Geary v. Commonwealth

503 S.W.2d 505, 1972 Ky. LEXIS 9
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedMarch 3, 1972
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 503 S.W.2d 505 (Geary v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Geary v. Commonwealth, 503 S.W.2d 505, 1972 Ky. LEXIS 9 (Ky. Ct. App. 1972).

Opinion

NEIKIRK, Judge.

Officers Joseph Price and Charles Schroeder of the Louisville Police Department were patrolling an area in western Louisville in their squad car during the early morning hours of November 29, 1967. About 2:30 a. m., Officer Schroeder noticed Kermit Ray Geary and Doyle Randall Geary, brothers, standing on the corner of 34th and Plantz Streets. Officer Schroeder recognized Doyle as one who was wanted on an arrest warrant. The officers arrested Doyle. He was seated in the back seat of the squad car directly behind the driver, Officer Price. Kermit entered the cruiser and sat directly behind Officer Schroeder.

As Schroeder was calling for assistance over the police radio, Kermit, with a revolver in his hand, ordered Schroeder to cancel the call. Kermit directed the officers to pass their revolvers to the back seat. Price was then ordered to drive the car to a secluded area. Immediately after the car stopped, Schroeder was shot five times in the back, but he managed to escape from the car. Schroeder lived and was a witness at the trial. Price also was shot five times. He was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital. Schroeder managed to reach a telephone booth, where he called to report the happening. When the answering police cruiser approached the scene, the Gearys turned and ran. They were pursued by the officers of the answering cruiser. Doyle surrendered and was placed under arrest. He had in his possession two pistols, both fully loaded. One of the guns was a police service revolver. Kermit was apprehended and arrested shortly thereafter at the home of his brother, Hugh Geary. The other service revolver, wrapped in a towel, was found in a hallway in Hugh Geary’s home shortly after Kermit was arrested.

Kermit was found guilty of willful murder. Doyle was found guilty of aiding and abetting the murder. Kermit received the maximum sentence of death. Doyle received a sentence of life imprisonment. They appeal. We affirm.

In support of their contention that we should reverse the convictions, the appellants allege the following: (1) The court erred in overruling appellants’ motion for a change of venue; (2) the court erred in [507]*507failing to sustain appellants’ motion to exclude the introduction into evidence of the revolver found by the police in the home of Hugh Geary; (3) the voir dire examination violated appellants’ constitutional rights; (4) the court erred in permitting the introduction into evidence of the photograph of the body of the slain officer; (5) the court erred in failing to grant appellants’ motion for mistrial because of the improper cross-examination of appellant Doyle Geary by the Commonwealth; and (6) the court erred in failing to instruct on the whole law of the case.

The trial court did not err in overruling appellants’ motion for a change of venue. It is to be noted that the Commonwealth did not receive reasonable notice in writing of the application for change of venue as required by KRS 452.220(2). In any event, the trial court heard argument in chambers by appellants’ counsel in support of the motion. The extensive proceedings on this point were transcribed. We have examined the record and find that the trial court did not clearly abuse its discretion. Hurley v. Commonwealth, Ky., 451 S.W.2d 838.

The trial court did not err in failing to sustain appellants’ motion to suppress and exclude the introduction into evidence of the revolver found by the police in the hallway of Hugh Geary’s home. The record does not show, nor do the appellants assert, that Kermit had any property rights or possessory interests in the house belonging to Hugh. The evidence is that within five to ten minutes after Kermit was arrested in the kitchen of Hugh’s home and taken away, another officer who had remained in the house asked Hugh for permission to conduct a search. The officer testified that Hugh not only made no objection but also gave him permission to conduct the search, which Hugh denied. In any event, whether the search was conducted with or without Hugh’s consent, we fail to see where any of Kermit’s constitutional rights were violated by this search. The officer found the damaging evidence: the police revolver wrapped in a towel in a stack of soiled clothing in the hallway. It appears to us that the only person who could have complained of an illegal search and seizure would have been Hugh. We find no violation of any of Kermit’s constitutional rights in the procurement of this evidence. Pruitt v. Commonwealth, Ky., 286 S.W.2d 551; Smith v. Commonwealth, Ky., 375 S.W.2d 242.

It is contended that the jury was selected in violation of the principles of Witherspoon v. Illinois, 391 U.S. 510, 88 S.Ct. 1770, 20 L.Ed.2d 776 (1968). In Witherspoon, the Supreme Court said:

“ * * * Specifically, we hold that a sentence of death cannot be carried out if the jury that imposed or recommended it was chosen by excluding veniremen for cause simply because they voiced general objections to the death penalty or expressed conscientious or religious scruples against its infliction. * * *

The holding of the Witherspoon case was reaffirmed in Boulden v. Holman, 394 U.S. 478, 89 S.Ct. 1138, 22 L.Ed.2d 433 (1969), and Maxwell v. Bishop, 398 U.S. 262, 90 S.Ct. 1578, 26 L.Ed.2d 221 (1970). Quoting from Witherspoon, the Supreme Court in Maxwell said:

‘The most that can be demanded of a venireman in this regard is that he be willing to consider all of the penalties provided by state law, and that he not be irrevocably committed, before the trial has begun, to vote against the penalty of death regardless of the facts and circumstances that might emerge in the course of the proceedings. If the voir dire testimony in a given case indicates that veniremen were excluded on any broader basis than this, the death sentence cannot be carried out . ’ Id., at 522 n. 21, 88 S.Ct. at 1777 n. 21.”

In the instant case, each juror was asked if he had conscientious scruples against the imposition of the death penalty. Those who replied that they did have such scruples were further questioned as to whether or not they could apply the death [508]*508penalty in this or any other case. For example, one prospective juror was successfully challenged for cause on the basis of the following questions and answers:

“Q Mr. Shannon, do you have any conscientious scruples against the imposition of the death penalty ?
A I am opposed to the death penalty.
Q By this do you mean that you could not find a death penalty in this case or any other case?
A That’s right.
BY THE COURT: All right, you may step aside, Mr. Shannon.”

Another prospective juror was removed from the jury panel on the basis of the following questions and answers:

“Q Mr.

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Bluebook (online)
503 S.W.2d 505, 1972 Ky. LEXIS 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/geary-v-commonwealth-kyctapp-1972.