McCray v. State

44 So. 3d 1046, 2010 Miss. App. LEXIS 487, 2010 WL 3547986
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedSeptember 14, 2010
Docket2009-KA-00509-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 44 So. 3d 1046 (McCray 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
McCray v. State, 44 So. 3d 1046, 2010 Miss. App. LEXIS 487, 2010 WL 3547986 (Mich. Ct. App. 2010).

Opinion

IRVING, J„

for the Court:

¶ 1. This appeal arises out of Vandarren McCray’s conviction in the Coahoma County Circuit Court for aggravated assault and resulting fifteen-year sentence. After McCray has served ten years of his fifteen-year sentence, he will be placed on five years of post-release supervision. Feeling aggrieved, McCray appeals and asserts that: (1) the circuit court erred in excluding hearsay evidence; (2) the circuit court erred in failing to declare a mistrial in response to remarks made by the prosecutor during closing argument; (3) the State improperly used peremptory strikes in violation of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986); and (4) the cumulative effect of the errors requires a reversal and the remand of McCray’s case.

¶ 2. Finding no reversible error, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court.

FACTS

¶ 3. On November 25, 2005, a large crowd had gathered outside Mac’s Lounge in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Witnesses indicated that a fight was taking place between Derrick Ross and another individual called “Shandaman.” Byron Ross, Derrick’s brothei1, was part of the crowd that had gathered outside Mac’s Lounge due to the altercation. During the confrontation, Byron was shot in the side. The police learned that McCray was Byron’s alleged assailant.

¶ 4. Byron’s sister, Maria Ross, testified at trial. She stated that she was watching Derrick and Shandaman fight when a white vehicle pulled up to the scene. She testified that a man named Walter Conner was driving the vehicle and that McCray was a passenger. She explained that McCray and Conner both exited the vehicle and that Conner and another individual then got into an argument. Maria stated that she was attempting to get Byron and a friend to leave when she observed McCray with a silver gun in his hand. Maria testified that she saw McCray fire one shot toward her and Byron, at which time she ran from the parking lot. She stated: “I think it was an automatic because he shot, he fired one shot, that’s when I started running again. A few seconds later, pow, pow, pow, pow, pow.” Maria did not learn until later that Byron had been shot and was in the hospital. During cross-examination, Maria was asked if she is friends with McCray. She explained: “I mean, I’m not going to sit here and lie on him. [McCray] is a pretty good boy. I mean, he talks to me pretty decent.... You know, he told me that he didn’t try to do it.”

¶ 5. Derrick testified at trial that he was fighting when Conner’s vehicle arrived. He explained that he was still fighting when he heard a gunshot. He testified that he looked around and saw McCray, whom he knew as “Poncho,” with a gun. Derrick stated that McCray fired several more shots, at which time Derrick ran from the scene. Like Maria, Derrick later learned that Byron had been shot and was at the hospital.

¶ 6. At trial, Byron testified that he had observed Conner hand McCray a handgun, which McCray put in his pocket. Byron described the handgun as “shiny,” although he could not identify the size or type of handgun. Byron stated that he was asking McCray to “chill out” when McCray shot him. Byron indicated that he and McCray had a few people that they *1048 were both Mends with and that they had spent time around each other as a result. Regarding the shooting, Byron testified: “So instead of [McCray] chilling out, he pulled out the gun and cocked it. He paused for a minute and he looked at me and he shot me on the first shot in my side.” Byron explained that he grabbed his side and ran from the parking lot while McCray fired several more shots. Byron explained that he was able to flag down the car of an acquaintance, who took him to the hospital. Byron testified that he was in the hospital for approximately a month and that he had surgery on his stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. During cross-examination, the defense attorney attempted to get Byron to agree that Byron did not know that McCray had shot him, only that McCray had had a gun that night. Byron disagreed: “Ma’am, I know he shot me. Eye-to-eye contact. I saw him shoot me. It ain’t no, what I know. It’s something I know. It ain’t about what I think. It’s what I know.”

¶ 7. At trial, testimony was elicited indicating that Byron and Derrick have been or are currently involved with the Vice Lords, a gang in Clarksdale. Although McCray denied it, there was testimony from the State’s witnesses that McCray is involved with the Gangster Disciples, a rival gang. However, no witness claimed that the shooting was the result of gang violence.

¶ 8. McCray testified in his own defense. He admitted that he was at the scene of the shooting, but denied shooting Byron. McCray denied having a handgun in his possession that night and presented several witnesses who testified that they were with him that night but did not see him with a handgun. McCray and his witnesses also denied that McCray arrived at the scene that night with Conner. Jonathan Chapmon testified that he knows both McCray and Byron and that he lives in the same apartment complex as McCray. Chapmon further testified that he had a gathering at his apartment in 2007 that McCray and Byron both attended. Byron denied attending any such gathering, although McCray presented an additional witness, Andrae Whitfield, who testified that both McCray and Byron were present at such a gathering in 2007. Chapmon stated that Byron and McCray seemed to get along fine at the 2007 gathering. During a proffer of testimony outside of the jury’s presence, Chapmon testified that it was his “understanding” after that day that Byron knew that McCray was not his assailant.

¶ 9. After deliberating, the jury found McCray guilty of aggravated assault. It is from that conviction that McCray appeals.

¶ 10. Additional facts, as necessary, will be related during our analysis and discussion of the issues.

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUES

1. Exclusion of Hearsay Evidence

¶ 11. When reviewing a trial court’s decision to admit or exclude evidence, our standard of review is whether the court committed an abuse of its discretion. Miller v. State, 996 So.2d 752, 756 (¶ 12) (Miss.2008). As our supreme court has explained: “a trial judge enjoys a great deal of discretion as to the relevancy and admissibility of evidence. Unless the judge abuses this discretion so as to be prejudicial to the accused, [an appellate court] will not reverse this ruling.” Williams v. State, 991 So.2d 593, 597 (¶ 8) (Miss.2008) (quoting Shaw v. State, 915 So.2d 442, 445 (¶ 8) (Miss.2005)).

¶ 12. The exclusion of which McCray complains is the trial court’s decision to *1049 refuse to allow Chapmon to testify regarding Byron’s alleged statement that he knew that McCray was not his assailant.

¶ 13. McCray alleges in his appellate brief that the statement should have been allowed as a statement regarding identity. According to Rule 801(d)(1)(C) of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence: “A statement is not hearsay if ... [t]he declarant testifies at the trial ... and is subject to cross-examination concerning the statement, and the statement is ...

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Johnson v. State
101 So. 3d 717 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2012)

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Bluebook (online)
44 So. 3d 1046, 2010 Miss. App. LEXIS 487, 2010 WL 3547986, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccray-v-state-missctapp-2010.