State v. McDonough

• Decision Date: 24 November 1987
• Docket Number: No. 13155,13155
• Citation: 205 Conn. 352,533 A.2d 857
• Parties: STATE of Connecticut v. William McDONOUGH.
• Court: Connecticut Supreme Court

Page 857

533 A.2d 857

205 Conn. 352

STATE of Connecticut v. William McDONOUGH.

No. 13155.

Supreme Court of Connecticut.

Argued Sept. 29, 1987.

Decided Nov. 24, 1987.

James G. Clark, Asst. State's Atty., with whom, on the brief, was Christopher Malany, Deputy Asst. State's Atty., for the appellant (State).

Milo J. Altschuler, Seymour, for the appellee (defendant).

Before PETERS, C.J., and HEALEY, SHEA, CALLAHAN and COVELLO, JJ.

SHEA, Justice.

After a jury trial the defendant was found guilty of the crimes of assault in the third degree, a violation of General Statutes § 53a-61, sexual assault in the third degree, a violation of General Statutes § 53a-72a, and unlawful restraint in the first degree, a violation of General Statutes § 53a-95. State v. McDonough, 9 Conn.App. 631, 521 A.2d 160 (1987). The Appellate Court determined that the trial court had erred in instructing the jury concerning the inferences it might draw from circumstantial evidence. The state, after this court had granted certification, appealed from the Appellate Court's judgment reversing the judgment of the trial court. We conclude that the trial court's error was harmless in nature. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the Appellate Court, and remand the case to that court with direction to reinstate the judgment of the trial court.

Although the facts that the jury could reasonably have found are set forth in State v. McDonough, supra, we summarize those pertinent to the issues in this appeal. The victim testified that on the night of the crime, she had met the defendant, who was previously known to her, while out dancing. The defendant then invited her back to his apartment, ostensibly to check on his pets and have a nightcap. After they had spent a short time there, he proceeded to assault her both physically and sexually. The victim suffered bleeding and bruising from blows to her face and body. The defendant knocked the victim to the floor, straddled her legs, pinned her arms down, punched her in the face, and attempted to undress her. He refused to let her leave the apartment and threatened her life. The victim was ultimately successful in escaping, and subsequently was taken to the police station and the hospital.

The defendant testified that he had not sexually assaulted the victim, that there had been no physical altercation, and that he had not touched the victim at all, except to wake her after she had fallen asleep in his apartment. He further testified that the victim, because of her intoxicated condition, had fallen over various items of furniture in his apartment.

I

The only issues presented by this appeal are whether the Appellate Court was correct in concluding that the trial court erred in its charge to the jury on the use of circumstantial evidence in drawing inferences and that such error was not harmless under the standard applicable to constitutional errors. Initially, we note that ordinarily the defendant's failure to except to this portion of the court's charge would preclude review. Practice Book §§ 854, 4185. We will review his claim, however, as did the Appellate Court, because it implicates the fundamental constitutional right that the state prove the guilt of an accused beyond a reasonable doubt. In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 361, 90 S.Ct. 1068, 1070-71, 25 L.Ed.2d 368 (1970); State v. Miller, 202 Conn. 463, 489-90, 522 A.2d 249 (1987); State v. Evans, 165 Conn. 61, 70, 327 A.2d 576 (1973). The state makes no contention to the contrary.

During its charge to the jury, the court stated: "There is an application of our rule as to circumstantial evidence. Circumstantial evidence involves the offering of evidence of facts from which the jury is asked to infer the existence of and so to find proven another fact or facts. Such facts may be so found proven, but only if the jury finds: one, that the fact or facts from which the jury is asked to draw the inference has been proven by a fair preponderance of the evidence; and two, that the inference asked to be drawn is not only logical and reasonable, but is strong enough so that you can find it is more probable than not that the fact you are asked to infer is true." ¹

The Appellate Court found this portion of the charge to be erroneous. "The court's charge on circumstantial evidence allowed the jury to find facts from which an inference may be drawn, and to make the inference itself, by a fair preponderance of the evidence standard. Such an instruction is erroneous as applied to facts which are essential to proof of an element of a crime because such facts, whether basic or inferred, must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Rodgers, 198 Conn. 53, 59, 502 A.2d 360 (1986)." State v. McDonough, supra, 9 Conn.App. at 634, 521 A.2d 160.

We agree with the Appellate Court's conclusion that this portion of the trial court's instructions was erroneous. Although, as an abstract proposition, it is not illogical to draw an inference if the evidence establishes that it is probable, such an instruction in a criminal case may confuse a jury with respect to inferring a particular fact essential to prove an element of the crime. State v. Rodgers, supra, 198 Conn. at 58 n. 1, 502 A.2d 360. Where a group of facts are relied upon for proof of an element of the crime it is their cumulative impact that is to be weighed in deciding whether the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt has been met and each individual fact need not be proved in accordance with that standard. It is only where a single fact is essential to proof of an element, however, such as identification by means of fingerprint evidence, that such evidence must support the inference of that fact beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Cimino, 194 Conn. 210, 211, 478 A.2d 1005 (1984); State v. Perez, 183 Conn. 225, 227, 439 A.2d 305 (1981); State v. Gaynor, 182 Conn. 501, -503 504, 438 A.2d 749 (1980). We have disapproved of this type of instruction because of its potential for misleading a jury concerning the state's burden to prove each element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt. State v. Rodgers, supra, 198 Conn. at 57-59, 502 A.2d 360.

II

We have recognized that an erroneous charge is not always harmful. State v. Miller, supra, 202 Conn. at 489-92, 522 A.2d 249. An isolated error in an instruction may be cured by other portions of the charge, or circumstantial evidence may be so insignificant compared to direct evidence that it is clear beyond a reasonable doubt that the erroneous instruction did not affect a jury's determination of guilt or innocence. Id.

We have often said that the charge should be read as a whole in determining whether it is reasonably possible that an erroneous instruction could have misled a jury concerning the state's burden of proof. "It is well established ... that individual instructions are not to be judged in artificial isolation from the overall charge. State v. Dolphin, 195 Conn. 444, 451, 488 A.2d 812 (1985); State v. Reid, 193 Conn. 646, 660, 480 A.2d 463 (1984); State v. Hines, 187 Conn. 199, 209, 445 A.2d 314 (1982). The whole charge must be considered from the standpoint of its effect on the jury in guiding them to a proper verdict; State v. Corchado, 188 Conn. 653 660, 453 A.2d 427 (1982); State v. Williams, 182 Conn. 262, 269, 438 A.2d 80 (1980); State v. Piskorski, 177 Conn. 677, 746-47, 419 A.2d 866, cert. denied, 444 U.S. 935, 100 S.Ct. 283, 62 L.Ed.2d 194 (1979); and not critically dissected in a microscopic search for possible error. State v. Harris, 172 Conn. 223, 226-27, 374 A.2d 203 (1977)." State v. Reddick, 197 Conn. 115, 132, 496 A.2d 466 (1985), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 1067, 106 S.Ct. 822, 88 L.Ed.2d 795 (1986); State v. Miller, supra, 202 Conn. at 491-92, 522 A.2d 249; State v. Whelan, 200 Conn. 743, 757, 513 A.2d 86, cert. denied, 479 U.S. ----, 107 S.Ct. 597, 93 L.Ed.2d 598 (1986).

The Appellate Court recognized the principle that the disputed charge should be read in the context of the charge as a whole. State v. McDonough, supra, 9 Conn.App. at 631, 521 A.2d 160. Nevertheless, it concluded that the charge as a whole was likely to mislead the jury concerning the state's burden of proof. Id., 636, 521 A.2d 160. We disagree with this conclusion.

While the Appellate Court acknowledged that the charge should be read as a whole, it failed to give proper weight to a crucial portion of the trial court's supplemental instructions, given in response to a jury request for further instructions. After the jury had begun its deliberations, it requested that the court reread its instructions on several issues including those relating to drawing inferences from circumstantial evidence. The trial court in reinstructing the jury on circumstantial evidence repeated the same misleading statements it had made in the original charge, but then clarified its meaning by giving the following supplemental instruction: "Keeping in mind that ultimately, regardless of the instructions I've given you on inferences, the State bears the burden of proving each element of each charge beyond a reasonable doubt. That's something else. This is simply the charge with respect to inferences. It does not relate to the ultimate burden of proof that the State has in the case." This instruction significantly reduced the harmfulness of the erroneous portion of the charge.

In analyzing whether the disputed portion of the instructions was harmful, the Appellate Court also erred in concluding that circumstantial evidence was an important factor in this case. "Although the principal factual issue for each crime charged in this case was not the intent of the defendant, because he denied the commission of any crime, this was nonetheless a case in which the circumstantial evidence and instructions thereon played a major role in the state's proof." State v. McDonough, supra, 636, 521 A.2d 160.

In considering the harmfulness of an erroneous instruction on circumstantial evidence, ...