Price v. State

1975 OK CR 199, 541 P.2d 373, 1975 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 469
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma·Decided October 8, 1975·No. No. F-75-375·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

OPINION

BLISS, Judge:

Appellant, Homer Price, hereinafter referred to as defendant, was charged, tried and convicted in the District Court, Tulsa County, Case No. CRF-72-1321, for the offense of Murder in violation of 21 O.S. 1971, § 701. His punishment was fixed at Life imprisonment, and from said judgment and sentence defendant failed to perfect a timely appeal to this Court. The District Court, Tulsa County, denied defendant’s petition for Post Conviction Relief, Case No. PC-74-769. From this denial the defendant perfected an appeal to this Court, in which we reversed the trial court and granted the defendant’s petition for an appeal out of time, the merits of which are herein considered.

[374] The State’s first witness at trial was 15-year-old Brenda Louise Gordon, who resided with her mother, Mary Jean Gordon, at 1548 North Frankfort Avenue in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the early morning hours at approximately 2:30 a. m. on the morning of July 15, 1972, the witness testified that she saw Homer Price, the defendant, with three other persons, Judge Brandon, later killed by the defendant, Evelyn Scott, girlfriend of Judge Brandon, and another young man whom the witness did not know. The witness was in front of her house with her boyfriend, Garland Parker, when the other four persons, all in defendant’s car, pulled up and asked the witness where her mother was. The witness told the defendant where her mother was and the defendant left. About one hour later the witness saw the defendant again in his car with his friends and her mother, Mary Jean Gordon. The defendant and Mary Jean were arguing outside the car which was stopped next to a Git-N-Go Store. The witness did not know what they were fighting about, but Mary Jean wanted to get in the car with the witness and Garland but the defendant would not let her. As a result of the argument, Evelyn Scott drove the defendant’s car and followed Garland Parker, the witness, Mary Jean and the defendant to Mary Jean’s house. When they arrived at the Gordon home the defendant attempted to get his keys from Evelyn Scott who had driven his car over to the Gordons’. Evelyn refused to give the keys to the defendant because she was afraid that the defendant would leave her stranded in Tulsa. The defendant and his three friends had driven to Tulsa from Lawrence, Kansas, that evening. The defendant told Evelyn that he only wanted the keys so he could get the tape deck out of the trunk. When Evelyn again refused to give him the keys he reached into his car and aroused Judge Brandon, who had been asleep in the back seat. Judge was angry from being awakened and he and the defendant began to argue. The argument grew into a fight, during which Judge and Homer went into the yard of a neighbor. After the fight Mary Jean went into her house and the witness and everyone else left with the exception of the defendant who just laid in the yard where he had fought.

When the witness and Garland Parker arrived back at the house the defendant had been stabbed by Mary Jean, and there was some discussion about taking him to the doctor. The defendant refused to see a doctor and insisted upon going to his mother’s house, who also lived in Tulsa. Upon his request, the entire group of people went to the home of the defendant’s mother. When they arrived at his mother’s house the defendant’s nieces, Loretta and Luella, as well as the defendant’s mother, were already there. They listened to music for about half an hour until the defendant’s mother left the house. Judge Brandon, Mary Jean Gordon and Evelyn Scott all went to sleep in the living room while the children went into a back bedroom to listen to music. The witness testified that while she, Loretta, Luella and the other young man went into the back bedroom the defendant and Garland left in defendant’s car. About an hour later the defendant and Garland came back with some beer but remained there for only a minute or two and then left again. Then, about 45 minutes later Garland and the defendant again returned. The witness further testified that when they returned Mary Jean, Judge, and Evelyn were still asleep. Garland went back into the hallway with Brenda where they began to neck. After they had been kissing in the hallway for about five minutes they heard three shots which sounded like a gun, the noise coming from the living room. Moments later when she went into the living room she saw Judge lying on the floor with blood around his head. She testified that her mother and Evelyn Scott were in the living room at the time of the shooting. She further stated that while she was in the hall[375] ■way, just before the shooting, she heard no argument whatsoever.

The State’s next witness was Garland Parker whose testimony substantially supported that of Brenda Gordon. The testimony of Garland Parker will only be presented herein as it is inconsistent with or adds to the testimony of Brenda Gordon.

Garland testified that just prior to the fight between defendant and Evelyn, after Judge had been awakened, he grabbed a pistol from Evelyn. Judge then said he did not need a pistol to whip the defendant. After the fight was over and just before Judge left with the others, Judge sat on the curb and played with the pistol. As to the second time that Garland and the defendant left the other group, after arriving at the defendant’s mother’s home, Garland testified that the defendant drove him to a pawnshop where the defendant pawned his tape deck for a rifle. He further testified that he did not know what kind of gun it was, nor did he shoot it, load it, or even handle it. Garland was not even sure whether the defendant had placed the gun in the back seat or in the trunk. On their way back to the house, the defendant stopped and bought a six pack of beer. He testified that when they arrived back at the house after purchasing the rifle, Judge was asleep on the couch. As to the shooting itself, Garland testified that he was not sure whether he had heard two or three shots. In relation to the events of the whole morning, Garland testified that tempers had quieted by the time of the shooting. He also testified that when he was in the living room, after Judge had been shot, he saw no pistol anywhere in the living room near or far from the body of Judge Brandon.

The State’s next witness was J. B. Terrell who identified the defendant as the man who had purchased a Springfield .22 bolt-action rifle with a clip on the morning of July IS, 1972. Terrell filled out the firearms transaction record to which the defendant, Homer Price, had affixed his signature.

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Price v. State, 1975 OK CR 199, 541 P.2d 373, 1975 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 469 (Okla. Ct. App. 1975).

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