Terrell Patrick Corvette Hopper v. State of Mississippi

220 So. 3d 224, 2017 WL 1164174, 2017 Miss. App. LEXIS 176
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedMarch 28, 2017
DocketNO. 2014-KA-01273-COA CONSOLIDATED WITH 2005-KA-00526-COA; 2006-KA-01607-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 220 So. 3d 224 (Terrell Patrick Corvette Hopper v. State of Mississippi) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Terrell Patrick Corvette Hopper v. State of Mississippi, 220 So. 3d 224, 2017 WL 1164174, 2017 Miss. App. LEXIS 176 (Mich. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

FAIR, J.,

FOR THE COURT:

¶ 1. The Mississippi Supreme Court has granted out-of-time appeals of two convictions rendered more than ten years ago. 1 We address Hopper’s claims on direct appeal in accordance with the supreme court’s order. 2 Hopper’s attorney originally submitted a single issue — that he is entitled to new. trials because he received constitutionally ineffective assistance of counsel. Hopper has since filed a pro se supplemental brief asserting other issues.

FACTS

¶.2. Hopper has provided a thorough procedural history and set of facts on appeal:

Procedural History of Trial 1
On June 3, 2003, a Coahoma County [g]rand [j]ury returned a multi-count indictment against Terrell Patrick Corvette Hopper ... and Patrick Parker, charging Hopper with aggravated assault and aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer and Patrick Parker with accessory after the fact.
Hopper was arraigned on June 13, 2003, represented by Charles McPherson. The case was assigned to the Honorable Circuit Court Judge- Larry O. Lewis. A little over one month after his arraignment, Hopper and Parker were tried together. Hopper was convicted of both counts, and- Parker was acquitted. Hopper was sentenced to twenty years for aggravated assault and thirty years for aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer, to run consecutively. Hopper filed his motion for a new trial on August 25, 2003. That motion was denied on November 12, 2003.
Procedural History of Trial 2
On June 3, 2003, a Coahoma County [g]rand |j]ury returned a multi-count indictment against [Hopper,] ... charging [him] with armed robbery, kidnaping, and nine counts of aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer.
Hopper was arraigned on June 13,- 2003, [and again] represented by [McPherson], The case was assigned to [Judge] Lewis. On November IQ, 2003, Hopper was brought to trial and ultimately acquitted of three counts of aggravated assault, but convicted of six counts of aggravated assault. Hopper was sentenced to serve a total of thirty years concurrent on all counts of aggravated assault and thirty-seven years on armed robbery, to be served consecutive to Hopper’s sentences in Trial 1, for a total of eighty-seven years putting the two trials’ sentences together.
Hopper filed his motion for a new trial on December 6, 2003. That motion was denied on December 10, 2003.
*228 Additional Procedural History
This Court originally docketed the appeals of Trials 1 and 2 as 2006-KA[-0]1607 and 2005-KA-[00]526, respectively. Because Hopper’s attorney never proceeded with his appeal, both appeals were dismissed. The cases languished until, through a series of post-convietion[-]relief and habeas petitions, the Mississippi Supreme Court allowed Hopper to proceed in an out[-]of[-]time appeal, and consolidated both trials into this cause number. The Supreme Court appointed the Indigent Appeals Division of the Office of State Public Defender. This case was subsequently assigned to [this Court].
Facts of Trial 1
On August 16th, 2002, in Friars Point, Mississippi, Doyle Hunter was in front of a local store when he was shot by [Hopper]. Hunter was hit in the face and in the shoulder blade. Hunter was transported to a hospital in Memphis and lived. Earlier that night Hunter and Hopper had a disagreement. Hunter was intoxicated. Hunter testified that he “didn’t think” that the argument was over drugs and denied being in a gang. Hopper, however, testified that Hunter had told him that Chief Anthony Smith [of the Friars Point Police Department] wanted to see Hopper.
The afternoon of the next day, Chief [ ] Smith ... having developed Hopper as a suspect in the shooting of Hunter, spotted who he believed to be Hopper. Chief Smith parked his vehicle, and, when he reached over to put his keys in his passenger seat, Chief Smith was shot through the lower neck, near his shoulder. When Chief Smith turned, he saw Hopper with a gun pointed towards him. Chief Smith yelled for a passerby, and directed him to use the radio to call the sheriffs department ... By the time Chief Smith regained his faculties, Hopper had already fled the scene.
That evening, authorities communicated with [ ] Parker, who told them that Hopper had stopped by Parker’s residence. Police attempted to arrest Hopper at Parker’s house, but were unable to, the circumstances of which resulted in the charges in Hopper’s second trial, discussed below.
Hopper was eventually apprehended at his grandmother’s house. He was found hiding in a trunk. Police recovered a 9mm handgun. Hopper stipulated that the weapon was assigned to and used by Officer John Martin Harris with the Friars Point Police Department.
He was interviewed while at the hospital. Hopper had been shot prior to his arrest. Investigators testified that Hopper told them that Hopper had shot both Chief Smith and [ ] Hunter.
Hopper testified that on the night of [ ] Hunter’s shooting, [ ] Hunter was speaking to him about some drugs missing from Chief Smith ... Hopper then realized that Joseph Brown had a gun in his face. Hopper and Edwin Brown, who was also there, wrestled over the gun and it accidently went off, hitting Hunter. In his testimony, Hopper flatly denied shooting Hunter.
Hopper testified that he, Hunter, Marcus Williams, and Edwin Brown were selling drugs. Hopper wished to stop selling drugs, because “it was getting too deep.” Hopper testified that 15 kilos of cocaine had gone missing, and that he was being accused of stealing it. Hopper testified that the Friars Point Police Department was in the business of selling drugs, and Chief Smith and he had “made transactions” in the past.
Hopper admitted to shooting Chief Smith, but claimed to do so because if Chief Smith had taken him into custody, *229 Hopper believed he would not make it to the jail and would be killed. Hopper testified that later that evening, he went to Parker’s house when Parker was not there ....
Facts of Trial 2
In the early morning hours of August 18, 2002, Coahoma Sheriff Andrew Thompson was called to Parker’s house where police believed they had located Hopper. When he arrived, it became apparent that two officers had been shot.
Officer Harris had gone to the house to speak with Parker. Parker was initially uncooperative, but agreed to go with officers. Parker asked if he could secure the residence, and Officer Harris and Deputy Victor Randall followed him, with guns drawn, because it was dark inside. Otha Hunter and Oliver Mitchell were also on the porch at the time. Officer Harris told Deputy Randall to cover the right side of the house, and Harris was to take the left.

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220 So. 3d 224, 2017 WL 1164174, 2017 Miss. App. LEXIS 176, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/terrell-patrick-corvette-hopper-v-state-of-mississippi-missctapp-2017.