PEOPLE OF MI V ANTHONY GREER
Annotate this Case
Download PDF
STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN,
UNPUBLISHED
December 3, 1996
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v
No. 181490
LC No. 94-107930-FC
ANTHONY GREER,
Defendant-Appellant.
Before: Neff, P.J., and Hoekstra and G.D. Lostracco,* JJ.
PER CURIAM.
Following a jury trial, defendant was convicted of armed robbery, MCL 750.529; MSA
28.797, and was sentenced to six to twenty years’ imprisonment. Defendant appeals as of right. We
affirm.
Defendant first argues that the photographic showup conducted without presence of counsel
denied him due process. We disagree. The fairness of an identification procedure is evaluated in the
light of the totality of the circumstances. People v Lee, 391 Mich 618, 626; 218 NW2d 655 (1974).
The right to counsel at pretrial photographic showups attaches when the accused is in custody for the
crime charged, readily available, or the focus of investigation. People v Wyngaard, 151 Mich App
107, 112-113; 390 NW2d 694 (1986). When a photographic showup is conducted during the
precustodial, pre-questioning, mere suspicion phase of an investigation, counsel’s presence is not
required. People v Kurylczyk, 443 Mich 289, 301; 505 NW2d 528 (1993). However, a defendant
may be entitled to counsel’s presence at precustodial photographic showups under “unusual
circumstances,” such as when the photographic showup is not intended to extinguish a case against an
innocent bystander and the accused has already participated in two corporeal lineups with counsel
present. People v McKenzie, 205 Mich App 466, 472; 517 NW2d 791 (1994), citing People v
Cotton, 38 Mich App 763, 769-770; 197 NW2d 90 (1972).
In this case, although defendant may have been in jail for an unrelated matter during the time he
had become a suspect i the present case, he was not in jail when the photographic showup was
n
* Circuit judge, sitting on the Court of Appeals by assignment.
-1
conducted. Further, defendant had no right to counsel at the photographic showup because: (1) he had
not been in jail for the crime for which the photographic showup was conducted; (2) he was only a
suspect, as the investigation had been placed on inactive status and only a tip from an unknown source
identified defendant as a suspect; and (3) the police had not conducted previous corporeal lineups
which could constitute unusual circumstances. Therefore, under these circumstances, defendant was not
denied due process.
Defendant also argues that there was insufficient evidence to establish that he knew that the
other person involved in the crime possessed a gun. We disagree. In reviewing the sufficiency of the
evidence in a criminal case, we 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 Wolfe, 440 Mich 508, 515; 489 NW2d 748 (1992).
Defendant acknowledges that his conviction stands or falls on an aiding and abetting theory.
Aiding and abetting describes all forms of assistance rendered to the perpetrator of a crime and includes
all words or deeds that might support, encourage, or incite the commission of a crime. People v
Turner, 213 Mich App 558, 568; 540 NW2d 728 (1995). To convict defendant of armed robbery,
the prosecution did not have to prove that defendant knew that a gun would be used, but had to prove
only that defendant knowingly aided and abetted in the commission of the robbery and that carrying or
using a weapon was fairly within the scope of the robbery. People v Young, 114 Mich App 61, 65;
318 NW2d 606 (1982).
Here, defendant went into the convenience store twice before entering a third time to rob it.
The victim testified that defendant’s partner entered shortly thereafter, used the restroom, and then
approached her and told her that it was a stickup. She claimed that defendant’s partner had his hand in
his pocket and acted as if he had a gun by pointing his coat pocket at her. Defendant stood directly
across the counter from the clerk and his partner during the threats and while his partner took money
from the cash register. Further, defendant told his partner to take lottery tickets and a money bag.
Also, both defendant and his partner told the victim to go in the back and not return until they were
gone. Viewing this evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution, we find that a rational trier of
fact could conclude that defendant knowingly aided and abetted in the robbery and that using a weapon
was fairly within the scope of it.
Affirmed.
/s/ Janet T. Neff
/s/ Joel P. Hoekstra
/s/ Gerald D. Lostracco
-2
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.