State v. McElroy

894 S.W.2d 180, 1995 Mo. App. LEXIS 235, 1995 WL 44917
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedFebruary 3, 1995
Docket19142
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 894 S.W.2d 180 (State v. McElroy) 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. McElroy, 894 S.W.2d 180, 1995 Mo. App. LEXIS 235, 1995 WL 44917 (Mo. Ct. App. 1995).

Opinion

SHRUM, Chief Judge.

Following jury trial Leonard R. MeElroy (Defendant) was convicted on two counts of receiving stolen property, § 570.080, RSMo 1986, and sentenced as a prior and persistent offender to two consecutive terms of fourteen years’ imprisonment. He was acquitted on two other counts of receiving stolen property. Defendant appeals the judgment of conviction. We affirm.

In four points relied on, Defendant charges the trial court erred: (1) By refusing to sustain certain of Defendant’s requests to strike venirepersons for cause; (2) in its rulings on discovery issues regarding a highway patrol file on a confidential informant; (3) by overruling Defendant’s objections to the prior and persistent offender evidence and by making inadequate findings regarding Defendant’s status as a prior and persistent offender, and (4) failing to sustain Defendant’s motion for change of judge filed after the jury verdict but before sentencing.

As none of Defendant’s points challenge the sufficiency of the evidence, the facts may be briefly stated.

In 1990, Mike Rogers, a Missouri Highway Patrolman, was working undercover investigating stolen property cases. A confidential informant, Gary Wilkerson, was assisting Rogers in this effort. Wilkerson furnished Rogers with information that led Rogers to Polk County, Missouri, where he first met Defendant. When Rogers and Defendant initially met, Wilkerson, Frank Boswell, and Defendant’s son, Paul, were also present. During their first meeting, as they discussed stolen property, Defendant told Rogers “he could get [him] anything [Rogers] wanted.”

Later, during their second meeting, as they discussed what kinds of stolen property Defendant might have for sale, Rogers told Defendant he was mostly interested in stolen motor vehicles, especially late model four-wheel-drive pickups or sports cars, as he had an outlet for them in Kansas City.

In a follow-up contact in December 1990, Defendant told Rogers “he had a guy that was going to be bringing him stuff all week.” On December 24, 1990, Defendant sold Rogers a 1989 Chevrolet pickup truck for $1,800. The truck was stolen on December 20, 1994, from John O’Neil near Nixa, Missouri.

As part of the investigation of Defendant’s activities, a search warrant for his farm was executed on June 18, 1991. Over 100 items of property were seized, including parts of an S10 Chevrolet Blazer motor vehicle. At trial, Virgil McCall of Polk County, identified the Blazer recovered from Defendant’s farm as *184 belonging to him. It had been stolen May 18, 1991.

Defendant was charged and convicted of receiving the stolen property that belonged to O’Neil and McCall. This appeal followed.

JURY SELECTION

Defendant states in his first point that the trial court erred in overruling his challenge for cause to eight venirepersons. Six of the eight challenged venirepersons did not serve on the jury, however, because they were removed as the result of Defendant’s preemptory strikes. The state argues that because of § 494.480.4, RSMo Supp.1993, and cases interpreting it, we need only review Defendant’s challenges to the two venireper-sons who actually served on the jury. 1 We agree.

Under the present version of § 494.480.4, failure to strike an unqualified venireperson for cause is not reversible error of law unless the unqualified juror actually served on the final jury. State v. Wise, 879 S.W.2d 494, 512 n. 9 (Mo. banc 1994). As § 494.480.4 is procedural in nature, its retroactive application does not constitute an ex post facto violation. State v. Lawson, 876 S.W.2d 770, 777[15] (Mo.App.1994); State v. Wings, 867 S.W.2d 607, 609[4] (Mo.App.1993). Based on current law, Defendant is not entitled to appellate relief as to the six venirepersons challenged who did not serve.

Ivan Massey and Karen Owens were the venirepersons who served as jurors after Defendant’s challenge for cause as to them was overruled. On appeal, Defendant contends that his challenge to Massey should have been sustained because of Massey’s voir dire answer that Defendant’s failure to testify would indicate guilt. However, at trial Defendant’s challenge of Massey did not present that issue to the court. Instead, it took the following form:

“MR. WAMPLER (defense counsel): We’re asking that Jurors 14, 15—
THE COURT: All right. Let’s see. For the record, 14 is—
MR. WAMPLER: Ronald Garrett and Ivan Massey.
THE COURT: — Ronald Garrett. Let’s see. Massey. Okay. What was wrong with them?
MR. WAMPLER: I can’t remember, but the record will show what their answers were. And they indicated they’d be biased in favor of the State and against the Defendant in response to my questioning.”

As to Owens, Defendant argues on appeal that his challenge to her should have been sustained because of her voir dire answers that (1) Defendant’s failure to testify would suggest his guilt, (2) filing of a charge was some evidence of guilt, and (3) she might not be independent, i.e., she might cave in against her own judgment if eleven other jurors had a different view. 2 However, as with Massey, Defendant’s objections to Owens, as voiced at trial, were not fact specific and did not present the same issues that he now attempts to present. Instead, they took the following form:

“MR. WAMPLER: Wanda Allen, No. 40. Karen Owens, No. 41. They indicated that they tend to believe the Defendant guilty and didn’t like his appearance, and they also gave other answers that would disqualify them.
THE COURT: Well, I don’t think they said they didn’t like his appearance. I think that was just two of them.
MR. WAMPLER: Said they didn’t like it and they’d both tend to think he’s guilty.
THE COURT: Well, I’m not going to take them off....”

*185 Finally, we note that the allegations of error in Defendant’s motion for new trial regarding challenges for cause read:

“[T]he trial court erred in failing to grant and sustain Defendant’s Motion to Strike Venireman for Cause, specifically Venireman No_15 [and] 41 ... in that each of the jurors expressed sufficient grounds for prejudice against Defendant, and should have [been] stricken herein....”

A trial court has broad discretion in ruling on challenges for cause. State v. Harris, 870 S.W.2d 798, 805 (Mo. banc 1994). Appellate courts will not disturb a trial court’s ruling on a challenge for cause unless it constitutes a clear abuse of discretion and results in a genuine probability of injury to the complaining party. Id.

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

Related

State v. Bartlik
363 S.W.3d 388 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2012)
Brown v. State
101 S.W.3d 365 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2003)
State v. Clark
55 S.W.3d 398 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2001)
State v. Dowell
25 S.W.3d 594 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2000)
State v. Monroe
18 S.W.3d 455 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 2000)
State v. Werneke
958 S.W.2d 314 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1997)
State v. Dodd
944 S.W.2d 584 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1997)
State v. Bishop
942 S.W.2d 945 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1997)
State v. Kinder
942 S.W.2d 313 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1996)
State v. Gray
926 S.W.2d 29 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1996)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
894 S.W.2d 180, 1995 Mo. App. LEXIS 235, 1995 WL 44917, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mcelroy-moctapp-1995.