York v. State

We have consolidated these five inter-related criminal appeals. Viewed to support the jury’s verdict,1 the facts are these:

On the evening of November 25, 1996, Derrick Andre Crawford arrived at his home, parked his Land Rover beside his Ford Explorer in the attached garage, exited the vehicle, and headed toward the kitchen door. The three Rottweiler dogs in his fenced back yard began barking as Damon Jason McCall, Antonio York, Bernard Mathis, and Antonio Hill drove up in a Nissan Pathfinder. Leaving the motor running, the four jumped out of the Pathfinder and ran toward Crawford. They were wearing dark ski masks, and all four had guns. They forced Crawford into his kitchen. Crawford’s wife, Shunda Green, was in the kitchen; a stove burner was on and a “strange” smell was in the air. When Shunda Green saw the armed men, she and her two small children began screaming. In the resulting chaos, Green quickly called 911 and left the telephone line dangling open, as McCall herded Green, Crawford, and the children into the living room.