State v. Keeven

728 S.W.2d 658, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 3878
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 31, 1987
DocketNo. 50418
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 728 S.W.2d 658 (State v. Keeven) 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. Keeven, 728 S.W.2d 658, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 3878 (Mo. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

PUDLOWSKI, Presiding Judge.

The defendant, Laura Ann Keeven, was convicted by a jury of second degree murder, § 565.004 RSMo 1978,1 and sentenced to twelve years in the custody of the Missouri Department of Corrections. The conviction stems from the shooting death of defendant’s husband, Mark Keeven, who was a St. Louis County Police Officer at the time of his death. The verdict of guilty as to murder in the second degree was returned by the jury following a trial on the charge of capital murder.

Defendant’s brief contains seven points on appeal. In her first point she asserts that the trial court erred in failing to suppress evidence obtained through an illegal search of her home. Secondly, she asserts that statements made by her shortly after the police responded to her 911 emergency call were admitted despite the fact that those statements were made in response to a police officer’s questions and prior to the time that she was given her Miranda warnings. Defendant’s third contention is that because defendant and her attorney were not apprised pursuant to their discovery request of the statements made to that officer, the trial court erred in admitting those statements. Defendant also alleges that the trial court erred in allowing the state to call Deborah Jeannette Presley because the state failed to properly respond to defendant’s discovery request and waited to supply the defense with evidence concerning her whereabouts and previous statements until only four days before trial.

Defendant’s fifth assertion is the trial court erred in failing to declare a mistrial after the state twice inquired of defendant’s social worker at the St. Louis County Correctional Facility at Gumbo, where defendant had awaited trial, whether defendant’s refusal to discuss her case indicated an attempt to hide something. Sixthly, defendant contends that the trial court erred in allowing two of defendant’s former coworkers at a veterinary clinic to testify defendant did not like children and was not happy when she became pregnant. Finally, defendant contends the court erred in failing to strike a venireman for cause because his poor vision had the potential to make it difficult for him to see and understand the exhibits. We affirm defendant’s conviction. We address defendant’s assertions in order.

Defendant, prior to trial, moved to suppress “any and all articles, letters, notes, bedsheets [sic], pillows, pistols, and cartridges .... ” which the police seized in a search of defendant’s home after her 911 emergency call. The trial court held an evidentiary hearing on the motion and concluded that a greeting card from defendant’s sister-in-law located on the kitchen table, .357 Smith and Wesson found on the floor of the master bedroom (later identi[661]*661fied as the murder weapon), a second revolver found in a holster on a coat rack in the bedroom, a note found in the bedroom wastebasket and the bedding and pillows from the bed on which the victim was found were all in plain view. At the same time, the court suppressed other items found in closed drawers of the bedroom, and items found in the basement and in the search of the victim’s police car, which was located in the driveway of the residence.

Defendant’s counsel, himself, introduced the greeting card and the note from the bedroom wastebasket. Therefore, only the propriety of the court’s ruling with respect to the guns and the pillows and bedding is before this court.

The victim was shot in the head while on the bed in the master bedroom. Defendant, herself, called for assistance and directed officers to the master bedroom. There is no contention that the officers were not lawfully on the premises or they acted unlawfully in entering the bedroom. Where law enforcement officers are in a position where they have a lawful right to be, they clearly have the right to seize any object which has possible evidentiary value. Thompson v. Louisiana, 469 U.S. 17, 22, 105 S.Ct. 409, 412, 83 L.Ed.2d 246, 251 (1984); State v. Holt, 695 S.W.2d 474, 477 (Mo.App.1985). The trial judge listened to the evidence and concluded the gun on the floor and the gun in the holster, as well as the pillows and bedding were in the officers’ plain view when they entered the bedroom. Since it was unclear which gun had been used as the murder weapon, and the victim’s blood and other residue were on the pillows and bedding, all of these items had possible evidentiary value. The trial court therefore did not err in overruling defendant’s motion to suppress with respect to those items of evidence.

Defendant’s second point involves statements made by defendant to a police officer allegedly in response to questions by the police officer, prior to the time when she was given Miranda warnings. However, at the hearing on defendant’s motion to suppress the statements, the evidence indicated, and the trial court found as a matter of fact, that the officer involved asked only one question. The officer’s question related to how long before the officer’s arrival the shooting had occurred. The officer testified the question was asked in order to determine what aid could be given to the victim. The question and the answer were suppressed by the trial court.

Defendant, however, went on to tell the officer that she had been arguing with the victim concerning her mother-in-law and her husband had been planning to leave her. She also admitted to the officer that she had shot him. Defendant was in her own kitchen at the time the statements were made. She was not advised of being in custody nor was she physically restrained. “For Miranda to be applicable, ‘an individual must be both in custody and interrogated.’ State v. O’Toole, 619 S.W.2d 804, 810 (Mo.App.1981). A statement uttered voluntarily and spontaneously is not inadmissible because Miranda rights were not given.” State v. Kent, 697 S.W.2d 216, 217-218 (Mo.App.1985). We find no error.

Defendant next contends that the court erred in allowing the officer involved to testify concerning the statements mentioned above, because the state failed to notify defendant’s counsel of those statements pursuant to a valid discovery request. The state admits defendant’s counsel was not informed at the time when discovery was originally given that those statements had been made to the officer. However, the state avers the reason defendant’s counsel was not informed as to those statements was because the officer did not divulge that evidence to the prosecutor until the Friday before trial. The trial court had those statements before it when it considered the question of whether the evidence should have been excluded. The trial court is vested with broad discretion in determining whether exclusion of evidence is a proper sanction in a given case for the state’s failure to timely comply with a discovery request. State v. Estes, 631 S.W.2d 121, 122 (Mo.App.1982). See also State v. Royal, 610 S.W.2d 946 (Mo. [662]*662bane 1981).

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Bluebook (online)
728 S.W.2d 658, 1987 Mo. App. LEXIS 3878, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-keeven-moctapp-1987.