State Ex Rel. Eggers v. Enright

609 S.W.2d 381, 1980 Mo. LEXIS 428
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedDecember 15, 1980
Docket61964
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 609 S.W.2d 381 (State Ex Rel. Eggers v. Enright) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Eggers v. Enright, 609 S.W.2d 381, 1980 Mo. LEXIS 428 (Mo. 1980).

Opinions

RENDLEN, Judge.

Relator unsuccessfully sought prohibition in the Court of Appeals, Eastern District. He now petitions this Court to prevent respondent, the Honorable Richard Enright, Judge of the 21st Judicial Circuit, from proceeding further in the capital murder prosecution of relator, William Henry Eg-gers. Eggers contends that after a jury determines his case and if a guilty verdict is returned, he should be allowed under § 557.-036.2, RSMo 1978, to change the course of trial by waiving further service of the jury,1 and require the judge alone to hear evidence in the second stage of the bifurcated capital murder procedure provided by § 565.006.2, RSMo 1978. Further, that the judge alone should assess punishment. To accomplish these ends, relator prays respondent be restrained (1) from denying his motion “for a jury-waived sentencing” and (2) “from denying . .. [his] motion in limine to prohibit the prosecuting attorney from conducting a voir dire examination regarding the death penalty in said cause.” For reasons hereinafter discussed, the extraordinary legal writ is inappropriate and the preliminary rule will be quashed.

The prime purpose of the writ is “to prevent usurpation of judicial power,” § 530.010, RSMo 1978, not to provide a remedy for all legal difficulties nor serve as a substitute for appeal, State ex rel. Berbiglia v. Randall, 423 S.W.2d 765, 770 (Mo. banc 1968). Though appeal must provide an adequate remedy, the essential function of prohibition is to confine judicial activities within limits of cognizable authority, preventing actions in want or in excess of the court’s jurisdiction. State ex rel. Allen v. Yeaman, 440 S.W.2d 138, 145 (Mo.App.1969). Further it has been held that prohibition will not be granted except when usurpation of jurisdiction or an act in excess of the same is “clearly evident.” State ex rel. McCarter v. Craig, 328 S.W.2d 589, 591 (Mo. banc 1959), and the writ should not be used for correction of an alleged or anticipated judicial error, State ex rel. Boll v. Weinstein, 365 Mo. 1179, 295 S.W.2d 62, 67 (1956). Procedurally it is relator’s burden to establish that respondent has usurped or acted in excess of his jurisdiction. In this case it is readily apparent that respondent acted within the authority conferred by Chapter 565, RSMo, (enacted separately from the “New Criminal Code”)2 entitled “offenses against the person” and more particularly the capital murder statutes,3 enacted in the laws of 1977 as House Bill 90 to become effective May 26, 1977. It was under these non-code sections, dealing exclusively with the crimes of the sort in question and the unique bifurcated hearing system established especially for such crimes, that respondent denied defendant-relator’s motions for court assessed punishment and to restrict the State’s conduct of voir dire. No serious claim can be made that the court exceeded its jurisdiction, for under § 565.006.2 it is provided that “[i]n capital murder cases in which the death penalty may be imposed by a jury or judge sitting without a jury, the additional procedure provided in § 565.012 shall be followed. The jury, or the judge in cases tried by a judge, shall fix a sentence within the limits prescribed by law.” (Emphasis added.) [383]*383Under this explicit language it is the jury that shall fix the sentence if the jury has heard the case and determined guilt, as contrasted with cases “tried by a judge” in which the judge has determined guilt and in such instances it is he that shall fix the sentence. Relator has not waived a jury; to the contrary he expects a jury trial, yet insists that respondent disregard the cited provisions of § 565.006.2 and if a guilty verdict is returned, then discharge the jury, hear the additional evidence and fix the sentence. What relator asks is for the trial judge to act contrary to the clear mandate of § 565.006.2 and that we compel by the writ such conduct. As previously noted, for the writ to issue the usurpation or act in excess of jurisdiction must be clearly evident. The writ should not be used to correct or prevent the exercise of judicial power nor for the correction of alleged or anticipated judicial error. How can it be said the trial court’s adherence to the requirement of the statute is a “clearly evident” usurpation of jurisdiction? We hold that it is not.

Relator however relies on § 557.036.2,4 contending it overrides the clear language of § 565.006 and its related sections. The question is one of statutory construction.

Weighing the jurisdictional quality of respondent’s acts, we must be aware that the bifurcated hearing provided by our capital murder statute under mandate of the United States Supreme Court, see Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153, 96 S.Ct. 2909, 49 L.Ed.2d 859 (1976), was in place and effective at the time the new criminal code containing § 557.036.2 became effective on January 1, 1979. Nothing in the code expressly repealed any provision of the capital murder law. On the other hand, § 556.031.2 of the code provides, “[ojffenses defined outside of this code and not repealed shall remain in effect ...”5 Further it should be noted that chapter 557, the “general sentencing provisions” of the new criminal code (containing § 557.036 which defendant contends absolutely controls here) is prefaced by § 557.011 whose language again demonstrates a legislative awareness of the criminal statutes outside the code.6 Thus the legislative intent to leave undisturbed special statutes defining crimes outside the code finds expression in various code provisions. Hence, we must ask, did the legislature intend that § 557.-036.2 repeal by implication the provisions of § 565.006.2. In this connection it should be remembered the Missouri statutory provisions in capital cases were adopted pursuant to the requirements of the United States Supreme Court prescribed in Gregg, supra, and related cases. Significantly, the Court in Gregg stated at 190, 96 S.Ct. at 2933 “[jjury sentencing has been considered desirable in capital cases in order ‘to maintain a link between the contemporary community values and the penal system-a link without which the determination of punishment could hardly reflect the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of the [384]*384maturing society.’ ” Under Missouri law the jury’s role in the sentencing process has been preserved and enhanced in our system dealing with capital murder. Additionally, if respondent were to interpret the statute as requested by relator it would repeal by implication portions of the capital murder statutes, a process not favored in our law. Folk v. City of St. Louis, 250 Mo. 116, 157 S.W. 71 (1913). The capital murder statutes deal only and particularly with that non-code crime and its discrete trial and sentencing procedures. Nothing in our law contemplates that capital murder’s unique trial and sentencing mechanism be applicable to any other crime. In contrast, § 557.-036.2 addresses itself in broad terms to sentencing procedures in general.

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

Related

State ex rel. Jerry Cullen, Relator v. The Honorable Kevin Harrell
567 S.W.3d 633 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 2019)
State ex rel. Nothum v. Walsh
380 S.W.3d 557 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 2012)
State v. Weaver
178 S.W.3d 545 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2005)
State ex rel. Phillips v. LePage
67 S.W.3d 690 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2002)
State Ex Rel. Tolbert v. Sweeney
828 S.W.2d 929 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1992)
State ex rel. Less v. O'Brien
814 S.W.2d 2 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1991)
State ex rel. White v. Eiffert
774 S.W.2d 152 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1989)
State Ex Rel. Burrell-El v. Autrey
752 S.W.2d 895 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1988)
State Ex Rel. Missouri Highway & Transportation Commission v. Anderson
735 S.W.2d 350 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1987)
State ex rel. O'Brien v. Ely
718 S.W.2d 177 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1986)
State ex rel. Grimes v. Appelquist
706 S.W.2d 526 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1986)
State Ex Rel. King v. Kinder
690 S.W.2d 408 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1985)
State Ex Rel. Estill v. Iannone
687 S.W.2d 172 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1985)
State v. Eggers
675 S.W.2d 923 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1984)
State Ex Rel. Hannah v. Seier
654 S.W.2d 894 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1983)
State Ex Rel. Martin v. Peters
649 S.W.2d 561 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1983)
State v. Reed
640 S.W.2d 188 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1982)
State Ex Rel. Vanderpool Feed & Supply Co. v. Sloan
628 S.W.2d 414 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1982)
State Ex Rel. Tarrasch v. Crow
622 S.W.2d 928 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1981)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
609 S.W.2d 381, 1980 Mo. LEXIS 428, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-eggers-v-enright-mo-1980.