King v. State

210 So. 2d 887
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedMay 27, 1968
Docket44822
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 210 So. 2d 887 (King v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
King v. State, 210 So. 2d 887 (Mich. 1968).

Opinion

210 So.2d 887 (1968)

Willie Edward KING
v.
STATE of Mississippi.

No. 44822.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

May 27, 1968.

L. Lackey Rowe, Jr., Jackson, for appellant.

Joe T. Patterson, Atty. Gen., by Guy N. Rogers, Asst. Atty. Gen., Jackson, for appellee.

JONES, Justice:

Appellant was indicted, tried, and convicted of grand larceny in the Circuit Court of Quitman County for stealing an automobile belonging to one Ed Ellis of Quitman County. Appellant was sentenced to a term of three years in the penitentiary. He appeals and we affirm.

Appellant's assignments of error involve:

(1) Alleged systematic exclusion of negroes from the grand and petit jury venires.
(2) Section 1766, Mississippi Code 1942 Annotated (Supp. 1966) providing for selection of names for the jury list as being too broad and vague and vesting too much discretion in the Board of Supervisors.
(3) Section 1762, Mississippi Code 1942 Annotated (Supp. 1966) as unconstitutional because excluding women from jury service.
(4) Failure to grant a mental examination pursuant to Section 2575.5 of Mississippi Code 1942 Annotated (Supp. 1966).
(5) Failure to permit appellant to select a psychiatrist for aid in his defense, at the expense of the county.
(6) Insufficiency of the evidence.

The second assignment of error is eliminated from consideration by this Court's *888 ruling on that contention in Reed v. State, 199 So.2d 803, 806 (Miss. 1967).

The third assignment of error is not considered because of a number of decisions on the exact point by this Court. See Shinall v. State, 199 So.2d 251 (Miss. 1967); Pendergraft v. State, 191 So.2d 830 (Miss. 1966); State v. Hall, Miss., 187 So.2d 861 (1966); and others.

The fourth and fifth assignments of error are so connected that they will be considered together. Section 2575.5, Mississippi Code 1942 Annotated (Supp. 1966), enacted at the 1960 legislative session as chapter 262 of Mississippi Laws 1960, is as follows:

In any criminal action in the circuit court in which the mental condition of a person indicted for a felony is in question, the court or judge in vacation on motion duly made by the defendant, the district attorney or on the motion of the court or judge, may order such person to submit to a mental examination by a competent psychiatrist selected by the court to determine his ability to make a defense; provided, however, any cost or expense in connection with such mental examination shall be paid by the county in which such criminal action is pending.

Acting thereunder, appellant's attorneys filed the following motions:

WILLIE EDWARD KING, defendant in this case, by his attorneys, files a suggestion of insanity and moves for a mental examination of defendant prior to a determination of the merits of this case. Said examination should be conducted by a competent psychiatrist selected by the Court whose expenses should be borne by the County.
AS GROUNDS therefor, defendant states that he is a chronic alcoholic and has no recollection of the incidents on which the charges in this case are based. By virtue of this lack of recollection, it is reasonably probable that defendant is unable to plead or conduct a rational defense or testify in his own behalf,
all as is shown more fully in the attached affidavits.
WHEREFORE, defendant moves for a mental examination to determine his competency to stand trial.

and

WILLIE EDWARD KING, defendant, respectfully moves this Court to provide him with a competent psychiatrist, of his own choosing, to make a mental examination of him to determine his ability to stand trial.
In support thereof defendant says:
(1) He is a Negro indigent unable to pay or otherwise obtain psychiatric help;
(2) He is presently a prisoner in the Quitman County Jail, charged with a felony allegedly committed in Quitman County;
(3) He remembers nothing concerning the felony he allegedly committed. It is reasonably probable, therefore, that he cannot properly defend himself or rationally confer with his attorneys about the facts; and
(4) He wants and believes that he is entitled to an impartial examination by a psychiatrist of his own choosing. To deny him such an examination will deny him due process of law and equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

With the motions were affidavits by the attorney for appellant and by appellant's mother. The only facts stated were that appellant was nervous, he was a chronic alcoholic, and he allegedly failed to remember the crimes he had committed.

It is apparent the statute was intended to cover the mental condition of persons charged with crime. The first part of the *889 first motion above calls it a "suggestion of insanity," but as grounds therefor, it was stated appellant was a chronic alcoholic and had no recollection of the facts relative to the charges in this case.

Testimony as to both motions was taken before the judge of the lower court and there was evidence to contradict the affidavits wherein they stated he had no recollection of the events. The mother testified and the basis of her evidence was that he was "different" when he returned from the army and that he would do things wrong and not remember.

A witness named Moss was introduced. On his first appearance on the stand, he could only say appellant was "off" and could give no facts on which to base such an allegation. The next day he was asked to tell of "strange" things appellant did. Witness said when he was living at Parchman (location of the State penitentiary), appellant would slip over to see a little twelve year old girl. Her mother told appellant not to return, but he did; the mother pointed a gun at the appellant but he was not scared. The witness also said that appellant would mix in the fights and arguments of others, claiming himself to be the best man. Again while in jail at Marks he came to the cafe with the jail keys and threw them in the heater. The keys were retrieved. Later on appellant fell out.

One of the appellant's attorneys told of interviews with him in jail. The attorney said that the appellant's speech was bad, that he was nervous, and that he would shake as if cold. The witness said there were no more gaps or omissions in the appellant's story than usual except as to several alleged crimes which appellant had committed and did not recollect.

The state offered four witnesses whose evidence tended to contradict that of the defense witnesses as to inability of the appellant to recall. These witnesses also expressed the opinion that appellant knew right from wrong and was normal.

The deputy sheriff testified that appellant acted perfectly normal and, in fact, told him about taking the automobile some eight or nine hours afterwards. The deputy said the appellant seemed to remember everything about it. Appellant also told the deputy about the incidents in Moss's place which occurred after he had been drinking. Mr. Ellis, the owner of the automobile, said he was at the preliminary hearing and that appellant there admitted to him he took the car. On the night of the alleged theft, one Ingram rode in the stolen car with appellant, and appellant told him he had stolen the car.

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Davis v. State
850 So. 2d 1136 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2002)
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374 So. 2d 1293 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1979)
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Pilcher v. State
296 So. 2d 682 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1974)
Tarrants v. State
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Smith v. State
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McLeod v. State
229 So. 2d 557 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 1969)
King v. Cook
287 F. Supp. 269 (N.D. Mississippi, 1968)

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Bluebook (online)
210 So. 2d 887, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/king-v-state-miss-1968.