Gray v. State
Gray v. State
Opinion
[EDITORS' NOTE: THIS PAGE CONTAINS HEADNOTES. HEADNOTES ARE NOT AN OFFICIAL PRODUCT OF THE COURT, THEREFORE THEY ARE NOT DISPLAYED.] *Page 629
¶ 1. Flavian L. Gray was tried and convicted of business burglary. Gray appeals, raising the following issues:
I. WHETHER THE CIRCUIT COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING GRAY'S MOTION FOR A MISTRIAL.
II. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING GRAY'S COUNSEL'S OBJECTIONS TO HEARSAY WHILE SUSTAINING OBJECTIONS BY THE PROSECUTION.
III. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DENYING GRAY A JURY INSTRUCTION FOR TRESPASS.
IV. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRONEOUSLY DENIED GRAY'S MOTION FOR A JNOV OR, ALTERNATIVELY, FOR A NEW TRIAL.
¶ 2. Finding no error, we affirm.
¶ 4. Thompson called the police. Officer Jackie Watson arrived, followed by Officer Robert Bufkin. Officer Watson took a statement from Gray, who said he had made a mistake about the location of Pippin's storage bin.
¶ 5. At the trial, Gray testified that he had sought only to assist Bernaix and that he had not been involved in emptying locker 212. He stated that he had left Security Storage to purchase beer but, upon returning to Security Storage five minutes later, he discovered that the truck had moved away from locker 165. He found the truck completely loaded with furniture from locker 212. *Page 630
¶ 6. The jury found Gray guilty of business burglary, and he was sentenced to five years' imprisonment.
¶ 7. Gray testified at his trial. The State impeached him by introducing into evidence certified copies of his prior convictions for false pretenses for writing bad checks. Gray's attorneys objected because the State had not disclosed the fact that it intended to use Gray's prior conviction record to impeach Gray. Gray claims that his prior convictions were improperly admitted and that the circuit court should have granted a mistrial.
¶ 8. Uniform Rule of Circuit and County Court 9.04(A)(3) requires that the prosecution give the defendant a copy of the defendant's criminal record, if the prosecution proposes to use the record to impeach. By failing to provide Gray or his attorneys with copies of his false pretenses convictions, the State was in violation of Rule 9.04. Gray was entitled to notice that his false pretenses convictions would be used against him.
¶ 9. The Mississippi Supreme Court has held that a violation of Rule 9.04 is considered harmless error unless it affirmatively appears from the entire record that the violation caused a miscarriage of justice. Wyatt v. City of Pearl,
¶ 10. Thus, even without the introduction of his prior convictions, Gray's conflicting statements severely impaired Gray's credibility with the jury. It cannot be said that the State's introduction of Gray's prior convictions for the purpose of impeachment was an affirmative miscarriage of justice.
II. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN OVERRULING GRAY'S COUNSEL'S OBJECTIONS TO HEARSAY WHILE SUSTAINING OBJECTIONS BY THE PROSECUTION.
¶ 11. Gray claims that the trial court displayed favoritism towards the prosecution by overruling his attorney's objections to hearsay, while sustaining several objections by the prosecution. This Court reviews the trial court's ruling admitting or excluding evidence for abuse of discretion. Ladnierv. State,
¶ 12. Thompson related that Gray cursed at her when she confronted Gray about transporting items out of locker 212. Over Gray's hearsay objection, Thompson further testified that Gray called her a "b____h" who had no business "dipping [her] nose into someone else's f____g business." The trial court admitted these statements after finding them probative of Gray's behavior upon being confronted at locker 212 by Thompson and Officer Watson.
¶ 13. On appeal, Gray argues that his statements to Thompson constituted inadmissible hearsay. This issue is without merit. Hearsay is a statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial, that is offered in evidence to prove the matter asserted. M.R.E. 801(c). Gray's angry statements to Thompson were not offered for their truth, but to show the circumstances attending Gray's confrontation by Thompson and Officer Watson. Therefore, the statements were not hearsay.
¶ 14. Over Gray's objection, Officer Watson testified that he was called to Security Storage because Thompson had alerted police that two suspects were taking items out of the wrong storage unit. The circuit court properly overruled Gray's objection and admitted this testimony. The Mississippi Supreme Court has held that admitting out-of-court statements made to the police during the course of their investigations is permissible.Swindle v. State,
¶ 15. When Gray was at the police station, Detective Donald Gaiter read Gray his Miranda rights, which Gray waived. Gray then gave a statement to the police, which was introduced into evidence. In the statement, Gray said that he was at Dorothy Taylor's locker because Thompson had directed him to the wrong locker. Gray's attorney objected to the introduction of the statement on the ground of hearsay, which the circuit court properly overruled. "Extrajudicial statements by a criminal defendant, so long as the statements are relevant to the matter being tried, are admissible in evidence." Cobb v. State,
¶ 16. The trial court also allowed Officer Watson to testify that Gray did not answer Officer Watson's questions at the crime scene. Gray's silence was admissible. Id. This issue is without merit.
B. The State's hearsay objections.
¶ 17. Gray further argues that the circuit court erred in sustaining the prosecution's hearsay objections. He alleges that a permissible exception to the hearsay rule existed in each instance.
¶ 18. We recite the prosecution's hearsay objections. The circuit court sustained the State's objection to hearsay when Pippin attempted to recall what Gray told him in a telephone conversation. The court sustained the State's objection to hearsay when Alex Sanders, the owner of the truck, attempted to recall what Bernaix had asked him to do. The court sustained the State's objection to hearsay when Gray attempted to recall what Bernaix had told him when she asked him to go with her to Security Storage. The court sustained the State's objection to hearsay when Gray attempted to recall what Bernaix said to Thompson when Thompson confronted Gray, Bernaix, and Anderson about unloading items out of Taylor's locker. The court sustained the State's objection to *Page 632 hearsay when Gray testified that he had asked Bernaix about the whereabouts of Anderson and attempted to recall Bernaix's answer to his question.
¶ 19. The circuit court properly sustained each of the State's objections. Each of the instances Gray cites was offered for the truth of the matter asserted, and constituted hearsay. M.R.E. 801(c). Gray did not point out any applicable hearsay exceptions to the circuit court, nor does he on appeal. This issue is without merit.
III. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN DENYING GRAY A JURY INSTRUCTION FOR TRESPASS.
¶ 20. Gray proffered a jury instruction that would have allowed the jury to convict him of trespass, which is a lesser included offense of burglary. Harper v. State,
Rowland v. State,[A] lesser included offense instruction should be granted unless the trial judge — and ultimately this Court — can say, taking the evidence in the light most favorable to the accused, and considering all reasonable favorable inferences which may be drawn in favor of the accused from the evidence, that no reasonable jury could find the defendant guilty of the lesser included offense (and conversely not guilty of at least one essential element of the principal charge). [emphasis added]
¶ 21. To prove the elements of burglary of a building other than a dwelling, the State must show that the defendant unlawfully broke and entered with the intent to steal or to commit a felony therein. Miss. Code Ann. §
¶ 22. As in Perkins, there was no evidence that would have allowed a rational jury to convict Gray of trespass rather than burglary. Gray testified that he was not present when the storage locker was burglarized, never entered Taylor's locker, never loaded any furniture into the truck, and had returned to Security Storage only after the truck had been loaded with furniture. Thus, if the jury accepted Gray's version of events, it would have believed that Gray never entered Taylor's property and had not committed trespass. Therefore, the trial court's refusal of Gray's proffered trespass instruction was not error. *Page 633
IV. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRONEOUSLY DENIED GRAY'S MOTION FOR A JNOV OR, ALTERNATIVELY, FOR A NEW TRIAL.
¶ 23. Gray challenges the trial court's denial of his motions for a JNOV or a new trial. Gray points out that, when he entered Security Storage, he identified himself to the office manager, displayed identification, and allowed the office manager to verify his identity and purpose for being at the facility. Based on this evidence, Gray argues that the State failed to show that he entered Security Storage with the intent to commit a felony. Therefore, he contends, the State failed to prove an element of burglary and he was entitled to a JNOV. Gray also alleges that the jury verdict is against the weight of the evidence because his actions were inconsistent with those of a person seeking to burglarize property.
¶ 24. A motion for a JNOV challenges the sufficiency of the evidence. Bush v. State,
When this Court reviews an argument that the verdict was against the overwhelming weight of the evidence, we "must accept as true the evidence which supports the verdict and will reverse only when convinced that the circuit court has abused its discretion in failing to grant a new trial." Collins v. State,
¶ 25. Gray was convicted of business burglary, which required the State to establish that Gray broke and entered into a building with the intent to steal or to commit another felony. Miss. Code Ann. §
¶ 26. THE JUDGMENT OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF HINDS COUNTY OFCONVICTION OF BURGLARY AND SENTENCE OF FIVE YEARS IN THE CUSTODYOF THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS IS AFFIRMED. ALLCOSTS OF THIS APPEAL ARE ASSESSED TO HINDS COUNTY.
KING, C.J., LEE AND MYERS, P.JJ., IRVING, GRIFFIS, BARNES AND ISHEE, JJ., CONCUR. ROBERTS, J., NOT PARTICIPATING. *Page 634
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Flavian L. Gray v. State of Mississippi
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published