Miles v. State

476 So. 2d 1228
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedFebruary 12, 1985
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 476 So. 2d 1228 (Miles v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Miles v. State, 476 So. 2d 1228 (Ala. Ct. App. 1985).

Opinion

476 So.2d 1228 (1985)

Danny Ray MILES, alias
v.
STATE.

6 Div. 222.

Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama.

February 12, 1985.
Rehearing Denied April 23, 1985.
Certiorari Denied November 1, 1985.

*1229 James G. Stevens, Birmingham, for appellant.

Charles A. Graddick, Atty. Gen., and Joseph G.L. Marston, III, Asst. Atty. Gen., for appellee.

Alabama Supreme Court 84-799.

TAYLOR, Judge.

Danny Ray Miles was indicted by the grand jury of Jefferson County in December 1975, for the murder of Mr. Ronald *1230 Harvel White. On March 25, 1976, Miles was convicted of murder in the first degree and was sentenced to a term of life imprisonment. Appeal was taken to this court but no brief was filed on behalf of appellant. By implementing the search the record rule, this court in Miles v. State, 343 So.2d 801 (Ala.Cr.App.1977), determined that the judgment of conviction was due to be affirmed. Thereafter in Ex parte Miles, 343 So.2d 806 (Ala.1977), the Alabama Supreme Court denied certiorari.

After exhaustion of his state remedies, the appellant filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. One of his contentions was that because his attorney had not filed a brief when his appeal was originally submitted to this court, he was denied due process. In Mylar v. Britton, No. CV-79-A-1420-S (N.D.Ala.1980) (unpublished opinion), that court held that by the means of the "search the record rule" the appellant had received adequate appellate review. Appeal was taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. In Mylar v. Alabama, 671 F.2d 1299 (11th Cir.1982), it was held that "failure to file a brief in a nonfrivolous appeal falls below the standard of competency expected and required of counsel in criminal cases and therefore constitutes ineffective assistance." The court thereupon remanded the case to the district court with instructions to grant the petition for habeas corpus unless the State of Alabama within a reasonable time should grant Miles either an out-of-time appeal or a new trial. The State applied for a rehearing en banc, which was denied April 29, 1982, 677 F.2d 117 (11th Cir.). The state, thereupon, on June 5, 1982, petitioned the United States Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari to review the Eleventh Circuit's decision. The U.S. Supreme Court denied the writ without comment on July 6, 1983. Alabama v. Mylar, 463 U.S. 1229, 103 S.Ct. 3570, 77 L.Ed.2d 1411 (1983).

On August 16, 1983, this court, on motion of the State, granted the appellant an out-of-time appeal and appointed a new attorney to represent him. Hence, this appeal is now before us.

A careful review of the record reveals that the facts as related in Miles v. State, 343 So.2d 801 (Ala.Cr.App.1977) were completely correct and a restatement of those facts as contained therein follows.

The case
"involves a double murder, robbery, kidnapping and rape. The victims were Mrs. Clarice Knabe and Ronald Harvel White. Appellant was indicted for killing White with a .38 caliber pistol and one Samuel `Bud' Yarber was indicted and convicted in the shooting death of Mrs. Knabe and he, too, was sentenced to life imprisonment. This is a classical case of two murder suspects, each trying to put the blame on the other and thus exculpate himself from a murder conviction. Their efforts backfired and justice still reigns supreme.
"This tragic episode began on the late afternoon of November 3, 1975, when appellant went to the apartment of Yarber around 6:30 p.m. About 45 minutes later they left in Yarber's car to go out drinking. They went to several bars and drank beer at each. Appellant asked Yarber to accompany him to K-Mart's Sporting Goods Department in order to purchase some ammunition for Yarber's.38 caliber pistol which appellant had previously asked to borrow. They went to K-Mart, where appellant purchased a box of ammunition around 9:00 p.m. that night. This purchase was recorded in a book which the manager of the Sporting Goods Department testified he was required by law to keep.
"The two men then returned to Yarber's apartment where Yarber gave appellant his pistol. As appellant was loading the pistol the pistol discharged and the bullet lodged in the wall or ceiling of the living room. Yarber became provoked at appellant for discharging the pistol in his apartment for fear he would be evicted. Appellant apologized to Yarber and carried the pistol out of the apartment and put it in his car.
*1231 "A short while later the two men left in appellant's car and went to the 2010 Lounge in downtown Birmingham, arriving there around 9:30 p.m. They parked in the rear parking lot and entered the lounge through the back door. There were a number of customers in the place at the time. They were all drinking and watching a football game on television. The football game was over just before 11:00 p.m. and everyone left except the bartender, Mrs. Clarice Knabe, Mr. Ronald Harvel White, appellant and Mr. Yarber. At this time, according to the testimony of Mr. Yarber given at a preliminary hearing, appellant pulled out the pistol he had borrowed from Yarber and ordered Mrs. Knabe and Mr. White to put their hands up and said, `This is a stick-up.' Appellant ordered Yarber to lock the front door and then demanded all the money from Mrs. Knabe and Mr. White. Mrs. Knabe protested that the owner of the lounge did not leave any money in the place. Appellant walked behind the bar to check for himself. Appellant ordered White to empty his pockets on the counter and White put his wallet on the bar. At this time there was a knock on the front door and appellant ordered Mrs. Knabe and Mr. White out the back door and into the back seat of his car. Appellant ordered Yarber to drive the car. Yarber asked appellant where they were going and appellant told him to drive to the place where they had zeroed Yarber's deer rifle a few weeks previously. Yarber began traveling south on 1-65 toward Hoover, Alabama, and turned south on Highway 31. They traveled south on Highway 31 to Highway 150 going toward Bessemer. During the entire trip from the 2010 Lounge appellant kept asking Mrs. Knabe what she was going to tell the owner of the lounge and she said, `We're going to tell him that two colored men came in and robbed us.' Appellant asked White what he was going to say and White told him he was going to say the same thing that Mrs. Knabe was going to say.
"Appellant pointed the pistol at Mrs. Knabe and White in the back seat and told them to take off all their clothes. After they had completely disrobed appellant told Mrs. Knabe to get in the front seat between him and Yarber and she did. When they arrived at the appointed place appellant ordered Mrs. Knabe out of the car and told White to keep his hands up inside the car. Appellant then proceeded to have sexual intercourse with Mrs. Knabe on the trunk of the car while Yarber and White remained inside the car. He then ordered White out of the car and told Mrs. Knabe to lie on her back on the ground. Appellant ordered White to get on top of Mrs. Knabe. While they were in that position, according to sworn testimony given by Yarber at the preliminary hearing, appellant shot and killed both Mrs. Knabe and Mr. White.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Collins v. State
206 So. 3d 682 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2015)
Jackson v. State
98 So. 3d 35 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2012)
Williams v. State
72 So. 3d 721 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2010)
Green v. State
61 So. 3d 386 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2010)
McGowan v. State
990 So. 2d 931 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2005)
Pace v. State
904 So. 2d 331 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2004)
Webster v. State
900 So. 2d 460 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2004)
Gavin v. State
891 So. 2d 907 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2003)
Ferguson v. State
814 So. 2d 925 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2000)
Griffin v. State
790 So. 2d 267 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 2000)
Arthur v. State
711 So. 2d 1031 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1996)
Curry v. State
601 So. 2d 157 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1992)
Goodson v. State
540 So. 2d 789 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1988)
McCray v. State
548 So. 2d 573 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1988)
Ray v. State
527 So. 2d 166 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1988)
McNeely v. State
524 So. 2d 375 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1988)
Watson v. State
530 So. 2d 879 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1987)
Parker v. State
516 So. 2d 859 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1987)
Hodges v. State
500 So. 2d 1273 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1986)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
476 So. 2d 1228, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/miles-v-state-alacrimapp-1985.