State v. Frazier
State v. Frazier
Opinion of the Court
Appellant was convicted of the commission of the crime of murder in the second degree by the verdict of a jury. In accordance with the verdict, the court sentenced appellant to 30 years imprisonment in the Department of Corrections, Jefferson City, Missouri. The dispositive issue is whether the state made a submissible case, and in the consideration of the facts below, it must be concluded that it did not, and the case must be reversed and remanded for new trial.
On May 12, 1975, Michael Holiway and his two brothers, David L. (the deceased), and Paul, were in Michael’s 1965 Chevelle on the way from their residence to a store. Michael was driving, David was in the front passenger seat and Paul was in the back seat. At about 7:30 or 8:00 p.m., Michael skidded to a halt next to a brown Thunderbird which was parked in the street at 44th and Indiana in Kansas City. Michael and his brothers spoke to the three men in the Thunderbird, and Michael recognized the man in its back seat as Charles Edwards, and identified appellant as the man riding in the front passenger side of the Thunderbird. There was then a conversation between one of Michael’s brothers, Michael
Paul Holiway, 14 years old, testified that on the way to the store a car parked to their right was encountered. Someone in that car “hollered” and Michael Holiway stopped, and David Holiway, in the front passenger seat, talked with a man in the other car, asking, “What you all got the guns for?” He saw the driver of the other car [Warren Frazier] with a gun, and he saw no other guns. Shots were fired at the Holiway car, and Paul ducked down in the back seat. He recognized the occupant in the back seat of the other car as Charles Edwards, who did not have a gun, but he did not see the man in the front passenger seat of the other car [appellant] with a gun either. After the shooting Michael told Paul to go home, and he ran home to get help. According to Paul, there were no guns in the Holiway car.
Richard Beal, arriving at the scene about 8:04 p.m., found the Chevelle with its passenger door open and deceased lying in the street with his feet inside the door. There were nine (bullet) holes in the passenger door, and one exit hole on the driver’s side. Gerald R. Borchers found six spent 9 millimeter casings and one spent bullet outside the car. He also found spent bullets, lead fragments and copper jackets inside the car. Dr. Bonita J. Peterson removed the three slugs from deceased’s body upon performing an autopsy, and in her opinion, death was caused by gunshot wounds to the back and head with massive internal bleeding. The three slugs were examined by John Clayton, supervisor of the Firearms and Toolmarks section of the Regional Crime Laboratory. Clayton determined that two of these slugs were fired from a .38 caliber special, and the other slug came from a 9 millimeter, semi-automatic gun which was also the size of slug found outside the car. It was Clayton’s expert opinion that two different weapons were involved in the assault.
Michael Holiway testified that when the two cars were stopped at 44th and Indiana, he and his brother asked “What is going on?” and Michael said (to the driver of the other car) “ ‘How come you have been cruising around the area?’ ” He said, “ ‘Ah, it ain’t nothing.’ Then they just pulled the gun and started firing. Q. You said something about cruising around the area. Had you seen this automobile before that day? A. Yes, sir. Q. What at? A. I saw it down on 43rd,- going — it was right off of Indiana and 43rd, because I helped an apartment man move that day. I saw it earlier. And then just a little bit before that, I saw it pass by my house. Q. When you saw that car pass by, did you recognize anyone that was in it? A. No, sir. Q. Okay. So when you were asking about them cruising around, your comments were directed toward the car on that particular time? A. Yes, sir.” On cross-examination, Michael testified he had never had any hassle with Leonard Edwards, and “Q. You do not recall that, in Complaint No. G-170789 you were charged with Assaulting Leonard Edwards by shooting at him? A. Yes, I was charged with him, but it wasn’t true. Q. It wasn’t true? A. No, it wasn’t. Q. You were charged on April 27, 1975, at 0345 hours with distrubing the peace of Leonard Edwards by shooting at him; is that correct? A. Yes, it is correct. Q. All right. You know that Leonard Edwards is the brother of Charles Edwards? A. Yes, he is. Q. The man whom you said was in the car, and you have said? A. No, I didn’t say he was in the car. Q. Charles Edwards was not in the car? A. Yes, Charles Edwards was in the car. Q. Now, at the time this shooting incident took place, in which you claimed that you and your brother were unarmed, this case in which Charles Edwards had, or Leonard Edwards has accused you of shooting at him, had not yet been settled; had it? A. No, sir; it hasn’t?”
It does not appear that the state may not produce evidence of a conspiracy of appellant and his companions to commit an unlawful act — the avenging, if so, of the prior assault by Michael Holiway upon Leonard Edwards. For this reason, the case is not reversed outright. State v. Morse, 503 S.W.2d 450, 451 (Mo.App. 1973); State v. Wade, 531 S.W.2d 726, 730 (Mo. banc 1976).
The judgment is reversed and the case is remanded for new trial.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.