PEOPLE OF MI V TAMMY LEE JEFFERSON (Per Curiam Opinion)
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STATE OF MICHIGAN
COURT OF APPEALS
PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN,
UNPUBLISHED
July19, 2011
Plaintiff-Appellee,
v
No. 297790
Kent Circuit Court
LC No. 09-010380-FC
TAMMY LEE JEFFERSON,
Defendant-Appellant.
Before: SAWYER, P.J., and WHITBECK and OWENS, JJ.
PER CURIAM.
After a jury trial, defendant Tammy Lee Jefferson was convicted of second-degree
vulnerable adult abuse, MCL 750.145n(2), and felony murder, MCL 750.316(1)(b). Defendant
appeals as of right. We affirm.
Defendant first argues that the evidence was insufficient to support both of her
convictions. We disagree. We apply a de novo standard of review when reviewing a
sufficiency of the evidence claim. People v Hawkins, 245 Mich App 439, 457; 628 NW2d 105
(2001). We examine the evidence in a light most favorable to the prosecution to determine
whether a rational juror could conclude that the essential elements of the crime were proven
beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. We resolve evidentiary conflicts in favor of the prosecution.
People v McRunels, 237 Mich App 168, 181; 603 NW2d 95 (1999).
To prove that defendant committed the crime of second-degree vulnerable adult abuse,
the prosecutor must establish the following elements beyond a reasonable doubt: (1) the
defendant was a caregiver or other person with authority over a vulnerable adult; (2) the victim
was a vulnerable adult; (3) the defendant committed a reckless act or reckless failure to act; and
(4) the defendant’s reckless act or inaction caused serious physical or mental harm to the victim.
People v DeKorte, 233 Mich App 564, 567; 593 NW2d 203 (1999). A “reckless act or reckless
failure to act” means “conduct that demonstrates a deliberate disregard for the likelihood that the
natural tendency of the act or failure to act is to cause physical harm, serious physical harm, or
serious mental harm.” MCL 750.145m(p); see also Id. at 568. This Court has defined
“deliberate disregard” as “a conscious decision to ignore the risk of harm that would flow from
acting or failing to act.” People v Hudson, 241 Mich App 268, 280; 615 NW2d 784 (2000). To
establish the causation requirement, a prosecutor must prove that the defendant’s reckless act or
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inaction actually and proximately caused the victim’s harm. Id. at 284-285, 285 n 9; People v
Zak, 184 Mich App 1, 9-14; 457 NW2d 59 (1990).
In this case, there is no dispute that defendant was the victim’s caregiver and that the
victim was a vulnerable adult. Rather, defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence
supporting the elements of recklessness and causation. Viewing the evidence in a light most
favorable to the prosecution, we find that there was sufficient evidence to establish beyond a
reasonable doubt that defendant recklessly failed to act, i.e., engaged in conduct demonstrating a
deliberate disregard for the likelihood of serious physical harm that the victim would suffer as a
result of her failure to act. DeKorte, 233 Mich App at 567-568. There was evidence that
defendant did not bathe the victim and change the victim’s diapers as necessary. The skin on the
victim’s buttocks was “sloughed off.” Defendant and the victim’s home smelled of urine and
feces. The victim had bed sores on her back in 2007 and extensive bed sores at the time of her
death in March 2009. From August 2008 until the time of her death, the victim suffered from
vomiting and diarrhea. The victim weighed 116 pounds in 2007 and 65 pounds when she died,
at which time the pathologist opined that the victim looked as if she had been starved. The
victim’s personality and appearance changed from “bubbly” to “sullen.” Despite the victim’s
condition, defendant never took the victim to see a doctor. Defendant first rescheduled and then
later missed a doctor’s appointment that the Mary Free Bed clinic scheduled for the victim;
defendant did not reschedule. And, defendant also missed other medical appointments scheduled
for the victim. With respect to causation, we find that the prosecution presented sufficient
evidence for a jury to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that defendant’s reckless inaction
actually and proximately caused the victim serious physical harm. Id. at 567; Hudson, 241 Mich
App at 284-285, 285 n 9. The pathologist concluded that the cause of the victim’s death was
severe neglect, i.e., she was not provided adequate nutrition and hygiene. The jury could
conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that, but for defendant’s failure to act for the benefit of the
victim’s health, the victim would not have died—the victim’s bed sores, illness, and malnutrition
would have been attended to. Hudson, 241 Mich App at 285. Moreover, the jury could likewise
conclude that it was reasonably foreseeable that defendant’s failure to act would cause the
victim’s death. Id. at 285 n 9.
We reject defendant’s contention that she was not the actual and proximate cause of the
victim’s death because the victim suffered a severe brain injury as an infant, which shortened her
life span and made her dependant on defendant. The pathologist testified that he would have
expected the victim to live years beyond the date of her death if proper care was provided.
Moreover, a defendant takes her victim as she finds her. People v Brown, 197 Mich App 448,
451-452; 495 NW2d 812 (1992). “[A]ny special susceptibility of the victim to the injury at issue
does not constitute an independent cause exonerating defendant.” Id. at 451.
We also conclude that there was sufficient evidence for a rational jury to find defendant
guilty of felony murder. The elements of felony murder are (1) the killing of a human being (2)
with the intent to kill, do great bodily harm, or create a very high risk of death or great bodily
harm with knowledge that death or great bodily harm was the probable result, i.e., malice, (3)
while committing, attempting to commit, or assisting in the commission of a felony specifically
enumerated in MCL 750.316(1)(b). People v Gayheart, 285 Mich App 202, 210; 776 NW2d 330
(2009). Defendant only disputes the element requiring malice. In this case, defendant referred to
the victim as “her job.” As previously discussed, defendant never took the victim to a doctor
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despite the victim’s illness and deteriorating physical condition. And, defendant missed the
victim’s other medical appointments without rescheduling. Moreover, the evidence illustrated
that defendant sheltered the victim from third parties, some of which were actively looking into
the victim’s well-being. For example, defendant did not respond to inquiries concerning the
victim made by the Mary Free Bed clinic, adult protective services, and the victim’s school.
Defendant also lied to adult protective services about her and the victim’s whereabouts. And, the
neighbor of the defendant and the victim did not even know who the victim was. Given this
evidence, a rational juror could have inferred from the facts and circumstances of the case that
defendant acted with malice, i.e., that defendant intended to create a very high risk of death or
great bodily harm for the victim and that defendant knew that death or great bodily harm was a
probable result of her failure to seek appropriate medical treatment and properly care for the
victim. People v Nowack, 462 Mich 392, 401; 614 NW2d 78 (2000); Gayheart, 285 Mich App
at 210.
Next, defendant argues that the trial court erroneously admitted evidence of her son
Michael’s absences from school and evidence of how she cared for Michael after the victim’s
death. We review this evidentiary issue for an abuse of discretion. People v Orr, 275 Mich App
587, 588-589; 739 NW2d 385 (2007). A trial court abuses its discretion when it reaches a
decision that falls outside the range of reasonable and principled outcomes. Id. Generally,
“[e]vidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person
in order to show action in conformity therewith.” MRE 404(b)(1). However, such evidence may
be admissible for non-character purposes under MRE 404(b)(1). To be admissible under MRE
404(b)(1), the evidence must be (1) offered for a purpose other than character or propensity; (2)
relevant; and (3) the probative value of the evidence must not be substantially outweighed by the
danger of unfair prejudice. People v Knox, 469 Mich 502, 509; 674 NW2d 366 (2004).
Evidence is relevant if it has “any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of
consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be
without the evidence.” MRE 401. Undue prejudice is “an undue tendency to move the tribunal
to decide on an improper basis.” People v Vasher, 449 Mich 494, 502; 537 NW2d 168 (1995).
We find that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it admitted the challenged
evidence. The evidence was offered for a proper purpose. Knox, 469 Mich at 509. The
evidence of Michael’s absences from school showed intent, knowledge, and the absence of
accident or mistake. MRE 404(b)(1). Like the victim, Michael was not attending school from
September 2008 until the victim’s death. Indeed, Michael’s absences were unexcused. Similar
to the victim’s school, representatives from Michael’s school had difficulty contacting defendant
to obtain an explanation for his absences. The timing of Michael’s absences corresponds to the
time when the victim was ill and losing weight. These facts are significant because they indicate
that defendant deliberately avoided contact with representatives of Michael’s school—as she did
with representatives of the victim’s school and other people concerned for the victim—so that
the school would not discover defendant’s recklessness and the victim’s physical condition.
Thus, these acts illustrate (1) that defendant did not possess an innocent intent but, rather, knew
of her reckless behavior and the harm it caused the victim and (2) that the victim’s weight loss
and illness were not an accident or mistake but the result of defendant’s recklessness. MRE
404(b)(1); People v VanderVliet, 444 Mich 52, 79; 508 NW2d 114 (1993); Hudson, 241 Mich
App at 280.
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The evidence of defendant’s manner of caring for Michael after the victim’s death
showed a common plan or scheme. MRE 404(b)(1). “[E]vidence of similar misconduct is
logically relevant to show that the charged act occurred where the uncharged misconduct and the
charged offense are sufficiently similar to support an inference that they are manifestations of a
common plan, scheme, or system.” People v Sabin, 463 Mich 43, 63; 614 NW2d 888 (2000).
Defendant’s care for Michael after the victim’s death and defendant’s care of the victim in the
months before the victim’s death shared sufficient common features to illustrate a common
system, scheme, or plan of action. Id. at 65-66. Both situations involved: (1) defendant’s care
for the hygiene and cleanliness of her children; (2) children with special needs who depended on
defendant for care; (3) a failure to bathe and change diapers; (4) the intervention of third parties
who voiced their concerns to defendant; and (5) situations where defendant turned her attention
to self-serving activities instead of caring for her disabled children. These common features
illustrated a scheme or plan by defendant to deliberately neglect the health and well-being of her
disabled children in order to participate in self-serving activities.
Both Michael’s absences from school and defendant’s care for Michael were relevant
because they made the existence of defendant’s reckless failure to act more probable than it
would have been without the evidence. MRE 401; Knox, 469 Mich at 509. And, the probative
value of the evidence of was not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice.
Knox, 469 Mich at 509. The evidence did not have “an undue tendency to move the tribunal to
decide on an improper basis.” Vasher, 449 Mich at 502. And, the trial court limited the danger
of unfair prejudice by issuing a limiting instruction to the jury. People v Pesquera, 244 Mich
App 305, 320; 625 NW2d 407 (2001).
Next, defendant argues that the trial court erroneously admitted the testimony of
computer forensic expert Dr. Earl Fife. We review this unpreserved issue for plain error. People
v Carines, 460 Mich 750, 763-764; 597 NW2d 130 (1999). At the outset, we find that defendant
has abandoned any argument that the trial court erred in qualifying Fife as an expert in computer
forensics because she has not presented an argument with respect to this issue in her appellate
brief. People v Kelly, 231 Mich App 627, 640-641; 588 NW2d 480 (1998). Defendant’s claim
that Fife’s testimony was unreliable under MRE 702, irrelevant under MRE 401 and MRE 402,
and misleading under MRE 403 fails; even if we were to find that the trial court plainly erred in
admitting Fife’s testimony, defendant cannot demonstrate that the error affected the outcome of
her trial. Carines, 460 Mich at 763. The jury would have still heard Steven Squires and Nicole
Smith testify regarding defendant’s computer use even if the trial court had suppressed Fife’s
testimony. Squires testified that defendant was a good mother until she got her computer. And,
Smith testified that she told defendant that defendant’s computer became more important to
defendant than defendant’s children. Moreover, there was significant evidence of defendant’s
failure to care for the victim.
For the same reasons, we reject defendant’s final claim that defense counsel was
ineffective for failing to both seek a pretrial hearing to suppress Fife’s testimony and object to
Fife’s testimony during trial. Even if we were to find that defense counsel was deficient,
defendant cannot demonstrate “a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional
errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” Strickland v Washington, 466
US 668, 694; 104 S Ct 2052; 80 L Ed 2d 674 (1984).
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Affirmed.
/s/ David H. Sawyer
/s/ William C. Whitbeck
/s/ Donald S. Owens
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