State v. Baldwin

358 S.W.2d 18, 1962 Mo. LEXIS 681
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedJune 11, 1962
Docket48967
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 358 S.W.2d 18 (State v. Baldwin) 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 v. Baldwin, 358 S.W.2d 18, 1962 Mo. LEXIS 681 (Mo. 1962).

Opinion

BOHLING, Commissioner.

Reggie Allen Baldwin appeals from a judgment imposing a sentence of seven years’ imprisonment for subornation of perjury. §§ 557.040, 557.050, 557.020. Statutory references are to RSMo 1959 and V.A.M.S. He questions the submissibility of the State’s case, the admission of certain evidence, the propriety of an instruction, and remarks of the State’s attorney in the closing argument.

Raymond Baldwin, defendant’s son, and Tommy Burton were charged with breaking into the Westport school. Raymond’s case was tried in the Circuit Court of Greene County, Division One, Honorable William R. Collinson, presiding, on January 17, 1961. He contended he was not at the burglary, did not commit it. He was represented by two attorneys of Springfield, Missouri. Burton, who had pleaded guilty, testified that Raymond and he committed the burglary between 7:00 and 8:00 p. m. on Sunday, March 13, 1960. There was testimony and the jury were instructed on Raymond’s defense of an alibi. The jury acquitted Raymond.

*20 Mrs. Helen Smith, who was 19, the mother of two infant daughters, separated from her husband and later divorced, was sworn and testified on behalf of Raymond. Raymond and she dated. Witness kept a diary. Refreshing her memory from entries in the diary, she testified, material here in support of Raymond’s alibi defense, that Raymond, on March 11, 1960, asked her to go out with him on Sunday; that Raymond and she went to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Warren Colson between 4:00 and 4:30 p. m. Sunday, March 13, 1960; that they had supper at the Colsons’, at which chicken was served, and played cards; that Raymond consumed quite a bit of beer, got drunk and passed out about midnight on the divan; that someone removed his shoes; that Mr. Colson took her home about 1:00 a. m. on the 14th; and that Raymond had not left the Colsons’ home from the time they arrived until she left.

The cross-examination developed that the diary entries of March 13 had been written in different ink; that part of the entry appeared under “March 14,” with the “14” scratched out; and that she never mentioned this testimony to any public official and first disclosed it from the witness stand.

At this, the subornation trial, the following evidence was adduced:

Mrs. Colson testified that right after the first of 1961, defendant and Raymond drove Mr. and Mrs. Colson to the attorneys’ office, where they held a conference. At that conference the Colsons’ testimony was to be that Raymond was at their house the night of the burglary, Sunday, March 13, 1960, had supper, played cards, got drunk, passed out, and Mr. Colson put him to bed on the divan. Defendant was present and could hear what was said. Neither Helen Smith nor chicken for supper was mentioned.

Mrs. Smith testified as follows: She first dated Raymond about the first of June, 1960. She was asked to be a witness that Tommy Burton’s reputation for truth was bad, but did not commit herself one way or the other. She talked to defendant by telephone early in the morning of January 10, 1961, about a week before the trial, and defendant said Raymond wanted her to be a witness for him and for her to go to the garage and talk to Raymond. Joan Baker, Mrs. Smith’s sister-in-law, took Mrs. Smith to a garage on Highway 66 West. Mrs. Smith went in the garage and talked to Raymond. She came out and Mrs. Baker took her to defendant’s home. Mrs. Smith went in the house and talked to defendant. She waj in defendant’s home for twenty to thirty minutes. Mrs. Smith testified defendant told her she was to testify that she and Raymond were at Warren Colson's house; that they played cards and things; that Raymond got drunk and passed out on the divan. She told him she could not do it. He said he thought she better and, when she asked why, said Raymond would talk to her later. She testified Raymond thereafter talked to her on Thursday night, on Sunday, and on Monday before the trial. She then testified that at the garage Raymond said he wanted her to testify at his trial, and for her to go to his house and talk to his father; and that Mrs. Baker then drove her to defendant’s home. Raymond came to the “Sky Ranch” Thursday evening. She went out, got in his car, and “asked him about it.” He said he didn’t know too much about what we did and would have to ask Mr. Colson. She told him she couldn’t swear to all that in court. “And he said, well, I better, if I didn’t he would make sure something happened to my two girls.” She later talked to him in her home before the trial, and he told her they were supposed to have been over at Mr. and Mrs. Colson’s between 4:00 and 4:30; they played cards, had chicken for supper; he got drunk and passed out on the divan around midnight, and Mr. Colson took her home between 12:30 and 1:00 a. m. They talked about remembering the date, and she mentioned she kept a diary and could say she had it in her diary. Raymond agreed to this.

The day before Raymond’s trial, Raymond and Mrs. Smith went by for the Colsons, then for defendant at his home, *21 and took them to the attorneys’ office. ■ Mrs. Colson testified that she then first met Mrs. Smith. On the way over, Mrs. Colson was first told that they had chicken for supper on March 13, 1960. She did not remember that defendant said this but he heard it. All those named were at this conference with the attorneys. The testimony of Mrs. Colson and Mrs. Smith was that the attorneys did not tell the witnesses what to testify to; that they had been briefed and their testimony discussed before they went to the attorneys’ office. What Mr. and Mrs. Colson and Mrs. Smith were to testify to at Raymond’s trial and hereinbefore narrated was discussed at this conference. Mrs. Colson remembered the date because she had secured a prescription for her sick child on that day, and Mrs. Smith said she had entered it in her diary. One of the attorneys told Mrs. Smith to bring her diary to court the next morning. On the way home from the conference, Mrs. Smith stated she didn’t know whether she had an entry in the diary for the 13th. Raymond said he would buy her a new diary if she did. She answered she would have to stay up all night writing in it. Defendant first told Mrs. Smith to bring her diary and, later, not to; that she wouldn’t have to show it if she didn’t have it. Defendant also told them if the Colsons and Mrs. Smith “stuck together he thought Raymond would get off,” and he would buy them some whiskey.

Defendant, his wife and Raymond came by for Mrs. Smith on January 17, 1961. Raymond told her not to bring the diary, they wouldn’t need it. They then tried but were unable to locate Mr. and Mrs. Colson. The Colsons had been subpoenaed to testify but, according to Mrs. Colson, they went to Mr. Colson’s uncle’s in the country because she wouldn’t get up in court and lie.

One of the attorneys told Mrs. Smith to get her diary at the noon recess when informed she did not have it. At noon, in the presence of defendant, Raymond told Mrs. Smith not to get her diary, he didn’t think they would need it. Upon learning that Mrs. Smith did not have her diary, the attorney told her he would not use her as a witness until he had seen the diary; and defendant, who was present, interrupted and volunteered to take her to get the diary. Mrs. Smith testified she got her diary from the house and upon returning to defendant’s car showed defendant that she had an entry for March 13.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
358 S.W.2d 18, 1962 Mo. LEXIS 681, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-baldwin-mo-1962.