State v. Sheppard

444 P.3d 1006, 56 Kan. App. 2d 1193
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kansas
DecidedMay 24, 2019
Docket119454
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 444 P.3d 1006 (State v. Sheppard) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals 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. Sheppard, 444 P.3d 1006, 56 Kan. App. 2d 1193 (kanctapp 2019).

Opinion

Standridge, J.:

*1008 In 2006, a jury convicted Marlon Sheppard of one count of second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a firearm. Sheppard appealed, and his convictions were affirmed by a panel of this court in 2009. In 2017, Sheppard filed a pro se motion to dismiss as well as a motion for leave to file the motion to dismiss out of time. The motion for leave to file the motion to dismiss out of time was denied. Sheppard appealed. A few months later, Sheppard filed a pro se motion to correct an illegal sentence. That motion also was denied. Sheppard again appealed. Those appeals have been consolidated for our consideration. Finding no error, we affirm the district court's decision to deny each of Sheppard's motions.

*1195 FACTS

On June 8, 2006, a jury convicted Sheppard of one count of second-degree murder and two counts of criminal possession of a firearm. Following his convictions, Sheppard filed a motion for a new trial and a motion for a departure sentence. The former was denied but the latter was granted, and Sheppard was sentenced to 354 months in prison. Sheppard filed a direct appeal. In its opinion, a panel of this court found the following facts:

"On October 19, 2005, Christopher Schley drove Sheppard in Sheppard's green Pontiac to a house party on Hiawatha Street. Schley parked, and Sheppard got out of the car. Kimberly Norman, a witness that later contacted the district attorney's office with information, stated [Chris] Brewer [the victim] arrived at the party at about 3:30 a.m., and Sheppard arrived 10 or 15 minutes later. Norman saw Brewer and Sheppard talking in Misha Franklin's car outside the party. Franklin was Brewer's girlfriend, and Brewer was driving Franklin's gray Honda Civic that night.
"Norman saw Brewer and Sheppard drive off together at about 4:00 a.m. Norman also saw a car she described as a 'green something, like a teal Grand Prix or something like that.' Norman said the green car drove away from the party before Brewer and Sheppard left, but she could not see who was driving.
"At 5:30 a.m., Roxanne Barnett heard noises in the parking lot outside her apartment, and she looked out her window when she heard a car door close. Barnett was Franklin's neighbor. Barnett saw someone sitting in the driver's side of Franklin's car. Barnett also saw a dark colored Grand Am parked in a 'T-position' behind Franklin's car. Barnett's car was parked next to Franklin's car, and Barnett went outside to check that her car was locked.
"After checking her car, Barnett went back upstairs to her apartment and again looked out her window. She saw someone wearing a dark colored sweatshirt or hoody and light colored pants (similar to sweatpants) get out of the passenger side of the Grand Am and get into the passenger side of Franklin's car. The Grand Am then pulled back by a trash can with the front end of the car pointed at Franklin's car. Barnett estimated the two people talked in Franklin's car for 5 minutes before she heard two pops and saw flares through the windshield. According to Barnett, the passenger then got out of Franklin's car, the Grand Am pulled up into a 'T-position' again, and the person got into the Grand Am. When police arrived on the scene, they found Brewer murdered in Franklin's car.
"Sometime after the murder, Schley was questioned by the police. The interviewing detective testified at trial regarding statements Schley made during this interview. Schley reported that on the night of the murder, Sheppard showed Schley a gun *1009 and told Schley that he planned to rob Brewer. Schley also reported that Sheppard said 'should this robbery go bad, he was willing to put [Brewer] to sleep.' Schley stated that he and Sheppard then went to the party on Hiawatha *1196 Street together. Schley left the party and drove Sheppard's vehicle back to his house. Schley became very evasive when the detective tried to establish the general timeline for the evening.
"The police eventually took Sheppard into custody and interviewed him regarding his whereabouts on the night in question. Sheppard told investigators that he met Brewer at a party on Hiawatha Street and that Brewer dropped him off at his girlfriend's house sometime between 2:00 and 2:30 a.m. Sheppard told the detectives that Schley had control of his car after Sheppard left the party with Brewer.
"While Sheppard was in custody, the police recorded a phone call from the jail between Sheppard and Schley. During the phone conversation, Sheppard and Schley cryptically discussed what they told police:
" ' SCHLEY: ... I said we were, we was over in Missouri. Did this and then, you know, he hollered at old boy. And they were like, yeah we went through the phone records, he was really trying to get at him, get at him. I was like I don't know about none of that. ... Far as what were was doing, driving around looking for, you know what I'm saying, fucking with little bitches and then we hollered at old boy and then we came on out here. ...
" ' SHEPPARD: Yeah what, what, I mean, what you mean, you told 'em what you did, drop me off right?
....
" ' SCHLEY: Naw, that, that, uh, you had hollered at him and got in the car. I was like, yeah, you know what I'm saying? We got in the car and came back here.
....
" ' SHEPPARD: ... I got in the car with dude and he dropped me off. That's what I told 'em. Shit, he dropped me off at my girl house and then later on we probably went to Grandview. Talking about, is that when you talking about?'
"Schley ultimately was granted immunity from any charges related to the death of Brewer. Notably, Schley failed to appear at Sheppard's preliminary hearing to testify, which forced the State to dismiss the charges against Sheppard. The case was refiled, and Schley was arrested for absconding. Schley had moved to Mississippi, and the district court had to compel his attendance at trial." State v. Sheppard , No. 98337, 2009 WL 743094 , at *1-2 (Kan. App. 2009) (unpublished opinion).

Sheppard argued on appeal that there was insufficient evidence to support two of his convictions, that trial counsel was ineffective, that the district court erred in failing to modify a PIK jury instruction, and that cumulative errors required the court to remand for *1197 a new trial. Finding no error, a panel of this court affirmed Sheppard's convictions. Sheppard , 2009 WL 743094 , at *2-8.

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Bluebook (online)
444 P.3d 1006, 56 Kan. App. 2d 1193, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-sheppard-kanctapp-2019.