Mottenon v. State

346 So. 2d 18, 1977 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1340
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedMarch 29, 1977
Docket3 Div. 436
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 346 So. 2d 18 (Mottenon 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
Mottenon v. State, 346 So. 2d 18, 1977 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1340 (Ala. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

MOORE, Retired Circuit Judge.

The appellant was indicted, tried, and convicted for the offense of robbery. The verdict of the jury fixed appellant’s punishment at imprisonment in the penitentiary for life. Judgment of conviction and sentence was accordingly entered by the trial court, from which the appellant brings this appeal.

[19]*19On the trial of this cause Homer L. Johns testified, in substance, that he owned Johns Furniture Company located at 624 Mildred Street, Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama; that he was seventy-nine years of age; that on September 8, 1975, he was alone in his store; that about 3:00 P.M. that day two young black males came into his store and said they wanted-to buy a stove; that the appellant was one of the men that came in the store; (he pointed the appellant out in the courtroom); that appellant had been in the store a few days before September 8, 1975, about buying a stove; that on September 8, 1975, when they came in he started back to the office to write the sales contract; that the appellant was behind him and as he went into the office he was struck on the head with a bottle; that he was struck more than once with a bottle; that he had a knife in his hand and turned and cut one of them with the knife; that they continued to hit him and knocked him down; that one of them got his wallet and some money out of his pocket; that they got about $104.00 or $105.00; that one of them held him down and the other pulled the cash register onto the floor and knocked its drawer open; that they broke several of his ribs; that he was not knocked completely out; that when he turned and cut at one of them in the beginning of the trouble he heard one of the say, “I’m cut” and that after they got the money they left.

This witness called the police and they came to the store and the witness went to the hospital.

The witness further testified, in substance, that while he was in the hospital he was shown by the police eight pictures and that state’s exhibits 1 to 8 appear to be the pictures shown to him; (he picked four pictures from said exhibits and said they were the ones he picked out at the hospital); that exhibits no. 2, 3, 7 and 8 were the four pictures he picked out; that two of the pictures were of appellant and two pictures were of the other man that came into his store at the time he was robbed; and that he told the police that two black men, one taller than the other, robbed him and he thought he cut one of them.

Herman M. Sims, a Montgomery policeman, testified, in substance, that on September 8, 1975, about 3:00 P. M. he investigated a robbery at Johns Furniture Company; that the office was in disarray; that Johns was there and had been hurt and was bloody; that he talked to Johns very little; that he put on the radio what little description of the suspects he could get; and that other officers completed the investigation.

Detective M. R. Holt testified, in substance, that on September 8,1975, he investigated a robbery at Johns Furniture Company; that when he arrived at the store Johns was being taken to the hospital; that he went to the hospital later that day and saw Willie James Brown; that before he went out there he had reason to believe one of the robbers had been cut; that after he talked with Brown he went to Magnolia Graham’s home and saw a tub with bloody water in it; that Brown had been cut; and that we later located John Mottenon but he (the witness) was not present at the time Mottenon was located.

Mary Rogers testified, in substance, that she knew John Mottenon who was sitting in the courtroom; that she had known him since she started going with Lewis (Willie James Brown, alias Lewis Murrey); that on September 8, 1975, at about 3:00 to 4:00 P.M. she went to Magnolia Graham’s home; that when she got there Magnolia, John Mottenon, and Lewis were there; that Lewis was cut on his right side; that John Mottenon said, “He was robbing an old honky and the old honky cut him”; that Mottenon was talking about how Lewis got cut; and that they all took Lewis to the hospital.

This witness further testified that on the morning of the day she was testifying she was sitting in the hallway of the courthouse and two deputies brought John Mottenon down the hall and Mottenon said to her, “You can go in there and act a fool if you want to”.

The appellant’s objection to this testimony was overruled.

[20]*20Sidney Williams, a police detective, testified in substance, that on September 9, 1975, he went to the hospital and talked with Mr. Johns and showed him eight photographs; that state’s exhibits no. 1 to 8 are the photographs he showed Mr. Johns; that two of the exhibits were pictures of Willie James Brown and two were of appellant; that he initialed the photographs selected by Johns of the appellant and Brown; that a couple of days after he saw Johns in the hospital he and other policemen went to Magnolia Graham’s home; that he covered the south end and reached the corner of the apartment and saw the appellant come out the back door and when he saw me he ran; and that we followed him and caught him in about five or ten minutes. The defendant’s objection to this evidence was overruled. This witness further testified, over appellant’s objection, that after they caught appellant they went back to Magnolia Graham’s home and saw three suitcases packed with men’s clothing and shoes.

On cross examination he testified that the pictures he showed Johns at the hospital were of people, some of whom were of the same head size and some were not; with a weight range of 140 to 170 pounds and with a height range from 5'4" to under 6 feet; that the height range had a difference of 4 or 5 inches; that persons in the pictures were not all dressed alike; and that Magnolia allowed them to go into the house and see the suitcases.

In his argument to the jury the Assistant District Attorney stated, “The Defendant, you have seen and observed his demeanor here today”. The appellant objected and the court stated to the jury, “Disregard that last statement, ladies and gentlemen of the jury”. The court further stated to the jury, “I have already instructed the jury. Disregard that last statement of the District Attorney, don’t consider it in any way”.

The appellant contends on this appeal that the in-court identification of the appellant was not sufficiently independent of outside sources; and that it was in fact tainted by the action of some of the law enforcement officers or officer in showing pictures of the appellant, before his arrest, to the victim of the robbery who made an in-court identification of the appellant as being one of the persons that robbed him.

In Johnson v. State, 54 Ala.App. 581, 310 So.2d 504, it is stated:

“In this case it appears that each of the State witnesses referred to were shown several photographs, not less than ten being shown to the witnesses and the appellant’s picture was identified from the entire number, in each instance, by two of the witnesses. It does appear that on the day of trial or the day before that one or more witnesses also saw a photograph of the appellant which was attached to the file folder of the assistant district attorney.
But under the testimony as a whole we think that holding in the case of Simmons v. United States, 390 U.S. 377, 88 S.Ct.

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Related

Maddox v. State
520 So. 2d 143 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1986)
Ex Parte State Ex Rel. Attorney General
346 So. 2d 18 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
346 So. 2d 18, 1977 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1340, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mottenon-v-state-alacrimapp-1977.