Dyas v. State

539 S.W.2d 251, 260 Ark. 303, 1976 Ark. LEXIS 1795
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedJuly 19, 1976
DocketCR-75-192
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 539 S.W.2d 251 (Dyas v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dyas v. State, 539 S.W.2d 251, 260 Ark. 303, 1976 Ark. LEXIS 1795 (Ark. 1976).

Opinion

John A. Fogleman, Justice.

Appellant Jimmy Lee Dyas was convicted by a jury of capital felony murder for his part in the killing of Curtis Eugene Zachry, husband of.Carolyn Dianne Zachry, who has likewise been convicted of the murder in a separate trial and whose appeal has earlier come e Zachry v. State, 260 Ark. 97, 538 S.W. 2d 25 ceived a sentence of life imprisonment this conviction and sentence Dyas took

Folic court wit! court of Li? The motior supplemental! for reversal, nc sal. They are presented, the venience. We necessary to treat’ the testimony sum| f from this court reinvesting the trial appellant filed a motion in the circuit nty for new trial on 6 January 1976. ed and appellant has brought a 1 told, appellant offers fifteen points [h, we have concluded, merits reverin the order in which they were e being treated together for con[iew testimony except as it becomes points because it is very similar to Ü in Zachry v. State, supra.

1
The Court Erred in Admitting Into Evidence Statements Made By A Witness For The State, Before The Jury, Identifying The Source Of Two Rings Belonging To The Murder Victim, The Court And The State Being Well Aware That The Rings Had Been Turned Over To The Court And Law Enforcement Officials For The State By Appellant’s Defense Attorneys.
2
The Court Erred In Allowing The Prosecuting Attorney For The State To Comment Upon The Source Of The Two Rings Belonging To The Murder Victim In Violation of Appellant’s Attorney-Client Privilege.
3
The Court Erred In Admitting Into Evidence Statements Made By A Witness For The State Concerning The Alleged Source Of Two Rings Belonging To The Murder Victim, Because The Statements Constituted Hearsay.

The testimony upon which all of these points hang was given during the state’s redirect examination of Sgt. Carroll Page, who investigated the murder. However, the first mention of the rings was made by appellant’s principal attorney during his cross-examination of Page. It came about thus:

Q. (Cont’d by Mr. Boyd Tackett, Sr.) Do you know of anything that I have done during your investigation since the 9th day of the month, since the 9th day of January that wasn’t trying to cooperate with you and the other officers. Have I tried to keep anything from you?
A. You furnished some information. Some good and some--
Q. I even brought you the two rings taken off the dead man, didn’t I?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. MR. BOYD TACKETT, SR.: Judge, if this is wrong, you can tell me, and I will stop.
THE COURT: Yes, sir.

He pursued the line of questioning despite the fact the items mentioned were not in evidence and finally drew an objection from the state. The record follows:

Q. (Cont’d by Mr. Boyd Tackett, Sr.) All right, there is evidence here that there was a key ring taken off the dead body and there was two diamond rings taken off the dead body. They’ve been introduced.
MR. GEORGE STEEL, JR.: No, sir, they have not.
MR. BOYD TACKETT, SR.: They have not?
Q. (Cont’d by Mr. Boyd Tackett, Sr.) Well, anyway, before it gets to that, there’s testimony that there was a watch taken off the body. Have you ever, found the watch?
MR. GEORGE STEEL, JR.: Judge, I submit that this is not proper cross examination. We haven’t even gone into that yet,
THE COURT: He is making him his own witness, Mr. Steel. When he does that, he is bound by his answers.
MR. BOYD TACKETT, SR.: That’s right, I am bound by his answers.
THE COURT: All right.

On redirect examination, Sgt. Page testified without objection to an explanation allegedly given him by Tackett about how he came into possession of the rings.

Q, I show you two diamond rings, Officer Page, and I ask you, sir, are those the rings that Mr. Tackett refers to that he gave to you, sir?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. And have you in the course of your investigation determined that those rings belonged to the deceased, Eugene Zachry?
A. I have, sir.
Q. I believe Mr. Tackett has stated that he turned those rings over to you, is that correct, sir?
A. That is true.
Q. When he did that, Officer Page, where did he say he obtained them?
A. From Jimmy Dyas’ wife, Bunkie.
Q. Now, did he go any further than that, Officer Page? Did he say where she got them?
A. From a lock box — safety deposit box in the bank.
Q. Now, Sgt. Page, I ask you, sir, have you since that time attempted to determine of your own knowledge where the rings came from?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Have you been able to determine anything different than what Mr. Tackett told you on the night he gave them to you?
A. I’ve been told a different story by Mr. Tackett — one or more different stories.

And, on recross-examination, appellant’s attorney sought to elicit a different version of their exchange, as follows:

Q. Now, Carroll, I want you to remember something real close. When you asked me where I got those rings, didn’t I tell you, “Carroll, I can’t tell you that.”
A. You did not, sir.
Q. I told you that I got them from Bunkie?
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Now, Carroll, don’t you know I didn’t tell you that?
A. Yes, you did, sir.
MR. GEORGE STEEL, JR.: Judge, if Mr. Tackett made Sgt. Page his witness for this purpose, I submit that he can’t cross examine him.
MR. BOYD TACKETT, SR.: I submit I am entitled to get on that witness stand and tell the truth.
THE COURT: Not at this time, Mr. Tackett.
MR.

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Bluebook (online)
539 S.W.2d 251, 260 Ark. 303, 1976 Ark. LEXIS 1795, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dyas-v-state-ark-1976.