State v. Hyzer

811 S.W.2d 475, 1991 Mo. App. LEXIS 955, 1991 WL 105437
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJune 19, 1991
DocketNos. 16697, 17104
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 811 S.W.2d 475 (State v. Hyzer) 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. Hyzer, 811 S.W.2d 475, 1991 Mo. App. LEXIS 955, 1991 WL 105437 (Mo. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

SHRUM, Judge.

The defendant Donald F. Hyzer was convicted by a jury of selling marijuana and was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in accordance with the jury’s recommendation. He appeals from that judgment and sentence in case number 16697. In case number 17104, the defendant appeals from the judgment denying him the postconviction relief he sought pursuant to Rule 29.-15. This court consolidated the two appeals.

The single question we must decide in No. 16697 is whether the trial court erred when it instructed the jury that the only possible range of punishment was five to fifteen years and did not allow the jury to determine the amount of marijuana sold, thereby precluding the jury from considering a lesser range of punishment for selling five grams or less.

Because we have determined the jury was misdirected on the range of punishment, we reverse and remand for a new trial. By reason of our decision in No. 16697, there is no judgment to consider in No. 17104 and that appeal is dismissed.

CASE NO. 16697

FACTS

Evidence supporting the defendant’s conviction for selling marijuana follows.

On August 11, 1984, in Joplin, Missouri, an undercover agent agreed to purchase a bag of marijuana from the defendant for $30. The transaction was tape recorded by a law officer. The undercover agent delivered the bag to Joplin Police Detective Dacy. The bag ultimately was delivered to the Regional Crime Lab at Joplin where assistant lab director Mosher tested the contents which he determined to be marijuana.

At trial the prosecutor asked Dr. Mosher “how much the marijuana weighed ... pri- or to you taking a sample?” Before Mosh-er answered, the defendant’s lawyer was allowed to voir dire the witness:

Q. Dr. Mosher, were you asked by the authorities or by anybody to, before you took the weight of the substance, to remove from it the mature stalks of the plant, the fiber produced from the stalks, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of mature stalks, fiber, oil, or cake, or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination?
THE WITNESS: No, I was not.

The court permitted no additional voir dire and the state continued its examination:

Q. Dr. Mosher, it’s my understanding you did weigh that marijuana, is that correct?
A. Yes. I weighed the contents of this bag.
Q.And before you took a sample out to test it, what was the weight of the marijuana that you weighed?
A. It was 5.47 grams.

On cross-examination, defendant’s attorney elicited additional testimony from Dr. Mosher about the weight of the material:

Q.Before you, or at any time, did you weigh the sample 1, or in connection with your examination of the sample, State’s Exhibit 1, were you asked to weigh it, so as to exclude the mature stalks of the plant and derivatives, as, and as well the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination?
A. As I answered earlier, no.
Q.Now you have examined the ... sample out in the hallway, but— isn’t that correct?
A. That is correct.
Q. Just today?
A. Yes.
[477]*477Q. And ... there are quite a few seeds there?
A. There are some seeds in the sample, that is correct.
Q. Right. And now it’s fair to say now that most if not all of those seeds would be considered sterilized seeds of the plant incapable of germination?
A. I would think after this long a time those seeds will not germinate.
Q. Okay. It’s fair to say, however, that on — I think you made that examination on August 14th of 1984?
A. That is correct.
Q. There’s no way for you to determine at this late date whether or not those seeds were capable of germination back then, isn’t that true, sir?
A. That is true.
Q. So isn’t it true, Dr. Mosher, that you cannot tell the Court and the jury that the sample, State’s Exhibit 1, the weight of that sample if the seeds were excluded, the seeds which might have been sterilized and incapable of germination — isn’t it true that you cannot tell us that ... the weight of the sample exceeded five grams?
A. No, I cannot.
Q. In fact, you don’t know what the weight of the sample would be if those seeds ... were excluded?
A. That is correct.

Over the defendant’s objection, the trial court instructed the jury, in pertinent part, as follows:

If you find and believe from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt:
First, that on or about August 11,1984 ... the defendant sold Marihuana to Michael Kime, and
Second, that the defendant knew that he sold it, and
Third, that defendant was aware of the nature and character of the substance, then you will find the defendant guilty of selling marihuana.
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If you do find the defendant guilty of selling marihuana, you will assess and declare the punishment at imprisonment for a term of years fixed by you, but not less than five years and not to exceed fifteen years.

The trial court rejected the defendant’s tendered instruction, which was identical to the instruction given except that it set forth the range of punishment for a class C felony, the maximum punishment being seven years.

The jury found the defendant guilty, assessed his punishment at 10 years, and, in accordance with the jury’s verdict, the court imposed the 10-year sentence. This appeal followed.

ANALYSIS AND DECISION

The state concedes that § 195.211, enacted in 1989, applies to this case. See State v. Freeman, 791 S.W.2d 471, 473 (Mo.App.1990). Section 195.211 became effective August 28, 1989, after the defendant was charged but before his conviction and sentencing.

If a person sells more than 5 grams of marijuana, the offense is a class B felony. Section 195.211.2, RSMo Cum.Supp.1990. If the amount of marijuana sold is 5 grams or less, the offense is a class C felony. Section 195.211.3, RSMo Cum.Supp.1990. The range of punishment for a class B felony is five to fifteen years. Section 558.011.1(2), RSMo 1986. For a class C felony, the maximum punishment is seven years. Section 558.011.1(3), RSMo 1986. By legislative definition, marijuana, as a controlled and prohibited substance, “does not include ... the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination.” Section 195.010(26), RSMo Cum.Supp.1990.2

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Bluebook (online)
811 S.W.2d 475, 1991 Mo. App. LEXIS 955, 1991 WL 105437, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hyzer-moctapp-1991.