State v. Newsome

744 S.W.2d 911, 1987 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 2697
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedSeptember 2, 1987
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 744 S.W.2d 911 (State v. Newsome) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Newsome, 744 S.W.2d 911, 1987 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 2697 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1987).

Opinion

OPINION

JAMES C. BEASLEY, Special Judge.

After an eight-day jury trial, Vernon W. Newsome and Harden Jenkins III were *913 each convicted of robbery with a deadly weapon and three counts of aggravated rape. The trial judge assessed punishment as to each defendant at thirty-five (35) years for armed robbery and forty (40) years for each of the aggravated rape convictions. The rape sentences were ordered to be served concurrently with each other but consecutive to the robbery.

The defendants raise numerous issues in this appeal, some singly and some jointly. Although there is no challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, we believe a summary of the pertinent facts will aid our discussion of the issues presented.

The State’s proof shows that at approximately 3:00 a.m. on November 9, 1984, Cordellia Harris was visiting in her mother’s home at 578 — 16th Avenue North in Nashville. After hearing loud talking including a statement, “where is the money,” Ms. Harris looked out the window and saw two male blacks with a black female. The shorter man was holding a knife or razor to the female’s neck. When she saw the men drag the woman across the parking lot into an alley and heard screaming from that area, Ms. Harris called the police.

Several Metro police units converged on the scene in response to the “possible rape in progress” report. Officer James Polk entered the alley where he found the victim who was completely nude. He spotted two shadows running from that point and he immediately reported by radio that he had found the victim and that the suspects were running toward Jo Johnston.

While briefly talking with the victim who stated she had been raped, Officer Polk saw a subject running from the area. When the man refused to halt and after firing a warning shot, the officer fired again striking the suspect in the right buttock.

Officer Polk testified that he approached the wounded man, identified as the defendant Jenkins, and after advising him of his rights asked, “Why did you rape her?” Jenkins responded, “I didn’t do it, the other guy did.” The defendant then pulled a knife from his pocket and threw it on the street.

Officer Gary Clements and David Reasoner who had also responded to the call were driving west on Jo Johnston when they saw the defendant Newsome running from the chapel yard on the north side of the street. Officer Clements stated that the defendant’s pants were unbuttoned and unzipped and as he ran he was attempting to fasten them. After a chase of approximately one hundred yards Newsome was apprehended and a search of his person revealed a gold ladies’ wrist watch, four one-dollar bills, some change and a knife. In a later search at police headquarters, a twenty-dollar bill was found in his jeans pocket.

The victim testified that she came to the area in search of her cousin who was to assist her in acquiring some marijuana. After leaving her friend’s car, she was approached by a man she identified as the defendant Newsome, who asked if she was looking for drugs. This man grabbed her and placed a knife to her neck. They were joined by the defendant Jenkins and the two men took her watch and thirty dollars consisting of a twenty, a five and some one-dollar bills. She was forced to accompany the men across the street to the back of a church where she was disrobed and raped by both men. The victim specifically described being forced to perform oral sex on Jenkins while Newsome was behind her “having sex from both ends” (vaginal and anal). She said the men then switched positions and while she performed oral sex on Newsome, the defendant Jenkins was preparing to have sex with her from behind but was prevented from doing so by the arrival of a car.

The victim made positive in-court identification of both defendants. She also identified photographs of each wearing the clothing she had described. She also identified the knives which were recovered from the defendants as well as her watch which was found on Newsome at the time of his ar *914 rest. She denied any involvement in drug transactions with either defendant and stated that she did not know them but had seen Newsome before — just passing by.

Defendant Newsome claimed during his testimony that he knew the victim and had sold her drugs more than twenty times. He testified that at approximately 9:30 or 9:45 p.m. on the night in question he sold the victim fake drugs for $130 and at that time took possession of her watch as part payment. He denied the rape or robbery and said he was returning home from a neighborhood store when arrested. His reason for telling the police that he did not know Jenkins was that he knew him only as “Baby Brother.”

Defendant Jenkins testified that he only knew the victim by sight. He denied robbing or raping her or seeing anyone else do so. He stated that shortly before being shot he had purchased cocaine from the victim. When the drug did not cook up right he went in search of her to get his money back. He said he found her by the “dempsey dumpster” and demanded that she return his money. He cursed her and “smacked” her in the face at which point she left in search of some money. He stood around on the street for five minutes and smoked a “joint of reefer” before the police drove up. He explained that he ran because he had a screwdriver, pliers and a knife in his possession.

At the hospital Jenkins was seen giving his mother some money including a five-dollar bill. He testified that he had this money both before and after encountering the victim.

Both defendants complain about statements or suggestions by the prosecuting attorney during voir dire.

Defendant Jenkins says that during voir dire the assistant district attorney general prefaced one question or remark with some statement having to do with the kind of favors that rape defendants and/or their attorneys would or would not want, such as young women. In Newsome’s brief it is alleged that the State through its assistant district attorney made comments that implied that counsel for the defendant was using trickery in an effort to select men or exclude all women from the jury to hear the case.

These vague conclusory allegations fall far short of presenting issues for review by this Court. The record does not include a transcript of what occurred during the voir dire proceedings. We are thus asked to speculate as to what was actually said, in what context and what if any corrective action was requested and/or taken.

It is the duty of appellants to have prepared an adequate record to convey a fair, accurate and complete account of what transpired with respect to those issues that are the basis of appeal. Tenn.R.App.P. 24(b). The record does not reflect any effort by either appellant to meet this requirement beyond the mere filing of a form which included a request that the entire voir dire proceedings be transcribed. This is insufficient. Any possible error is waived by this inaction.

Both defendants next say the trial court committed reversible error in instructing the jury to consider count five of the indictment when that count had been dismissed prior to trial.

Count one of the indictment charged the defendants with robbery by the use of a deadly weapon.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
744 S.W.2d 911, 1987 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 2697, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-newsome-tenncrimapp-1987.