State v. Cutts, 2009 Ohio 3563 (Ohio App. 7/22/2009)
| Decision Date | 22 July 2009 |
| Docket Number | No. 2008CA00079.,2008CA00079. |
| Citation | 2009 Ohio 3563 |
| Parties | State of Ohio, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Bobby Lee Cutts, Jr., Defendant-Appellant. |
| Court | Ohio Court of Appeals |
John D. Ferrero, Prosecuting Attorney, Ronald Mark Caldwell, Kathleen O. Tatarsky, Assistant Prosecutors, 110 Central Plaza South, Suite 510, Canton, Ohio 44702-1413, for Plaintiff-Appellee.
Carolyn Kaye Ranke, Myron P. Watson, Fernando Mack, 420 Lakeside Place, 323 West Lakeside Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113, for Defendant-Appellant.
Before: Hon. William B. Hoffman, P. J., Hon. John W. Wise, J., Hon. Patricia A. Delaney, J.
{¶1} On August 23, 2007, the Stark County Grand Jury indicted Appellant, Bobby Lee Cutts, Jr., on seven counts involving the homicide of Jessie Marie Davis and her unborn child. The Indictment charged Appellant with one count of aggravated murder in the death of Davis, in violation of R.C. §2903.01(B), carrying two death penalty specifications ("Count One"); one count of aggravated murder for the unlawful termination of Jessie's pregnancy, in violation of R.C. §2903.01(B), carrying three death penalty specifications ("Count Two"); one count of aggravated murder of a viable, unborn child, in violation of R.C. §2903.01(C), with three death penalty specifications ("Count Three"); one count of aggravated burglary, in violation of R.C. §2911.11(A)(1) ("Count Four"); two counts of gross abuse of a corpse, in violation of R.C. §2927.01(B) ("Counts Five and Six"); and one count of child endangering, in violation of R.C. §2919.22(A) ("Count Seven"). Appellant appeared before the trial court on August 24, 2007, and entered a plea of not guilty to the Indictment.
{¶2} Prior to jury selection, the trial court granted Appellant's motion for special procedures to insulate the venire and the impaneled jury. Prospective jurors were mailed a petit juror summons, a cover letter, and a general questionnaire. The State and Appellant approved the content and mailing of these items. Potential jurors appeared on January 15, 16, and 17, 2008, to complete death penalty and pre-publicity questionnaires. Approximately two weeks later, the prospective jurors returned to court for a hearing regarding the answered questionnaires. The trial court ordered all general questionnaires, as well as the death penalty and pre-publicity questionnaires, to be sealed.
{¶3} On February 4, 2008, the matter proceeded to jury trial.
{¶4} During her testimony, Patricia Porter, Jessie Davis's mother, testified that on June 13, 2007, Jessie dropped off her son, Blake, at Porter's home. She stated that her other daughter, Audrey Davis, would watch Blake until Porter returned from work. Porter was not present later that day when Jessie picked up Blake, but spoke with her daughter at approximately 9:00 p.m., during which time Jessie told Porter that Appellant would be picking Blake up that evening and that Blake would be with him the following day, June 14, 2007. Porter testified that she and Audrey made attempts to contact Jessie on her cell phone on June 14, 2007, but her phone went directly to voicemail. Porter said she made an additional attempt to contact Jessie later that evening but was unsuccessful. Porter assumed Jessie was asleep and that she would talk to her in the morning.
{¶5} Porter stated that she again tried to contact Jessie at approximately 6:00 a.m. the next day, June 15, 2007, but did not get an answer. When Jessie did not show up to drop off Blake at Porter's house at their usual time of 7:00 a.m., Porter and Audrey went to Jessie's residence. Porter entered Jessie's residence through the back sliding glass door which she had found unlocked. She stated that she entered the kitchen and began calling for Jessie. She testified that as she walked in, she saw the contents of Jessie's purse dumped onto the floor. Blake ran into the kitchen in a wet and soiled diaper. Porter recalled that she actually smelled the child before she saw him. Porter stated that she asked Blake where his mother was, to which he responded, Porter stated that she ran upstairs, calling for Jessie. Once inside Jessie's bedroom, Porter found the mattress knocked partially off the bed, a table and lamp knocked over, and bleached patches on the floor. Porter also noticed the burgundy and gold comforter from Jessie's bed was missing. Porter ran frantically throughout the house searching for Jessie. When she did not find her daughter, Porter called 911. Porter recalled that she then told Audrey to telephone Appellant. A neighbor, who had heard Porter's screams, arrived and assisted with Blake. Police arrived at the scene, as did Appellant.
{¶6} Porter testified that Appellant telephoned her the following day, asking to speak with Blake, but Blake did not want to speak to him. Porter said she asked Appellant if he had done anything to Jessie, and that he responded with a "No". Porter said that she told Appellant she would support him until she had reason not to do so. Porter stated that Appellant then asked if Blake had seen "everything", and Porter replied, "Yes, I believe he did." (Feb. 4, 2008, T. at 96).
{¶7} Darin Baad, a deputy sheriff with the Stark County Sheriff's Office, testified that he was working the day shift on June 15, 2007, when he volunteered to respond to a call regarding a missing person and a possible burglary. Baad was the first officer to arrive at the scene. Baad stated that he spoke with Porter, who explained why she had called the police. The deputy entered the residence and proceeded upstairs to Jessie's bedroom. Inside the bedroom, Baad stated that he found the mattress shifted off the box spring, a lamp and a table knocked over, a bottle of bleach, and a large stain on the rug. The deputy testified that he continued through the rest of the house, noticing a purse on the floor of the kitchen. While Baad was in the basement, Appellant entered the residence. Baad questioned Appellant as to his reason for being at Jessie's home. Appellant informed the deputy that he and Jessie had a child together and that he had been called by either Porter or Audrey. Together with Appellant, Baad inspected the garage and the trunk of Jessie's car. Baad then exited the residence. At that point, a number of other law enforcement officers had arrived and Baad shared the information he had obtained with them. The deputy testified that local hospitals had been contacted, but the hospitals had no information regarding Davis or any Jane Does. Deputy Baad stated that he examined Blake to determine if he needed any medical assistance, as he was concerned the child may have ingested the bleach. Although the deputy and other officers spoke with neighbors, they were unable to gather any additional information as to Jessie's whereabouts.
{¶8} Sergeant Eric Weisburn with the Stark County Sheriff's Office testified that he was the shift supervisor on June 15, 2007. Although he was on his way to court when he heard the initial dispatch, he decided to respond to the scene as the call suggested something out of the ordinary had occurred. En route, he contacted the dispatcher with instructions for any officer or deputy at the scene to clear the house. Sergeant Weisburn stated that upon arriving at the Davis residence, he conferred with the other officers and learned about Appellant's connection to Davis. Sergeant Weisburn stated upon reviewing the scene, he observed the purse spilled on the kitchen floor and the state of disarray in the bedroom. Sergeant Weisburn spoke with Appellant to ascertain any information he may have had about Jessie's whereabouts. While speaking with Appellant, Sergeant Weisburn observed that Appellant had a band-aid on the pinky finger of his left hand. Appellant stated that he had cut himself while cleaning out a patio fireplace.
{¶9} After speaking with Appellant, Weisburn proceeded to speak with Blake. The sergeant asked the child if he knew where his mother was, to which Blake replied, "Mommy is at work." After some time, Blake stated, Sergeant Weisburn testified that these last statements were not given as answers to any questions he had posed to Blake, and that Blake repeated the statements several times. Blake also stated, "Daddy's mad." Sergeant Weisburn asked the child why his daddy was mad, but Blake just continued to repeat "Daddy's mad." Sergeant Weisburn stated that he then proceeded to collect and read Porter and Audrey's written statements and that prior to leaving the scene, he asked Appellant to return to the sheriff's office with him for further questioning. Weisburn stated that he wished to speak with Appellant in hopes of creating a better timeline of events.
{¶10} Appellant arrived at the sheriff's department at approximately 1:00 p.m. that day. Sgt. Weisburn stated that Appellant told him about the attempts he had made to reach Davis on her cell phone. He also informed the sergeant that the previous day, June 14, 2007, he picked up his friend, Myisha Ferrell, to babysit Blake, while he was at football practice. Appellant continued to deny any knowledge of Jessie's whereabouts. Following the interview at the sheriff's department, Sergeant Weisburn followed Appellant to his home. Appellant allowed the sergeant to inspect his home, including a shed and water well.
{¶11} Later that day, Sergeant Weisburn and Captain Shankle began to follow up with those individuals whose names Appellant had provided to them. Sergeant Weisburn stated that he spoke with Kelly Cutts, Appellant's wife, who verified the timeline Appellant had given to him. The officers were also able to verify Kelly Cutts' whereabouts during the same timeframe.
{¶12} The following day, June 16, 2007,...
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