Davis v. State

819 N.E.2d 91, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 2461, 2004 WL 2827947
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 10, 2004
Docket48A02-0404-CR-312
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 819 N.E.2d 91 (Davis v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. State, 819 N.E.2d 91, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 2461, 2004 WL 2827947 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004).

Opinion

OPINION

SULLIVAN, Judge.

Michael Davis appeals his conviction for Battery Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, 1 a Class C felony. Upon appeal, Davis *94 presents the following issues which we restate as:

(1) whether Davis was denied a speedy trial under the Sixth Amendment;
(2) whether the trial court erred when it refused Davis's tendered jury instruction on serious bodily injury; and
(3) whether Davis was denied a trial by a jury of his peers.

We affirm.

On November 27, 2001, Davis was an inmate at the Correctional Industrial Facility in Pendleton. That same day, correctional officer Wayne Fubrman was on duty when he observed Davis commit a violation of Department of Correction rules. Officer Fuhrman prepared a conduct report and took a copy to Davis's cell. There, Officer Fuhrman unlocked the cell, stepped in, and called for Davis to take the report. Because Davis did not respond, Officer Fuhrman again summoned him. Davis then jumped out of his bed and yelled, "What you talking about?" Tran-seript at 91. When Officer Fuhrman informed Davis that he had a conduct report to deliver to him, Davis hit him in the mouth, knocking him to the ground.

When Sergeant David Sheveily, who was also working that day, saw Fuhrman lying on the ground, he approached him and found him unconscious, bleeding, and missing some teeth. Eventually Fuhrman regained consciousness and immediately identified Davis as his assailant. During an investigation, internal affairs Officer Thomas Francum interviewed both Davis and his cellmate Joseph Pittman. Although Officer Francum saw no "obvious abrasions or bruises" on the hands of Davis's cellmate, he did see swelling on Davis's right hand near the last two knuckles. Transcript at 290. Officer Francum then informed the Indiana State Police concerning the incident. After reviewing Francum's report, a member of the Indiana State Police prepared a probable cause affidavit and forwarded it to the prosecutor of Madison County.

On April 1, 2002, Davis was charged with battery resulting in serious bodily injury, a Class C felony, and battery resulting in bodily injury, a Class D felony. A warrant was issued for Davis's arrest and sent to the sheriff of Madison County. However, the warrant was not served at that time. As a result, in August 2002, when Davis had completed his sentence on an unrelated charged, he was released. He then went to Tennessee where his family lived.

Unaware that Davis had been released, the trial court, on December 6, 2002, set Davis's initial hearing for January 6, 2008, and ordered the Department of Correction to transport Davis from Pendleton on that date. When Davis did not appear, the trial court reset the initial hearing for January 27, 20083. On January 9, 2003, the Department of Correction notified the trial court that Davis had been discharged in August 2002. On February 27, 2008, a member of the Indiana State Police Department notified the trial court that Davis had been located in Tennessee where he was eventually served with the warrant on May 22, 2008. The next day, the trial court held Davis's initial hearing, during which Davis was appointed counsel and given a trial date of December 30, 2008.

In July 2003, Davis hired an attorney who filed an appearance on his behalf on July 28, 2008. As a result, on August 11, 2003, Davis's court-appointed attorney withdrew with the court's permission. On September 2, 2003, Davis filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him pursuant to Criminal Rule 4(C). The trial court held a hearing on the motion to dismiss on September 15, 2008. The trial court de *95 nied the motion but moved the trial date to October 7, 2003, due to Criminal Rule 4(C) concerns.

The day before trial, defense counsel filed a subsequent motion to dismiss, in which he claimed that Davis had been denied a speedy trial guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment. On the morning of trial, the trial court heard argument on the motion, but denied it.

As voir dire commenced, defense counsel objected to the lack of African-Americans in a jury pool consisting of only Caucasians. Specifically, defense counsel argued that as an African-American, Davis was being denied a trial by a jury of his peers. The trial court found nothing inherently discriminatory in the jury selection process and proceeded with the trial.

Thereafter, Davis was found guilty as charged. Davis was sentenced to eight years imprisonment on the Class C felony. The Class D felony was dismissed due to double jeopardy concerns.

I. Speedy Trial

Davis contends he was denied a speedy trial in violation of the Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution. 2 In particular, he claims that delay between the time he was charged and arrested prejudiced his defense.

Initially, we note that both parties agree that Davis became an accused for purposes of the speedy trial provision of the Sixth Amendment when Davis was charged on April 1, 2002. See Harrell v. State, 614 N.E.2d 959, 963 (Ind.Ct.App.1993) (finding defendant became accused for purposes of Sixth Amendment speedy trial right when State filed information), trans. denied. However, the State contends that Davis waived his claim by failing to timely assert it at the initial hearing on May 23, 2008, when Davis first learned of his trial date.

The speedy trial right may be waived if it is intentionally relinquished. Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 525-26, 529, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972). However, failing to assert the right at the earliest opportunity or at all does not result in waiver. See id. at 528, 92 S.Ct. 2182 ("We reject, therefore, the rule that a defendant who fails to demand a speedy trial forever waives his right."). Rather, if and when a defendant asserts his right is "one of the factors to be considered in an inquiry into the deprivation of the right." Id. See also Sqmerheber v. State, 698 N.E.2d 796, 805 (Ind.1998) (considering defendant's "decision not to assert his speedy trial right" as one factor in determining whether right was denied). Thus, Davis's decision to wait until September 9, 2003, three and one-half months after his initial hearing, to first assert his speedy trial right did not result in waiver of his claim.

We now proceed with our inquiry into the deprivation of the right. "When this Court considers a speedy trial claim based upon the delay between the filing of the information and the arrest of the accused, it applies the balancing test set forth in Barker v. Wingo," supra, which includes factors such as: (1) length of delay; (2) reason for delay; (8) defendant's assertion of the right; and (4) prejudice to the defendant. Harrell, 614 N.E.2d at 963. However, the length of delay is not only a factor to be considered, but also a "triggering mechanism." Barker, 407 U.S. at 580, 92 S.Ct. 2182.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Troy Burgh v. State of Indiana
79 N.E.3d 955 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2017)
Michael E. McClellan v. State of Indiana
6 N.E.3d 1001 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2014)
Billy Bulu Gercilus v. State of Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals, 2013
Luke Smith v. State of Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals, 2013
Joseph Peters v. State of Indiana
Indiana Court of Appeals, 2012
McCloud v. State
959 N.E.2d 879 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2011)
Fisher v. State
933 N.E.2d 526 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2010)
Bowman v. State
884 N.E.2d 917 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
819 N.E.2d 91, 2004 Ind. App. LEXIS 2461, 2004 WL 2827947, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-state-indctapp-2004.