Stokes v. State
Stokes v. State
Opinion
This court's opinion of May 6, 1994, is withdrawn and the following is substituted therefor.
The appellant, Jerome Stokes, was found guilty of rape in the first degree, a violation of §
The state's evidence tended to show that the victim was raped on July 23, 1992. The victim testified that she gave the appellant her telephone number when he gave her a ride home. Later on that day, he was to take the victim and a friend to a shopping mall. After he picked up the victim and while they were on the way to pick up the victim's friend, the appellant stopped the car and told the victim that he wanted to have sex with her. She testified that the appellant then drove onto a dirt road, where he stopped the car and once again told the victim he wanted to have sex with her. The victim said that she got out of the car and tried to walk away and that the appellant pulled her back into the car, pulled off her clothes, and had sexual intercourse with her against her will and without her consent.
A defendant claiming a Batson violation must make a prima facie showing that the prosecution used its peremptory strikes in a discriminatory manner. Jackson v. State,
While this case was pending on rehearing, the Alabama Supreme Court released Ex *Page 1181 parte Thomas, docket no. 1921804, May 20, 1994.* In Thomas, the Alabama Supreme Court noted that a prima facie case of discrimination can be established "[s]olely on the fact that a prosecutor used a large number of his peremptory challenges to strike black veniremembers." 1994 WL 476117 at *13, n. 1. InThomas, the Alabama Supreme Court overruled prior cases that held that " '[w]hen the evidence shows only that blacks were struck and that a greater percentage of blacks sat on the jury than sat on the lawfully established venire, an inference of discrimination has not been created.' [Harrell v. State,] 571 So.2d [1270] at 1271 [(Ala. 1990), cert. denied,
In this case, the trial court found that the appellant failed to establish a prima facie case of discrimination. The record does not reflect how the state's strikes were used or how many blacks ultimately served on the jury. The only evidence presented by the appellant in support of his Batson motion was that the state struck 5 of the 18 blacks on the 27-member venire.
There is no indication in the record that the court denied the Batson motion solely because a greater percentage of black jurors sat on the jury than on the venire. In fact, the record does not show the racial composition of the jury. As the Alabama Supreme Court stated in Thomas, "A circuit court's ruling on a Batson objection is entitled to great deference, and we will reverse a circuit court's Batson findings only if they are clearly erroneous." 1994 WL 476117 at *6.
Based on the record before us, we find that the circuit court's ruling that the appellant failed to establish a prima facie case of discrimination was not "clearly erroneous."
"[Defense counsel]: Did you notice any type of injury such as her neck being swollen, any scratches, any places where she might have been slapped, pushed?
"[Dr. Krohn]: No, there were no apparent injuries . . . to the body that I have documented.
Rape in the first degree does not require proof of specific intent. See King v. State,
There was evidence presented at trial to support a finding that the appellant threatened the victim with serious physical injury. The victim testified that the appellant pulled her into the car against her will, pulled her clothes off, and told her to stop fighting or he would hurt her and she would "never see home again."
"When there is legal evidence from which the jury could, by fair inference, find the defendant guilty, the trial court should submit the case to the jury to determine the weight it will give the evidence." Ayers 594 So.2d at 720. We hold that the state presented *Page 1182 sufficient evidence of forcible compulsion. The trial court correctly denied the appellant's motion for a judgment of acquittal.
The appellant has failed to show how the use of the term "rape kit" prejudiced him. In order to warrant reversal of a conviction, an appellant must show that the error "complained of has probably injuriously affected [his] substantial rights. . . ." Rule 45, A.R.App.P. After due consideration of the record, briefs, and arguments of counsel, we find no error.
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment in this case is due to be, and it is hereby, affirmed.
ORIGINAL OPINION WITHDRAWN; OPINION SUBSTITUTED; APPLICATION OVERRULED; RULE 39(k) MOTION DENIED; AFFIRMED.
All the Judges concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jerome Stokes v. State.
- Cited By
- 23 cases
- Status
- Published