Grant v. State

1963 OK CR 86, 385 P.2d 925, 1963 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 184
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma·Decided October 9, 1963·No. A-13356·Published·Cited by 18 cases

Opinion

BUSSEY, Presiding Judge.

Loyd Grant, hereinafter referred to as the defendant, and his wife, Dorothy Irene St. Clair Grant, were charged jointly with the premeditated murder of Louis Robinson. Defendant secured a severance, was tried separately by jury, who found him guilty of the included crime of Manslaughter in the First Degree and assessed his punishment at'Fifty Years in the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. From said judgment and sentence, defendant appeals to this Court.

Evidence adduced at the trial discloses that during the evening hours of September 8, and until shortly before midnight on September 9, 1962, the defendant, his wife, and three other persons, including the deceased, had been drinking beer and whiskey in a succession of bars and beer taverns in and around the city of Durant (Bryan County), Oklahoma. Apparently during the later •hours of the evening in.question, the defendant and the deceased engaged in an argument and brief physical encounter at one of. the taverns visited. There seems to have been further quarreling between defendant’s wife, Irene Grant and Louis Robinson after’the earlier encounter. Following this, Ocie Shelton, Billie Joe Williams (both witnesses at the trial) and Robinson left the Grant car at the Rainbow Tavern and the defendant and his wife drove away. A short time later the three emerged from the tavern and proceeded to get into Robinson’s truck to drive back to town. At this *927 time the Grants pulled alongside the truck, and testimony of witnesses was to the fact that Mrs. Grant ordered Robinson to get out of his truck. As Robinson walked toward the Grant car, the defendant pointed a shotgun from the window of the car and shot Robinson in the face.

Upon the trial, defendant’s theory was one of self-defense. The testimony as to the actual occurrence just prior to and at the time of the shooting, is. conflicting.

The defendant took the stand on his own behalf and testified that Robinson, the deceased, approached the car with an iron pipe in his hand. The testimony of three defense witnesses was admitted during the proceedings in order to establish and corroborate the defendant’s testimony. To repudiate said testimony State’s witnesses, Ocie Shelton and Billie Joe Williams were called in rebuttal.

In his brief, the defendant apparently questions the verdict rendered under the evidence presented. We have ruled in numerous decisions that:

“Where the evidence is conflicting and different inferences can be drawn therefrom, it is the province of the jury to weigh such evidence and determine the facts”. McCluskey v. State, Okl.Cr., 372 P.2d 623.

Defendant’s brief contains seven assignments of error, although in his Motion for New Trial he advances only three contentions for reversal of the judgment and sentence. Since this Court has ruled that errors, not fundamental or jurisdictional in character will not be considered on appeal unless they are incorporated in the Motion for New Trial and the ruling thereon excepted to and assigned as error. Parker v. State, 96 Okl.Cr. 323, 253 P.2d 1085; Anglin v. State, 92 Okl.Cr. 430, 224 P.2d 272, and Langley v. State, 53 Okl.Cr. 401, 12 P. 2d 254, we shall consider only those errors previously urged in the lower court and now before this Court on appeal

It is the first contention of the defendant that the trial court committed reversible error when, during the course of the trial, the judge left the bench momentarily, without declaring the court to be in recess, and by so doing, prejudiced defendant’s substantial rights.

The instance of which the defendant complains occurred after the direct examination and cross-examination of Winnie Mae Ford, defense witness. On page 360 of the case-made the following is noted:

“THE COURT: Just a moment. (The Court leaves the Bench and the Courtroom for a moment, and then returns) Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, I have another matter to take up here at this time if you will, go with your bailiffs into this other room so you will be out of the presence and the hearing of this court at this time. And the same admonition I’ve given you before still extends during this period of time.”

After the retirement of the jury, the witness was interrogated by the Court, and it is noted that at this time counsel for defendant not only did not request a mistrial, but participated actively in the examination of the witness by the Court. The witness was excused and the jury called back into the courtroom, at which time -the Court was recessed for lunch. After the noon recess, upon reconvening the proceedings, the Court dictated the following into the record: (CM-370)

“BY THE COURT-: (Out of hear- •’ ing of Jury) Let the record show that Mr. Braly (Counsel for Defendant) was asked if he wanted a mistrial declared by the Court and he answered that he did not.” .

The question of prejudice to defendant based upon the above cited incident was not raised by his counsel until the hearing upon a Motion for New Trial.

- Defendant cites many cases in support of his argument. However, a close scrutiny of these decisions, brings to light many interesting facts.

In each cause, cited by defendant the factual situation differs from, that presented *928 in the case at bar. In the Cochran Case, Cochran v. State, 4 Okl.Cr. 379, 111 P. 974, the presiding judge left the courtroom for approximately 10 minutes and closed the door. Although admonishing the trial courts that it is “their duty to remain in control of the trial during every moment that court is open.” This Court Affirmed the conviction. In the cited case of Wright v. State, 7 Okl.Cr. 280, 123 P. 434, the trial judge vacated the bench and walked to the rear of the courtroom during the prosecution’s argument to the jury, and was so far away that he could not hear or observe the proceedings.

The distinction between the case before the Court now; and those previously decided is clear. In this case the record reveals that the Judge left the bench for a period (according to testimony presented by defendant) of from 30 seconds to one minute. The door to the court was not closed, and the trial judge was within sight and hearing distance of the courtroom. Further, and most important, in each case reversed and remanded by this Court on this contention, proceedings were actually in progress, i. e. Argument of counsel, Ridenour v. State, 94 Okl.Cr. 92, 231 P.2d 395; Stites v. State, 9 Okl.Cr. 596, 132 P. 822.

Receiving of a verdict, Tunnell v. State, 24 Okl.Cr. 176, 216 P. 951.

In our opinion the case on appeal does not approach the aggravated circumstances of those decisions. Here the judge merely absented himself momentarily and during this period (substantiated by testimony taken at the Motion for New Trial) no proceedings took place and no one approached or talked with the jurors.

From a careful examination of the record before us and an extensive search of the authorities cited above, we find the decision rendered in the case of Blagg v. State, 36 Okl.Cr. 337, 254 P. 506, appearing in the body of the opinion, to be controlling. In the Blagg case, we stated in the body of the opinion:

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Grant v. State, 1963 OK CR 86, 385 P.2d 925, 1963 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 184 (Okla. Ct. App. 1963).

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