Branscomb v. State

774 S.W.2d 426, 299 Ark. 482, 1989 Ark. LEXIS 353
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJuly 10, 1989
DocketCR 88-214
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 774 S.W.2d 426 (Branscomb v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Branscomb v. State, 774 S.W.2d 426, 299 Ark. 482, 1989 Ark. LEXIS 353 (Ark. 1989).

Opinion

David Newbern, Justice.

The appellant, Larry Branscomb, was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole. He raised four points for reversal: (1) the trial court should have permitted him to be examined by a psychiatrist of his choice at state expense; (2) inculpatory statements he made to the police should have been suppressed because, (a) the state violated Ark. R.Crim. P. 8.1 by delaying appearance before a magistrate after his arrest, and (b) he lacked the capacity to waive his Sixth Amendment right to counsel; (3) the court should have admitted into evidence at a preliminary hearing the report of his psychiatric examination at the state hospital; and (4) the court should have instructed on the lesser included offenses of second degree murder and manslaughter.

We affirm the conviction because (1) the state was under no obligation to provide psychiatric examination other than that done at the state hospital; (2) there has been no showing that the delay in bringing Branscomb before a magistrate was unnecessary; (3) there was evidence to support a finding that Branscomb was competent to waive his right to counsel; and (4) a lesser included offense of first degree murder was instructed but the jury found capital murder, thus whatever error there may have been in refusing to instruct on second degree murder and manslaughter was cured.

Thomas Morgan, an elderly resident of Marianna, was robbed and shot to death in his home on August 15,1986. Larry Branscomb, his brother Earl Branscomb, and Willie McCoy were charged with the crime. Larry Branscomb was visiting in Lee County from Chicago. The three men had, on that same day, looked at a gold colored Cadillac for sale in Marvel. Earl Branscomb and McCoy testified that Larry told them to drop him off in the vicinity of Morgan’s home because he knew Morgan had money and he would get it to buy the car. McCoy had seen Larry Branscomb with a pistol the night before. Earl Branscomb testified that Larry Branscomb had said he wanted the car and would “knock somebody off” to get it.

Earl testified that Larry called him later that day and said the man he robbed had gone for his gun and he had had to shoot him and wanted to go back to Chicago. Fletcher Wilson testified that Larry Branscomb paid him $12.00 to drive him to Memphis at 8:30 that evening. Earl Branscomb testified that Larry Branscomb left for Chicago with a silver pistol and money in a sack.

Larry was arrested in Chicago on September 27, 1986. He remained incarcerated there until December 11,1986, when Lee County Deputy Sheriff Stanley Barnes picked him up to bring him back to Arkansas. Except for Larry’s testimony that he was visited by family and by someone who discussed extradition with him, and that he did not see a lawyer, we have no information about what happened between those dates. Larry testified he had no conversations with Arkansas officers during the return trip except concerning whether he was hungry and wanted to stop to get something to eat.

Larry arrived at the Lee County jail at 8:12 p.m. on December 11,1986. The following morning, which was a Friday, at 9:30 he was questioned by Investigator James Rainbolt in the presence of Barnes. Rainbolt testified he advised Larry of his rights and asked if he understood them, one at a time, getting a response as to each one mentioned. He then handed Larry the form which Larry initialled. After Larry had waived his rights, Rainbolt took Larry’s personal history, and Larry stated he had a 12th grade education.

When asked by Rainbolt if he had anything to say, Larry gave a statement which Rainbolt wrote down. In it Larry admitted shooting the elderly man but claimed it was self-defense. He mentioned nothing about the robbery. Rainbolt and Barnes confronted Larry with discrepancies between the physical evidence at the scene of the crime and Larry’s statement. Larry then gave a second statement in which he admitted he went into the house to rob Morgan after being let out of a car near the house by Earl Branscomb and McCoy. He said he pulled his pistol before Morgan pulled his. He admitted shooting Morgan twice and then running away.

On Monday, December 15, 1986, Larry was taken before the Marianna Municipal Court, which meets on Mondays only.

Deputy Barnes testified that Larry did not ask for a lawyer between the time he was picked up in Chicago and after giving his second statement. Counsel was appointed on February 13,1987.

1. Psychiatric evaluation

Larry pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. He was sent to the state hospital for psychiatric examination. The report found him to be mildly retarded with an I.Q. of 67 and mixed personality disorder. The report concluded that Larry did not lack the capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct at the time of the crime and that he could cooperate effectively with his attorneys in preparation of his defense. Larry’s counsel moved to have the state pay up to $500 to have another psychiatrist examine him and render a report. The motion was denied.

It is contended that the state hospital report was inadequate. The history taken from his mother was said to be deficient because Larry, who is now aged at least 33, had left home when he was 12 or 13, and she had not been with him since then. Counsel also cited Larry’s distrust, fantasies, ánd paranoia they had observed while working with him, as well as stories he told at the preliminary hearing. It is contended here that he did not receive the independent hearing required by Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68 (1985).

In See v. State, 296 Ark. 498, 757 S.W.2d 947 (1988), and Parker v. State, 292 Ark. 421, 731 S.W.2d 756 (1987), we held that an examination by the state hospital satisfied the requirements of the Supreme Court stated in Ake v. Oklahoma, supra. Counsel on appeal acknowledges the position we have taken but contends that, given the facts of this case, we should reconsider it. We decline to do so. We have concluded that a psychiatric examination given by the state hospital is sufficiently independent of the prosecution. As in Starr v. State, 297 Ark. 26, 759 S.W.2d 535 (1988), where it was contended that the appellant’s marginally retarded condition required additional psychiatric examination, we cannot agree here that additional examination was required. Larry Branscomb’s responses to the police interrogation were clear, and there was no allegation of coercion of any sort in the giving of his statements.

2. Failure to suppress

a. Unnecessary delay

The contention here is that the delay of three days between the time Larry arrived in Marianna and the time he was taken before the municipal court violated Rule 8.1. The time between his arrest in Chicago and the trip to Marianna is also noted, but only as having had some effect in causing Larry to confess some 12 hours after his arrival at the Lee County jail. We have no idea of the cause of the delay in Chicago.

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Bluebook (online)
774 S.W.2d 426, 299 Ark. 482, 1989 Ark. LEXIS 353, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/branscomb-v-state-ark-1989.