People of Michigan v. Edison Alexander Peoples

CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 16, 2017
Docket331639
StatusUnpublished

This text of People of Michigan v. Edison Alexander Peoples (People of Michigan v. Edison Alexander Peoples) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People of Michigan v. Edison Alexander Peoples, (Mich. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

STATE OF MICHIGAN

COURT OF APPEALS

PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, UNPUBLISHED May 16, 2017 Plaintiff-Appellee,

v No. 331639 Alger Circuit Court EDISON ALEXANDER PEOPLES, LC No. 2013-002073-FC

Defendant-Appellant.

Before: SAWYER, P.J., and MURRAY and GLEICHER, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

Defendant appeals by right from his convictions following a bench trial of possession of a weapon by a prisoner, MCL 800.283(4), and assault with a dangerous weapon (felonious assault), MCL 750.82. The trial court imposed sentences of two years and four months to five years’ imprisonment for the prisoner-in-possession conviction, and two years and four months to four years’ imprisonment for the felonious assault conviction. We affirm.

I. BASIC FACTS

Defendant was incarcerated at the Alger Correctional Facility at the time he assaulted another prison inmate with an improvised knife on a morning in August 2016. Correctional Officer Marc Maxon testified that, at the time in question, he was in a locked-control room from which he could look into the prison wings, when he observed the victim, who was on cell- cleanup duty and was talking to another inmate. Maxon stated that he also observed defendant exit the shower, throw his shower supplies on a bed, and then move quickly toward the victim with something in his hand. Defendant then forcefully and repeatedly stabbed the victim, whose back was initially turned to defendant, with the weapon. Maxon observed no interactions between defendant and the victim before the stabbing. Maxon called for assistance, and prison staff secured defendant and the victim. Maxon observed defendant toss his weapon away as other correctional officers responded to the melee. Other correctional officers also testified that they saw defendant stabbing the victim with the knife. The victim sustained several stab wounds and was taken for medical treatment. A correction officer retrieved the weapon and secured it.

-1- II. ANALYSIS

A. RIGHT TO SELF-REPRESENTATION

On appeal, defendant first argues that the trial court abused its discretion by denying his request for self-representation. This court reviews a trial court’s decision on a defendant’s request for self-representation for an abuse of discretion. People v Hicks, 259 Mich App 518, 521; 675 NW2d 599 (2003).

“The right to self-representation is secured by both the Michigan Constitution, Const 1963, art 1, § 13, and by statute, MCL 763.1.” People v Dunigan, 299 Mich App 579, 587; 831 NW2d 243 (2013). “The right of self-representation is also implicitly guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution.” Dunigan, 299 Mich App at 587. “[A]lthough the right to counsel and the right of self-representation are both fundamental constitutional rights, representation by counsel, as a guarantor of a fair trial, is the standard, not the exception, in the absence of a proper waiver.” People v Russell, 471 Mich 182, 189-190; 684 NW2d 745 (2004) (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Upon a defendant’s request to proceed pro se, the trial court must determine whether the request is unequivocal, whether the defendant is knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily waiving the right to legal counsel, and whether the defendant’s self-representation will disrupt, unduly inconvenience, and otherwise burden the court and the administration of justice. People v Anderson, 398 Mich 361, 367-368; 247 NW2d 857 (1976).

In this case, before trial, defendant repeatedly asserted what he called a jurisdictional challenge to the prisoner-in-possession charge, asserting that he was not represented by counsel during the verdict phase of the trial that resulted in his incarceration,1 and arguing that this irregularity not only invalidated the result of his trial, but also invalidated the Department of Correction’s exercise of jurisdiction over him.2

1 The record from those earlier proceedings indicates that, after the jury retired to deliberate, defendant’s defense attorney informed the court that he was not going to be in the area when the verdict was expected, but that he would arrange for “a brother attorney to stand in” for him, and added that defendant was aware of this and had no objections. The transcript of the proceeding in which the jury delivered its verdict in fact lists defendant’s trial attorney as participating as usual, but the attorneys did not enter their appearance on the record, and only the court, the jurors, the bailiff, and the prosecuting attorney were on the record. During a pretrial hearing in this case, defendant’s earlier trial attorney testified that, although he could not recall representing defendant in that case, he had never missed taking a verdict in a criminal case in his 41 years of practice. He further explained that although he may have had a scheduling conflict for a time, his “guess” was that it resolved itself and thus that he attended the verdict proceeding after all. 2 Defendant was initially convicted of, and sentenced to imprisonment for, assault with intent to rob while armed (second-habitual offender), assault with intent to commit great bodily harm less than murder (second-habitual offender), two counts of felony-firearm, felonious assault, third-

-2- During a pretrial hearing, as defense counsel was advancing defendant’s challenge to the incarceration underlying his prisoner-in-possession charge, defendant asked the court if it would mind if he spoke, and the court answered that it would indeed mind. Defense counsel then continued with his argument before defendant interjected again: Defendant. Your Honor, for the purposes of this hearing, I’d like to represent myself.

The court. Sit down . . . .

Defendant. Are you denying my motion?

The court. I am.

Let’s continue here . . . .

. . . [I]f you have. . . of any nature, you need to reduce them to writing and provide them to your attorney prior to the hearing, okay? He’s competent; I’ve watched him work, he knows what he’s doing. If you have matters that you want to bring to his attention, reduce them to writing and get ‘em to him. He will meet . . . with you, when it’s convenient for both of you, so that you can prepare your case. But I don’t want to continue with the interference. If you have questions, get ‘em to him, all right? If you need more time when you’re here, to meet with him, we’ll provide it okay? Let’s move on.

As defense counsel was winding down his argument, defendant interjected that he would “like to redo my motion” and to “represent myself” in the matter. The following discussion then took place: The court. If you want to make that motion, reduce it to writing; we’ll take it up at the next hearing, okay? But we’re here on this point. This is the

degree fleeing, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, and carrying a concealed weapon. This Court affirmed defendant’s convictions but remanded the case to the trial court for recalculation of the sentencing credit. People v Peoples, unpublished opinion per curiam of the Court of Appeals issued April 3, 2007 (Docket No. 265481). The Supreme Court in turn denied defendant’s application for leave to appeal. People v Peoples, 480 Mich 858; 737 NW2d 712 (2007). In the years since that earlier case, the trial court amended the judgment of sentence twice in each of 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2013. The court also twice rejected defendant’s challenges to amendments entered without resentencing to reflect the consecutive nature of his felony-firearm sentences. Defendant also filed a delayed application for leave to appeal arguing that his due process rights to notice and hearing were violated when his judgment of sentence was amended without resentencing.

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People of Michigan v. Edison Alexander Peoples, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-of-michigan-v-edison-alexander-peoples-michctapp-2017.