State v. Ellis

567 S.W.2d 454, 1978 Mo. App. LEXIS 2570
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 30, 1978
DocketNo. 39204
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 567 S.W.2d 454 (State v. Ellis) 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. Ellis, 567 S.W.2d 454, 1978 Mo. App. LEXIS 2570 (Mo. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

REINHARD, Judge.

Defendant appeals from a conviction by a jury of two counts of murder in the first degree, two counts of robbery in the first degree, and one count of exhibiting a deadly weapon in a rude, angry and threatening manner. Under the Second Offender Act the court assessed his punishment at life imprisonment on each of the two counts of murder, and twenty-five years imprisonment on each count of robbery, to run consecutively, and five years imprisonment on the deadly weapon charge, to run concurrently.

Prom the evidence, a jury could have found that on January 23, 1975, defendant entered Boyer’s Food Shop located in the City of St. Louis and robbed the manager of the store, Christopher Aiello, in the amount of $100.00 to $110.00; that defendant killed Jimmy Skaggs and Christopher Aiello; that Ralph Burton came into the store after defendant had shot Skaggs and Aiello and defendant then robbed Burton of his billfold and its contents; and that shortly thereafter immediately before his apprehension he pulled a gun on an officer.

Burton gave police a description of the assailant. The defendant, fitting the description, was observed walking several blocks from the store. A brown bag containing $106.00 in currency, as well as the wallets of Skaggs and Burton, were found on his person. Defendant was taken to Burton who identified him as the man who had robbed him earlier. Defendant confessed to the crime. An expert testified the bullets taken from the victims’ bodies were fired from the gun defendant brandished in the presence of the officer. Samples taken from defendant’s hands disclosed that he had handled and discharged a gun that morning.

The defendant contends that the trial court erred in refusing to allow him to call his mother, Rosetta Hardin, as a witness. Under Supreme Court Rules 25.31, 25.34, 25.36, and 25.37, the State requested that the defendant disclose: “The names and last known addresses of persons, other than defendant, who defendant intends to call as witnesses at any hearing or at the trial, together with their written or recorded statements, and existing memoranda reporting or summarizing part or all of their oral statements; . . . .” The defendant indicated that he would be the only witness for the defense. At the beginning of the trial, the parties agreed that all witnesses except defendant should be excluded from the courtroom.

After the State informed the court that it had closed its case, but before doing so on the record, defense counsel asked the court for leave to call two witnesses. The attorney said defendant had just informed him that he wanted to use these witnesses. He said that he would like to develop for the court evidence as to when this information became available to defendant. One witness was Calvin Lonzo and one was defend[456]*456ant’s mother. Out of the presence of the jury, Lonzo and defendant testified that although they had been in the same cell on the day of defendant’s arrest, they had not seen each other nor had they known the other’s name until this date. Defendant contended that his confession was not voluntary and that he had confessed under force of beatings by the officers. Lonzo’s testimony indicated that defendant appeared to have sustained recent injuries on being brought to the cell. No offer of proof was made as to the proposed testimony of the defendant’s mother.

The court permitted Lonzo to testify but denied defendant’s request to call his mother on two grounds: (1) that she had not been disclosed in accordance with Rule 25.-34; and (2) that she had sat in the courtroom during the trial in violation of the exclusionary rule.

In State v. Burton, 544 S.W.2d 60 (Mo. App.1976), defendant attempted to call his mother as a witness on the second day of the trial. The State objected on the grounds that defendant had not disclosed her as a witness. The court refused to permit her testimony. On appeal the court held, “Defendant’s failure to disclose Mrs. Burton in the course of his ‘complete disclosure’ was a failure to comply with Rule 25.34(A)(2), V.A.M.R., requiring a defendant to disclose all persons whom defendant intends to call as witnesses.” Id. at 63.

In Burton, defense counsel conceded that he had been aware before trial that Mrs. Burton was a possible witness. The defendant here attempts to distinguish the circumstances in Burton from those in this case by arguing that he had not intended to call his mother as a witness originally and had notified the State as soon as he decided to call her to the stand.

Determination of compliance with the disclosure rule cannot be based upon a party’s subjective intent. No offer of proof was made and the trial court had no information before it regarding the nature of the undisclosed witness’ proposed testimony or what circumstances had arisen to require the testimony.1 Supreme Court Rule 25.45 vests the trial court with discretion in respect to the sanction to impose upon a party’s failure to comply with the discovery rules. In the circumstances shown here, we find there was no fundamental unfairness to the defendant and no abuse of the court’s discretion in this matter.

It is unnecessary to determine whether violation of the exclusionary rule justified the court’s prohibiting the testimony of defendant’s mother. There was no suggestion of impropriety on the part of the defense attorney, and ordinarily under such circumstances a violation of the exclusionary rule does not disqualify a witness. State v. Shay, 339 S.W.2d 799, 802 (Mo.1960). Certainly with no offer of- proof having been made, the court might well have been justified in preventing her testimony. See State v. Neria, 526 S.W.2d 396, 399 (Mo. App.1975).

Defendant next contends the court committed- plain error in permitting the prosecutor to cross-examine defendant about the length of time he had served in prison. On direct examination defense counsel asked defendant of what crime he-had been convicted. Defendant responded, “Robbing in 1972 with a DDW.” Counsel then asked, “How long did you spend there (Missouri State Penitentiary)?” Answer, “I came home December 16, 1974.”

On cross-examination, the State elicited the following responses from defendant:

“Q. [by Mr. Moss] As I understand it, Mr. Ellis, you have been convicted twice of armed robbery.
A. Yes, I have.
Q. And what else have you been convicted of?
A. As younger or grown or as a grown-up?
Q. When did you go to the penitentiary before?
[457]*457A. Here in Missouri?
Q. No. “
A. I went to the penitentiary, my first time going to the penitentiary was in ’60 — I believe ’68.
Q. What for?
A. Auto theft and burglary and escape.
Q. How much time did you get?
A. Five years, three to five years.
Q. How much time did you get the last time you were sent up?
A. Five years.”

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

Related

State v. Tyler
622 S.W.2d 379 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1981)
State v. Smothers
605 S.W.2d 128 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1980)
State v. Inscore
592 S.W.2d 809 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1980)
State v. Thomas
579 S.W.2d 145 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
567 S.W.2d 454, 1978 Mo. App. LEXIS 2570, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ellis-moctapp-1978.