Alexander v. State

667 So. 2d 1, 1995 WL 703621
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 30, 1995
Docket92-KA-00010-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 667 So. 2d 1 (Alexander v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Alexander v. State, 667 So. 2d 1, 1995 WL 703621 (Mich. 1995).

Opinion

667 So.2d 1 (1995)

John P. ALEXANDER
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Carmen Gettis Castilla and Mississippi State Parole Board.

No. 92-KA-00010-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

November 30, 1995.

Dan R. Wise, Hattiesburg, for Appellant.

Michael C. Moore, Attorney General, Deirdre McCrory, Sp. Asst. Attorney General, Jackson, for Appellee.

EN BANC.

ON PETITION FOR REHEARING

HAWKINS, Chief Justice, for the Court:

The present case was considered by this Court in Alexander v. State of Mississippi, *2 Carmen Gettis Castilla and Mississippi State Parole Board, No. 92-KA-00010 (decided December 8, 1994). After full consideration, we hereby grant the State's Petition for Rehearing. Therefore, this Court's original opinion is hereby withdrawn and the following opinion is to be substituted therefore.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

In 1978, Alexander was convicted of murder in the Circuit Court of Hinds County and ordered to serve a life sentence in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. This Court subsequently affirmed the conviction and sentence in Alexander v. State, 358 So.2d 379 (Miss. 1978). Alexander was paroled in August of 1984.

On September 23, 1986, Alexander was arrested and charged with simple assault. He was convicted of that charge on September 26, 1986, in the Forrest County Justice Court. Alexander was returned to Parchman prison on October 3, 1986. After being duly noticed, Alexander was given a parole revocation hearing on October 27, 1986. Alexander received from the Board a notice concerning this hearing, which stated in part:

The Parole Board shall have the authority to continue, revoke or modify your Parole. The allegations against you are:
violation of condition # 5: you were arrested, charged and found guilty of simple assault; (5) I will live and remain at liberty without violating the law.

Alexander's parole was revoked by Order dated October 27, 1986. On November 3, 1986, Alexander perfected an appeal of the simple assault conviction to the Forrest County Court. The county court thereafter on August 4, 1987, entered an Order dismissing the simple assault charges.

In January of 1991, Alexander filed a Writ of Habeas Corpus in the Circuit Court of Sunflower County, challenging the revocation of his parole. Alexander received notice for a hearing on the Motion, signed by Magistrate Betty W. Sanders, and a hearing was held on April 24, 1991. After considering all the evidence, the circuit court denied Alexander's petition. Alexander thereafter filed a motion for reconsideration. This motion was also denied by the lower court.

Aggrieved by the lower court's dismissal of his claim, Alexander filed notice of appeal to this Court and presented the following for review:

I. THE LOWER COURT ERRED IN DISMISSING WITH PREJUDICE ALEXANDER'S MOTION FOR POST-CONVICTION RELIEF
II. THE LOWER COURT ERRED IN HOLDING THAT ALEXANDER'S PETITION WAS TIME-BARRED UNDER § 99-39-5 (Supp. 1993)

By Order of this Court, dated April 14, 1994, the record for the case sub judice was supplemented by Judge Howard Q. Davis's subsequent order as follows:

The information received in response to those requests reflect that on September 20, 1986, James Peyton Alexander, father of the petitioner in this cause, made affidavit before the clerk of Forrest County Justice Court that petitioner had committed an assault upon him and petitioner's sister by making threats of bodily harm and that Mr. Alexander considered "John dangerous to his family and himself." The Justice Court found him guilty on September 26, 1986. On October 27, 1986, Mr. Alexander's parole was ordered revoked. On November 3, 1986, an appeal was perfected to the County Court of Forrest County. There was no transcript made of any proceedings in the County Court, but that Court, by Order dated August 4, 1987, dismissed the cause on Mr. Alexander's motion to which the County Prosecuting Attorney did not object. The Motion to Dismiss was filed on July 24, 1987; that Motion was based upon an Affidavit of the father who stated that he filed the Justice Court action "in order to get him medical assistance and get his antidepressant medications regulated when I was unable to receive assistance from the Chancery Court of Forrest County." He stated that he was "now no longer willing to testify in the case for the prosecution."
The record of the parole board hearing reflects that petitioner admitted to the charge of simple assault and that he had *3 earlier been paroled, in large part, due to his mother's assurances to the Parole Board that she would see that he took his medicine.

Alexander filed a response to this Court's remand for supplementation, stating there was neither a transcript of the county court proceedings nor a record of Alexander's parole revocation hearing.

Notwithstanding Alexander's assertion, a transcript of the parole revocation hearing was indeed forwarded to this Court pursuant to the April 14, 1994 Order.[1]

The State in its Petition emphasizes the following exchange the transpired during the course of Alexander's parole revocation hearing:

CHAIRMAN:
You were arrested and charged on 9/26/86, found guilty in Forrest County Justice Court of the crime of simple assault attempt to create fear under Section 97-3-7 of the Mississippi Code. Are you guilty?
ALEXANDER:
Yes sir.
CHAIRMAN:
Do you understand the charges?
ALEXANDER:
Yes sir.
CHAIRMAN:
Do you have anything to say or do you want your attorney to talk for you?
ALEXANDER:
Well, I would like to say that I was not on my medication when the crime happened. I'm on my medication now.

During the course of the parole revocation hearing held on October 27, 1986, it was in fact determined that Alexander had discontinued certain medications sometime prior to his father bringing the simple assault charges in Forrest County Justice Court in September, 1986. An unidentified woman commented at the hearing that "[t]his was a justice court conviction. The time for his appeal has not elapsed and he has signed an appeal bond today to appeal that conviction to the county court." She further stated that she "would like to have John released to have some treatment rather than have his parole revoked." In addition, Alexander's parole officer believed he was doing very well and faithfully reported in. There was a great deal of discussion about Alexander ceasing to take his medication and whether this action was approved by his treating physicians.

The chairman presiding at this hearing stated:

As you know, we've discussed this case and ... it is a hard case. In our discussion, it is our opinion that we are going to revoke John for one (1) year and request that Dr. Whellan put him under his supervision and ... and whatever Dr. Whellan sees fit and that would be perfectly alright with the board and we will request a report from Dr. Whellan when John comes back before us next time.

A female voice, again unidentified, stated that she thought that "Mr.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
667 So. 2d 1, 1995 WL 703621, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/alexander-v-state-miss-1995.