State v. Morris

662 S.W.2d 884, 1983 Mo. App. LEXIS 4312
Missouri Court of Appeals·Decided December 8, 1983·No. 12879·Published·Cited by 23 cases

Opinion

CROW, Judge.

Charles Morris (“defendant”), tried by jury for capital murder, § 565.001, RSMo 1978, was found guilty of murder in the second degree, § 565.004, RSMo 1978. The jury assessed punishment at 50 years’ imprisonment, § 565.008.2, RSMo 1978, and the trial court imposed that sentence.

Defendant appeals, alleging juror misconduct, instructional error, improper prosecu-torial argument, and erroneous admission of evidence. Defendant also complains about denial of his request for continuance, and about the endorsement of a State’s witness on the information during trial.

The victim was Dennis Callaway. He died from a gunshot wound through the heart. Inasmuch as defendant does not dispute the sufficiency of the evidence to support the verdict, we summarize only such evidence as is necessary to rule the assignments of error.

About 8:30 p.m. Saturday, January 30, 1982, Callaway and a friend, John Ettle-man, left Callaway’s apartment in Lamar and drove to Golden City in Callaway’s Oldsmobile. Their destination was the residence of David Arles and his brother Kenneth, where they planned “to get together to arrange a deal on some marijuana.” Et-tleman had scheduled the rendezvous by phoning Steven Ianniello, a resident of Carthage, hours earlier.

Upon arrival at the Arles’ residence, Et-tleman went to the door and obtained David Arles’ permission for Callaway to enter. Callaway took a suitcase containing about two pounds of marijuana from the Oldsmobile trunk and entered the house, accompanied by Ettleman. Ettleman thought the marijuana would sell for about $800, and he expected to receive part of that sum for setting up the sale.

Ianniello was seated in the living room when Callaway and Ettleman entered. Et-tleman removed his coat and boots, and sat down. Callaway remained standing by the door, near the suitcase.

The four—Callaway, Ettleman, David Arles and Ianniello—talked a few minutes. During the conversation, David Arles, on several occasions, “adjusted” a stereo that had been playing “fairly loud” when Calla-way and Ettleman arrived. Ianniello left the room three or four times, entering an adjacent bedroom. Each time Ianniello returned, except the last, he closed the bedroom door.

On his final return, Ianniello left the door ajar and “flipped up the volume” on the stereo to “maximum.” Simultaneously, defendant stepped from behind the bedroom door holding a revolver, some 15 feet from Ettleman. Defendant shot at Ettleman. The bullet entered Ettleman’s mouth, split his tongue and “removed a few teeth.” Et-tleman fell on his stomach, facing the front door.

Ettleman heard three more gunshots and saw Callaway making a “resisting effort.” Ettleman then lost vision because of blood.

A few seconds later Ettleman saw Calla-way on the floor and defendant holding the revolver. Defendant, Ianniello and David Arles moved behind Ettleman. Ettleman heard Ianniello say, “John’s not dead yet; you’ll have to shoot him again.”

*887 Ettleman recalled defendant saying, “Did you see where I shot John that first time?”

Ettleman was shot again, this time in the back near his neck. Ianniello and David Arles then removed Ettleman’s wallet and personal belongings. Thereafter, Ettleman saw Callaway’s possessions being removed.

Callaway was taken from the room, then the trio carried Ettleman outside to Calla-way’s Oldsmobile and put Ettleman on the back seat.

Shortly thereafter, the trio got in the front seat, Ianniello driving. They drove 20 to 30 minutes, during which time Ettleman overheard defendant say he hoped Callaway and Ettleman enjoyed the morphine because they certainly deserved it. Ettleman inferred from this that defendant believed Callaway and Ettleman had stolen some morphine from Ianniello and David Arles a few days earlier. Ettleman also heard defendant say he was going to Kevin Patrick’s house. Ettleman knew Patrick lived several miles east of Carthage.

Near the end of the journey, the Oldsmobile turned on a gravel road and went a mile or two farther before stopping.

The trio dragged Ettleman from the Oldsmobile and “dumped” him in a “wooded area” 15 to 20 feet from the road. Then, they removed Callaway’s body from the trunk, dragged it to where Ettleman lay, and “dropped” it on Ettleman’s legs. The trio then drove away in the Oldsmobile.

It was “cold and snowing,” with perhaps three inches of snow on the ground. Ettle-man, at this point, was wearing only a “thin shirt,” jeans and socks. Ettleman put on Callaway’s boots and coat and began walking. Eventually, he reached a house and explained his situation to the occupants, who notified the sheriff’s office and called an ambulance. The house was within a quarter mile of the Patrick residence.

Jasper County deputy sheriff Freddie Garrison was the first officer to reach the house where Ettleman was, arriving about 11:00 p.m. An ambulance and other officers, including deputy sheriff Steve Weston, arrived soon afterward.

Ettleman, by this time, was having difficulty talking, so he wrote the names of defendant, Ianniello, David Arles, Kenneth Arles and Kevin Patrick on a paper. Ettle-man told Weston what had happened at the Arles’ residence, identifying defendant and David Arles as the two persons who had shot him. Ettleman explained that Calla-way was dead, and gave directions for finding the body. Ettleman was then taken by ambulance to a hospital.

Weston, Garrison and others began searching for Callaway’s body. Garrison found it within an hour. He checked for vital signs, but detected none.

Weston, Garrison and other officers then went to Kevin Patrick’s house and arrested him for “investigation.” He directed the officers to the home of his cousin, Jerry Patrick, at the “north edge of LaRussell” in Lawrence County. The officers went there and were allowed inside by Jerry Patrick. They found defendant asleep on a couch and arrested him for investigation of homicide. Defendant was taken to the Jasper County jail.

At the jail, around 3:00 a.m., January 31, investigator James Manning of the Jasper County sheriff’s office took all of defendant’s clothing, including his socks, and “bagged” them as evidence.

Robert Lawrence, a Jasper County deputy sheriff, performed a “gunshot residue” test on defendant’s hands that same date (January 31). This procedure consisted of dipping “swabs” into a “control substance” and rubbing the swabs across defendant’s hands. Subsequent examination of the swabs by a chemist indicated defendant could have shot a firearm, but the chemist could “not say definitely.”

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State v. Morris, 662 S.W.2d 884, 1983 Mo. App. LEXIS 4312 (Mo. Ct. App. 1983).

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