State v. Marks

298 P.3d 1102, 297 Kan. 131
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedApril 19, 2013
DocketNo. 103,289
StatusPublished
Cited by41 cases

This text of 298 P.3d 1102 (State v. Marks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Marks, 298 P.3d 1102, 297 Kan. 131 (kan 2013).

Opinions

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Biles, J.:

Rickey Marks directly appeals his conviction for the first-degree premeditated murder of his wife, arguing: (1) the prosecutor committed misconduct during closing arguments; (2) the district court erred when it denied his motion in limine to exclude evidence that his wife filed for divorce in the weeks prior to her murder; (3) the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s open file discoveiy policy violates K.S.A. 22-3212 and K.S.A. 22-3213; and (4) cumulative error deprived him of a fair trial. We hold the prosecutor misstated tire law on premeditation and that Marks was entitled to copies of the discovery under K.S.A. 22-3212 and K.S.A. 22-3213. Both errors were harmless in this case, and we affirm his conviction.

Factual and Procedural History

On October 11, 2008, Rozeta Marks was stabbed eight times in her chest, arm, and back while driving to a store with her husband, Rickey Marks. According to a medical examiner who testified at trial, Rozeta’s wounds were on the left side of her body, indicating she was stabbed through the driver’s side window. The fatal stab entered between Rozeta’s ribs and into her heart. Marks was ul[133]*133timately charged with and convicted of first-degree premeditated murder.

At trial, Rozeta’s friend Judith Williams testified that a few weeks before the stabbing, Rozeta visited her in Tennessee. Williams said that during that visit Marks called Rozeta approximately 60 times and accused her of infidelity. He also left numerous threatening voicemails and text messages in which he said Rozeta must have been scared of him and that she was “dead” when she returned.

Williams testified that Rozeta secretly filed for divorce during the Tennessee visit, telling Williams that she did not want Marks to krow. Rozeta left the divorce papers in Tennessee so that Marks would not find them. After returning home, Rozeta sent Williams a text message saying, “He dont believe that i’m getting a divorce. Keep begging PLEASE DONT[.] GIVE ME ANOTHER CHANCE.”

Before trial, Marks’ attorney filed a motion in limine seeking to exclude evidence that Rozeta filed for divorce shortly before her death. He conceded the divorce evidence would be relevant if there was additional evidence that Marks knew Rozeta had filed but claimed there was none and that any divorce evidence was therefore irrelevant and extremely prejudicial. The district court denied Marks’ motion, which he unsuccessfully renewed on the morning of trial.

Sometime after Rozeta returned home, she and Marks drove to tire house of one of Marks’ brothers, Reginald, to pick up some unused tools to return to a store. According to Reginald’s trial testimony, Marks did not act agitated or angry at the time, and Rozeta waved at him from the car. Williams also testified that she spoke to Rozeta before tire stabbing and that Rozeta sounded “fine.”

Reginald further testified that about 15 to 20 minutes after Marks and Rozeta left his home, Marks’ other brother, Stephen, yelled for him to dial 911. Stephen testified that he observed Roz-eta stagger in the street, look “wobbly,” and ultimately fall down. Stephen said Rozeta told him she had been stabbed, and Stephen saw Marks drive off “kind of fast” in Rozeta’s car.

Several people testified at trial that shortly after the stabbing, Marks telephoned them saying that he had stabbed Rozeta. One of them was Williams’ husband in Tennessee, who testified that [134]*134Marks said, “I killed the bitch. ... I stabbed her 20 times.” Marks was arrested later the day of the stabbing at a sandwich shop. One officer said Marks had a contusion on his forehead from falling in the parking lot but did not have any other noticeable injuries. Neither the car nor the murder weapon was ever recovered.

Marks testified in his own defense that he could not find the receipt for the tools, which he would need to return them. He said once Rozeta learned he lost the receipt, a heated argument began during which Rozeta became “irate” because she wanted the money and Marks had a bad habit of losing receipts. Marks also testified that Rozeta stopped the car and told him to get out and that “pissed [him] off’ and he refused.

According to Marks, this was when Rozeta pulled a knife from under the car seat. He testified that Rozeta raised the knife like she was going to stab him, and a “tussl[e]” began during which he grabbed her hand and wrestled for the knife. Marks said Rozeta “lunged” towards him and that was when “this happened.” According to Marks, he became upset and tearful after tbe stabbing. He said Rozeta got out of the car and started walking down the street. Marks said he told her to get back in so they could go to the hospital, but Rozeta refused. When she would not return, Marks said he got in the driver’s seat and drove away.

After retiring for deliberations, the jury submitted a question to the court, asking: “While premeditation bas no specific time frame is there a reasonable definition of Instantaneous’? In other words, if someone decides to act and then acts is that gap of time sufficient to declare pre-med?” The judge replied: “Ladies and Gentlemen, I cannot give you a better definition of premeditation than that contained in [the instruction]. Please re-read the definition of premeditation in [the instruction].”

The jury convicted Marks of first-degree premeditated murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum confinement of 25 years. This court has jurisdiction under K.S.A. 2012 Supp. 22-3601 (life sentence; off-grid crime).

Prosecutor’s Conduct

During closing arguments, the prosecutor explained to the jury [135]*135regarding premeditation that “intent can be formed during the act itself.” (Emphasis added.) But in the district court’s instructions for first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree intentional murder, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter, the jury received the standard PIK definition for premeditation as follows:

“Premeditation means to have thought over the matter beforehand, in other words, to have formed the design or intent to Mil before the act. Although there is no specific time period required for premeditation, the concept of premeditation requires more than the instantaneous, intentional act of taldng another’s life.” (Emphasis added.)

Marks argues the prosecutor s comments to die jury about forming premeditation “during the act itself’ improperly eliminated the distinction between instantaneous development of intent to kill, a standard Marks assigns to second-degree intentional murder, and actual premeditation in first-degree murder cases. He says these statements prejudiced his right to a fair trial.

Standard of Review

Appellate review of prosecutorial misconduct claims involves a two-step process.

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

Related

State v. Wright
Supreme Court of Kansas, 2026
State v. Lundquist
Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2026
State v. Droge
Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2025
State v. J.L.J.
547 P.3d 501 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2024)
Marks v. State
Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2022
State v. Bilbrey
Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2022
State v. Smith
Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2022
State v. Marks
490 P.3d 1160 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2021)
Marks v. Cline
Tenth Circuit, 2021
In re D.J.B.
Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2020
State v. Schmeal
Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2020
In re G.M.
Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2020
State v. Dean
450 P.3d 819 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2019)
State v. Blansett
435 P.3d 1136 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2019)
State v. Lowery
427 P.3d 865 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2018)
State v. Thurber
420 P.3d 389 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2018)
State v. Louis
Supreme Court of Kansas, 2016
State v. McCormick
Supreme Court of Kansas, 2016

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
298 P.3d 1102, 297 Kan. 131, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-marks-kan-2013.