State v. Messick

585 S.E.2d 392, 159 N.C. App. 232, 2003 N.C. App. LEXIS 1493
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedAugust 5, 2003
DocketCOA02-938
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 585 S.E.2d 392 (State v. Messick) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Messick, 585 S.E.2d 392, 159 N.C. App. 232, 2003 N.C. App. LEXIS 1493 (N.C. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinions

TYSON, Judge.

Ivory Lamont Messick (“defendant”) appeals from his jury conviction and sentence for the first-degree murder of Reginald Carr (“Carr”). We find no error.

I. Background

Carr died from gunshot wounds to his head and neck. His body was discovered burned beyond recognition. On 17 November 2000, Carr rode with Chauncy Robinson (“Robinson”) and Will Pigford (“Pigford”) to the home of defendant’s uncle. Carr walked with Robinson into the yard next to defendant’s home, where three other men were talking near a parked car. Sometime later, defendant and another man returned from buying beer for two men, who were cutting hair inside defendant’s house. Before defendant entered his home, Carr asked defendant if he had “any words” for him. Defendant replied that he did not.

A few minutes later, defendant returned outside and sat on a car while talking. Apparently, defendant turned his attention to Carr and Robinson and asked them to leave. According to the State’s evidence, Carr was walking away towards his car with his back toward defendant when Robinson yelled “watch out.” Carr turned in response and raised his hands. Defendant shot Carr in the face or shoulder area. [234]*234After Carr fell, defendant shot him again. Defendant dropped the gun and fled the scene.

After defendant left, Jack Brown placed Carr’s body in a car, drove the car to another location and burned the vehicle with Carr’s body inside. Other evidence was presented to show that Jack Brown shot Carr twice before placing Carr’s body in the vehicle.

Defendant offered evidence to show that Carr walked to the car in a sideways motion with his face turned toward defendant at all times and made statements from which one could infer Carr was “going to get defendant later.” Someone yelled, “watch out he’s got a gun,” and defendant looked and saw something shiny in Carr’s hand. Defendant pulled his gun from his waistband, shot once, dropped the gun, and ran away.

Defendant appeals his conviction of first-degree murder based upon premeditation and deliberation, and his sentence to life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

II.Issues

Defendant contends the trial court erred in (1) denying defendant’s motion to dismiss for insufficient evidence, (2) excluding the victim’s uncommunicated threats to defendant from the jury, (3) its instruction on proximate cause, and (4) failing to dismiss a defective indictment.

III.Motion to Dismiss

Defendant argues that the trial court erred by refusing to grant his motion to dismiss made at the close of the State’s evidence based on insufficiency of the evidence. Defendant failed to renew his motion at the close of all the evidence. N.C.R. App. P. 10(c)(3) (2002) (“If a defendant makes such a motion after the State has presented all its evidence and has rested its case and that motion is denied and the defendant then introduces evidence, his motion for dismissal or judgment in case of nonsuit made at the close of State’s evidence is waived. Such a waiver precludes the defendant from urging the denial of such motion as a ground for appeal.”) Defendant has waived this assignment of error.

IV.Uncommunicated Threats

Defendant argues the trial court erred in excluding the victim’s uncommunicated threats to defendant into evidence because it was relevant to the issue of self-defense. We disagree.

[235]*235At trial, Pigford, a witness for defendant, testified on voir dire that three months prior to the incident he heard Carr say that he was going to rob defendant and kill defendant and his family if defendant did not give Carr money. This statement was not communicated by Carr or Pigford to defendant prior to the shooting. This evidence was proffered prior to defendant’s testimony. The trial court sustained the State’s objection to this testimony.

“Generally speaking, uncommunicated threats are not admissible in homicide cases.” State v. Minton, 228 N.C. 15, 17, 44 S.E.2d 346, 348 (1947). However, under Rule 803(3) of the North Carolina Rules of Evidence, statements of a victim’s state of mind are admissible if the victim’s state of mind is relevant to the case. Where a defendant relies on the theory of self-defense and presented sufficient evidence, the uncommunicated threat is admissible under Rule 803(3) to show the state of mind of the victim and that the victim was the aggressor. State v. Ransome, 342 N.C. 847, 467 S.E.2d 404 (1996).

The State concedes that the testimony was admissible hearsay, but contends that the evidence was properly excluded because defendant had not presented any evidence of self-defense at the time of Pigford’s testimony.

In State v. Jones, 83 N.C. App. 593, 599, 351 S.E.2d 122, 126 (1986), disc. rev. denied, 319 N.C. 461, 356 S.E.2d 9 (1987), this Court held that in order for evidence of uncommunicated threats to be admissible, the “defendant must do more than claim self-defense; he must put on evidence of self-defense[.]”

Self-defense is shown when: (1) it appeared to the defendant and he believed it to be necessary to kill the deceased in order to save himself from death or great bodily harm; (2) the defendant’s belief was reasonable in that the circumstances as they appeared to him at that time were sufficient to create such a belief in the mind of a person of ordinary firmness; (3) the defendant did not aggressively and willingly enter into the fight without legal excuse or provocation; and, (4) the defendant did not use more force than was necessary or reasonably appeared to him to be necessary under the circumstances to protect himself from death or great bodily harm. State v. McAvoy, 331 N.C. 583, 595, 417 S.E.2d 489, 497 (1992).

Defendant had not testified at the time Pigford’s testimony was proffered and had not offered evidence of self-defense. At the time of the proffer, the evidence of uncommunicated threats was not admis[236]*236sible. The trial court properly sustained the State’s objection. Defendant was not prohibited from and failed to recall Pigford after defendant had testified and had laid a proper foundation for admissibility of the testimony.

Also, defendant testified to substantially the same evidence. The jury heard from defendant: (1) Carr had planned to rob him; (2) Carr had a reputation for violence; (3) Carr was a drug dealer; and (4) prior confrontations had occurred between defendant and Carr. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1443(a) (2001) provides that:

A defendant is prejudiced by errors relating to rights arising other than under the Constitution of the United States when there is a reasonable possibility that, had the error in question not been committed, a different result would have been reached at the trial out of which the appeal arises. The burden of showing such prejudice under this subsection is upon the defendant. Prejudice also exists in any instance in which it is deemed to exist as a matter of law or error is deemed reversible per se.

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1443(a) (2001). “[N]o prejudice arises from the erroneous exclusion of evidence when the same or substantially the same testimony is subsequently admitted into evidence.” State v.

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State v. Messick
585 S.E.2d 392 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2003)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
585 S.E.2d 392, 159 N.C. App. 232, 2003 N.C. App. LEXIS 1493, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-messick-ncctapp-2003.