Ray v. State

1988 OK CR 133, 758 P.2d 823, 1988 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 142, 1988 WL 74680
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 15, 1988
DocketF-84-248
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 1988 OK CR 133 (Ray v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ray v. State, 1988 OK CR 133, 758 P.2d 823, 1988 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 142, 1988 WL 74680 (Okla. Ct. App. 1988).

Opinions

BRETT, Presiding Judge:

Frederick Clarence Ray, Jr., appellant, was tried by jury for the crime of First Degree Murder in the District Court of Oklahoma County in Case No. CRF-83-1155. Appellant was represented by counsel. The jury found appellant guilty of First Degree Manslaughter and set punishment at thirty (30) years’ imprisonment. From this Judgment and Sentence, appellant appeals to this Court.

The body of Walter David Smith was discovered on February 15, 1983, near a muddy dump ground in Oklahoma County. Smith had been shot three times in the left side of the head at close range.

Subsequent police investigation revealed that Smith had been a drug dealer in the Oklahoma City area. Further investigation revealed that appellant was an associate in Smith’s drug business. Oklahoma City police detectives contacted appellant at his apartment on February 18, 1983. Appellant explained that he had known Smith for approximately two years and had lived in-termittenly with him. Appellant related further that a couple, Carey and Terry Rider, had also shared the apartment. Appellant admitted working for Smith, but stated that he had last seen Smith on the evening of February 9, 1983.

Pursuant to his consent, the officer’s searched appellant’s vehicle. The officers observed that the vehicle was covered with mud, but that it had clean, new tires. Inside the vehicle, the officers found some blood. The officers then advised appellant of his Miranda rights, and he agreed to talk voluntarily. Appellant claimed that the blood was from Smith’s nose, the result of a recent fight. Appellant also explained the mud as being left from a recent rainstorm.

Subsequent to this interview, Carey Rider gave a sworn affidavit, in which he related that appellant and Smith had had a heated argument on the evening of February 9, 1983. The argument had continued throughout the evening until the pair left the apartment, apparently to conduct a drug transaction. Approximately thirty minutes later, appellant returned without Smith. He explained how he had killed Smith by shooting him three times. Appellant claimed that he dumped Smith’s body in a junkyard and removed his jewelry and money.

Based on this affidavit, appellant was arrested in Weatherford, Oklahoma on February 21, 1983. Detectives were dispatched to Weatherford to transport appellant back to Oklahoma City. After being informed of his Miranda rights, appellant acknowledged that he understood those rights and signed a valid waiver of rights form. Upon departure, appellant requested a lawyer to determine if the officers had authority to take him from Weatherford. The officers advised appellant that he would have the opportunity to contact a lawyer once they returned to Oklahoma City. No further communication was made during the trip. Upon arriving at the police department, appellant was booked into jail and given an opportunity to call an attorney.

The following morning, February 22, 1983, appellant was taken from his jail cell and interviewed by three detectives. After appellant was advised of his rights, the officer proceeded to inform him of the evidence against him. Appellant broke down and admitted killing Smith. At this time, appellant stated that he thought he needed [825]*825an attorney. The officers informed him that all questioning would stop and that he would be allowed to contact an attorney or one would be provided for him. After regaining his composure, appellant replied that he did not want an attorney and that he would talk voluntarily. After his confession, appellant signed a typewritten statement.

Appellant claims in his first assignment of error that the trial court committed fundamental error by failing to suppress his confession. Appellant relies on Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477, 101 S.Ct. 1880, 68 L.Ed.2d 378 (1980), in which the United States Supreme Court held that when an accused has expressed his desire to remain silent or to deal with the police only through counsel, questioning must cease until counsel has been made available to him or unless the accused initiates further communication. Specifically, appellant claims that he invoked his right to counsel when he requested an attorney to see if he could be transported to Oklahoma City. He claims that this right was violated when the officers initiated further contact with him the following day.

Initially, appellant admits that he never invoked his right to counsel on February 22, 1984. Thus, the only issue is whether appellant effectively invoked his right to counsel the day before. In Edwards, the Supreme Court emphasized that it would be inconsistent with Miranda and its progeny for the authorities to reinterro-gate an accused in custody if he has clearly asserted his right to counsel. We fail to find that appellant ever clearly asserted his right to deal with the police only through counsel.

This is not a case where the police failed to honor a decision of an accused to have counsel present during questioning. Appellant was repeatedly advised of his rights and had every opportunity to invoke his right to counsel. This Court cannot find that a request for an attorney to determine if one may be transported is the equivalent of an assertion of one’s Fifth Amendment right to deal with the police only through counsel. We find this assignment to be without merit.

In his final assignment of error, appellant alleges that the trial court erred in not granting a mistrial when the defense was approached during trial by Michael and Brenda York, who claimed to have given exculpatory statements concerning the appellant to the police during the investigation. The Yorks were friends of Carey Rider. They claimed that Rider came to their apartment on the night of the murder bragging how he and appellant had killed Smith. The Yorks claimed that Rider had blood on his shirt and displayed jewelry and money that he claimed was taken from Smith’s body. One week prior to trial, detectives delivered this information to the prosecutor, who admitted not providing it to the defense.

Appellant cites Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963), in which the United States Supreme Court held that the suppression by the prosecutor of evidence favorable to an accused upon request violates due process where the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment irrespective of the good faith or bad faith of the prosecution. Appellant also relies on United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 96 S.Ct. 2392, 49 L.Ed.2d 342 (1976), where the Supreme Court stated that there are situations in which evidence is obviously of such substantial value to the defense that elementary fairness requires it to be disclosed even without a specific request.

However, in Bagley v. United States, 473 U.S. 667, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985), the Supreme Court held that evidence is material only if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different. A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.

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Related

Ullery v. State
1999 OK CR 36 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1999)
State v. Munson
1994 OK CR 77 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1994)
Sadler v. State
1993 OK CR 2 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1993)
Ray v. State
1988 OK CR 133 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1988)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1988 OK CR 133, 758 P.2d 823, 1988 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 142, 1988 WL 74680, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ray-v-state-oklacrimapp-1988.