Posey v. State

358 So. 2d 516, 1978 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1221
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedMay 2, 1978
Docket7 Div. 582
StatusPublished

This text of 358 So. 2d 516 (Posey 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
Posey v. State, 358 So. 2d 516, 1978 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1221 (Ala. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

HARRIS, Presiding Judge.

Appellant was convicted of murder in the second degree and the jury fixed his punishment at twenty-five years in the penitentiary. He was represented by retained counsel and at arraignment pleaded not guilty. After sentence was imposed he gave notice of appeal and petitioned for a free transcript. He was furnished a free transcript and trial counsel was appointed to represent him on this appeal.

This case arose from an incident which occurred in the Northside Pool Hall in Gadsden, Alabama on July 12, 1977. The evidence is undisputed that on that date, appellant shot and killed Lawrence Bradford in the Northside Pool Hall. Appellant contends, however, the shooting was in self-defense.

Dr. William S. Warren testified that, on August 5, 1977, he examined the body of Lawrence Bradford. In his opinion, the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the brain. The entrance of the bullet was at the rear of the skull on the right side. The deceased was first examined by Warren on July 12, 1977. Bradford died on August 5, 1977. A death certificate signed by Warren, stating that Bradford’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to “both cerebral hemispheres,” was admitted into evidence without objection.

Daniel M. Avery, employed by the State Department of Toxicology and Criminal Investigation, testified that he conducted an autopsy on the body of Lawrence Bradford on August 8, 1977. Avery recovered a projectile from the left mid-portion of the brain. The entrance of the bullet was made in the right rear portion of the deceased’s skull. Avery attributed Bradford’s death to bronchopneumonia resulting from the gunshot wound. Avery marked this bullet for identification and turned it over to Ralph Phillips, a field agent for the Department of Toxicology.

John M. Case, employed by the Department of Toxicology, testified that he received a .22 caliber pistol and a spent projectile from Ralph Williams on August 9, 1977. Following test firings, Case formed the opinion that the spent projectile was similar to test rounds fired from the pistol. However, a definite conclusion could not be reached because of the damaged condition of the “evidence bullet.” The pistol and spent projectile were admitted into evidence without objection.

Jimmy Sumpter testified that he worked at the American Sportsman Center, a poolroom on Tuscaloosa Street in Etowah County. Sumpter saw appellant in the poolroom on July 12,1977. While appellant was playing cards, deceased walked in. Appellant asked him, “Man, you want to pay my dollar?” Then the deceased replied, “I’m not going to pay you no dollar.” Appellant, Sumpter testified, then left, only to return about five minutes later to ask the deceased for the dollar again. When the deceased repeated he would not, appellant walked up behind him and shot him. The deceased was counting his money at the time. Sumpter testified the deceased had no weapon. On cross-examination, the witness testified that the deceased carried a .357 magnum pistol. Sumpter testified that the deceased was “pretty violent, but not that bad.”

Mark Worthy testified to substantially the same events as Sumpter. He added that when appellant returned to the poolroom after asking the deceased for the dollar that he saw appellant place the gun, in evidence, in a front trousers pocket. Worthy saw appellant place the gun to the deceased’s head and shoot him. The deceased had some money in his hand at the [518]*518time. Worthy did not see the deceased with a gun that day; however, he had seen deceased carry a .357 magnum pistol. The deceased wore this pistol in a shoulder holster or stuck in his belt on the left side. Worthy testified that, after he was shot, the deceased said “something about his gun.” Worthy did not see the weapon, however.

Lieutenant Morris Alexander of the Gadsden Police Department testified that he investigated a shooting at the Sportsman Center Pool Hall on July 12, 1977. He did not find any weapon on Bradford’s person. Alexander subsequently arrested appellant and advised him of his “Miranda Rights,” after which appellant signed a waiver form. At that point, appellant dictated a statement to Alexander. This statement was admitted into evidence and is set out below verbatim, and the typographical and grammatical errors in the original are not corrected.

“Today about 11:00 o’clock I picked Pete Sumpter up and carried him to the Northside Pool Room where he works, after we got there Mitchell Worthy come up and ask me to carry him to Bonanza Sirloin Pit where he works and Pete rode with me down there, then we went back to the pool room and I sit around there and played Trey low cards about 3:30 I left the pool room and went to see a guy who plays Piano in my band but he was not at home so I went back to the pool room when I went in they had broke up the card game And I walked around the Table and Lawrence Bradford was sitting on the table counting his money and I ask him when are you going to give me the Dollar that you owe me and Lawrence turned around and said I aint going to give you a goddam thing and steped down as he steped down he reach like he was going to reach under his shirt and I stepped to my right and pulled my gun and shot one time, them I walked around him and pointed the gun at him and he didnt move and I went to the doorv and pete was the last one out of the pool room and he sais dont shoot him anymore and I said I am not but if he moves Ill blow his brains out but he Quit moving so I put my gun up and said to call the Police, Then I left and went out by the Agricola shopping canter where my sister works and told her what had happened I left there and went to the county courthouse where I give myself up, And they called the police. This statement is true and correct to the best of my knoeledge and was typed for me by Lt M. L. Alexander after he explained my rights to me.”

This statement was signed by appellant. Alexander witnessed appellant’s signature. Appellant cooperated with Alexander, “one hundred percent.”

Eunice Bradford testified that she was the widow of the deceased. On July 12, 1977, Mrs. Bradford testified, the deceased’s .357 magnum was under the mattress of their bed at home.

At this time the State rested and appellant made the following motion, which was denied:

“Mr. Bone: At this time, if the Court please, we move to exclude the evidence and discharge the Defendant.
“The Court: Motion overruled.”

Appellant testified that the deceased carried a .357 magnum pistol on his person every day. This weapon was carried concealed under the deceased’s shirt. Appellant testified that he had a .22 caliber pistol on the day of the fatal incident to sell in order to pay back a loan.

Following is appellant’s version of the events in the poolroom.

From the record:
“Q. Did Pete say anything then?
“A. Well, Pete — Pete said, said, ‘He just lost $100 in a dice game.’ Said, ‘Man, Squeaky just lost $100 in a dice game.’ Like that, you know, so, well, I knew him — I knew what kind of person he was and so I—
“Q. Who are you talking about now, Pete or Squeaky?
“A. Squeaky. And I knew he was, you know, upset, you know, because of that and I just — I stepped back then, you [519]

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Willcutt v. State
226 So. 2d 328 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1969)
Denton v. State
82 So. 2d 406 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1955)
Richardson v. State
98 So. 2d 59 (Alabama Court of Appeals, 1957)
Eagen v. State
194 So. 2d 842 (Supreme Court of Alabama, 1967)
Daly v. State
260 So. 2d 412 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1972)
Hunt v. State
331 So. 2d 834 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1976)
Parks v. State
333 So. 2d 906 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1976)
Pike v. State
340 So. 2d 865 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1976)
Lee v. State
346 So. 2d 31 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
358 So. 2d 516, 1978 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 1221, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/posey-v-state-alacrimapp-1978.