Biggs v. State

942 So. 2d 185, 2006 WL 52250
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedJanuary 3, 2006
Docket2004-KA-01163-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 942 So. 2d 185 (Biggs 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
Biggs v. State, 942 So. 2d 185, 2006 WL 52250 (Mich. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

942 So.2d 185 (2006)

O'Neal BIGGS, Appellant
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2004-KA-01163-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

January 3, 2006.
Rehearing Denied August 8, 2006.

*187 Ross Parker Simons, attorney for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by W. Daniel Hinchcliff, attorney for appellee.

EN BANC.

MYERS, P.J., for the Court.

¶ 1. O'Neal Biggs was convicted of felony shoplifting in the Circuit Court of Jackson County and sentenced to serve a five year term in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, day-to-day. He has appealed his conviction to this court presenting four issues upon which he seeks to have that conviction reversed. These issues are:

I.

A. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DENYING MR. BIGGS' MOTION IN LIMINE AND HIS REQUEST FOR A BIFURCATED TRIAL ON THE MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING CONVICTIONS ALLEGED IN HIS INDICTMENT IN THAT:
1. THE INTRODUCTION INTO EVIDENCE OF MR. BIGGS' ALLEGED PREVIOUS MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING CONVICTIONS VIOLATES THE LONG-HELD PRINCIPLE THAT A DEFENDANT SHALL BE TRIED ONLY FOR ONE CHARGE AT ONE TIME, WITHOUT EXTRANEOUS CONVICTIONS CLOUDING THE MINDS OF JURORS ON THE CASE BEING TRIED.
2. THE CASE LAW THAT PERMITS THIS BY DECLARING THE PRIOR MISDEMEANORS TO BE ELEMENTS OF THE FELONY WHICH MUST BE PROVED BY THE STATE VIOLATES VARIOUS COURT RULES BY PERMITTING JURORS TO INFER GUILT FROM PAST BEHAVIOR, RATHER THAN ON FACTS PRESENTED AT THE INSTANT TRIAL.
B. ADDITIONALLY, THE FAILURE OF TRIAL COUNSEL TO OFFER A LIMITING INSTRUCTION TO BUFFER THE EVIDENTIARY DAMAGE BY THE PRESENTATION OF THE TWO MISDEMEANOR CONVICTIONS SHOULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED BY THE TRIAL COURT ISSUING ITS OWN LIMITING INSTRUCTION SUA SPONTE.
C. FINALLY, THIS COURT SHOULD RECOGNIZE WEAVER'S PREJUDICIAL EFFECT OF ALLOWING THE STATE TO PROVE PRIOR ENHANCERS TO A JURY AT THE TIME SAME FACTS ARE BEING LITIGATED ON AN IDENTICAL ENHANCED CHARGE AND HOLD THAT JURY BE PERMITTED TO HEAR THE EVIDENCE OF PRIORS ONLY AFTER IT HAS RENDERED A DECISION ON THE INDICTMENT.

*188 II. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DENYING MR. BIGGS' PROFFERED MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING INSTRUCTION WAS SUPPORTED BY CREDIBLE EVIDENCE, AND WITHOUT IT MR. BIGGS WAS PREVENTED FROM PRESENTING TO THE JURY HIS THEORY OF THE CASE, I.E. THAT THE STATE HAD FAILED TO PROVE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT THE EXISTENCE OF ONE OF THE TWO MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING CONVICTIONS CHARGED IN THE INDICTMENT.

III. MR. BIGGS' JURY WAS NOT SWORN WITH ANY TYPE OF PETIT JURORS' OATH, AND HIS VERDICT IS THEREFORE VOID AS HAVING BEEN RETURNED IN VIOLATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI STATUTE REGARDING SAME AS WELL AS THE CONSTITUTION.

IV. THE STATE ADDUCED INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO PROVE THAT THE MR. BIGGS WHO WAS THE SUBJECT OF THE MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING ABSTRACTS WAS THE SAME MR. BIGGS WHO WAS ON TRIAL FOR FELONY SHOPLIFTING. THUS, THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DENYING MR. BIGGS' MOTION FOR A DIRECTED VERDICT, HIS PROFFERED PEREMPTORY INSTRUCTION AND HIS POST-TRIAL REQUEST FOR A JNOV.

FACTS

¶ 2. O'Neal Biggs was convicted of felony shoplifting on April 15, 2004. He was indicted for shoplifting $18.59 worth of Duracell batteries from the Fast Lane Store in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Biggs also had been convicted of shoplifting in 1995 and 1999 which elevated the current charge from a misdemeanor to a felony under Mississippi Code Annotated § 97-23-93 (Rev.2000).

¶ 3. On September 17, 2001, a cashier, working at the Fast Lane Store, observed Biggs enter the store and behave in a suspicious manner. Biggs was observed standing near the battery display, when he suddenly exited the store with an obvious bulge in his clothing. While exiting the store Biggs had to grab the bulge to keep it from falling out of his clothes. Upon observing this activity the cashier contacted the police to report the incident. The police apprehended Biggs nearby and discovered batteries in Biggs' possession. The batteries were identified as belonging to the Fast Lane through store price tags. Following the arrest, a determination was made that Biggs had been convicted on two previous occasions for shoplifting and was charged with felony shoplifting. At trial Biggs called no witnesses and put on no evidence. He was convicted of felony shoplifting and was sentenced to a term of five years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections to serve the term day-to-day.

ANALYSIS

A. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DENYING MR. BIGGS' MOTION IN LIMINE AND HIS REQUEST FOR A BIFURCATED TRIAL ON THE MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING CONVICTIONS ALLEGED IN HIS INDICTMENT IN THAT:
1. THE INTRODUCTION INTO EVIDENCE OF MR. BIGGS' ALLEGED PREVIOUS MISDEMEANOR SHOPLIFTING CONVICTIONS VIOLATES THE LONG-HELD PRINCIPLE THAT A DEFENDANT SHALL BE TRIED ONLY FOR ONE CHARGE AT ONE TIME, WITHOUT EXTRANEOUS *189 CONVICTIONS CLOUDING THE MINDS OF JURORS ON THE CASE BEING TRIED.
2. THE CASE LAW THAT PERMITS THIS BY DECLARING THE PRIOR MISDEMEANORS TO BE ELEMENTS OF THE FELONY WHICH MUST BE PROVED BY THE STATE VIOLATES VARIOUS COURT RULES BY PERMITTING JURORS TO INFER GUILT FROM PAST BEHAVIOR, RATHER THAN ON FACTS PRESENTED AT THE INSTANT TRIAL.
C. FINALLY, THIS COURT SHOULD RECOGNIZE WEAVER'S PREJUDICIAL EFFECT OF ALLOWING THE STATE TO PROVE PRIOR ENHANCERS TO A JURY AT THE TIME SAME FACTS ARE BEING LITIGATED ON AN IDENTICAL ENHANCED CHARGE AND HOLD THAT JURY BE PERMITTED TO HEAR THE EVIDENCE OF PRIORS ONLY AFTER IT HAS RENDERED A DECISION ON THE INDICTMENT.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 4. When reviewing motions in limine, "this Court applies the following standard:

[A] motion in limine `should be granted only when the trial court finds two factors are present: (1) the material or evidence in question will be inadmissible at a trial under the rules of evidence; and (2) the mere offer, reference, or statements made during trial concerning the material will tend to prejudice the jury.'"

McGilberry v. State, 797 So.2d 940, 942 (Miss.2001) (quoting Whittley v. City of Meridian, 530 So.2d 1341, 1344 (Miss. 1988)).

DISCUSSION

¶ 5. Biggs in his initial error concedes that he is aware that the supreme court has declared that the prior misdemeanor shoplifting convictions that elevate a third charge to a felony are elements of that charge and must be proven to the jury beyond a reasonable doubt. But, Biggs contends that these prior convictions should not be introduced in the guilt phase of the trial but, rather the elements of prior convictions should be decided in a bifurcated trial. We have previously addressed this argument and found it without merit in Bufkin v. State where we stated:

Bufkin contends on appeal that this was error and that the proper way to handle the matter of prior convictions was to bifurcate the trial with the trial court making the necessary determinations regarding the prior convictions as a part of the sentencing phase of the trial. She argues that permitting the jury to learn of her prior convictions hopelessly prejudiced her in the eyes of the jury and raised the possibility that the jury would convict upon reaching the conclusion that her prior conduct had demonstrated a propensity for such criminal activity.

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Related

Herrington v. State
102 So. 3d 1241 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2012)
Holbrook v. State
4 So. 3d 382 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
942 So. 2d 185, 2006 WL 52250, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/biggs-v-state-missctapp-2006.