Giddens v. State

1969 OK CR 29, 452 P.2d 159, 1969 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 406
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJanuary 22, 1969
DocketA-14475
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 1969 OK CR 29 (Giddens v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Giddens v. State, 1969 OK CR 29, 452 P.2d 159, 1969 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 406 (Okla. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

BUSSEY, Judge.

Wilma DiBello Giddens, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was charged by Information in the District Court of Oklahoma County on April 11, 1966, for the crime of Murder. On January 16, 1967, she was tried by a jury and a verdict of guilty of Manslaughter in the First Degree was returned and her punishment fixed at fifteen years in the State Penitentiary. On February 3, 1967, defendant filed “Motion in Arrest of Judgment,” which was overruled and defendant petitioned this Court for “Writ of Mandamus and/or Prohibition.” The motion was denied and sentencing of defendant was set for April 25, 1967. A Motion for Suspended Sentence was filed by defendant and, on th-:: date of sentencing, she was permitted to put on evidence in mitigation of punis, ment. The Motion for Suspended Sentence was denied and the defendant wa ' sentenced to serve fifteen years in the State Penitentiary at McAlester, Oklahoma. An appeal bond was granted, and a timely appeal has been perfected to this Court.

*161 In order to deal with the assignments of error urged on appeal, we deem it necessary to set forth a condensed version of the evidence adduced on the trial.

The first witness called by the State was B. R. Wright, a Police Officer with the Oklahoma City Police Department, who stated that he investigated a shooting on the 8th day of April, 1966, at 2544 S.W. 52nd, Oklahoma City. He pointed out the defendant who was at the scene, who said, “Help me. My husband has been shot.” At the time of his arrival Mr. Giddens was being loaded in an ambulance which had been called. Mr. Wright asked her who had shot him and she said, “I did.” The officer found the weapon lying in the front yard.

The next witness was Barbara Sams, a Secretary for Universal Guard Service. She had known Mr. Giddens a few months before his death. She was divorced and he was divorced, and during this time they dated. On the 8th day of April, 1966, he called at her home and asked for a cup of coffee. Her children were there. While Mr. Giddens was there, Mrs. Giddens came by around 7:00 and blew the horn of her automobile. Mr. Giddens went out and the defendant was cursing and talking loudly and said something about wanting her key and that she wanted Mr. Giddens to come and get everything out of her house. Both parties left.

The next witness was Mrs. Evelyn Garrison, who testified that she had just retired from working at Sears. She was the sister of the deceased. On the 8th day of April, 1966, she received a telephone call from the defendant between 7:30 and 8:00, and said her voice was “real shrill and she was screaming.” During the conversation, she stated that she had Jerry’s gun loaded and “I’m going to kill him.” She and her husband drove to Wilma and Clifford’s house and they were advised by a member of the police department as to what had happened. She stated that the last thing the defendant had said to her over the telephone was, “Here he is now.”

Betty Lou DiBello testified that she was the ex-wife of the deceased, and that her present husband, Ignatius DiBello, was the ex-husband of the defendant. On April 8, 1966, the defendant called her about five minutes until 7:00. She wanted to know if Iggy was there, but the witness told her he would not be home until the next night. She said that something had to be done about Jerry. She said that Clifford and Jerry just didn’t get along and the witness suggested that Jerry come over there for a few nights. The defendant further stated: “I ought to kill him but I don’t guess I can’t.” [sic] She also stated in the conversation that she was getting ready to go to Lindsey, to her parents, if she could get away before Clifford came back from over at his girlfriend’s house. The defendant also stated she had just gotten back from the “girlfriend’s” house.

The first defense witness was Jerry Crabbe, Oklahoma County District Court Clerk, who identified the Petition for Divorce and Divorce Decree of Barbara Sams, granted March 25, 1966.

Barbara Sams was recalled as a defense witness and her testimony only related to her divorce from Mr. Sams and the date of this divorce.

The next defense witness was Betty DiBello who was questioned about a letter she was supposed to have given to Mrs. Whickey to the effect that if she were ever found dead the letter was to be given to the County Attorney. She denied this.

Jerry DiBello testified that he was the defendant’s son. On April 8, 1966, around 6:00 in the evening, Clifford Giddens came home and fixed a drink. They sat down to dinner and Jerry asked his mother to get him some butter. Clifford said, “Get it’ yourself. She’s busy.” An argument then ensued and Jerry stated that the deceased started beating his mother. The defendant started to pack their clothes and Mr. Gid-dens left the house. Jerry’s mother instructed him to get the car and go after gas, which he did. He returned and told his mother that Clifford was in a phone *162 booth across from the filling station. The defendant commented that he was over at Barbara’s and told the children to pack that she had to do something and would be right back. At this time she got a blue bow, put it in her pocket, said she was going over to Barbara’s and left the house. She returned in about ten or fifteen minutes and started telephoning. She told the children to get in the car and they did so. Jerry stated that they waited in the car with the suitcases while she was on the phone. About five minutes later Clifford drove in the driveway and got out of the car immediately. The testimony of Jerry DiBello, appearing at page 82 of the case made, best summarizes what happened:

“At this point, all the time they were talking, he was walking towards her and she was backing up, trying to get away from him. He was close enough where he could have grabbed the gun. As he got her in front of the bay window in front of our house, he grabbed towards the gun and it went off. At this point, Mother jumped off of the porch and threw the gun as she jumped and run behind my car. She said, ‘Jerry, get out of here.’ So I backed up and she said, ‘Get to the nearest phone booth.’ So we drove to the nearest phone booth and called the police. When we got back in front of the house, the police car had driven up.”

Mr. Ray Horn testified that he was a neighbor of the Giddens’ and in September, 1965, he observed Mr. Giddens beating the defendant in the yard of their home at about 5:00 in the morning.

The next witness was Wayne Eaton, who worked at the post office and had known the defendant for eight or ten years, and both Mr. and Mrs. Giddens had worked for him. As to the deceased’s reputation, he stated that he was very changeable.

The next witness was Owen N. Robinson, an employee of the post office as a supervisor, who was acquainted with the defendant and the deceased. On March 30, 1966, he stated that he had coffee with the deceased, who had told him that he had knocked his wife down and stomped her.

The next witness was S. J. Legg, an employee of the post office, who was acquainted with the defendant and the deceased. He testified that in November, 1965, the defendant had bruises on her arm and her eyes were blacked. The witness testified that in talking to another clerk, he stated that he didn’t see why a man would beat a woman like that, and Mr.

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Related

Tinker v. State
1974 OK CR 155 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1974)
Blanco v. State
1973 OK CR 215 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1973)
Orrill v. State
1973 OK CR 166 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1973)
Ramsey v. State
473 P.2d 305 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1970)

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Bluebook (online)
1969 OK CR 29, 452 P.2d 159, 1969 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 406, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/giddens-v-state-oklacrimapp-1969.