousness of guilt by McCauley. In the context of the events of the evening the statement had probative value for that limited purpose. See Commonwealth v. Curry, 341 Mass. 50, 55, 166 N.E.2d 714. There was no error.

The chief question sought to be raised by the defendant is whether the judge erred in instructing the jury that there was no evidence in the case to warrant a verdict of manslaughter. The main arguments of the Commonwealth have also been directed to this issue. It is by no means clear from the record that an exception to the charge ws properly saved on the point. 'It is settled that an assignment of error under G.L. c. 278, §§ 33A--33G, brings nothing to this court unless based on a valid exception. Commonwealth v. Gray, 314 Mass. 96, 102, 49 N.E.2d 603, and cases cited.' Commonwealth v. Chapman, 345 Mass. 251, 255--256, 186 N.E.2d 818, 822.

Since, however, the case is a 'capital case' as the term is defined in G.L. c. 278, § 33E, as amended by St.1962, c. 453, the whole case is transferred to us for our consideration on the law and the evidence and with power, upon such consideration, 'for any * * * reason that justice may require (to) (a) order a new trial or (b) direct the entry of a verdict of a lesser degree of guilt, and remand the case to the superior court for the imposition of sentence.' See Commonwealth v. Baker, 346 Mass. 107, 108--109, 190 N.E.2d 555, 557. We reach the merits.

The evidence against McCauley, if believed, warranted the verdict of guilty of murder. Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought. 'Where the killing is caused by the intentional use of a deadly weapon malice may be inferred unless by the circumstances it is disproved.' Commonwealth v. Young, 326 Mass. 597, 600, 96 N.E.2d 133, 135, and authorities cited. The burden of proof is on the Commonwealth to prove every element of the offence charged. If on any view of...