State v. Dixon

716 S.W.2d 815, 1986 Mo. App. LEXIS 4506
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 12, 1986
DocketNo. WD 37505
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 716 S.W.2d 815 (State v. Dixon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Dixon, 716 S.W.2d 815, 1986 Mo. App. LEXIS 4506 (Mo. Ct. App. 1986).

Opinion

TURNAGE, Presiding Judge.

Donald L. Dixon was found guilty by a jury of two counts of murder in the first degree, § 565.003, RSMo 19781 two counts of armed criminal action § 571.015, one count of robbery in the first degree, § 569.020, and one count of burglary in the first degree, § 569.160. Sentence was imposed at life for each of the two counts of murder, three years for each of the two counts of armed criminal action, and ten years for robbery. Each armed criminal action sentence was made concurrent with each murder sentence and the robbery sentence was made concurrent with one of the murder sentences. The two murder sentences were made consecutive. The court dismissed the charge for burglary and set aside the jury’s verdict on that count on the ground that conviction on both the murder and burglary counts would subject Dixon to double jeopardy.

Dixon challenges the sufficiency of the evidence and the failure of the court to order the prosecutor to grant use immunity to two witnesses. Affirmed.

On the night of November 26 and in the early morning of November 27, 1983 Dixon and three friends, James Bowman, Anthony Lytle and Jon Smith set out to raise some money by stealing hubcaps or breaking into houses. The evidence most favorable to the state revealed that an elderly couple, Earl and Pauline Chambers, had been killed by multiple stab wounds in their home at 58th and Paseo in Kansas City. Police found the bodies in the bedroom and an investigation revealed a butcher knife which was soiled with the blood of the victims lying near the bodies. The prints of four sets of tennis shoes in mud and blood were found in the same bedroom. The shoe prints were different for each set. Numerous drawers throughout the house had been emptied.

A police detective interviewed Dixon. Dixon first denied knowledge of the crime, but later admitted that he had been in the Chambers’ house on the night of the murder. Dixon consented to a search of his room located in his parents’ home and a pair of tennis shoes was found. The detective testified that Dixon admitted having worn those tennis shoes on the night he was in the Chambers’ home.

Police removed part of the flooring in the bedroom near the bodies which showed some of the four sets of tennis shoe prints. A crime lab technician photographed the prints on the flooring and the soles of the tennis shoes Dixon admitted wearing when he was in the Chambers’ home. An overlay of the picture of the sole of Dixon’s tennis shoe was placed over the picture of the print on the flooring and the police technician testified that in his opinion Dixon’s tennis shoe had made the print on the Chambers’ floor. The overlay of the tennis [817]*817shoe sole on the picture of the print on the floor revealed four points of wear or scuff marks which matched exactly. The tennis shoe print on the floor was made in wet mud and blood.

The state introduced a letter which Dixon had written to Lytle. In the letter Dixon told Lytle that he needed him bad because “all they have is those tennis shoes and my statement in which I lied for all of you.” The letter continued “I want you to know that they can’t give you any more time, so if you tell them you wore the tennis shoes, nothing will happen.” The letter also stated “Anthony, you should have never told them you seen Eddie [Bowman] kill the people....”

Dixon testified at trial and stated that he and his three friends went to the front door of the Chambers’ house to determine if anyone was home with a view of possible burglary if no one was there. Dixon testified that when they approached the front door he saw a black male inside with tube socks covered with blood on his hands. Dixon and his friends decided to go a short distance from the house to wait for the man inside to emerge and then take from the man whatever property he was carrying. Dixon stated that a short while later when the man came out of the house Dixon recognized him and spoke with him. The man told Dixon to go in the house and help himself to any property he wanted to take. Dixon and his friends entered the house and Dixon started ransacking through drawers and his friends started to remove two TV sets and a microwave oven. They also encountered a second man in the house. Dixon testified that he never entered the bedroom where the bodies were located but he did see the leg of one of the victims. Dixon stated that when he was in the Chambers’ home he was not wearing the tennis shoes found in his room but that he had loaned those shoes to Lytle a few days earlier. At about that time someone in Dixon’s party had discovered the bodies and upon announcing that the people were dead Dixon and his three friends took the two TV sets and microwave oven and fled. Dixon said that he was trying to negotiate the sale of the oven the following day when he learned that the police wanted to talk with him.

Dixon and his three friends were charged separately. In addition the prosecutor filed charges against Michael Cunningham and Rodney Cayson, the two men who Dixon said were in the Chambers’ home when he arrived.

Prior to trial Dixon filed a motion requesting the court to require the prosecutor to grant use immunity to Smith and Bowman. A hearing was held on this motion during which it was revealed that an assistant prosecutor had talked with Smith and Bowman on a number of occasions in the presence of their attorney after the prosecutor had promised them use immunity. Use immunity as used in the context of this case was a promise by the prosecutor to Smith and Bowman that he would not use anything said by them against them. The court overruled the motion and when Dixon undertook to depose Smith and Low-man they each refused to testify on grounds of the fifth amendment.

Dixon contends that the court erred in failing to order the prosecutor to grant Smith and Bowman use immunity so that Dixon could produce their testimony in his trial. Dixon contends the failure of the court to do this violated his right of compulsory process and due process. By the time Dixon went to trial the charges against Smith, Bowman, Cunningham and Cayson had been dismissed. No attempt was made by Dixon to secure the evidence of Cunningham and Cayson and no request was made that the prosecutor be ordered to grant use immunity to them.

The assistant prosecutor in his deposition stated that Smith and Bowman had told him identical stories concerning the entry of Dixon and his friends into Chambers’ home. A 16 page statement given to the prosecutor by Smith was made available to [818]*818Dixon. That statement contains the same account testified to by Dixon that he and his friends were in the Chambers’ home. In that statement Smith stated that he did not know whether or not Dixon had taken part in the Chambers’ homicide.

The contention on appeal is that Dixon was entitled to have the prosecutor forced to grant use immunity to Smith and Bowman so that they could testify to corroborate Dixon’s testimony. The question of requiring a prosecuting attorney to grant use immunity so that a person may testify in favor of a defendant who is on trial for a criminal charge has not been presented in Missouri, nor does Missouri have a statute allowing the prosecutor to grant such immunity. The question has arisen in the federal system and the circuits have divided on the question. In Government of the Virgin Islands v. Smith, 615 F.2d 964

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2020 VT 21 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2020)
United States v. Donald L. Dixon
360 F.3d 845 (Eighth Circuit, 2004)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
716 S.W.2d 815, 1986 Mo. App. LEXIS 4506, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-dixon-moctapp-1986.