State v. Wilcoxson

772 S.W.2d 33, 1989 Tenn. LEXIS 143
CourtTennessee Supreme Court
DecidedMay 1, 1989
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 772 S.W.2d 33 (State v. Wilcoxson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Tennessee Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Wilcoxson, 772 S.W.2d 33, 1989 Tenn. LEXIS 143 (Tenn. 1989).

Opinions

OPINION

O’BRIEN, Justice.

On 19 December 1985 the Grand Jury of Hamilton County returned a true bill against defendant charging him with the first degree murder of Robert D. Mosher. Defendant was tried, convicted and sentenced to death.

Although the sufficiency of the evidence is not questioned a summary of the facts surrounding the homicide is essential to resolution of the issues raised. On 23 October 1982, at approximately 11:00 p.m., the body of Robert Mosher was found at his home in Signal Mountain, Tennessee by his wife, Evelyn Mosher, who had been attending a rock concert at the University of Tennessee — Chattanooga Arena. Mr. Mosher’s body was lying on the stairs leading from the garage into the house. He had been suffocated by pushing a large sheet of plastic eight to ten inches down into his throat with a hard object. There was substantial trauma to his larynx. His [35]*35lungs had collapsed. The inside of his throat was bruised down to his vocal cords and trachea. Other injuries to his body including a cut on his forehead, bruises and loosened teeth, indicated a struggle had occurred. Mr. Mosher had various insurance policies naming his wife as beneficiary. After some delay due to questions surrounding the homicide she received slightly over $200,000 in insurance proceeds.

Mr. and Mrs. Mosher were married in 1974 several years after the death of his first wife. He was approximately twenty years her senior. It was not long until the marriage began to deteriorate. Mrs. Mosh-er became engaged in drug trafficking and people involved in the drug culture frequented the Mosher residence. In April 1985 police officers searched the Mosher home under a warrant for drugs in a separate case. They uncovered Evelyn Mosh-er’s personal address book containing the telephone numbers of defendant and his brother. Ultimately, incriminating evidence was developed against defendant resulting in his trial and conviction. Mrs. Mosher was also convicted of first degree murder in the death of her husband and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1986.

In his argument, asserting he was denied the right to a speedy trial, defendant also intermingles a claimed violation of T.C.A. § 40-18-103 which provides that any charge of a Class X felony shall be tried within 150 days following arraignment.

Although a violation of the statute is certainly some indicia to be considered in determining whether an individual has been denied his constitutional right to a speedy trial the criteria in the statute are not to be confused with the right reserved to a criminal defendant under the constitution. The Class X felony law was enacted, not to benefit a defendant, but to identify and define specific offenses against society for which enhanced penalties and expedited proceedings were prescribed so as to assure swift and certain punishment for their violation. See State v. Taylor, 628 S.W.2d 42, 46-47 (Tenn.Cr.App.1981). The statute specifically provides that a failure to comply with its subsections shall not act to require release of a defendant from custody or a dismissal or withdrawal of charges.

Looking to defendant’s constitutional claim, undoubtedly, his right to a speedy trial is secured equally by Article 1, § 9 of the Tennessee Constitution and the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The wellspring case analyzing that right on the federal level is Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972) which was followed in this State in State v. Bishop, 493 S.W.2d 81 (Tenn.1973). In Barker, in which the United States Supreme Court found, under the circumstances of that case, that a five-year delay between arrest and trial did not violate the defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial, the Court began its approach to the issue by stating that “[a] balancing test necessarily compels courts to approach speedy trial cases on an ad hoc basis.” They proceeded to identify four of the factors which courts should assess in determining whether a particular defendant has been deprived of his right: (1) length of delay; (2) the reason for the delay; (3) the defendant’s assertion of his right; (4) prejudice to the defendant.

In this case the presentment was returned against defendant on 19 December 1985. The case was originally set for trial on 6 May 1986 but, due to a succession of continuances, did not come to trial until 28 October 1986, slightly more than ten (10) months having elapsed. Defendant was held without bond from the date of his arrest until the date of his trial. He concedes that this factor standing by itself is not sufficient reason to say that his speedy trial right has been denied. He says the delay in bringing him to trial was presumably prejudicial because more than one month elapsed between his arrest and appointment of counsel and two and one-half months passed between his arrest and his arraignment.

This case initially involved two defendants, both charged with capital murder. The proceedings were complicated by the usual circumstances involved in a case of this magnitude. The Court noted in Bark[36]*36er, supra, that until there is some delay which is presumably prejudicial, there is no necessity for inquiry into the factors that go into the additional balancing test to be made by the Court. We cannot say that a presumption of prejudice was created by the circumstances relied on by this defendant. Due to the serious and complex nature of the case we do examine the other factors and circumstances involved.

Looking to the reason for the delay, defendant denies responsibility for holding up any of the proceedings. A large measure of the evidence in this case was contained in more than five hundred pages of testimony transcribed from tapes of conversations recorded between defendant and others, including an undercover police officer. These conversations were initiated in an endeavor to have defendant make incriminating admissions about the Mosher homicide. Ultimately he made statements which did incriminate him and his co-defendant as well. Initially it was the State’s intention to try the defendants together. It was necessary for counsel for all parties to work together in an effort to excise superflous material from the tapes. The intent was to present redacted transcripts to the court to resolve pretrial motions essential to the prosecution and to the defense case as well. Ultimately the defendants were tried separately. This did nothing to alter the fact that all counsel had spent many pretrial hours editing the tapes which were substantially the evidence against both defendants. There were numerous motions filed to be dealt with by the court including more than forty on behalf of this defendant. Defendant points out that much of the delay bringing the case to trial was brought about by problems his co-defendant experienced in securing counsel and the necessity to allow co-defendant’s counsel time to prepare for trial. There was no lengthy undue delay in bringing this case to a conclusion. There is no evidence of any deliberate attempt to delay the trial and there is absolutely no evidence that defendant was hampered in any way in mounting his defense to the charges against him.

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Bluebook (online)
772 S.W.2d 33, 1989 Tenn. LEXIS 143, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-wilcoxson-tenn-1989.