Magee v. State

912 So. 2d 1044, 2005 WL 832385
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedApril 12, 2005
Docket2003-KA-02127-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 912 So. 2d 1044 (Magee 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
Magee v. State, 912 So. 2d 1044, 2005 WL 832385 (Mich. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

912 So.2d 1044 (2005)

Marlos Rodrecus MAGEE, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2003-KA-02127-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

April 12, 2005.

*1046 Austin R. Nimocks, Biloxi, attorney for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General, by Scott Stuart, Jackson, attorney for appellee.

Before KING, C.J., IRVING and BARNES, JJ.

KING, C.J., for the Court:

¶ 1. Marlos Rodrecus Magee was convicted of possession of cocaine under Mississippi Code Annotated section 41-29-139(c)(1) (Rev.2001) in the Circuit Court of Harrison County and sentenced to five years imprisonment. Aggrieved by his conviction and sentence, Magee has filed this appeal.

¶ 2. On appeal, Magee raises the following assignments of error:

I. THE MULTIPLE CUMULATIVE ERRORS COMMITTED BY THE CIRCUIT COURT AND APPELLANT'S COUNSEL DURING THE TRIAL OF THIS MATTER UNDULY PREJUDICED THE APPELLANT, THEREBY PREVENTING HIM FROM OBTAINING A FAIR TRIAL.

1. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN PROPERLY INSTRUCTING THE JURY AS TO THE FACTS AND THE LAW.

A. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN GIVING INSTRUCTION S-2A AS PRESENTED AND FAILING TO INSTRUCT THE JURY ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE DEFENDANT'S *1047 PROXIMITY TO THE CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.
B. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO GIVE INSTRUCTIONS D-6 AND D-7 AND FAILING TO INSTRUCT THE JURY REGARDING THE INTENTIONAL DESTRUCTION OF EVIDENCE BY THE DETECTIVE WHO ARRESTED THE DEFENDANT.
C. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO GIVE INSTRUCTION D-1 AND FAILING TO INSTRUCT THE JURY AS TO THE LAW REGARDING WHAT IT MEANT TO INTENTIONALLY POSSESS A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.
D. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO GIVE INSTRUCTION D-4 AND FAILING TO INSTRUCT THE JURY AS TO THE APPELLANT'S THEORY OF THE CASE.
E. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO GIVE INSTRUCTION D-5 AND FAILING TO INSTRUCT THE JURY REGARDING THE TESTIMONY OF DETECTIVE DEDEAUX, THE ONLY DIRECT EVIDENCE OF POSSESSION IN THIS MATTER.

II. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING THE APPELLANT'S MOTION FOR A DIRECTED VERDICT AND SUBSEQUENT MOTIONS FOR JUDGMENT NOTWITHSTANDING THE VERDICT BECAUSE THE EVIDENCE PRESENTED BY THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI CONTAINED AN IRRECONCILABLE CONFLICT.

III. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN MAKING VARIOUS EVIDENTIARY RULINGS.

A. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN TWO RULINGS REGARDING SPECULATIVE EVIDENCE.

B. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN REFUSING TO ALLOW THE APPELLANT TO CHALLENGE THE CREDIBILITY OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI'S FORENSIC DRUG EXPERT.

C. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN ALLOWING THE COCAINE AT ISSUE INTO EVIDENCE GIVEN THE IRREGULARITIES EXISTENT IN THE CHAIN OF CUSTODY.

D. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN DISALLOWING THE APPELLANT'S INQUIRY INTO THE DRUG HABITS BY OTHER PERSONS WHO REGULARLY USED THE VEHICLE IN WHICH THE COCAINE AT ISSUE WAS LOCATED.

IV. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN NOT REFORMING ITS SENTENCE OF THE DEFENDANT AS THE SENTENCE GIVEN WAS DISPROPORTIONATE TO THE SENTENCES OF OTHER INDIVIDUALS SIMILARLY SITUATED.

V. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN REMOVING VENIREMAN FOR CAUSE WHEN NO CAUSE FOR REMOVAL EXISTED.

VI. THE APPELLANT'S TRIAL COUNSEL WAS INEFFECTIVE AND SAID INEFFECTIVENESS RESULTED IN ACTUAL PREJUDICE TO THE APPELLANT.

A. TRIAL COUNSEL FAILED TO OBJECT TO MULTIPLE LEADING QUESTIONS AND ALLOWED THE PROSECUTOR TO TESTIFY.
B. TRIAL COUNSEL FAILED TO OBJECT TO HEARSAY.

¶ 3. This Court finds no error and affirms the judgment of the circuit court.

*1048 FACTS

¶ 4. On March 15, 2001, while driving his girlfriend's car, Magee rear-ended a Harrison County deputy sheriff's car. Because he had no driver's license, Magee was taken into custody and transported to the police station. The vehicle Magee was driving was impounded and an inventory search was conducted at the scene of the accident. During the inventory search, Office Tim Huguet found a purple Crown Royal bag stuffed beside and partially under the driver's seat. Officer Huguet believed the substance found in the bag was cocaine and conducted a field test to confirm his suspicions. The substance was later weighed and confirmed to be 0.8 grams of cocaine.

¶ 5. Detective Ricky Dedeaux of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics questioned Magee for approximately one hour. According to Dedeaux, Magee confessed to possession of the cocaine. At trial, Magee denied confessing to Dedeaux.

DISCUSSION

1. THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN PROPERLY INSTRUCTING THE JURY AS TO THE FACTS AND THE LAW.

¶ 6. The Mississippi Supreme Court has held that "[i]n determining whether error lies in the granting or refusal of various instructions, the instructions actually given must be read as a whole. When so read, if the instructions fairly announce the law of the case and create no injustice, no reversible error will be found." Coleman v. State, 697 So.2d 777, 782 (Miss. 1997), citing Collins v. State, 691 So.2d 918 (Miss.1997). A trial court may refuse an instruction which incorrectly states the law, is covered elsewhere in the instructions, or is without foundation in the evidence. Smith v. State, 802 So.2d 82, 88 (Miss.2001).

A. INSTRUCTION S-2A

¶ 7. Magee argues that the court erred in giving Instruction S-2A. He contends that the court should have instructed the jury on the significance of his proximity to the controlled substance. He argues that proximity is a material and essential element of a case of constructive possession.

¶ 8. Instruction S-2A told the jury that they must find that the evidence supported a finding that Magee "was aware of the presence of the particular substance and was intentionally and consciously in possession of it." Magee's theory was that he did not know that the drugs were in the car. This instruction was consistent with that theory.

¶ 9. "[M]ere physical proximity to the contraband does not, in itself, show constructive possession," as stated in Cunningham v. State, 583 So.2d 960, 962 (Miss.1991). However, in this case, there were other factors in this case to be considered by the jury. Unlike the situation in Cunningham, Magee was the sole occupant of the vehicle where the drugs were found. There was testimony that the bag containing the drugs was visible upon looking in the car, in addition to the testimony that Magee confessed to possession of the drugs.

¶ 10. This Court does not find that the trial court erred in granting the instruction.

B. Instructions D-6 and D-7

¶ 11. Magee argues that his instructions on the destruction of evidence should have been granted. Detective Dedeaux stated that after filing his report, he destroyed his handwritten notes regarding Magee's alleged confession. According to Magee, Dedeaux's destruction of those notes was the spoilation of evidence.

*1049 ¶ 12. In order to be entitled to a jury instruction on lost or destroyed evidence, the appellant must show that the lost or destroyed evidence would have played a significant role in his defense and that comparable evidence could not be obtained elsewhere. Northup v. State, 793 So.2d 618, 623(¶ 17) (Miss.2001). "To play a significant role, the exculpatory nature and value of the evidence must be apparent before the evidence was lost." Id. The court in Northup cited the United State Supreme Court case of California v. Trombetta,

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912 So. 2d 1044, 2005 WL 832385, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/magee-v-state-missctapp-2005.