Nichols v. State

868 So. 2d 355, 2003 WL 21790276
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedAugust 5, 2003
Docket2002-KP-00230-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 868 So. 2d 355 (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, 868 So. 2d 355, 2003 WL 21790276 (Mich. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

868 So.2d 355 (2003)

Shad Edward NICHOLS, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2002-KP-00230-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

August 5, 2003.
Rehearing Denied October 28, 2003.
Certiorari Denied March 11, 2004.

*357 Shad Edward Nichols (Pro Se), Daniel Dewayne Ware, attorneys for appellant.

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

Before KING, P.J., BRIDGES and IRVING, JJ.

BRIDGES, J., for the Court.

¶ 1. The grand jury of Simpson County, Mississippi indicted Shad Nichols for the crime of killing Jennifer May by culpable negligence in violation of Mississippi Code Annotated section 97-3-47. Nichols was found "guilty as charged" and by order was sentenced to seventeen years in the Mississippi State Penitentiary. It is from that judgment of conviction that Nichols now appeals.

STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES

I. WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE ERRED WHEN HE DENIED NICHOLS'S MOTION FOR CHANGE OF VENUE.

II. WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE ERRED WHEN HE DENIED NICHOLS'S REQUEST FOR A PEREMPTORY INSTRUCTION.

III. WHETHER THE INDICTMENTS WERE VOID BECAUSE THEY FAILED TO PUT NICHOLS ON NOTICE OF THE CHARGE AGAINST HIM.

IV. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT LACKED JURISDICTION TO PROSECUTE NICHOLS BASED UPON THE INDICTMENT.

V. WHETHER NICHOLS WAS DEPRIVED OF EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL.

FACTS

¶ 2. On November 27, 2000, Patricia Westberry, a pharmacist at D & P Discount Drugs (record does not indicate city), filled a prescription for Shad Nichols. Pursuant to the prescription presented by Nichols, Westberry gave him the drug Oxycontin, which is a brand name for oxycodone, a Schedule II drug. Later that same day, Nichols drove to the home of Jennifer May, a fifteen-year-old girl, where she lived with her brother, Philip Wayne May II, and her mother, and waited for Jennifer in the front yard. When Jennifer got off her school bus and as she was walking up to her doorstep, Nichols approached her and started to shake the bottle of pills at her.

¶ 3. At approximately 4:00 p.m. that same day, Nichols, Jennifer and her brother, Philip, went to get something to eat at Wards. While there, Nichols informed them that they were going to go home and get high. After leaving Wards, they went to Nichols's mobile home where Nichols took the bottle of pills out of his pocket and handed some pills to both Jennifer and Philip.

¶ 4. After about one and one half hours after they arrived at Nichols's home, Nichols and Jennifer went into the bathroom for the purpose of "shooting" Oxycontin. Philip opened the bathroom door and witnessed Nichols sitting down and was pushing a needle toward Jennifer's foot, "fixing to inject her with Oxycontin."

¶ 5. Philip told Jennifer not to inject herself with Oxycontin and when she refused to leave, Philip walked back to the living room. When Jennifer finally came out of the bathroom Philip could tell she was "messed up" and intoxicated. Jennifer eventually became sick. Nichols and Jennifer then decided to go to Jackson and informed Philip that he could not go.

¶ 6. Nichols informed law enforcement that early the next morning he found Jennifer *359 asleep on the couch and carried her to his bed. Later, after realizing she was in trouble, Nichols tried to give Jennifer CPR. It was then that Nichols's father called for emergency assistance. It is not clear from the record when exactly Jennifer died; whether she was dead when Nichols found her or died later when the emergency assistance arrived.

ANALYSIS

I. WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE ERRED WHEN HE DENIED NICHOLS'S MOTION FOR CHANGE OF VENUE.

¶ 7. Nichols claims that the trial judge erred when he denied Nichols's motion for a change of venue. He argues that the newspapers had prejudiced the people in the county against him.

¶ 8. Motions for a change of venue are left to the trial court's sound discretion. Swann v. State, 806 So.2d 1111, 1116 (¶ 20) (Miss.2002). The Mississippi Supreme Court has also held that it will not disturb the ruling of the lower court on a change of venue unless there is an abuse by the trial judge. Shook v. State, 552 So.2d 841, 849-50 (Miss.1989).

¶ 9. Mississippi Code Annotated section 99-15-35 states that if a defendant swears that he cannot get a fair and impartial trial in the county where the offense is committed, in writing, and submits two affidavits by credible persons corroborating his claim, because of prejudgment of the case, grudge, or ill will towards the defendant, the circuit court may change the venue of the trial. Miss.Code Ann. § 99-15-35 (Rev.2000). The Mississippi Supreme Court has found that if the defendant properly applies for a change of venue under Mississippi Code Annotated section 99-15-35, as amended, a presumption arises that an impartial jury cannot be obtained. Porter v. State, 616 So.2d 899, 905 (Miss.1993).

¶ 10. However, the State can rebut this presumption, that the defendant could not receive a fair trial, by proving from voir dire that the trial court impaneled an impartial jury. Holland v. State, 705 So.2d 307, 336 (¶ 97) (Miss.1997); also see Swann v. State, 806 So.2d at 1116 (¶ 19). Therefore, if the State can prove from voir dire that an impartial jury was actually selected, this will overcome a showing of adverse pretrial publicity, and the trial judge's discretion will not be overturned. Harris v. State, 537 So.2d 1325, 1329 (Miss.1989). One should also note that when a prospective juror assures the court he can be impartial, this assurance is entitled to considerable deference. Scott v. Ball, 595 So.2d 848, 850 (Miss.1992).

¶ 11. In accordance with the aforementioned caselaw, the State produced evidence during the hearing which rebutted the presumption which arose form Nichols's affidavits and motion. The record clearly supports a finding that a fair and impartial jury was actually selected. The jury panel was asked if it had heard anything about the case or Shad Nichols either in the newspaper or otherwise that would prevent it from being fair and impartial jurors. There was no response. The jurors were asked again, only this time by the judge, if any of them could not decide the case strictly upon the evidence and the law. There was no response. The judge continued to ask if there was anything that might affect their ability to be fair and impartial jurors. No one responded. In conformity with Swann and Holland, the State rebutted the presumption that Nichols could not receive a fair trial by proving from voir dire that the trial court impaneled an impartial jury.

¶ 12. There is no showing that Nichols has met his burden of showing that the *360 trial judge abused his discretion when he overruled Nichols's motion for change of venue. This issue is, therefore, without merit.

II. WHETHER THE TRIAL JUDGE ERRED WHEN HE DENIED NICHOLS'S REQUEST FOR A PEREMPTORY INSTRUCTION.

¶ 13. Another claim made by Nichols was that the trial judge erred when he denied Nichols's request for a peremptory instruction. Nichols contends that the proof did not support a finding of culpable negligence. He further argues that the two pills he admitted to giving to Jennifer May were not enough to cause the overdose which killed her.

¶ 14.

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868 So. 2d 355, 2003 WL 21790276, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nichols-v-state-missctapp-2003.