Goodrich v. State, 880S227

Decision Date28 October 1981
Docket NumberNo. 880S227,880S227
PartiesThomas Lee GOODRICH, Appellant, v. STATE of Indiana, Appellee.
CourtIndiana Supreme Court

Walter E. Bravard, Jr., Indianapolis, for appellant.

Theodore L. Sendak, Atty. Gen., Stephen J. Cuthbert, Deputy Atty. Gen., Indianapolis, for appellee.

DeBRULER, Justice.

Appellant, Thomas Lee Goodrich, appeals from his conviction of murder, Ind.Code § 35-42-1-1(2), and confinement, Ind.Code § 35-42-3-3, for which he received sentences of fifty years and five years. He raises three questions on appeal.

First, appellant urges that there was insufficient evidence of the cause of death of the victim, Lyona Mason. The murder charge was that appellant killed the victim by forcing her face against an object resulting in traumatic asphyxia while compelling her by force to submit to an act of sexual gratification involving his sexual organ and her anus. Second, appellant urges that there was insufficient evidence of an unlawful confinement of an eight year old boy, John Nelson. The confinement charge was that appellant held the victim by tying and binding him and refusing to allow him to leave the living area of an apartment in which he resided with Lyona Mason.

In determining these sufficiency questions we do not weigh the evidence nor resolve questions of credibility, but look to the evidence and reasonable inferences therefrom which support the verdicts. Smith v. State, (1970) 254 Ind. 401, 260 N.E.2d 558. The conviction will be affirmed if from that viewpoint there is evidence of probative value from which a reasonable trier of fact could infer that appellant was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Glover v. State, (1970) 253 Ind. 536, 255 N.E.2d 657; Taylor v. State, (1973) 260 Ind. 64, 291 N.E.2d 890.

The victim Mason was a sixty-eight year old woman, residing with her blind mother, and raising John Nelson, an eight year old boy, while working as a manager of an apartment building. The State's witness Acree testified that he saw appellant in the apartment house in the early morning hours of December 23, 1978, wearing a "brown flop hat". He identified State's Exhibit 21 as the hat worn by appellant at that time. The victim John Nelson testified that in the early hours of December 23, 1978, he admitted appellant to their apartment, that he played a game with appellant in which appellant tied him up and put a blindfold on him, and placed him on the floor of the living room. He then heard the victim Mason scream "Get up off me", and appellant reply "shut up, I'll break your neck". He then attempted to do something, but could not because he was tied. He then heard Mason scream "help", and appellant leave through the door to the hallway.

The boy managed to get himself untied and called the police. The body of Mason was discovered face down on the floor. Exhibit 21, the hat, was found on the couch in the room, and it was also identified by the boy as being worn by appellant. The pathologist who performed an autopsy upon the body of Mason testified that there was semen on the back of her thighs, and in her anus. Her face and eyes showed contusions. He testified further that Mason died from pressure forcing her face into the floor with such force that she suffered brain damage and asphyxiation.

The evidence was such that the trier of fact could reasonably infer to a...

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2 cases
  • Grimes v. State, 1280S444
    • United States
    • Supreme Court of Indiana
    • July 6, 1983
    ...in which it was found and the other interior areas of the victim's trailer home. We find no error in their admission. Goodrich v. State, (1981) Ind., 426 N.E.2d 1316; Smith v. State, (1981) Ind., 420 N.E.2d 1225; Drollinger v. State, (1980) Ind., 408 N.E.2d 1228; Bond, Appellant moved for a......
  • Bridges, Matter of
    • United States
    • Court of Appeals of Indiana
    • February 18, 1985
    ...claim of insufficient evidence, this court will neither reweigh the evidence nor judge the credibility of witnesses. Goodrich v. State (1981), Ind., 426 N.E.2d 1316, 1317. Rather, we will look only to the evidence most favorable to the trial court's judgment together with all reasonable and......

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