Bailey v. State

675 So. 2d 62, 1995 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 317, 1995 WL 527796
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedSeptember 8, 1995
DocketCR-94-0250
StatusPublished

This text of 675 So. 2d 62 (Bailey v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bailey v. State, 675 So. 2d 62, 1995 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 317, 1995 WL 527796 (Ala. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

COBB, Judge.

On September 13, 1994, the appellant, Ronnie Delee Bailey, was convicted of the murder of his wife, Sandra Bailey. He was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment on October 28, 1994. On this direct appeal the appellant makes three allegations, which, if correct, would amount to reversible error and would entitle him to a new trial. These allegations are as follows:

I. that the trial court erred in refusing to charge the jury, as requested, that it could consider the effects of alcohol on the accused in determining the accused’s intent at the time of the homicide;
II. that the trial court erred in refusing to charge the jury, as requested, on the lesser included offense of heat-of-passion manslaughter; and,
[64]*64III. that the trial court erred in allowing rebuttal testimony by a witness about a prior domestic difficulty, which was a collateral matter.

I

The appellant contends that the jury should have been instructed that it could consider the effects of intoxication, if any, in deciding whether he was guilty of murder. The appellant claims that because the issue of his level of intoxication was raised by one of the State’s witnesses, the jury could have properly considered that evidence in reaching a verdict. The witness who testified as to the appellant’s possible intoxication was the 11-year-old daughter of the deceased, when she stated that the appellant had been drinking that day (although she did not know how much), that she had smelled alcohol on his breath on that date, and that she was afraid for any of the neighbors to approach the appellant immediately after her mother’s shooting, which she witnessed. (R. 85-86.)

The appellant testified that he drank two beers around 6:30 p.m. on the evening of the murder, over three hours before the murder. (R. 145-46.) He specifically denied, during cross-examination, that he was intoxicated at the time of the argument leading up to the killing and the actual killing. (R. 168.) He further testified that alcohol had nothing to do with the shooting. (R. 168.)

This court has had occasion recently to discuss when a jury charge of intoxication should be given by the trial court:

“Judge Bowen, in Fletcher v. State, 621 So.2d 1010 (Ala.Crim.App.1993), addressed the question of when an instruction on intoxication should be given. Judge Bowen stated:

“ ‘A charge on intoxication should be given if “ ‘there is an evidentiary foundation in the record sufficient for the jury to entertain a reasonable doubt’ ” on the element of intent. Coon v. State, 494 So.2d 184, 187 (Ala.Crim.App.1986) (quoting Government of the Virgin Islands v. Carmona, 422 F.2d 95, 99 n. 6 (3d Cir.1970)). See also People v. Perry, 61 N.Y.2d 849, 473 N.Y.S.2d 966, 966-67, 462 N.E.2d 143, 143 (N.Y.App.1984) (“[a] charge on intoxication should be given if there is sufficient evidence of intoxication in the record for a reasonable person to entertain a doubt as to the element of intent on that basis”)_’ ”

Ashley v. State, 651 So.2d 1096 (Ala.Crim. App.1994). Based on the testimony in this case, there was no evidence presented that would raise a reasonable doubt as to the appellant’s state of intoxication at the time of the murder. Further, the court did instruct on the lesser included offenses of criminally negligent homicide and reckless manslaughter, neither of which crimes requires specific intent to kill.

Therefore, the trial court’s refusal to instruct the jury on the appellant’s intoxication was not error.

II

The appellant further contends that the trial court erred in not instructing the jury as to the possibility that he killed Mrs. Bailey in the heat of passion, which would permit the jury to return a verdict finding him guilty of manslaughter and not murder. This contention is without merit. Aside from evidence that an argument between the appellant and Mrs. Bailey took place immediately before the shooting, during which Mrs. Bailey asked the appellant to give her the keys to the apartment and to leave, and during which she threw his clothes into the hallway, no other evidence exists that would remotely indicate that the appellant was provoked by the heat of passion. Further, the appellant specifically denied being mad or even upset by his wife’s actions immediately before shooting her. (R. 188.)

As this court held in Fisher v. State, 587 So.2d 1027, 1032 (Ala.Crim.App.1991), cert. denied, 587 So.2d 1039 (1991), cert. denied, 503 U.S. 941, 112 S.Ct. 1486, 117 L.Ed.2d 628 (1992), a trial court may properly refuse to charge, on a lesser included offense only when “(1) it is clear to the judicial mind that there is no evidence tending to bring the offense within the definition of the lesser offense or (2) the requested charge would have a tendency to mislead or confuse the jury.” (Citing Lami v. State, 43 Ala.App. [65]*65108, 180 So.2d 279, cert. denied, 278 Ala. 710, 180 So.2d 282 (1965). In Fisher, a similar fact scenario existed, i.e., the appellant shot his wife following a fight, and the court there held:

“Although there was evidence that the appellant and his wife had been arguing when the erime[] occurred, because the wife intended to end the relationship, emotional disturbance, no matter how extreme, is not sufficient to reduce murder to manslaughter. Gray v. State, 482 So.2d 1318 (Ala.Crim.App.1985). Moreover, this emotional disturbance does not constitute the type of legal provocation contemplated by the manslaughter statute. § 13A-6-3(a)(2); Biggs v. State, 441 So.2d 989 (Ala. Crim.App.1983)-”

587 So.2d at 1033 (Emphasis added.)

This court agrees with the trial court’s finding that the evidence does not reveal any acts that would rise to the level of provocation recognized by the law to support a heat-of-passion manslaughter charge. The trial court properly charged the jury as to criminally negligent homicide and as to reckless manslaughter as alternatives to the intentional murder charge given.

Ill

The appellant finally contends that the trial court committed reversible error by allowing the prosecutor to offer rebuttal testimony to refute the appellant’s direct testimony regarding a matter that he claimed was immaterial to the case. On direct examination, defense counsel asked the appellant, “Do you know — when was the last time you had this pistol in your possession prior to the shooting, physically in your possession?” The appellant answered, “Can’t really recall, sir.” (R. 154.)

The appellant related an incident on direct examination during which he claimed that this particular handgun had accidentally discharged a bullet into the console of his car. (R. 161.) He further claimed that the shooting during which his wife was killed was a similar accident. Mr. Bailey stated, “When I went and got the gun off the wicker stand I turned around and the gun said ‘pow’ and then she fell to the floor.” (R. 149.) He denied cocking the pistol, although he admitted having the magazine engaged and a round in the chamber immediately before the shooting. (R. 160.)

On cross-examination, the prosecutor questioned the appellant, as follows:

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Related

Coon v. State
494 So. 2d 184 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1986)
Ashley v. State
651 So. 2d 1096 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1994)
Lami v. State
180 So. 2d 279 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1965)
Fletcher v. State
621 So. 2d 1010 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1993)
Biggs v. State
441 So. 2d 989 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1983)
Tillman v. State
291 So. 2d 373 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1974)
Ex Parte Fisher
587 So. 2d 1039 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1991)
Wright v. State
188 So. 2d 272 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1966)
Gray v. State
482 So. 2d 1318 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1985)
Few v. State
518 So. 2d 835 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1987)
Brothers v. State
183 So. 433 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1938)
People v. Perry
462 N.E.2d 143 (New York Court of Appeals, 1984)
Fisher v. State
587 So. 2d 1027 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1991)

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Bluebook (online)
675 So. 2d 62, 1995 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 317, 1995 WL 527796, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bailey-v-state-alacrimapp-1995.