Craig v. State

45 So. 3d 699, 2010 Miss. App. LEXIS 525, 2010 WL 3749198
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedSeptember 28, 2010
Docket2009-KA-00820-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 45 So. 3d 699 (Craig 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
Craig v. State, 45 So. 3d 699, 2010 Miss. App. LEXIS 525, 2010 WL 3749198 (Mich. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

KING, C.J.,

for the Court;

¶ 1. Darrell Craig was convicted in the Circuit Court of Amite County of armed robbery and sentenced to thirty years in the custody the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC). He appeals raising the following issues; (1) the circuit court erred in denying his motion to dismiss for failure to grant a speedy trial based on the violation of his statutory right to a speedy trial; (2) the circuit court erred in admitting into evidence a DNA report, which was first produced to Craig two days before trial; (3) the circuit court erred in allowing into evidence testimony based upon the subject DNA report when the State’s witness was not qualified to testify as an expert witness; (4) the circuit court erred in admitting into evidence articles of clothing and firearms when the State failed to establish a proper chain of custody for the items; and (5) the circuit court denied his right to a fair and impartial jury by striking two African American jurors. Finding no error, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court.

FACTS

¶ 2. On December 12, 2006, four individuals entered Trustmark Bank in Gloster, Amite County, Mississippi, and robbed Lacey Taylor and other bank employees. Testimony indicated that after the robbers fled the scene of the robbery, large quantities of money were found discarded along Main Street in Gloster. Officers in pursuit of the robbers found several items of clothing discarded along Highway 33, the direction in which the robbers allegedly traveled after the robbery. Later that afternoon on Macedonia Road in Gloster, officers found an abandoned, burning SUV, which was later identified as the getaway car. At the site, officers also found a pair of tennis shoes and a boot near the burning vehicle and three guns in the embankment not far from the vehicle. Officer Danny Mauex testified that the clothing retrieved from Highway 33, the guns retrieved from the embankment, and the shoes retrieved from the burn site were placed in evidence bags and turned over to Chief Tommy Lee of the Gloster Police Department. Chief Lee testified that he placed the evidence bags in the vault and the guns in the evidence locker.

¶ 3. On August 24, 2007, Craig, Warren Williams, Dameon Washington, Eric Robertson, Derrick Tobias, and Neffeti A. Oshunremi were indicted under Mississippi Code Annotated section 97-37-37 (Supp. 2009) for armed robbery with an enhanced punishment for use of a firearm during the commission of a felony. On September 19, *704 2008, Craig was convicted of armed robbery. Craig was sentenced to thirty years in the custody of the MDOC on September 22, 2008. On September 29, 2008, Craig filed a motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV) or, alternatively, for a new trial. The circuit court denied Craig’s motion on May 18, 2009. Craig timely filed his notice of appeal.

ANALYSIS

I. Speedy Trial

¶ 4. Craig asserts that he was not afforded a speedy trial pursuant to Mississippi Code Annotated section 99-17-1 (Rev.2007). Craig claims that he went to trial on September 18, 2008, 362 days after he was arraigned on September 21, 2008. Craig claims that this lengthy delay in going to trial precluded his obtaining records from his bonding agent, which would have established his whereabouts on the day before the crime occurred. Craig maintains that he effectively asserted his right to a speedy trial by filing no motions for continuance, by not objecting to the State’s request for a body search, and by voluntarily submitting DNA samples at the State’s request.

¶ 5. According to DeLoach v. State, 722 So.2d 512, 516 (¶ 12) (Miss.1998):

Review of a speedy trial claim encompasses the fact question of whether the trial delay rose from good cause. Under this Court’s standard of review, this Court will uphold a decision based on substantial, credible evidence. If no probative evidence supports the trial court’s finding of good cause, this Court will ordinarily reverse. The [S]tate bears the burden of proving good cause for a speedy trial delay, and thus bears the risk of non-persuasion.

(Internal citations omitted).

¶ 6. Pursuant to Mississippi Code Annotated section 99-17-1, the defendant shall be tried no later than 270 days after the date of arraignment. Craig was arraigned on September 21, 2007, and went to trial on September 18, 2008. On September 15, 2008, the trial court conducted a hearing on Craig’s motion to dismiss. As a result of the hearing, the trial court found that the time period from arraignment to trial exceeded 270 days. The trial court noted that the delay resulted from older cases being scheduled for trial. The trial judge ruled that such delay was sufficient under the law for good cause and the matter would not be dismissed.

¶ 7. The United States Supreme Court established a balancing test to determine whether a defendant’s constitutional right to a speedy trial has been violated. Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 530, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972). The four factors that are to be considered together and balanced are: “(1) length of delay, (2) reason for delay, (3) the defendant’s assertion of his right, and (4) prejudice to the defendant.” Id. at 530-32, 92 S.Ct. 2182; White v. State, 969 So.2d 72, 78 (¶ 14) (Miss.Ct.App.2007). In reviewing the allegation that Craig’s statutory speedy-trial right was violated, we apply the same balancing analysis used to address the violation of a constitutional right to a speedy trial.

A. Length of Delay

¶ 8. According to the Barker analysis, “[t]he length of the delay is to some extent a triggering mechanism. Until there is some delay which is presumptively prejudicial, there is no necessity for inquiry into the other factors that go into the balance.” Barker, 407 U.S. at 530, 92 S.Ct. 2182. The time from Craig’s arraignment to his trial was 362 days. This exceeds the statutorily mandated 270 days *705 by 92 days and is presumptively prejudicial.

B.Reason for Delay

¶ 9. “Once a delay is found to be presumptively prejudicial, the burden of proof shifts to the State to show cause for the delay.” Stark v. State, 911 So.2d 447, 450 (¶ 11) (Miss.2005). The appellate court must determine whether the delay should be charged to the State or the defendant. Id. Since it is the State’s responsibility to provide a defendant with a speedy trial, this factor is weighed against the State unless it can show either that the delay was caused by the defendant or that the delay was for a good cause. Id.; Wiley v. State, 582 So.2d 1008, 1012 (Miss.1991). In this case, the delay was caused by an overcrowded docket with older, previously scheduled cases being tried before Craig’s case. This factor only slightly favors Craig because of the acceptable justification for the delay.

C.Assertion of the Right to a Speedy Trial

¶ 10.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
45 So. 3d 699, 2010 Miss. App. LEXIS 525, 2010 WL 3749198, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/craig-v-state-missctapp-2010.