Tacori MacKrell v. State of Arkansas

2022 Ark. 93, 643 S.W.3d 12
CourtSupreme Court of Arkansas
DecidedApril 21, 2022
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 2022 Ark. 93 (Tacori MacKrell v. State of Arkansas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Arkansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tacori MacKrell v. State of Arkansas, 2022 Ark. 93, 643 S.W.3d 12 (Ark. 2022).

Opinion

Cite as 2022 Ark. 93 SUPREME COURT OF ARKANSAS No. CR-21-27

Opinion Delivered: April 21, 2022

TACORI MACKRELL APPELLANT APPEAL FROM THE FAULKNER V. COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT [NO. 23CR-18-930] STATE OF ARKANSAS APPELLEE HONORABLE TROY BRASWELL, JUDGE

AFFIRMED.

KAREN R. BAKER, Associate Justice

In October 2020, appellant Tacori Mackrell was convicted by a Faulkner County Circuit

Court jury of capital murder, kidnapping, aggravated robbery, and theft of property. He was

sentenced to consecutive sentences of life imprisonment, 360 months’ imprisonment, 480

months’ imprisonment, and 60 months’ imprisonment. On appeal, Mackrell argues that the

circuit court should have granted (1) his proposed jury instructions regarding lack of criminal

responsibility; (2) his motion to prohibit the State from introducing prejudicial photographs;

(3) his motion to prevent the prosecution from claiming to represent “the people”; and (4) his

motion for a mistrial when the prosecution told the jury that Mackrell never once said he was

sorry. Because this case involves a sentence of life imprisonment, jurisdiction is properly in this

court pursuant to Arkansas Supreme Court Rule 1–2(a)(2). We affirm.

Because Mackrell does not challenge the sufficiency of the evidence, only a brief

recitation of the facts is necessary. On July 7, 2018, Mackrell and his cousin, Robert Smith, traveled with Mackrell’s aunt from Pine Bluff to Conway. Mackrell testified that on the day in

question, he smoked PCP and marijuana. While waiting on his aunt to play bingo, Mackrell

and Smith drove her vehicle over to Conway Commons where Mackrell saw the victim, Elvia

Fragstein. He testified that, when “I seen Ms. Fragstein, we had said, well we might as well get

us one.” Mackrell testified that when Fragstein entered her car, he entered the driver’s-side

back seat. Mackrell testified that he could not recall what was said but could imagine that he

said “give me the car and . . . I can’t remember exact words but I know she probably said no.

So that’s when I took it upon myself to hit her upside the head.” After Mackrell hit Fragstein

with his fist “she kind of balled up and that’s when I leaned between the . . . head rest . . . and

uh, grabbed her in a choke lock.” Mackrell testified that as he was bringing her to the back seat,

she struggled and then he felt her body go limp. Mackrell testified that after tying Fragstein up

with belts, he struck her with his fist. Mackrell and Smith then traveled in Fragstein’s vehicle

to Pine Bluff. Mackrell decided to dump Fragstein’s body, who had not moved or made a sound

since they left Conway, on farmland outside of Pine Bluff. They hid Fragstein’s vehicle behind

a house belonging to a friend of Smith’s sister.

Fragstein’s decomposing body was discovered in a ditch in rural Jefferson County on

July 11, 2018. Dr. Steven Erickson, deputy chief medical examiner at the Arkansas State Crime

Laboratory, testified that Fragstein was identified through her dental records. Dr. Erickson

testified that Fragstein’s body was subject to animal predation and that she “had extensive active

insect larva infestation on her body. ” Dr. Erickson testified that Fragstein had several broken

ribs and had “crushing compressive neck trauma.” He explained that Fragstein’s death was

caused by “a multifactorial, prolonged, severe assault.”

Mackrell was convicted and sentenced as set forth above and now appeals.

2 I. Jury Instructions

For his first point on appeal, Mackrell argues that the circuit court abused its discretion

in refusing his proposed jury instructions, AMI Crim. 2d 609 and 610, regarding lack of criminal

responsibility. A circuit court’s ruling on whether to submit a jury instruction will not be

reversed absent an abuse of discretion. Grillot v. State, 353 Ark. 294, 318, 107 S.W.3d 136, 150

(2003). In reviewing the propriety of giving a jury instruction, the issue is not one of

sufficiency; rather, the issue is whether the slightest evidence supports the instruction. Id. at

320, 107 S.W.3d at 152.

Mackrell sought to invoke the affirmative defense of lack of criminal responsibility

pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 5-2-312 (Supp. 2017). Section 5-2-301(6) (Supp. 2017) states

that

“[l]lack of criminal responsibility” means that due to a mental disease or defect a defendant lacked the capacity at the time of the alleged offense to either:

(A) Appreciate the criminality of his or her conduct; or

(B) Conform his or her conduct to the requirements of the law[.]

Section 5-2-301(7)(A) provides that

“[m]ental disease or defect” means a:

(i) Substantial disorder of thought, mood, perception, orientation, or memory that grossly impairs judgment, behavior, capacity to recognize reality, or ability to meet the ordinary demands of life;

(ii) State of significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with a defect of adaptive behavior that developed during the developmental period; or

(iii) Significant impairment in cognitive functioning acquired as a direct consequence of a brain injury or resulting from a progressively deteriorating neurological condition.

3 (B) As used in the Arkansas Criminal Code, “mental disease or defect” does not include an abnormality manifested only by:

(i) Repeated criminal or otherwise antisocial conduct;

(ii) Continuous or noncontinuous periods of intoxication, as defined in § 5- 2-207(b)(1), caused by a substance such as alcohol or a drug; or

(iii) Dependence upon or addiction to any substance such as alcohol or a drug[.]

Relying on AMI Crim. 2d 609, Lack of Criminal Responsibility Due to Mental Disease or

Defect, Mackrell proffered the following jury instruction:

Tacori Mackrell asserts the affirmative defense of lack of criminal responsibility due to mental disease or defect. If, after considering all the evidence, you are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that [Mackrell] engaged in the conduct alleged to constitute the offenses, you should then consider the defense of lack of criminal responsibility.

A person is not criminally responsible for his conduct if at the time of that conduct, as a result of mental disease or mental defect, he lacked the capacity either to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law.

Tacori Mackrell has the burden of proving the defense by a preponderance of the evidence, unless the defense is so proved by other evidence in the case. “Preponderance of the evidence” means the greater weight of evidence. The greater weight of evidence is not necessarily established by the greater number of witnesses testifying to any fact or state of facts. It is the evidence which, when weighed with that opposed to it, has more convincing force and is more probably true and accurate. If the evidence with regard to this defense appears equally balanced, or if you cannot say upon which side it weighs heavier, then the defense has not been established.

If you find that this defense has been established then you must find Tacori Mackrell not guilty on the ground of lack of criminal responsibility. Whatever may be your finding as to this defense, you are reminded that the state still has the burden of establishing the guilt of Tacori Mackrell upon the whole case beyond a reasonable doubt.

If you find Tacori Mackrell not guilty on the ground of lack of criminal responsibility, the court will conduct a hearing.

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