Nichols v. State

822 So. 2d 984, 2002 WL 382891
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedMarch 12, 2002
Docket2000-KA-00989-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 822 So. 2d 984 (Nichols 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
Nichols v. State, 822 So. 2d 984, 2002 WL 382891 (Mich. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

822 So.2d 984 (2002)

Timothy NICHOLS and Lynwood Slaydon, Appellants,
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2000-KA-00989-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

March 12, 2002.
Rehearing Denied July 16, 2002.

*987 Sam P. Cooper, Jr., Picayune, attorney for appellants.

Office of the Attorney General by Deirdre McCrory, attorney for appellee.

Before McMILLIN, C.J., THOMAS, and MYERS, JJ.

MYERS, J., for the court.

¶ 1. Timothy Nichols and Lynwood Slaydon were tried and convicted together of trespass on the lands of another, attempted robbery, and simple assault in the Circuit Court of Pearl River County, Honorable *988 Michael R. Eubanks presiding. Nichols and Slaydon were both adjudicated as habitual offenders and each was sentenced to serve fifteen years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections for the armed robbery conviction without the possibility of parole along with one day for each misdemeanor conviction to run consecutively with the remaining five months and twenty-nine days of each misdemeanor suspended sentence. Motions for new trial were filed by both Nichols and Slaydon and summarily denied. From the denial of these motions, both Nichols and Slaydon appeal, each raising numerous issues.

STATEMENT OF FACTS

¶ 2. On October 30, 1999, Timothy Nichols and Lynwood Slaydon entered a house occupied by Walter Hansford. Upon noticing their presence, Hansford asked both Nichols and Slaydon to leave the house. They complied and returned to their vehicle. The brief visit by Nichols and Slaydon aroused Hansford's suspicions causing him to check the house to see if anything was missing. Hansford noticed that a compact disc player was missing and followed Nichols and Slaydon outside to see if they had taken it. Hansford noticed that the missing compact disc player was in the back of Nichols and Slaydon's vehicle. Hansford attempted to retrieve the property by grabbing it. Slaydon, who was closest to Hansford when he grabbed the compact disc player, also grabbed it and a tug-of-war ensued. Hansford eventually gained sole control over the player. It was at this moment that Nichols threw a full can of beer at Hansford striking him in the head. Slaydon repeated Nichols's effort similarly striking Hansford in the head. Both Nichols and Slaydon hit Hansford again with full cans of beer while he was attempting to escape. Hansford then found in the carport of the house a full can of gasoline with which he attempted to defend himself by spilling gas on both Nichols and Slaydon and swinging the gasoline canister at them. Nichols and Slaydon both backed off allowing Hansford time to retreat into the house. Before he could secure the door, Nichols reentered the house and began attacking Hansford. At the same time, Slaydon allegedly threw the gasoline can through the front window of the house. Hansford finally retrieved a telephone and called the police causing Nichols and Slaydon to flee the scene.

¶ 3. As a result of these endeavors, Nichols and Slaydon were charged with burglary, attempted robbery and aggravated assault. The aggravated assault charge was later reduced to simple assault. Neither Nichols nor Slaydon were convicted of burglary. Instead, both were convicted of the lesser-included offense of trespass on the land of another along with attempted robbery and simple assault. During the course of the trial, the State was allowed to amend the indictment so that it conformed to the evidence and to charge both Nichols and Slaydon as habitual offenders. After being convicted both Nichols and Slaydon moved for a new trial. From the denial of these motions, they both appeal.

STANDARD OF REVIEW AND LEGAL ANALYSIS

¶ 4. Nichols and Slaydon filed separate appeals each raising different issues. Because they were tried together, their appeals have likewise been joined together in this opinion. The issues raised by each will be addressed separately.

ISSUES RAISED BY TIMOTHY NICHOLS

1. Whether the verdict was against the overwhelming weight of the evidence.

¶ 5. Under this issue Nichols really raises two separate concerns. First, that the *989 trial court erred when it denied his motion for directed verdict implicating that the State had failed to prove a necessary element of its case. Secondly, that the trial court erred when it denied Nichols' motion for new trial implicating that the verdict returned by the jury was against the overwhelming weight of the evidence. While these two issues are closely related to one another, they are nevertheless distinct and as such will be addressed separately under this issue.

a. Denial of Motion for Directed Verdict.

¶ 6. Motions for directed verdict challenge the sufficiency of the evidence. Hayes v. State, 801 So.2d 806, 811(¶ 19) (Miss.Ct.App.2001). "When reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, this Court looks to all the evidence before the jurors to determine whether a reasonable, hypothetical juror could find, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the defendant is guilty." Id. The heart of Nichols' challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence is that the evidence does not support his conviction for attempted robbery.

¶ 7. To commit robbery, a person must "take the personal property of another, in his presence or from his person and against his will, by violence to his person or by putting such person in fear of some immediate injury to his person." McKee v. State, 791 So.2d 804, 807(¶ 8) (Miss. 2001). To attempt a crime, a person must possess the intent to commit the particular crime, commit an act toward committing the crime, and fail to consummate the offense. Greenwood v. State, 744 So.2d 767, 771(¶ 19) (Miss.1999). "Any person who is present at the commission of a criminal offense and aids, counsels, or encourages another in the commission of that offense is an `aider and abettor' and is equally guilty with the principal offender." Gleeton v. State, 716 So.2d 1083, 1088(¶ 17) (Miss.1998).

¶ 8. The State presented sufficient evidence to show that Nichols was involved in the robbery. Nichols asserts that Slaydon alone struggled with Hansford over the compact disc player and that he did nothing to assist Slaydon and was, therefore, not involved in the robbery of Hansford. Hansford testified that after he had wrestled control of the compact disc player from Slaydon, Nichols struck him in the head with a full can of beer. It is clear that when Nichols struck Hansford in the head with the beer can, he did so in furtherance of the attempted robbery and, at a bare minimum, could be considered an aider and abettor and, therefore, equally liable. The trial court did not err in denying Nichols' motion for directed verdict.

b. Denial of Motion for New Trial.

¶ 9. "A claim that the trial court erred in not granting a new trial because the verdict is against the weight of the evidence is reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard." Miller v. State, 801 So.2d 799, 802(¶ 14) (Miss.Ct.App.2001). In reviewing the trial court's denial of Nichols' motion for new trial, all evidence is viewed "in the light most favorable to the verdict." Wetz v. State, 503 So.2d 803, 808 (Miss.1987). "The prosecution must be given the benefit of all favorable inferences that may be reasonably drawn from the evidence." Id. This Court will reverse only where the evidence is "such that reasonable and fair-minded jurors could only find the accused not guilty." Id. The jury acts as the judge of the credibility of witnesses where conflicting testimony is presented.

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822 So. 2d 984, 2002 WL 382891, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nichols-v-state-missctapp-2002.