White v. State

969 So. 2d 72, 2007 WL 1121577
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedApril 17, 2007
Docket2005-KA-01737-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 969 So. 2d 72 (White v. State) 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
White v. State, 969 So. 2d 72, 2007 WL 1121577 (Mich. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

969 So.2d 72 (2007)

Jerome WHITE a/k/a Tyrone White, Appellant
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2005-KA-01737-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

April 17, 2007.
Rehearing Denied August 7, 2007.

*75 Donald W. Boykin, Jackson, attorney for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by Deshun Terrell Martin, Eleanor Johnson Peterson, attorney for appellee.

Before LEE, P.J., GRIFFIS and ROBERTS, JJ.

LEE, P.J., for the Court.

FACTS

¶ 1. On May 18, 2003, Wallace Jackson, who was eighteen years old, left his sister's apartment in Jackson and was walking down the sidewalk to his car when two men approached him. One of the men placed what felt like a gun to Jackson's head and told him that if he screamed or told anyone he would be killed. This man went through Jackson's pockets but only found a pen and keys to Jackson's mother's car. While this was happening, Jackson recognized the other man as Jerome White and said, "Why are y'all doing this, Jerome?" Jackson testified that he recognized White because he and White went to the same school in the eighth grade. The other man, later identified as Jeremy Hayes, then asked Jackson if he had any money. Jackson took out his wallet, but before he could hand it to Hayes, White said, "Don't I know you?" Jackson responded that they had gone to school together. White then told Hayes, "Don't F with this man. I went to school with him at Northwest." White pushed the wallet back to Jackson, which according to White never left Jackson's hand, and told Hayes to give Jackson back the keys. Jackson testified that before White and Hayes ran off, White said to him, "I hope I hadn't offended you. Don't tell anybody." The Jackson Police Department was then contacted and later arrested White.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶ 2. White was indicted on August 12, 2003 in Hinds County Circuit Court, First Judicial District. On October 15, 2004, White filed a motion to dismiss the indictment for failure to provide a speedy trial. White filed a second motion to dismiss the indictment for failure to provide a speedy trial on February 9, 2005. At trial on February 14, 2005, White was found guilty of armed robbery by a jury in the Hinds County Circuit Court. He was sentenced to twenty-five years, fifteen years of that time suspended, and five years probation. On March 25, 2005, White filed a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV) or, in the alternative, for a new trial which was denied on July 28, 2005.

¶ 3. White now appeals to this Court citing the following issues: (1) the trial court should have granted his juror challenges for cause; (2) the trial court erred in failing to grant his motions to dismiss the indictment for failure to provide a speedy trial and for violation of Mississippi Code Annotated Section 99-17-1; (3) the *76 verdict of the jury was unsupported by and contrary to the evidence, and the court should have granted his peremptory instructions and motions for directed verdict; (4) jury instruction D-12 on abandonment should have been granted; (5) the trial court erred in refusing to allow the police detective to testify concerning White's intent to steal a car; and (6) the trial court should have granted jury instruction D-15 on the lesser-included offenses of robbery or assault.

¶ 4. Finding no error, we affirm.

DISCUSSION

I. SHOULD THE TRIAL COURT HAVE GRANTED WHITE'S JUROR CHALLENGES FOR CAUSE?

¶ 5. The first question asked of the venire by White's counsel during voir dire was, "When you walked through that door today and sat in here for the first time, how many of you looked at Jerome White and said to yourself, I wonder what he did?" Fourteen members of the venire raised their hands. White now appeals the trial court's denial of his challenges for cause of three jurors who responded in the affirmative: Jurors Webb, Horton, and Rogers. White argues that these jurors should have been struck for cause because they had formed an opinion of White's guilt when they walked in the room and, therefore, could not be fair and impartial during trial. White also appeals the denial of his for cause challenge of Juror Ingram[1] who stated she was a victim of an armed robbery. White struck these four jurors using his peremptory challenges.

¶ 6. Jurors Webb, Horton, and Rogers basically stated that they thought White might have done something wrong because he was in court and sitting next to an attorney. No further questions were asked of their ability to base the verdict solely upon the evidence. The law in Mississippi on opinions of jurors is as follows:

Any person, otherwise competent, who will make oath that he is impartial in the case, shall be competent as a juror in any criminal case, notwithstanding the fact that he has an impression or an opinion as to the guilt or innocence of the accused, if it appear to the satisfaction of the court that he has no bias or feeling or prejudice in the case, and no desire to reach any result in it, except that to which the evidence may conduct.

Miss.Code Ann. § 13-5-79 (Rev.2002); see also Simmons v. State, 241 Miss. 481, 489, 130 So.2d 860, 863 (1961) (that a juror has formed an impression about the case does not disqualify him where he states that his opinion is not fixed and that he will decide the case on the evidence). We find that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying White's challenges for cause for these three jurors. Each took an oath that they were able to remain impartial. The fact that some of the jurors "wondered" why White was in the room is not dispositive that they could not be impartial.

¶ 7. Upon questioning regarding her ability to remain impartial, Juror Ingram responded that she felt she should not sit as a juror because she had been a victim of an armed robbery ten months ago and her assailant was never caught. In response to individual questioning by the trial court, she explained her feelings further:

*77 I think just the sympathizing with the victim of it, and knowing how unpleasant it really is. I think that would be quite a hindrance to me being unbiased. Just the sympathizing with it, and knowing how much I would like to see the person who did it to me put on trial.

The judge then asked her if she could still be impartial and base her verdict solely on the evidence despite these feelings. She responded, "I could probably set it aside. I think my best answer would be that I would try my hardest to do that. . . . I would set it aside if I was asked to be a juror, and I can assure the Court that I would do that."

¶ 8. Excusing jurors for cause is in the complete discretion of the trial court. Berry v. State, 703 So.2d 269, 292 (Miss.1997); Pierre v. State, 607 So.2d 43, 49 (Miss.1992). A trial court is entitled to deference when its for cause strikes are reviewed because of its ability to evaluate the demeanor of potential jurors, and reversal is not warranted where its findings are fairly supported by the record. Berry, 703 So.2d at 293. If the trial court determines that a juror is unable to fairly try the case, the judge is required strike that juror for cause. Parker v. State, 825 So.2d 59, 64(¶ 18) (Miss.Ct.App.2002).

¶ 9. White urges this Court to find that the trial judge abused his discretion based on our decision in Magee v. State, 912 So.2d 1044 (Miss.Ct.App.2005). In Magee,

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

Related

Antonio Burgin v. State of Mississippi
Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2021
Varnado v. State
67 So. 3d 835 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2011)
Craig v. State
45 So. 3d 699 (Court of Appeals of Mississippi, 2010)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
969 So. 2d 72, 2007 WL 1121577, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/white-v-state-missctapp-2007.