Douglas v. State

333 So. 2d 880, 1976 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1912
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedJune 15, 1976
Docket4 Div. 430
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 333 So. 2d 880 (Douglas v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Douglas v. State, 333 So. 2d 880, 1976 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1912 (Ala. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

TYSON, Judge.

The appellant was indicted for the first degree murder of his former wife, Frances Coleman, “by cutting her with a knife.” The jury found the appellant guilty of murder in the first degree as charged and fixed punishment at life imprisonment. The trial court then set sentence in accordance with this verdict.

Alice Johnson testified that on June 29, 1975, she was living with her daughter, the deceased Frances Coleman, in Dothan, Alabama, at 304 East North Street. She stated that her daughter Frances had formerly been married to Joe Junior Douglas, the appellant, but they were divorced.

Mrs. Johnson stated that on the evening of June 29, she returned to her daughter’s home and found the appellant there sitting on the front porch talking to her daughter. Mrs. Johnson stated she was eighty-three years of age and had just been on a brief trip to Newton, Alabama. When she returned, she heard the appellant say to her daughter that, “he wanted her,” and that her daughter said she would see what she could do. She stated her daughter then said for him to call her the next evening. From the record:

“Q. What happened then, Mrs. Johnson?
“A. He wanted to go to the bathroom and asked if Frances let him go. And he went in the bathroom and he stayed a good while in there. And he came out and we was standing in the living room. He came out of the bathroom and he stood at the kitchen door, one hand on the side and went a peeping all in the kitchen. And when he come out, Frances was standing a little ahead of him. He throwed his left arm around her neck and he just put into cutting on her. And I said huh-hu and he just kept a cutting her and throwed her over in a chair. And I hollered don’t hurt her and I hollered help, help, help, help. Nobody didn’t come to me. And at that time, I thought about a blade I will just be truthful, I thought about a blade I carried in the house for her protection because I was there every day by myself.
“Q. Is that a lawn mower blade?
“A. That’s a lawn mower blade.
“Q. Where was this?
“A. Behind the chair. Not the chair Francis was in, the chair I usually sit in, and I reached back and got it and I hit him with it. And he cut Frances again and he turned around and caught me and said you bitch you, I will kill you. And I just thought it was my last too. I didn’t have no protection.
[882]*882“Q. Did you hear any shots at any time?
“A. I did. I heard two shots.
“Q. Where was Frances and Joe when you heard the shots ?
“A. Frances was in the chair.
“Q. By the air conditioner?
“A. Uh-huh. And Joe was cutting her.
“Q. All right.
“A. And I went, he throwed her over in the chair I was sitting in and that is when he grabbed me.
“Q. After he grabbed you and took the blade away from you, what did he do then?
“A. He went out the door, that was as far as I could see.
“Q. All right.
“A. I hollered and hollered and another man came and he got there to (sic) late. I hollered help, help, help and nobody ever come.
“Q. Did you see what happened to the gun?
“A. No, I didn’t see the gun. I just heard it shoot.”

Mrs. Johnson stated she called to her daughter to shoot again, but heard nothing further.

On cross-examination Mrs. Johnson said that her daughter went by the last name of Douglas at the time of her death and that she had been formerly married to Coleman and then married a second time. She stated that the instance in question happened shortly after 7:00 P.M. just before dark on the evening in question. She stated that in response to questions, she did not know where the pistol came from, that she did1 not see one in her daughter’s hands, or on the dresser or coffee table near where the appellant had thrown her daughter. She stated that she had only been back at the house ten or fifteen minutes when the fight started. She testified she saw the appellant cut her daughter with a knife.

Alexander Neal testified that on June 29, 1975, he lived at 306 East North Street in Dothan, that he heard some people “hollering” next door and that he went over to see what was happening-. He said he tried to help Mrs. Johnson and saw Frances sitting in a chair in a pool of blood. He said that he met the appellant coming out of the house and as the appellant ran past him, he exclaimed, “he was tired of these mothers and daughters running over him,” and that he used curse words. On cross-examination, he stated he could not tell whether Joe Douglas was hurt or not.

Danny McGriff testified he was a patrolman for the city of Dothan on June 29, 1975. Officer McGriff stated he went to 306 East North Street in response to a call and saw one Alexander Neal who identified himself as a next door neighbor. He observed the body of Frances Coleman in a chair, “slumped over with blood all over her.” He called for a detective and the coroner. He stated that Police Sgt. Larry Lynn was the first to arrive and that he assisted Lynn in taking photographs. He identified a photograph of the victim, Frances Coleman, as accurately representing the scene when he first arrived. He testified that Sgt. Lynn locked up the house after the investigation.

Sgt. Larry Lynn testified he was with the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Dothan Police Department on June 29, 1975. He stated that upon his arrival at 304 East North Street, he met Officer Danny McGriff and a next door neighbor named Alexander Neal. He testified that together with Officer McGriff, they checked the body of Frances Coleman for vital life signs and found none. He said he was present when an ambulance attendant also checked for vital signs and none were found.

[883]*883Sgt. Lynn described the living room of the house as being a “mess” and that blood was all on the walls, the floor, coffee table and on the couch, that there was some broken furniture, and that he found a lawn mower blade in the middle of the floor. He further testified that he locked up the premises after the body was removed and that two days later, he went back with Sgt. Robert Davis and made a search of the living room. At this point, they found “the point of a pocketknife” blade and turned this over to Criminalist Dale Carter of the Department of Toxicology. Sgt. Lynn further stated that on the evening of the homicide, Mrs. Alice Johnson had given him some clothing which was also turned over to the Department of Toxicology.

On July 3, 1975, Sgt. Lynn received information that the appellant was at 559 Hall Street in the city of Montgomery, Alabama, and at that time, accompanied by Sgt. Black, they arrested the appellant and made a search of his person.

Upon searching the appellant’s pant's pocket, a pocketknife was found and the tip of the blade was missing. He testified this pocketknife was turned over to Dale Carter of the Department of Toxicology. In response to questioning, Officer Lynn stated that he had been advised that subsequently a pistol was found in the living room of the home.

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Related

Reese v. State
381 So. 2d 107 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1980)
Jones v. State
362 So. 2d 1303 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1978)
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353 So. 2d 810 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1977)
Turk v. State
347 So. 2d 588 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1977)

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Bluebook (online)
333 So. 2d 880, 1976 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1912, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/douglas-v-state-alacrimapp-1976.