Brown v. State

154 So. 2d 758, 42 Ala. App. 125, 1963 Ala. App. LEXIS 242
CourtAlabama Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 9, 1963
Docket3 Div. 132
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 154 So. 2d 758 (Brown v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alabama Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brown v. State, 154 So. 2d 758, 42 Ala. App. 125, 1963 Ala. App. LEXIS 242 (Ala. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinion

CATES, Judge.

These statements of the case and facts come from the Attorney General’s brief:

“After pleading not guilty to an indictment which charged him with the offense of robbery, appellant was tried in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, Alabama. In accordance with the jury’s verdict, he was adjudged guilty of the offense of assault with intent to rob, and was sentenced to imprisonment for five years, whereupon he gave notice of appeal. Appellant’s motion to exclude the State’s evidence and his motion for a new trial were denied. In accordance with law [Act No. 62, September 15, 1961], appellant was furnished with a free transcript of the evidence and other proceedings had in his trial.

* * * * * *

“The State’s evidence tended to show conclusively that on the evening of Saturday, March 24, 1962, pursuant to a prearranged robbery plot, Cheryl Epperson lured L. H. Gray away from the Rendevouz Cafe to a darkened street area where he was attacked and beaten by appellant and one or two other men. It showed less conclusively that appellant and his companion or companions robbed Gray and divided among themselves and another man money taken from Gray.

“Appellant’s evidence tended to show that he did not participate in the attack on Gray.”

[126]*126The appellant argues to us that the testimony wa§ such that the jury should have found him guilty of robbery (a capital felony) or of naught. However, he did not except to the oral charge wherein the trial judge directed the jury that guilt of assault with intent to rob was one of three possible verdicts which they might give.

The Attorney General would have us distinguish the instant facts from those in Edwards v. State, 33 Ala.App. 386, 34 So.2d 173, and De Graf v. State, 34 Ala.App. 137, 37 So.2d 130. Were this the only point of enquiry, we should be compelled to affirm.

However, an inculpatory statement of Brown came into evidence without the State first proving that it was voluntary. We excerpt from the testimony of Cherrie (or Cheryl) Epperson, the bait who enticed Gray from the Rendezvous to a darkened street where, according to the State, he was set upon by the defendant:

“Q Well, didn’t you spend the night with him that night, with Joel Brown?
“A Oh,—
“MR. WALDEN: Judge, we object to whether she’s talked with Joel Brown.
“MR. SMITH: I don’t know why, Mr. Walden. The Defendant was present; any statement he made, any inculpatory statement would be admissible.
“THE COURT: Overrule the objection.
“MR. WALDEN: We except.
“MR. MAURY D. SMITH: (Continuing )
“Q Did you spend the night with him?
“A Yes.
“Q Did you stay in a hotel?
“A Uh-huh. (Witness answering affirmatively)
“Q What hotel did you stay in?
“A That one on the main street.
“Q Dexter Hotel ?
“A Yeah.
“Q Did he make any statement to you about beating this man ?
“A Yeah.
“Q Did he tell you that he’d robbed him ?
“A Yes.
“MR. WALDEN: Now, Your Honor, we object to him leading the witness.
“THE COURT: Don’t lead the witness. Ask her what he actually said.
“MR. WALDEN: And we object to that, to the statement that was made.
“MR. SMITH: I’m sure you object to that, Mr. Walden.
“THE COURT: Overrule that objection.
“MR. WALDEN: We except, Your Honor.
"MR. MAURY D. SMITH: (Continuing )
“Q What did he tell you about robbing Mr. Gray?
“MR. WALDEN: Now, we object to that, so I’ll have the record straight, to show that I objected.
“THE COURT: I’m going to sustain the objection.
“MR. SMITH: Now, if the Court please, is it the Court’s ruling that this witness may not make a statement—
“THE COURT: No. She [may] make the statement, but the expression is objectionable, in the expression to what he said to you, about robbing.
“MR. MAURY D. SMITH: (Continuing)
“Q What, if anything, did Joel T. Brown say to you that night at the [127]*127Dexter Hotel about robbing Mr. L. H. Gray?
“MR. WALDEN: We object to the question.
“THE COURT: Overruled.
“MR. WALDEN: We except, Your Honor.
"MR. MAURY D. SMITH: (Continuing)
“Q You may answer the question, Miss Epperson.
“A Well, he said, when he got in— do you want me to tell it all ?
“Q Just what he said to you in regard — Mr. Reporter read the question back to her.
“A Well, I’ll have to tell you all the actions too.
“Q Well, I want to know, and I’m confining my question to what, if anything, did Joel T. Brown say to you about robbing Mr. L. H. Gray?
“MR. WALDEN: Now, Your Honor, we have an objection to that question.
“THE COURT: Overruled.
"MR. MAURY D. SMITH: (Continuing)
“Q Do you understand the question?
“A I think so.
“Q All right.
“A Joe- — I said—
“MR. WALDEN: Would you let the record show that you overruled my obj ection ?
“THE COURT: Yes. The record shows that.
“MR. WALDEN: All right. And I have an exception to that ruling.
"MR. MAURY D. SMITH: (Continuing )
“Q You can answer the question.
“A I asked Joe what happened, what went wrong at the Rendezvous, and he said, ‘There wasn’t a thing went wrong’, and he said that him and this other guy was in the alley when Mr. Gray and me walked by there and they jumped on him and took some money off of him, and I said, ‘How much did you take’ ? And he said, ‘Twenty-nine dollars ($29.00), and he said Red Davis got ten dollars ($10.00) and that he got ten dollars ($10.00) and that that other guy got nine dollars ($9.00). And said that he had some pocket knives on him, and I think a check, but I’m not for sure.
“Q Said a check?
“A I’m not for sure though.
“Q You think he said that he, meaning Mr.

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Related

Walker v. State
369 So. 2d 814 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1978)
Brown v. State
314 So. 2d 717 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1975)
Dickerson v. State
239 So. 2d 325 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1970)
Jessup v. State
194 So. 2d 570 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1966)
Brown v. State
154 So. 2d 762 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1963)

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Bluebook (online)
154 So. 2d 758, 42 Ala. App. 125, 1963 Ala. App. LEXIS 242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brown-v-state-alactapp-1963.