Sanders v. State

835 So. 2d 45, 2003 WL 125253
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedJanuary 16, 2003
Docket2001-KA-00795-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 835 So. 2d 45 (Sanders v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Sanders v. State, 835 So. 2d 45, 2003 WL 125253 (Mich. 2003).

Opinion

835 So.2d 45 (2003)

James Robert SANDERS
v.
STATE of Mississippi.

No. 2001-KA-00795-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

January 16, 2003.

*46 Eugene A. Perrier, Vicksburg, attorney for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General, by Charles W. Maris, Jr., attorneys for appellee.

Before PITTMAN, C.J., WALLER AND CARLSON, JJ.

CARLSON, J., for the Court.

¶ 1. Having been indicted, tried, convicted and sentenced for murder and armed robbery, James Robert Sanders (Sanders) appeals from the final judgment of the Circuit Court of Warren County, claiming that the circuit court erred in holding that because Sanders had re-initiated conversation with law enforcement after he requested an attorney, his waiver of rights was effective, and thus, his confession could be admitted. Finding the correct standard was applied in determining Sanders's confession was admissible, we affirm the judgment of the circuit court.

STATEMENT OF THE CASE

¶ 2. On March 13, 2000, James Robert Sanders (Sanders) was arrested for the murder of Paul Moore (Moore) after Sanders's brother, Greg, told local law enforcement where Moore's body could be found. After his arrest, Sanders confessed that he had shot Moore but the killing was not intentional.

¶ 3. On May 2, 2000, Sanders was indicted on the charges of murder (Count I) and armed robbery (Count II). Sanders filed a motion to suppress his confession, and a hearing was held prior to the trial. The trial court denied Sanders's motion and allowed the confession to be admitted into evidence. The trial began on March 26, 2001, and at the conclusion of the trial, the jury found Sanders guilty of the crimes of murder and armed robbery. Two days after the guilty verdicts were returned, the circuit judge sentenced Sanders to a term of life imprisonment for murder (Count I)[1] and to a term of life imprisonment without parole for armed robbery.[2] Sanders filed *47 a motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict, or in the alternative, a new trial. Sanders also asked the trial court to set aside the verdict and find him guilty of manslaughter, or in the alternative, grant him a new trial. Upon the trial court's denial of all post-trial motions, Sanders appealed to this Court, raising only one issue which has been restated for the sake of clarity:

WHETHER THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN DENYING SANDERS'S MOTION TO SUPPRESS AND IN ADMITTING INTO EVIDENCE SANDERS'S RECORDED AND TRANSCRIBED CONFESSION.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN THE TRIAL COURT

¶ 4. The substantive facts of this case are not in dispute on this appeal. On the night of February 18, 2000, Sanders lured Moore into a remote wooded area in Warren County. Once they reached the woods, Sanders's brother, Greg, led the way with Sanders bringing up the rear. Greg testified he heard the click of a gun, and when he turned around, Sanders had the gun aimed at the back of Moore's head and fired. Although Sanders claims he and Moore were in the midst of a heated argument, Greg testified he never heard any raised voices. Sanders and his brother left the body in the woods and drove away in Moore's car. Sanders claimed he never touched Moore's body, nor did he take anything from him, but Sanders testified he did remember his brother, Greg, throwing Moore's pager out of the car window as they were leaving the scene. Moore's pager and wallet were both missing from the crime scene.

¶ 5. In due course, Sanders filed a motion to suppress his confession claiming the statement "was not freely and voluntarily given but was the product of duress and coercion, physical and mental fatigue, torture and harassment, coupled with promises of favor made by the Sheriff in order to get him to waive his rights and give a statement, without the benefit of counsel...." Pursuant to the motion, the trial court conducted a pre-trial suppression hearing. The following recitation of facts is gleaned from the transcript of that suppression hearing.

¶ 6. On March 13, 2000, at the request of the Warren County Sheriff's Department, the Rankin County Sheriff's Department arrested James Sanders. Sanders was advised of his rights by Rankin County Sheriff Ken Dickerson. He was then placed in the back of a patrol car and taken to Sutherland's Lumber Company in Pearl where he was turned over to the Warren County Sheriff's Department. Both Sheriff Dickerson and Rankin County Investigator Chad Dixon testified that Sanders never made a statement of any kind in their presence, nor did he request an attorney. Sheriff Dickerson and Investigator Dixon also testified Sanders was informed that he was under arrest for capital murder.

¶ 7. Sheriff Martin Pace and Undersheriff Jeff Riggs of the Warren County Sheriff's Department transported Sanders back to Warren County. Sheriff Pace informed Sanders of his rights as soon as Sanders was transferred into his custody. Sheriff Pace recorded those rights as he gave them through the E-911 Dispatch Center in Vicksburg. A printout from the E-911 recording indicates the time and date that the rights were given. There was also a recording made of Sheriff Pace advising Sanders of his rights. Sheriff Pace testified that no interrogation or questioning occurred during the trip from Rankin County to Warren County. Both Sheriff Pace and Undersheriff Riggs testified they did not recall Sanders ever requesting an *48 attorney while Sanders was in their custody. Both officials also testified no promises were made to Sanders in exchange for his testimony, nor was he coerced or tortured in any way.

¶ 8. Sheriff Pace was questioned regarding Sanders's statement made to him the night Sanders was arrested. Although Sheriff Pace testified he did not recall Sanders ever requesting an attorney, he was asked to refer to Sanders's confession where Sanders stated "requested a lawyer but now I've [sic] waiving those rights."

MARTIN PACE James, I first had contact with you this evening in Rankin County in the presence of Sheriff Ken Dickerson and a number of his deputies. As soon as you were in my car with Undersheriff Jeff Riggs and myself, I advised you of some rights. Do you recall that?
JAMES SANDERS Yes sir.
MARTIN PACE And what was your response to that?
JAMES SANDERS Uh ... at the time I said that I understood and ...
MARTIN PACE Okay.
JAMES SANDERS ... requested a lawyer but now I've [sic] waiving those rights.
MARTIN PACE Okay, which brings me to this point. I read you rights and you made that statement and then at some point before we got back to Vicksburg you said that you would like to talk to me if it was just me, is that correct?
JAMES SANDERS Correct.
MARTIN PACE Okay, and was there any coercion or for that matter, even any conversation leading up to that?
JAMES SANDERS No sir.

Sheriff Pace stated at the suppression hearing that he still did not recall a conversation where Sanders ever requested an attorney, but if Sanders did request an attorney, he would have to assume it would have been in response to their first contact with Sanders.

¶ 9. At the suppression hearing, Sanders attempted to refute the testimony of the law enforcement officials. He testified that after he was arrested by the Rankin County Sheriff's Department and he was read his rights by Sheriff Dickerson, he asked the sheriff if he could have a lawyer.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
835 So. 2d 45, 2003 WL 125253, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sanders-v-state-miss-2003.