State v. Griffin

339 S.W.2d 803
Supreme Court of Missouri·Decided October 10, 1960·No. 47943·Published·Cited by 36 cases

Opinion

BOHLING, Commissioner.

Bobby Lee Griffin was indicted for robbery in the first degree by means of a dangerous and deadly weapon, a revolver, committed upon one William Patch, Jr. The charge was under § 556.280 of the Habitual Criminal Act, under which the evidence affecting the punishment under said act is adduced before the jury for the assessment of the punishment by the jury. (Statutory references are to RSMo 1949 and V.A.M.S. unless otherwise indicated.) The court, proceeding under the provisions of Laws 1959, S.B. 117, repealing and reenacting said § 556.280, excused the jury, heard the evidence set forth hereinafter pertaining to the habitual criminal charge, and found the State had established three prior convictions of appellant as alleged in the indictment. The verdict of the jury found appellant guilty of robbery in the first degree by means of a dangerous and deadly weapon as charged. Not having submitted the punishment to the jury, the court, under said S.B. 117, then assessed appellant’s punishment at thirty years’ imprisonment in the State Penitentiary.

The offense was committed November 24, 1958. The indictment was returned December 16, 1958. Laws 1959, S.B. 117 (repealing and reenacting § 556.280) became effective August 29, 1959. The trial occurred in September, 1959. Appellant’s motion for new trial was overruled and judgment was entered October 30, 1959, in accordance with the verdict of guilty by the jury and the punishment assessed by the court.

Briefly but sufficiently outlined, appellant contends in his brief here that the court violated his constitutional and statutory rights by depriving the jury of the right to pass on the issue of his prior convictions, im *805 prisonments, and discharges and the right to assess his punishment under § 5S6.280 as of the date of the offense and prior to its repeal and reenactment by Laws 1959, S.B. 117, because such procedure:

(1) Caused said Laws 1959, S.B. 117, to be retrospective in operation and an ex post facto law in contravention of his rights under Art. 1, § 13, Mo.Const, V.A.M.S., and Art. 1, § 10, clause 1, U.S.Const.;

(2) Deprived appellant of his rights under § 1.160, as revised and reenacted by Laws 1957, p. 592;

(3) Deprived appellant of his liberty without due process of law in contravention of his rights under Art. 1, § 10, Mo.Const. and Amend. 14, § 1, U.S.Const.; and

(4) Deprived appellant of his right to trial by jury in contravention of Art. 1, § 22(a), Mo.Const.

No point is made in appellant’s brief that the jury’s verdict of guilty was not supported by substantial probative evidence. The evidence in this record establishes his guilt of the charge on trial (§§ 560.120, 560.-135 and Laws 1955, p. 515, § 541.040), it being to like effect as the evidence set forth in State v. Griffin, Mo., 336 S.W.2d 364, 366, which was an appeal by this appellant from a conviction of murder in the second degree occurring a short time after the robbery here involved.

The court informed appellant’s, counsel at the close of the State’s case on the issue of guilty or not guilty that he was going to excuse the jury. No objection was interposed to this announcement. The State, proceeding before the court in the absence of the jury, introduced in evidence three judgments wherein Bobby Lee Griffin was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment and certified copies of the record of the penitentiary showing that Bobby Lee Griffin, giving his physical description, had been imprisoned under said judgments and later discharged from such imprisonments. All this evidence went in without any objection. The record discloses that when inquiry, on five occasions, was directed to appellant’s counsel, he answered: “No objection.” After this evidence was in appellant objected on the ground the records offered were insufficient to identify appellant with the prior offenses, which objection was not preserved for review in appellant’s motion for new trial or mentioned in his brief here and stands abandoned. State v. Hadley, Mo., 249 S.W.2d 857 [6, 10]. We have said that identity of names is prima facie sufficient to establish identity. State v. Reed, Mo., 298 S.W.2d 426, 428 [6]; State v. Baugh, Mo., 323 S.W.2d 685, 691 [8], This evidence established the habitual criminal charge under prior § 556.280 and also under Laws 1959, S.B. 117, reenacting § 556.280. The court then announced its finding “that the State has proven the three prior convictions as alleged in the indictment.” The State rested. Appellant announced he had no evidence. When the instructions were about to be read to the jury, appellant’s counsel, with respect to the prior convictions, objected “on the ground that the method of presenting the evidence and the findings were unconstitutional.”

Error in the admission of evidence is not preserved for appellate review where no timely objection or motion to strike or disregard the evidence is made. State v. Thomas, Mo., 309 S.W.2d 607 [6]; State v. Weed, Mo., 271 S.W.2d 557 [3]; West’s Mo.Dig., Criminal Law, "S^lOSó. Unless the evidence is wholly inadmissible for any purpose, a general objection, one not stating reasons, preserves nothing for appellate review. State v. Medley, 360 Mo. 1032, 232 S.W.2d 519 [3-5]; State v. Harris, Mo., 295 S.W.2d 94 [7-9].

Constitutional issues must be raised at the earliest opportunity consistent with orderly procedure to be preserved for appellate review. State v. Johnstone, Mo., 335 S.W.2d 199, 207 [18]; State v. Brookshire, Mo., 325 S.W.2d 497, 500; State v. *806 Malone, Mo., 301 S.W.2d 750, 757 [14]. In addition: “The sections of the Constitution claimed to have been violated must be specified * * *. The point must be presented in the motion for new trial, if any * * *. And it must be adequately covered in the briefs * * City of St. Louis v. Butler Co., Banc, 358 Mo. 1221, 219 S.W.2d 372, 376 [6], 380, citing cases, including Robinson v. Nick, Banc, 345 Mo. 305, 309 [5], 134 S.W.2d 112, 115 [11], stating: “The section of the constitution which has been violated must be designated and the facts which constitute such violation must be narrated.”

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