Garcia v. State

828 So. 2d 1279, 2002 WL 31372261
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedOctober 22, 2002
Docket2001-KA-00478-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 828 So. 2d 1279 (Garcia 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
Garcia v. State, 828 So. 2d 1279, 2002 WL 31372261 (Mich. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

828 So.2d 1279 (2002)

Fritz James GARCIA, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2001-KA-00478-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

October 22, 2002.

*1282 Thomas D. Berry, Bay St. Louis, attorney for appellant.

Office of Attorney General, Billy L. Gore, District Attorney, Cono A. Caranna, II, attorney for appellee.

Before SOUTHWICK, P.J., THOMAS and CHANDLER, JJ.

THOMAS, J., for the court.

¶ 1. Fritz Garcia was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Aggrieved he asserts the following on appeal:

I. THE LOWER COURT IMPEDED APPELLANT IN HIS EFFORT TO PROVE INSANITY DEFENSE.

II. IT WAS ERROR NOT TO SUPPRESS THE ENTIRE STATEMENT GIVEN BY APPELLANT BEFORE HIS ATTORNEY WAS PRESENT.

III. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN GIVING INSTRUCTIONS S 3 AND S 9.

Finding no error, we affirm.

FACTS

¶ 2. Fritz Garcia was arrested in Pascagoula, Mississippi and charged with the murder of Ruth Tuller on March 12, 1997. Garcia was brought to Hancock County, at which time his Miranda rights were read and he was interviewed by Sheriff Peterson and Deputy Nathan Hoda regarding various aspects of the facts surrounding the murder which was audibly recorded.

¶ 3. Garcia lived with Tuller since his release from prison the preceding year. Garcia has been in and out of State institutions since 1975 when he was first admitted to the Mississippi State Hospital. At trial, Garcia admitted to the killing of Ruth Tuller. Garcia's claims of innocence emanate from his contention that he was legally insane at the time of the murder.

¶ 4. On March 11, 1997, Deputy Hoda was called to the residence of Ruth Tuller after inquiries were made to the police from concerned friends. Upon reaching the front of the house Hoda found a note on the doorstep which read, "Gone Fishing, be back around noon," with blood stains on it. He then looked through the window of the house and saw that the interior was in complete disarray so he entered the house. In the bathroom he discovered the body of Ruth Tuller stabbed eighty-eight times with a knife embedded in her rectum. The body was in a pool of blood with oil poured upon it and a crucifix and a book on menopause laying atop her body. The official cause of death was described as extensive bleeding due to multiple stab and slash wounds to her body. A videotape of the crime scene was taken, which showed notes scattered throughout the house, blood everywhere and human feces on the floor.

¶ 5. The defense called Officer Kenny Hurt and Officer Matt Karl who both testified to matters regarding the crime scene such as the number of persons walking through the crime scene and when evidence was secured from the crime scene. Dr. Reb McMichael from the Mississippi State Hospital was called as an expert witness regarding Garcia's mental state. Dr. McMichael defined schizophrenia and described the various types. Dr. McMichael, Garcia's expert witness, testified that he felt the acts of Garcia were not the acts of a man who had lost touch with reality and did not know right from wrong. He testified that Garcia was capable on the *1283 day of the homicide of distinguishing right from wrong. Dr. McMichael described Garcia's condition as anti-social personality disorder. He also stated that Garcia is a sociopath. Dr. Maggio was called as a state's expert witness and testified that Garcia acted logically in his actions after the murder and that he was not legally insane at the time of the murder.

I. DID THE LOWER COURT IMPEDE APPELLANT IN HIS EFFORT TO PROVE INSANITY DEFENSE?

¶ 6. Garcia argues that the trial judge restricted his ability to provide evidence in support of his insanity defense. Garcia contends that these restrictions on his procuring testimony from witnesses regarding his insanity were not consistent with the law, and that due to these restrictions the jury was unable to have all the necessary evidence in deciding whether he was legally insane. Garcia contends that the trial court abused its discretion by abating his right to question fully the witnesses on such matters as mental history, past diagnosis and alcohol and drug abuse.

¶ 7. The admissibility and relevancy of evidence is within the discretion of the trial court and, absent an abuse of that discretion, the trial court's decision will not be disturbed on appeal. Reynolds v. State, 784 So.2d 929, 932 (¶ 7)(Miss.2001). "As long as the trial court remains within the confines of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence, its decision to admit or exclude evidence will be accorded a high degree of deference." Johnston v. State, 567 So.2d 237, 238 (Miss. 1990). Additionally, "the admission or exclusion of evidence must result in prejudice or harm, if a cause is to be reversed on that account." Jackson v. State, 594 So.2d 20, 25 (Miss.1992).

¶ 8. It is a well established rule that redirect examination of a witness is generally limited to matters which were brought out on cross-examination of that witness. Lloyd v. State, 755 So.2d 12,14 (¶ 9) (Miss.Ct.App.1999); West v. State, 463 So.2d 1048, 1055 (Miss. 1985). The trial court has broad discretion when ruling on matters brought forth on redirect. Id. This Court may not disturb the lower court's rulings regarding matters concerning redirect examination unless there was a "clear abuse of discretion." Lloyd, 755 So.2d at 14 (¶ 9).

¶ 9. Garcia claims that the trial court hampered his ability to establish a defense of insanity by limiting his cross-examination of witnesses, which in Mississippi, the rule is clearly one of wide open cross-examination of a witness. By doing this Garcia attempts to attack the trial court's determination of relevancy and admissibility protected by an abuse of discretion standard. In actuality though the bulk of Garcia's claims arise from the trial court's limitations on his re-direct of his own expert witness.

¶ 10. The limitations Garcia alludes to in his argument refer to the direct and redirect examination of his own expert witness Dr. McMichael. Forty-three pages of direct and redirect examination of Dr. McMichael was taken by Garcia's attorney. The excerpts regarding the sustained objections on direct examination are as follows:

Q. Would someone smear feces on their body to keep from being sexually assaulted?

STATE. Objection.

COURT. Sustained.

Q. Do you have any record of him being sexually assaulted?
*1284 Q. If this happened early in the morning during breakfast time, would you expect Fritz Garcia to be under the influence of alcohol at that time?
STATE. Objection. There has been no evidence to support the time as breakfast.
Q. You don't have anything about him attempting suicide?

STATE. Judge, I'd object to the suicide issue.

STATE. They are not relevant to sanity.

Q. And you can't conclude it was done as a result of a madman?
A. No, sir; I can not.

STATE. Objection to that characterization.

COURT. Sustained. The jury will disregard the characterization of a mad man.

The excerpts regarding the sustained objections on redirect examination are as follows:

Q. All right. Now, someone that has an alcohol and drug problem, would you expect them to be recommended for alcohol and drug treatment?

STATE. Objection.

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Related

Rodgers v. State
100 So. 3d 989 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2012)
Brown v. State
981 So. 2d 1007 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2007)

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