Anderson v. State

874 So. 2d 1000, 2004 WL 422629
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedMarch 9, 2004
Docket2002-KA-01586-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 874 So. 2d 1000 (Anderson v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Anderson v. State, 874 So. 2d 1000, 2004 WL 422629 (Mich. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

874 So.2d 1000 (2004)

Earl ANDERSON, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2002-KA-01586-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

March 9, 2004.
Rehearing Denied June 1, 2004.

*1002 Greta Regina Johnson, attorney for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by Jean Smith Vaughan, attorney for appellee.

Before McMILLIN, C.J., IRVING and MYERS, JJ.

IRVING, J., for the Court.

¶ 1. Earl Anderson was convicted in the Circuit Court of Holmes County of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He was sentenced to consecutive terms of ten and three years, respectively, in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Feeling aggrieved by the judgment of the Holmes County Circuit Court, Anderson prosecutes this appeal, arguing that the trial court erred in failing to grant his motion for a directed verdict and in admitting certain documentary evidence of a Florida conviction. He also argues that he was denied a right to a fair and speedy trial.

¶ 2. Ascertaining no reversible error, we affirm Anderson's conviction and the judgment of the circuit court.

*1003 FACTS

¶ 3. During the early hours of February 5, 2000, a shooting occurred at Fly's Fish House in Holmes County. The victim, Cardell Walker, was shot once in the stomach.

¶ 4. On or about February 7, 2000, Anderson was arrested in connection with the shooting at Fly's and charged with aggravated assault. He was indicted on June 28, 2000, for aggravated assault and simple assault upon a police officer and was arraigned on both charges on August 30, 2000.[1] On September 25, 2000, Anderson was reindicted and arraigned for aggravated assault and for a new charge of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The charge of simple assault upon a police officer was not contained in the new indictment.

¶ 5. Other pertinent facts will be discussed later in this opinion.

1. Denial of Motion for Directed Verdict

¶ 6. Anderson first asserts that the trial court erred when it denied his motion for a directed verdict because the evidence of his guilt of aggravated assault was insufficient.

¶ 7. "The standard of review for a denial of a directed verdict, peremptory instruction and a JNOV are identical." Hawthorne v. State, 835 So.2d 14, 21(¶ 31) (Miss.2003) (citing Coleman v. State, 697 So.2d 777, 787 (Miss.1997)). A motion for a JNOV, a directed verdict, and a request for a peremptory instruction challenge the legal sufficiency of the evidence. McClain v. State, 625 So.2d 774, 778 (Miss.1993). On the issue of legal sufficiency, reversal can only occur when the evidence of one or more of the elements of the charged offense is such that "reasonable and fairminded jurors could only find the accused not guilty." Hawthorne, 835 So.2d at 21(¶ 31) (citing Wetz v. State, 503 So.2d 803, 808 (Miss.1987)). "Since a motion for JNOV, motion for directed verdict, and a request for peremptory instruction all require consideration of the evidence before the court when made, [an appellate court] properly reviews the ruling on the last occasion the challenge was made in the trial court." Id. (citing McClain, 625 So.2d at 778).

¶ 8. In our present case, Anderson was charged with aggravated assault under Mississippi Code Annotated section 97-3-7(2) (Rev.2000), which reads:

A person is guilty of aggravated assault if he (a) attempts to cause serious bodily injury to another, or causes such injury purposely, knowingly or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life; or (b) attempts to cause or purposely or knowingly causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon or other means likely to produce death or serious bodily harm.

¶ 9. Anderson argues that the evidence in the case sub judice was insufficient to demonstrate that he was guilty of aggravated assault. Anderson proclaims that he testified throughout trial that he was not at Fly's at the time of the shooting of Cardell Walker. He explains that he was at his mother's house for several hours on the evening of February 4, 2000, and that around midnight, he decided to go to Fly's to get something to eat. Anderson states that, upon his arrival at the restaurant, he observed police cars and an ambulance but *1004 that he did not know what had transpired at the scene. He explains that he then left Fly's, went elsewhere to get something to eat, and returned home.

¶ 10. Despite Anderson's arguments, this Court finds that sufficient evidence existed to support his guilt of aggravated assault. Walker, the victim, testified that he had gone to Fly's in the early morning hours of February 5, 2000, to order shrimp. He stated that while he was at the restaurant, Anderson approached him and inquired as to the whereabouts of Walker's brother, Ricky. According to Walker, he informed Anderson that he did not know the location of his brother. Walker further explained that Anderson persisted in inquiring about his brother but that he began to ignore Anderson. Walker stated that Anderson soon after pulled a gun in an attempt to rob him, whereupon the gun was discharged. He explained that Anderson kept shooting at him stating, "I'm going to kill you." Walker testified that, in an effort to escape, he began to run toward the restaurant's door, but before he reached it, Anderson shot him in the stomach. Upon being shot, Walker explained that he grabbed a chair from a table, threw it at Anderson, and darted out of the door. He further testified that Anderson continued to shoot at him after he had escaped from the restaurant. Walker also testified that he had no weapon on him during the incident.

¶ 11. Additionally, several witnesses not only placed Anderson at the scene of the crime but confirmed that he shot Walker. Jimmy Young testified that he was at Fly's in the early morning hours of February 5, 2000, to order some food and witnessed an argument between Walker and Anderson. He testified that he saw Anderson pull a pistol although he did not see the shooting. However, he saw Walker shortly after Walker was shot.

¶ 12. Willie Davis, an employee at a BP gas station in Lexington, testified that Anderson came by his station the day after the shooting. According to Davis, Anderson asked him whether he had heard about his confrontation with Walker and told Davis that he had shot Walker the night before. Davis also testified that Anderson inquired as to the whereabouts of Ricky, Walker's brother.

¶ 13. Lenwood Genous, a deputy sheriff with the Holmes County Sheriff's Department, testified that when he telephoned Anderson about turning himself in after a warrant had been issued for Anderson's arrest, Anderson confessed to shooting Walker at Fly's.

¶ 14. It is the function of the jury to accept the testimony of some witnesses and not others. Kircher v. State, 753 So.2d 1017, 1029(¶ 56) (Miss.1999). Our supreme court has stated in numerous cases that when the evidence is conflicting, the jury will be the sole judge of the credibility of witnesses and the weight and worth of their testimony. Id. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, as indeed we must, compels this court to conclude that the evidence presented against Anderson was more than ample to convict him of aggravated assault.

2. Evidence of Previous Convictions

¶ 15.

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Bluebook (online)
874 So. 2d 1000, 2004 WL 422629, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/anderson-v-state-missctapp-2004.