Davis v. State
Davis v. State
Opinion
This is an appeal from a conviction of assault.
The appellant, Tyrone G. Davis, was certified to stand trial as an adult on a charge of attempted murder. A jury found him guilty of the lesser-included offense of assault in the first degree and he was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment.
The evidence presented at trial was conflicting. It was undisputed, however, that on the evening of January 13, 1992, the appellant and his friends, Leroy Cole, Jr., and James Montgomery, were together and that they had a gun. It also was undisputed that the same evening, Jack Wolfe was shot in the back as he was jogging. Wolfe stated that before he was shot he saw three young black males and heard two sounds that he thought were fireworks. He continued jogging and a few minutes later, he was approached by a black male who said someone was shooting at them. When Wolfe turned, he was shot in the back. Wolfe believed that the person who had just called out to him had shot him.
Three police officers testified. Officer James Parker testified that he interviewed Jack Wolfe concerning the shooting at approximately 9:50 p.m. He later learned that this incident was connected to a car theft and a subsequent shooting and turned the investigation over to Sergeant Andy Jackson and Investigator Jack Pugh. Jackson testified that he was called to the hospital emergency room at approximately 11:00 p.m. with regard to the shooting of Leroy Cole, Jr., near the intersection of Kimbrell and Maggie Streets. Cole told him at that time that he had been shot during a struggle with three unknown black males that he was unable to identify. Later, he added that he had been with Montgomery and the appellant earlier in the day. The following day, Jackson had Montgomery and the appellant brought to his office for questioning. *Page 54
Montgomery first told Sergeant Jackson that he and the two others had left school and had gone to Cole's house, then to a shopping mall and back to Cole's house. When Jackson informed him that this story was inconsistent with Cole's statement and that he suspected them of a car theft and of shooting a jogger, Montgomery said that he was not "taking the rap for anybody." Jackson read him his rights, and Montgomery then said that Cole had stolen a car and that the appellant had wrecked it. As he abandoned the vehicle, they noticed a jogger nearby. The appellant got a gun from Cole and fired two shots into the air. He said that the appellant then ran after the jogger, and Montgomery heard a third shot as he and Cole were running to Cole's house. Montgomery said that the appellant later returned the gun to Cole and that Cole left the house with it and Montgomery subsequently learned that Cole had himself been shot. After Montgomery had put this statement in writing, his parents came to the police station. At that time, Montgomery admitted that it was he, not the appellant, who had fired the first two shots.
Jackson then had Leroy Cole, Jr., and his parents brought to his office. Cole changed the statement he had made at the hospital and stated instead that he, Montgomery, and the appellant had been in a stolen car when it was wrecked and that they had then spotted a man jogging. He said that Montgomery had the gun and that he started shooting at the jogger and that the appellant then got the gun and shot the jogger in the back. He further stated that he accidentally shot himself while he was in the process of hiding the gun.
Earlier, while Sergeant Jackson was interviewing Montgomery, Investigator Pugh questioned the appellant. Like Montgomery, he was questioned about the shooting of Leroy Cole, Jr., concerning which he gave both verbal and written statements. Jackson then came into the interview and told them that Montgomery had implicated the appellant in the jogger shooting. Jackson advised the appellant of his juvenile Miranda rights, and the appellant called his guardian. Pugh then took him to be fingerprinted, and the appellant stated that he wanted to "tear up" his earlier statement. Pugh returned it to him and he destroyed it, and Pugh then advised him of his rights. The appellant wrote out a two-page statement, which said that after the appellant and the two others had wrecked the car, Montgomery took Cole's gun and fired it twice. The appellant then fired the gun once and returned it to Cole. After completing his statement, the appellant was taken to a detention center. During the trip, he mentioned running past the jogger and telling him that there had been shooting behind him. When he arrived at the detention center, he added this information to the second page of his statement.
At trial, Montgomery's testimony was essentially the same as his statement to Sergeant Jackson. He added that the appellant had stated that he was going to shoot someone and that he later admitted shooting the jogger in the back. Cole's testimony at trial also was essentially the same as his statement. The appellant testified in his own behalf, giving essentially the same factual information as presented by Montgomery and Cole, to the point in time when the appellant got the gun. The appellant stated that he fired the gun once into the air and then returned it to Cole, and that Montgomery then said he wanted to fire the gun again. The appellant said that he ran to warn the jogger and that thereafter he heard a shot and saw his companions running away.
The testimony at the suppression hearing indicated that the appellant was initially picked up by law enforcement officers at the residence of Leroy Cole, Jr., and that he was transported to the police station for *Page 55
questioning as a possible witness in the shooting. At that time, he was in custody and should have been given the warnings required by Miranda v. Arizona,
However, shortly after the appellant gave his initial statements, the officers learned of his possible involvement in the jogger shooting and Sergeant Jackson gave him theMiranda warnings. An invalid statement which is obtained when a defendant is in custody and before Miranda warnings are given does not taint a subsequent, voluntary statement obtained after the warnings are given. Oregon v. Elstad,
Officer Pugh testified that although the appellant indicated after making his initial statements that he did not wish to speak further with the officers, he thereafter asked Pugh whether he could tear up his earlier written statement. Pugh responded that it was entirely up to the appellant and he said he wanted to make it clear he was not pressuring him in any way. Pugh testified that the appellant then tore up the statement; neither it nor the initial verbal statements were offered at trial. Pugh testified that he then again advised the appellant of his Miranda rights and that the appellant executed a second written statement. Thereafter, Pugh allowed the appellant to add to that statement the information that he had run past the jogger and had called to him.
Based on the testimony, we conclude that the discussion about the appellant's changing the initial written statement was not in response to further interrogation by officers, as the appellant argues, but was initiated by the appellant himself. There is no evidence that either that discussion or the appellant's subsequent written statement was the result of emotional manipulation or "pressure or trickery," as the appellant contends. Because the statement offered at trial was made after Miranda warnings were given and was voluntary, it was properly admitted into evidence.
"Articles or objects which relate to or tend to elucidate or explain issues or form a part of the transaction in question are admissible in evidence when duly identified and shown to be in substantially the same condition as at the time of the occurrence." C. Gamble, McElroy's Alabama Evidence, § 319.02 (4th ed. 1991). Here, forensic evidence was not available because the bullets could not be removed from the bodies of the two victims and no shell casings or fingerprints were found. However, Leroy Cole, Jr., clearly identified the gun introduced at trial as the one he had had for approximately two months before the shootings. Cole stated that the appellant had the gun right before the jogger was shot, and James Montgomery testified that he saw the appellant return the gun to Cole after the shooting. Cole testified that he then hid the gun in a flower box next to a mailbox, where it subsequently was recovered by Sergeant Jackson and a crime scene investigator. The investigator's photographs demonstrated that the gun was in substantially the same condition at trial as when it was recovered. There was no evidence of tampering. Under the circumstances, the trial court did not err in admitting the gun or the photographs into evidence.
However, neither Leroy Cole, Jr., nor James Montgomery was charged as an accomplice in the shooting. They testified that the appellant took Cole's gun and ran after the victim after the first two shots had been fired. They said that they then heard a third shot, and the appellant later told Montgomery that he had shot the victim. Any question as to the credibility of these witnesses was for the jury to determine. In addition, the testimony of these two witnesses was consistent with that of the victim, who stated that he was hit after hearing two earlier reports that he had dismissed as fireworks. The victim further stated that the shot came from the area from which the appellant admitted calling out to him. Based on the record, there clearly was sufficient evidence for the trial court to submit the case to the jury and sufficient evidence to support the jury's finding of guilty.
However, it is only when there is no conflict in the testimony that the accomplice determination is one of law for the court. Jacks v. State,
AFFIRMED.
All Judges concur. *Page 57
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Tyrone G. Davis v. State.
- Cited By
- 3 cases
- Status
- Published