Novak v. State

698 S.W.2d 499, 287 Ark. 271, 1985 Ark. LEXIS 2229
Supreme Court of Arkansas·Decided November 4, 1985·No. CR 85-106·Published·Cited by 42 cases

Opinion

Steele Hays, Justice.

Tracy Kent Novak was convicted of the capital felony murder of Bobby Joe Whitson and sentenced to life without parole. Six points of error are argued on appeal. We affirm the judgment.

On the evening of April 11,1984, Tracy Novak, Bobby Joe Whitson, Darren Landis and Jeff Underwood were drinking at a tavern near Paris, Arkansas. They left the tavern at midnight in Whitson’s truck and went to Whitson’s house where Jeff Underwood went upstairs and went to sleep. He testified that Darren Landis woke him about 2:00 a.m. and told him Tracy had shot Bobby Joe Whitson. Underwood went downstairs and saw Whit-son’s body lying on a bed with a shotgun wound in the neck. Novak, he said, told him he had shot “the son-of-a-bitch.” Underwood watched Novak put Whitson’s stereo and his two shotguns in Whitson’s truck and Novak proposed the three of them sell the truck in Oklahoma and “take off for somewhere else.” Underwood and Landis chose to be taken home and en route they were stopped by a Paris policeman. Novak was charged with driving while intoxicated and, subsequently, with the capital murder of Bobby Joe Whitson. Whitson’s billfold was found under the driver’s seat of the truck when Novak was arrested. Novak told the police he had Whitson’s permission to use the truck.

That afternoon, after being given the Miranda warnings, Tracy Novak signed a confession that he had killed Bobby Joe Whitson after Darren Landis told him there was a lot of stuff in the house they could steal. Novak said he got a shotgun from the closet, loaded it and shot Whitson.

I

Novak claims as a matter of law he could not have had the requisite intent to commit capital felony murder due to intoxication. Because he registered. 10 on the breathalizer Novak argues he was legally intoxicated and the trial court should have reduced the charge to manslaughter. We do not sustain the argument as there was ample testimony that Novak was rational and coherent. The fact that he was shown by breathalyzer test to register the minimum intoxication to support a charge of DWI does not establish as a matter of law that he lacked the ability to form an intent to commit murder. That was a jury question and the court was correct in so holding. Bailey v. State, 263 Ark. 470, 565 S.W.2d 603 (1978).

II

Novak contends the evidence of robbery or burglary was insufficient to support a conviction for capital felony murder — there being no proof he entered or remained unlawfully in Whitson’s home without permission, and no proof of the value of the property taken, a necessary element of theft. Since robbery is defined in Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-2103 (Repl. 1977) as occurring when one uses or threatens to use force with the purpose of committing theft, Novak contends the value of the property must be shown. We find no merit in the argument, as the requirements of capital felony murder are met if the accused merely attempts to commit one of the felonies included in the statute (Ark. Stat. Ann. § 41-1501(1)(a) (Repl. 1977)). And robbery may occur irrespective of the value of the property obtained or, indeed, whether any transfer of property takes place. See Commentary, § 41-2103. Here, there was direct evidence that Novak placed a stereo and two shotguns in Whitson’s truck and circumstantial evidence that Whitson’s billfold and truck were also the objects of the crime. Novak’s confession further supports the conclusion that his reason for killing Whitson was to rob him of his belongings. We find the proof sufficient to sustain the conviction. Williams v. State, 281 Ark. 387, 663 S.W.2d 928 (1984).

Ill

The next point involves the issue of death qualified juries. We have repeatedly rejected the view taken in Grigsby v. Mabry, 758 F.2d 226 (8th Cir. 1985). Further discussion is pointless. See Rector v. State, 280 Ark. 385, 659 S.W.2d 168 (1983) and Hendrickson v. State, 285 Ark. 462, 688 S.W.2d 295 (1985).

IV

The fourth assignment of error is: The Jury Selection Process Was So Flawed That It Denied The Appellant Due Process And A Fair Trial.

A

Appellant relies on three incidents during voir dire. One concerned a prospective juror, Ms. Linda Horne, who had served previously as a juror in civil and criminal cases. Defense counsel asked Ms. Horne if she had found it hard to be impartial when she had served as a juror (Record, p. 285) and the court sustained an objection from the state on the grounds that jury deliberations were privileged. Novak argues he was denied the opportunity to determine whether Ms. Horne was prejudiced. However, the record demonstrates that at a subsequent point in voir dire counsel was permitted to ask Ms. Horne the identical question (Record, p. 287) and evidently was satisfied with her response (“No, sir”), as he pursued the matter no further. We find no error here.

B

Novak maintains the trial judge would not permit him to ask prospective jurors whether they would vote for acquittal if any of the elements of a charge were not proved by the state. He submits the trial court abused its discretion by not allowing questions regarding beliefs about the evidence to be presented, citing Hobbs v. State, 273 Ark. 125, 617 S.W.2d 347 (1981). One question was: “If the court instructs you that the crime charged includes several elements, will you vote for acquittal unless you are satisfied that the proof establishes all the elements?” This question drew an objection because it bound the juror to vote for acquittal, which the court sustained. We have said that such questions are improper.

The other question (more in the form of a declaration) was: “And in this case, the burden is on the state to show that the defendant committed burglary and/or robbery and murder; the state must show all of that. And if they do not then the defendant would not be guilty of capital murder?” The prosecutor objected to the form of the question, which the trial judge sustained and counsel moved to another topic with a request that his objection be noted. We do not find an abuse of the trial court’s broad discretion in either instance.

C

The other incident occurred as the trial judge was questioning the panel in general about the case and whether anyone on the panel knew the facts or the principals. Appellant urges a mistrial should have been granted. We quote from the record:

BY THE COURT:
All right. The defendant in the case is Tracy Kent Novak. Will Mr. Novak please stand and face the jury?
(Defendant complied.)
BY THE COURT:
Thank you. Have a seat.

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Novak v. State, 698 S.W.2d 499, 287 Ark. 271, 1985 Ark. LEXIS 2229 (Ark. 1985).

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