Sanders v. State

9 So. 3d 1132, 2009 Miss. LEXIS 261, 2009 WL 1477241
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedMay 28, 2009
Docket2004-KA-00625-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 9 So. 3d 1132 (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, 9 So. 3d 1132, 2009 Miss. LEXIS 261, 2009 WL 1477241 (Mich. 2009).

Opinions

PIERCE, Justice,

for the Court.

¶ 1. Keith Duran Sanders was convicted of murder in the shooting death of Darryl Baxstrum and sentenced to life imprisonment. After due consideration, we find that Sanders was entitled to a competency hearing and reverse the conviction and sentence and remand for a new trial in accordance with this opinion.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

¶ 2. On August 5, 2001, Sanders suffered a gunshot wound to the head. As a result of the shooting, Sanders suffered brain damage and experienced temporary paralysis on the right side of his body. Sanders ultimately regained use of his right leg, but continued to walk with a limp, experienced trouble speaking, and suffered from anxiety, depression, and paranoia. At the time of his release from treatment, Sanders was taking three prescription medications: Zoloft, Nerantin,1 and Zyprexa. Sanders continued to take these medications until approximately August 2002, when he lost his Medicaid benefits and could not afford the medications.

¶ 3. On April 19, 2003, Sanders shot Daryl Baxstrum.2 At least two individu[1134]*1134als, Parrish Anderson and Trenell Edwards, witnessed the incident. According to both Anderson and Edwards, Sanders approached Baxstrum, pulled a handgun out of his pocket, and began shooting. As Baxstrum ran away, Sanders continued shooting, ultimately emptying his gun before getting into a truck and leaving the scene.

¶ 4. Numerous officers were dispatched to the scene. Officer Charles Swain, the first officer to arrive, found Baxstrum unresponsive. Officer Barry Truhett found seven .45-caliber shell casings, which were recovered by another officer and later turned over to Richard Sistrunk, Chief Investigator for the City of Philadelphia Police Department.

¶ 5. A short time after the incident, Officer Sistrunk received a call from the dispatcher advising him that Sanders, along with his mother, was at the jail turning himself over to authorities. As Officer Sistrunk was getting out of his car at the jail, Sanders, who was still outside the jail, stated “I shot him.” Officer Sistrunk advised Sanders not to say anything else until he had advised him of his rights. When he had finished advising Sanders of his rights, Officer Sistrunk asked him if he understood, and Sanders responded that he did understand them. As they walked inside the jail, Sanders made another comment-“I have been shot before. I wasn’t going to let Darryl shoot me first.”

¶ 6. Baxstrum died as a result of the shooting,3 and Sanders was indicted for the murder in violation of Mississippi Code Section 97 — 3—19(1)(a).4 Sanders pleaded not guilty.

¶ 7. On July 3, 2003, Sanders filed a motion for psychiatric evaluation pursuant to Rule 9.06 of the Uniform Rules of Circuit and County Court Practice (URCCC), claiming that he was “of insufficient soundness of mind” such that he was “not capable of making a rational defense.” Attached to and in support of this motion was the affidavit of Sanders’s attorney, Robert Brooks. The motion further stated that Sanders “has exhibited self-destructive behavior, toward himself and others, subsequent to having been shot in the head,” “has been treated with numerous psychotropic drugs,” and “has been previously committed to a psychiatric ward.”

¶ 8. On July 9, 2003, the trial judge granted Sanders’s motion for psychiatric evaluation. The judge’s order instructed Dr. Mark C. Webb, a qualified psychiatrist, to examine Sanders “to determine his present ability to stand trial and assist his attorney in his defense; and further examine him to determine his ability to know the difference between right and wrong and to understand the nature and quality of his actions at the time of the alleged offense.”5 Upon completion of the exami[1135]*1135nation, Dr. Webb was to make a written report of his findings and provide copies to the trial judge, the district attorney, the circuit clerk, and Sanders’s attorney.6

¶ 9. A trial was held on November 10-11, 2003. On the first day of trial, Sanders filed a notice that he would rely on the defense of insanity at the time of the alleged crime. On November 11, 2003, following a juiy trial, Sanders was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

¶ 10. Sanders’s post-trial motion for a new trial or other relief was denied by the trial court. Sanders’s petition for appeal, in forma pauperis, was granted, as was Sanders’s motion to file an out-of-time appeal. Sanders now appeals to this Court.

DISCUSSION

¶ 11. Sanders raises three issues on appeal: (1) whether he received effective assistance of counsel; (2) whether the trial court erred in failing to conduct a competency hearing; and (3) whether the trial court erred in refusing jury instruction D-8. This Court considers Sanders’s second issue, the competency hearing, to be dis-positive in this case. Since we reverse and remand for a new trial based on the competency issue, this Court need not address the other two issues on appeal.

Whether the Trial Court Erred in Failing to Conduct a Competency Hearing.

¶ 12. Sanders asserts that he should have been provided an on-the-record competency hearing pursuant to Rule 9.06.

¶ 13. This Court has stated:

The United States Supreme Court defines the standard for competency to stand trial as being “whether [a defendant] has sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding ... and whether he has a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against him.” Dusky v. United States., 362 U.S. 402, 80 S.Ct. 788, 788-89, 4 L.Ed.2d 824, 825 (1960) (per cu-riam).

Hearn v. State, 3 So.3d 722, 728 (Miss.2008). In Pate v. Robinson, 383 U.S. 375, 86 S.Ct. 836, 15 L.Ed.2d 815 (1966), the United States Supreme Court held that when the evidence raises a sufficient doubt as to a defendant’s mental ability to stand trial, that defendant is deprived of due process of law when the trial court does not, on its own, conduct a separate competency hearing. In other words, “trial courts are obligated to conduct a competency hearing, either on the defendant’s motion or sua sponte, if there is sufficient doubt about a defendant’s competence.” House v. State, 754 So.2d 1147, 1151 (Miss.1999) (emphasis added) (citing Drope v. Missouri, 420 U.S. 162, 180, 95 S.Ct. 896, 908, 43 L.Ed.2d 103 (1975); Pate, 383 U.S. 375, 86 S.Ct. 836).7

[1136]*1136¶ 14. In Pate, Robinson was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Pate, 383 U.S. at 376, 86 S.Ct. 836. At trial, Robinson’s attorney had argued that his client was insane and that he was mentally incompetent to stand trial. Id. Although Robinson’s attorney did not request a competency hearing, the United States Supreme Court reversed his conviction, finding that he was constitutionally entitled to such a hearing. Id.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
9 So. 3d 1132, 2009 Miss. LEXIS 261, 2009 WL 1477241, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/sanders-v-state-miss-2009.