Dizon v. State

749 So. 2d 996, 1999 WL 1042969
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 18, 1999
Docket98-KA-00226-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 749 So. 2d 996 (Dizon v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dizon v. State, 749 So. 2d 996, 1999 WL 1042969 (Mich. 1999).

Opinion

749 So.2d 996 (1999)

Edison DIZON a/k/a Edison David Dizon
v.
STATE of Mississippi.

No. 98-KA-00226-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

November 18, 1999.

*997 Richard C. Conant, Pascagoula, Attorney for Appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by Dewitt T. Allred, III, Attorney for Appellee.

EN BANC.

PITTMAN, Presiding Justice, for the Court:

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

¶ 1. This is an appeal from the Circuit Court of Jackson County, Mississippi, where, on February 25, 1997, appellant Edison Dizon ("Dizon") was convicted of the murder of Lino Rodriguez ("Rodriguez").

STATEMENT OF FACTS

¶ 2. On June 26, 1996, Dizon and Randy Tesoro were indicted for the murder of Rodriguez. The indictment charged the two with willfully, feloniously and without the authority of law killing and murdering Rodriguez with deliberate design to effect Rodriguez's death.

¶ 3. A jury trial was held in Jackson County Circuit Court on February 24 and 25, 1997. Testimony at trial established that on the evening of April 20, 1996, Dizon, Dizon's two daughters, Tesoro, Tesoro's son, and Rhonda Cruise ("Cruise") drove to the Monico Lake Apartments in Pascagoula to deliver Dizon's two young daughters to Gwendolyn Eason ("Eason"), Dizon's long-time girlfriend and the girls' mother.

¶ 4. When Dizon discovered Eason was not in the apartment, he pulled an aluminum baseball bat from a closet inside the apartment and went to Rodriguez's apartment in search of Eason. Eason had earlier admitted having a sexual relationship with Rodriguez.

¶ 5. Dizon knocked on Rodriguez's door. When Eason answered the door, Dizon bit her on the shoulder. Eason ran to the apartment of a neighbor, Renatta Dupree, and asked her to call the police.

¶ 6. A scuffle ensued that involved Dizon, Tesoro, and Rodriguez, with Tesoro apparently attempting to break up the confrontation. The scuffle moved to the lawn in front of the apartment building. Dizon struck Rodriguez numerous times with the *998 baseball bat, knocking him to his knees. Dizon then turned and chased Eason, cursing her. Dizon returned to where Rodriguez was kneeling on the ground and struck him again with the baseball bat. Following this final attack, Dizon got into the car driven by Tesoro and fled. A short distance from the scene, Dizon threw the baseball bat from the car. Rodriguez was transported to Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula. He died two days later, never having regained consciousness.

¶ 7. At trial, the only defense presented was by Tesoro. Tesoro made a Motion for a Directed for Verdict for Acquittal which was granted by the trial court. The jury subsequently returned a verdict convicting Dizon of murder. The trial judge immediately sentenced Dizon to life in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

¶ 8. Dizon filed a Motion for a New Trial or in the Alternative, J.N.O.V., and a hearing was held on the matter. The trial court subsequently denied the motion. The trial court then granted a motion by Dizon's trial counsel to withdraw and appointed new counsel.

¶ 9. Dizon, alleging that he had been denied his constitutional right to testify on his own behalf, filed an Extraordinary Motion for New Trial. The trial court dismissed the motion without prejudice, stating that it was without jurisdiction to hear the motion because Dizon had already filed a direct appeal with this Court.

¶ 10. Dizon then petitioned this Court for Extraordinary Relief under M.R.A.P. 21. This Court considered the motion as a motion to supplement the record under M.R.A.P. 10(e) and remanded to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing on the issue of whether Dizon had been properly informed of and advised of his right to testify on his own behalf, and whether he had effectively waived that right under Culberson v. State, 412 So.2d 1184 (Miss. 1982).

STATEMENT OF ISSUES

I. WHETHER DIZON WAS DENIED HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO TESTIFY IN HIS OWN BEHALF AT TRIAL BY HIS ATTORNEY AND THE TRIAL COURT.
II. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN ALLOWING THE STATE TO SUBMIT JURY INSTRUCTIONS IN VIOLATION OF THE DICTATES OF RULE 3.07, UCCCR, RESULTING IN ACTUAL PREJUDICE TO DIZON AT TRIAL.
III. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN ALLOWING JURY INSTRUCTION S-2A TO BE GIVEN TO THE JURY WHICH, IN EFFECT, MATERIALLY AMENDED DIZON'S INDICTMENT.
IV. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN SUBMITTING JURY INSTRUCTION S-2A TO THE JURY WHICH WAS AN INACCURATE STATEMENT OF THE LAW, WHICH CONTAINED AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT FOR WHICH NO EVIDENCE WAS PRESENTED BY THE STATE, WHICH WAS PREJUDICIAL TO DIZON, AND WHICH WAS UNCONSTITUTIONALLY VAGUE AND CONFUSING TO THE JURY'S DELIBERATIONS.
V. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN SUBMITTING JURY INSTRUCTION S-2A TO THE JURY WHICH WAS IN HOPELESS CONFLICT WITH JURY INSTRUCTION S-7 AND CONFUSING TO THE JURY'S DELIBERATIONS.
VI. WHETHER DIZON RECEIVED INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL AT TRIAL.

*999 STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 11. As this Court has repeatedly stated, "[n]o trial is free of error; however, to require reversal the error must be of such magnitude as to leave no doubt that the appellant was unduly prejudiced." Century 21 Deep South Properties, Ltd. v. Keys, 652 So.2d 707, 716 (Miss.1995) (quoting Davis v. Singing River Elec. Power Ass'n, 501 So.2d 1128, 1131 (Miss.1987)).

DISCUSSION OF LAW

I. WHETHER DIZON WAS DENIED HIS CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO TESTIFY IN HIS OWN BEHALF AT TRIAL BY HIS ATTORNEY AND THE TRIAL COURT.

¶ 12. Dizon argues that he was denied his constitutional right to testify on his own behalf at his trial. Dizon first filed a petition with this Court seeking relief under M.R.A.P. 21. This Court considered the petition as a motion to supplement the record under M.R.A.P. 10(e) and remanded the matter to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing on the matter as suggested by Culberson v. State, 412 So.2d 1184 (Miss.1982). This Court specifically limited the hearing to whether Dizon was properly informed of and advised of his right to testify on his own behalf and whether Dizon effectively waived that right. The evidentiary hearing was subsequently held with the transcript of the hearing being filed with this Court as a supplemental volume of the record.

¶ 13. After careful review, we find that Dizon was not fully advised of his right to testify on his own behalf. This being the case, Dizon's constitutional rights have been violated, and this case must be reversed and remanded for a new trial.

¶ 14. As this Court stated in Culberson, if an accused is denied the right to testify on his own behalf, it is a constitutional violation regardless of whether the denial is a result of a refusal by the court or a refusal by the accused's counsel to allow the accused to testify. Culberson, 412 So.2d at 1186. The Court went on to suggest that if the defendant does not testify, the trial judge should, outside the presence of the jury, advise the defendant of the right to testify. Id. If the defendant wishes to testify, he should be allowed to do so. If the defendant does not wish to testify, he will not be required to testify. Id.

¶ 15. Dizon argues that he did not understand that he had a right to testify, nor did he knowingly waive such right. As support, Dizon cites his lack of expertise in the criminal justice system.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
749 So. 2d 996, 1999 WL 1042969, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dizon-v-state-miss-1999.