Tilley v. State

1998 OK CR 43, 963 P.2d 607, 69 O.B.A.J. 2522, 1998 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 36, 1998 WL 372302
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedJuly 7, 1998
DocketF-96-441
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 1998 OK CR 43 (Tilley v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tilley v. State, 1998 OK CR 43, 963 P.2d 607, 69 O.B.A.J. 2522, 1998 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 36, 1998 WL 372302 (Okla. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinions

OPINION

JOHNSON, Judge:

¶ 1 Joe Vance Tilley was tried by a jury in the District Court of Johnston County, Case No. CRF-90-71, before the Honorable Thomas S. Walker. Tilley was convicted of First Degree Malice Aforethought Murder. After finding the existence of one aggravating circumstance — Tilley posed a continuing threat to society — the jury set punishment at death. The trial court sentenced Appellant accordingly. Tilley now appeals.

¶ 2 During the early morning hours of September 14, 1990, fifteen-year-old Kimberly Ann James sneaked out of her house to meet sixteen-year-old Joe Vance Tilley. The two teenagers attended high school together in Madill. Tilley then took James riding around in his car. Tilley eventually pulled off the roadway and stopped the car. After directing James to get out of the car, Tilley asked James whether she believed he was crazy or would kill her. Tilley then proceeded to strangle James until he could no longer feel a pulse. Thereafter, Tilley placed James’ body in his car and drove her to a bridge over the Washita River, where he threw her body into the water. Two fisherman discovered James’ body floating face down in the river on the afternoon of Monday, September 17,1990.

¶ 3 Prior to his arrest, Tilley made statements to Wilma Rushing Bentley and Gregg Maddox about the murder. During these conversations, .Tilley stated he had killed James and gave specific details about the murder. Tilley also confessed to law enforcement after his arrest.

Pretrial Issues

¶ 4 Tilley submits in his sixth proposition of error that the Information was insufficient as it failed to allege all the elements of malice murder. Tilley specifically contends the trial court never acquired subject matter jurisdiction over this ease because the indispensable “malice aforethought” element was not alleged in the Information filed against him. As Til-ley did not object to the Information at trial, we review only for plain, reversible error. Conover v. State, 1997 OK CR 6, 933 P.2d 904, 909.

¶ 5 In Parker v. State, 1996 OK CR 19, 917 P.2d 980, cert. denied, — U.S.-, 117 S.Ct. 777, 136 L.Ed.2d 721 (1997), this Court rejected Miller v. State, 1992 OK CR 8, 827 P.2d 875, and concluded that any failure to allege facts constituting an offense raises due process questions but does not automatically affect the trial court’s jurisdiction. Parker, 917 P.2d at 985. Thus, review of this issue focuses on whether the Information gave the defendant notice of the charges against him and apprised him of what he must defend against at trial. Id. at 986. This determination is to be made on a case-by-case basis. “[T]his Court will look to the ‘four corners’ of the Information together with all material that was made available to a defendant at preliminary hearing or through discovery to determine whether a defendant received notice to satisfy due process requirements.” Conover, 933 P.2d at 909.

¶ 6 The Information in the instant case set forth sufficient facts to give Tilley notice of the charge against him. The use of the phrase “with premeditated design” was sufficient to advise Appellant that he was charged with malice aforethought murder. Conover, 933 P.2d at 910. See also Holloway v. State, 1979 OK CR 113, 602 P.2d 218, 220. It is also clear from the trial record that Tilley understood he was charged with mal[611]*611ice aforethought murder. Consequently, we find no due process violation occurred.

¶ 7 Tilley contends, however, that retroactive application of Parker to his ease violates Oklahoma case law and is fundamentally unfair under federal and state constitutional provisions for due process and equal protection of the laws. This issue was specifically addressed and rejected by this Court in Conover, 933 P.2d at 910. See also Miles v. State, 1996 OK CR 24, 922 P.2d 629, 681 (application of Parker does not deny a defendant of a substantial personal right nor does it violate the prohibition against ex post facto laws). We need not revisit this issue at this time.

¶8 The Information in the present ease was not ambiguous and set forth the requisite mens rea to place Tilley on notice that he was charged with malice murder. This proposition of error is denied.

¶ 9 In his fourteenth proposition of error, Tilley submits that Oklahoma’s reverse certification statutes are inadequate to insure that a sixteen-year-old offender is sufficiently mature and morally responsible to be subjected to the death penalty. Tilley appealed the denial of his reverse certification motion in Tilley v. State, J-92-114 (not for publication opinion decided on October 1,1992). All challenges to the reverse certification procedure should have been presented and decided in that matter. This allegation of error is not properly before us at this time.1

Issues Relating to Guilt/Innocence

¶ 10 On August 28, 1991, defense counsel filed a motion to quash the Information in this ease based on the State’s failure to prove the corpus delicti of the crime. A hearing was held on December 22, 1992, at which time argument was presented. The court reserved ruling on the motion and ordered both parties to submit briefs on the issue. On January 13, 1993, relying on Thornburgh v. State, 1991 OK CR 65, 815 P.2d 186,2 the district court sustained Tilley’s motion to quash finding the State had failed to sufficiently prove the corpus delicti of the crime. The district court also ordered the charge dismissed and bond exonerated, and stayed the order of dismissal and exoneration of the bond pending the State’s appeal.

¶ 11 On December 5, 1994, in an unpublished opinion (State v. Tilley, Case No. F-93-660), this Court reversed the district court’s order finding that the corpus delicti rule set forth in Thornburgh had been overruled by Fontenot v. State, 1994 OK CR 42, 881 P.2d 69.3 Thereafter, Tilley filed a Petition for Rehearing arguing, in part, that the Court’s decision improperly subjected him to an ex post facto application of substantive law. On October 11, 1995, this Court denied Tilley’s rehearing motion. Citing Mitchell v. State, 1994 OK CR 70, 884 P.2d 1186, 1204, cert. denied, 516 U.S. 827, 116 S.Ct. 95, 133 L.Ed.2d 50 (1995), the Court reasoned that the application of a new evidentiary rule in a trial for a crime committed prior to the evidentiary change is not prohibited by the constitutional prohibition against ex post facto law.

¶ 12 In his first assignment of error, Til-ley again contends the retroactive application of this Court’s decision in Fontenot violated judicial ex post facto principles. Review of this claim is barred by the doctrine of res jtidicata. This issue was fully addressed by this Court in its October 11, 1995, order denying Tilley’s motion for rehearing.

[612]*612¶ 13 Tilley asserts in Ms second assignment of error that the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction for first degree murder. Tilley maintains his conviction cannot stand as it was based solely upon his uncorroborated confession. He contends that even under the Opper standard4 adopted in Fontenot, the State completely failed to corroborate his confessions with substantial independent evidence. We disagree.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Weisser
2007 NMCA 015 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2006)
Coddington v. State
2006 OK CR 34 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 2006)
Primeaux v. State
2004 OK CR 16 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 2004)
McElmurry v. State
2002 OK CR 40 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 2002)
McCarty v. State
2002 OK CR 4 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 2002)
Frederick v. State
2001 OK CR 34 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 2001)
Flores v. State
1999 OK CR 52 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1999)
State v. Cobb
743 A.2d 1 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1999)
Thornburg v. State
1999 OK CR 32 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1999)
Dennis v. State
1999 OK CR 23 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1999)
Tilley v. State
1998 OK CR 43 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1998)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1998 OK CR 43, 963 P.2d 607, 69 O.B.A.J. 2522, 1998 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 36, 1998 WL 372302, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tilley-v-state-oklacrimapp-1998.