State v. Straughter

932 P.2d 387, 261 Kan. 481, 1997 Kan. LEXIS 9
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJanuary 24, 1997
Docket75,022
StatusPublished
Cited by8 cases

This text of 932 P.2d 387 (State v. Straughter) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court 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. Straughter, 932 P.2d 387, 261 Kan. 481, 1997 Kan. LEXIS 9 (kan 1997).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Six, J.:

Kaleafa Straughter appeals his jury trial convictions for felony murder, an off-grid felony, K.S.A. 21-3401(b), aggravated robbery, K.S.A. 21-3427, and aggravated burglary, K.S.A. 21-3716, all stemming from the stabbing death of William O. Brown III. Our jurisdiction is under K.S.A. 22-3601(b)(l) (an off-grid crime conviction).

The issues are whether the district court erred in: (1) admitting Slaughters statements to police, thus violating his Fifth Amendment rights; and (2) allowing the State to present evidence that Straughter initially invoked his right to remain silent when the police questioned him about an unrelated incident.

*482 Slaughter’s additional claim that the district court erred in refusing to instruct the jury on abandonment or withdrawal from the underlying felony as a defense to felony murder is resolved by our recent holding in State v. Kaiser, 260 Kan. 235, 249, 918 P.2d 629 (1996) (The Kansas Legislature has not enacted a defense of withdrawal from aiding and abetting. There was no error in refusing to instruct on withdrawal as a defense.). Straughter also asserts error in the district court’s refusing to give the PIK Crim. 3d 54.06 jury instruction on foreseeability.

We find no error and affirm.

FACTS

Straughter was 18 years old at the time of the crimes and lived with his mother and her boyfriend. Tyron Porter and Lance Stephens lived at the same apartment complex and were 15 or 16 years old. Brown, the victim, age 44, lived at a mobile home park separated from the apartment complex by a privacy fence and wooded area.

Straughter, in his taped confession to the police on December 1 and 2, 1994, described the events. His statement is summarized:

Straughter went outside his apartment around 7 p.m. on November 16, 1994. Porter and Stephens told him that they had talked to an “old dude” earlier in die day who had some “straps” (guns) including a .38 pistol and some rifles. They wanted Straughter to help them get the guns because Straughter was “aggressive.” Straughter was interested in the .38 and agreed to help them. Porter had a silver-colored pellet pistol that resembled a 9 mm pistol, a plastic trash bag, and a spray can of tear gas. Derrick Hanna, a first cousin of Porter’s, was also there.

The four entered Brown’s mobile home as he was watching television. While Porter and Stephens attempted to subdue Brown with the pellet pistol and trash bag, Straughter sprayed tear gas and, with Hanna, searched the back bedroom. Straughter was only interested in taking guns. He did not recall seeing or touching a license plate in the bedroom, but said that he might have. When he and Hanna came out of the second bedroom, Brown had Stephens pinned against the south wall and Porter was “out of the *483 picture.” Hanna and Straughter then dove on Brown, or “bumped” him. Brown fell on the carpet. Straughter fell on Brown’s back. Stephens hit Brown with a chair and was kicking him in the face. Straughter said, “Let’s get out of here,” “He hasn’t got anything,” or words to that effect, and was the first one to leave the mobile home. As Straughter was leaving, he saw Porter pick up a broken piece of an ash tray and start stabbing Brown in the side as Brown attempted to get up. Straughter also saw Stephens approaching Brown with a hunting knife that Stephens had taken from the kitchen area. Although Straughter at times claimed he left before seeing Stephens stab Brown, he at one point described seeing Stephens stabbing Brown with the hunting knife in the side after Porter had stabbed Brown. Straughter saw a VCR in the mobile home and, although first denying it, admitted seeing Porter take the VCR.

On December 1, 1994, at approximately noon, Detective Michael Hennessy arrested Straughter. There was an outstanding juvenile warrant on Straughter for auto theft. Also, fingerprints on the pellet pistol and license plate found in Brown’s mobile home had been identified as Slaughter's. Hennessy told Straughter that he was being arrested on the auto theft warrant. Straughter was placed in an interview room at 12:15 p.m. Hennessy and Detective Chisholm were in the room with Straughter. Straughter was given a personal information sheet, which he did not complete beyond name, address, and date of birth. He was belligerent. Hennessy gave Straughter the written Miranda warnings and asked him to read the form. Hennessy was going to talk to Straughter about the auto theft. Straughter stated he knew his rights. Straughter initialed the form, showing that he had read and understood his rights and that he did not want to talk to the police. Hennessy signed and dated the form “12:38 p.m.” Hennessy testified at the suppression hearing that he then told Straughter “that was his right, he didn’t need to talk to us about this auto theft case or a homicide case that we’re currently investigating.” Straughter asked, “[W]hat homicide?” Hennessy told Straughter he was investigating a homicide in a mobile home park near Straughter’s neighborhood. Straughter responded that he did not know what Hennessy was talking about, but he would talk about the homicide. Hennessy asked Straughter *484 if he was changing his mind about talking, and Straughter said that he did not want to talk about the auto theft case, but he would talk about the homicide. Hennessy gave Straughter another Miranda warnings form and asked him to read it aloud and sign it. Straughter complied, signing the form with his left hand because his right hand was cuffed to the table. Hennessy signed the form as completed at 12:45 p.m. The form stated that Straughter now wished to talk to the police.

Hennessy told Straughter that fingerprints found at the crime scene had been identified as Straughter’s. Straughter adamantly denied they were his and said that Hennessy was making it up. Straughter said he had not been to the mobile home park in question for 2 years. Hennessy asked Straughter if he had ever handled a gun, and Straughter said he had not. Hennessy asked Straughter about the pellet gun and the fingerprint on it. Straughter gave no explanation about why his fingerprint was on the pellet gun. Hennessy and Chisholm left the room at 1:15 p.m. Shortly after 2 p.m., they returned to obtain a search waiver from Straughter for his apartment and to take custody of his tennis shoes.

Hennessy visited Straughter’s apartment He told Straughter’s mother and her boyfriend that her son was a suspect in the homicide and that the son’s fingerprints were found at the crime scene. Hennessy denied saying anything to them about charges being filed against Straughter. The mother testified at the suppression hearing that Hennessy told her, “[W]e know Kaleafa did not do this, but we know that he knows who did.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
932 P.2d 387, 261 Kan. 481, 1997 Kan. LEXIS 9, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-straughter-kan-1997.