Dennis v. State
Dennis v. State
Opinion
Kenneth Dennis was convicted in the Circuit Court of Lafayette County, Mississippi, for the raping and the kidnapping of a young female University student. Life sentences were imposed for each, to run consecutively. We affirm.
The men took her to a wooded area in the countryside of Lafayette County where she was subjected to brutal sexual attacks, including rape by the defendant Dennis.
After these attacks her assailants drove aimlessly about for some time, apparently uncertain as to what to do with their victim. During this period Dennis sat in the back seat of the car and held a gun in the small of her back. She promised not to tell and begged them to let her go. The men instead drove to Ben's and Todd's, a remote, rural convenience store, where they purchased gas, cigarettes, beer, and a coke. The victim was able to see Dennis clearly at that point because they were in a lighted area. Thus she was able to testify that no doubt existed in her mind that the man she identified in the court room, Kenneth Dennis, was one of the men who abducted and raped her.
The trio drove around for another long period after they left Ben's and Todd's to discuss the disposal of the young woman. She again promised that she would not tell if they would just let her live. Finally the car stopped, and Dennis got out of the car under a big security light. Dennis' confederate then informed her that he was going to take her back to campus.
After other events, not necessary to be related here, the confederate left her on a dead end road near the campus, and she hysterically ran back to her dorm parking lot. She immediately reported this crime to the University Police, and they took her to the Oxford-Lafayette County hospital at approximately 12:30 p.m. where she was examined.
After being examined she gave the University Police Department the information she had. She rode with the police down the roads where she was taken and viewed two line-ups. She was able to identify Dennis out of the second line-up. He was picked up for questioning around 1:00 a.m. on July 2, 1986.
On July 3, 1986, a male sexual assault kit test was performed on Dennis, and a blood sample was taken. In due course he was indicted on two counts for kidnapping and rape, tried, and convicted as we have stated. He now appeals to this court.
On Appeal, defendant asserts that the following things occurred and he assigns them as error:
1. There was improper exercise of peremptory challenges to exclude black venire persons from the jury.
2. The foreman of the jury was a long-term private practice client of the county prosecutor.
3. Defense counsel was not served with a copy of the witness list upon which the prosecution relied at trial.
4. The trial court allowed testimony from a police officer speculating that Ken Dennis was involved in other crimes.
5. The trial court refused to exclude highly prejudicial medical evidence of minimal probative value, and refused to appoint a medical expert to assist the defense.
6. The trial court improperly refused jury instructions concerning non-flight.
7. The prosecution improperly interrupted defense's closing argument with the prejudicial objection, and said prejudice *Page 681 was then amplified by the trial court's ruling.
We examine each of these complaints below.
THE PROSECUTION EXERCISED PEREMPTORY CHALLENGES TO EXCLUDE BLACK VENIRE PERSONS FROM THE JURY IN THE ABSENCE OF VIABLE NON-DISCRIMINATORY REASONS FOR SUCH EXCLUSION.
The defendant relies on the decision in Batson v. Kentucky,[T]he defendant first must show that he is a member of a cognizable racial group, Castenada v. Partida [
430 U.S. 482 , 494, 97 S.Ct. 1272, 1275, 51 L.Ed.2d 498 (1977)], and that the prosecutor has exercised peremptory challenges to remove from the venire members of the defendant's race. Second, the defendant is entitled to rely on the fact, as to which there can be no dispute, that peremptory challenges constitute a jury selection practice that permits "those to discriminate who are of a mind to discriminate." Avery v. Georgia, [345 U.S. 559 , 73 S.Ct. 891, 97 L.Ed. 1244 (1953)]. Finally, the defendant must show that these facts and any other relevant circumstances raise an inference that the prosecutor used that practice to exclude the veniremen from the petit jury on account of their race. (emphasis added)Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. at 96, 106 S.Ct. at 1722-23, 90 L.Ed.2d at 87.
We hold that no prima facie case of racial discrimination has been shown in this case. To establish such a case, the defendant must show, among other things, that the government's use of peremptory challenges and any other relevant circumstances raise an inference that the government excluded prospective jurors on the basis of their race. See Lockett v. State,
Here the defendant merely stated that the prosecutor had exercised five of his seven peremptory challenges against blacks, and then he asserted "We would raise discrimination." While the court did not require it, the prosecutor offered to state his race-neutral reasons for the challenges that were made. The Court said "You may proceed if you want it part of the record, Mr. Little." Batson contains a three-pronged test for a prima facie case, and the third prong was completely ignored. The prosecutor had several challenges left. The defendant had several left. Numerous potential black jurors were left uncalled, and one black juror was in the box. The victim of the crime charged was black, as well as the defendant. When we examine all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the case, they simply fail to create an inference that the prosecution purposefully and intentionally struck potential jurors solely because they were black. UnitedStates v. Grandison, Evans, and Kelly,
THE FOREMAN OF THE JURY WAS A LONG-TERM PRIVATE PRACTICE CLIENT OF THE COUNTY PROSECUTOR.
The defendant asserts in his second assignment of error that a private practice client of the county prosecutor was improperly allowed to serve on the jury. However, the record does not reflect that the prosecuting attorney or his firm presently or regularly represented the juror in question. Moreover, the record does not indicate *Page 682 that the juror or any member of his immediate family paid the attorney or his firm any regular monthly or annual salary for legal work.The trial judge found that the voir dire questioning only related to present representation, not past, and that the juror was not guilty of failure to respond to any question of which he had substantial knowledge. See Odom v. State,
No evidence was presented indicating that the trial court was wrong in its determination, and, therefore, this assignment of error is without merit.
DEFENSE COUNSEL WERE NOT SERVED WITH A COPY OF THE WITNESS LIST UPON WHICH THE PROSECUTION RELIED AT TRIAL.
The defendant contends that the revised witness list was not served on his counsel, even though such list was filed with the court. With respect to the discovery dispute, Rule 4.06 of the Uniform Criminal Rules of Circuit Court requires that the prosecution shall disclose to each defendant or to his attorney the names and addresses of all witnesses in chief proposed to be offered by the prosecution at trial.A violation of Rule 4.06 of the Uniform Criminal Rules of Circuit Court is harmless error "unless it shall affirmatively appear, from the whole record, that such . . . has resulted in a miscarriage of justice." McKinney v. State,
There were two additional names on the revised list, Turner and Allison, which were in dispute. The facts show that the defense had actual knowledge of Turner as a potential witness. The prosecution had spoken with defense counsel about him and about the laboratory reports. Defense counsel admitted that they had seen his name on those reports, and that they had spoken to him on the telephone and briefly in person. Defense counsel did not ask for more time to interview him or for a continuance.
With respect to the witness Allison, the pathologist, the record shows that the prosecutor had gone over his report with defense counsel, page by page, some days before the trial. The court confirmed that defense counsel had made that report to him. At any rate the court allowed a recess to permit a conference with the witness. No further request was made by the defense, and the record shows an intense and highly competent cross examination. See Box v. State,
THE TRIAL COURT ALLOWED TESTIMONY FROM A POLICE OFFICER SPECULATING THAT KEN DENNIS WAS INVOLVED WITH OTHER CRIMES.
This assignment of error, relating to the testimony of Captain Mills when he described the mental state of the defendant when picked up for questioning, hardly merits discussion. The officer related that when he arrested the defendant at his grandmother's home the defendant appeared "wild-eyed" and tense, as if on alcohol or drugs.The defense objected, and the trial judge sustained the objection and instructed the jury to disregard the statement.Shelby v. State,
THE TRIAL COURT REFUSED TO EXCLUDE HIGHLY PREJUDICIAL MEDICAL EVIDENCE OF MINIMAL PROBATIVE VALUE AND REFUSED TO APPOINT THE DEFENSE A MEDICAL EXPERT.
With respect to the defendant's demand for a medical expert, the Constitution does not require the State to furnish an indigent defendant with an expert on demand. Johnson v. State,Here, the defendant had full access to the experts of the State together with the reports of those experts. The record further revealed that the defense counsel was able to subject the State's experts to a rigid cross examination, and that no indication of incompetency or bias was present with respect to the experts. The defendant was therefore not placed at a disadvantage by the refusal of the trial court to provide him with funds for an expert to examine blood and semen samples.
The defendant contends that the medical evidence was highly prejudicial and of minimal probative value. However, relevancy must be determined by the trial judge on a case by case basis.Woodruff v. State,
THE TRIAL COURT IMPROPERLY REFUSED JURY INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING NON-FLIGHT.
This Court further finds that the trial court did not err in refusing to grant a reverse flight instruction. The failure to flee is a circumstance indicative of nothing, and is as consistent with guilt as innocence. See Howard v. State,The general rule is that all instructions must be supported by the evidence, and the evidence in this case fails to support any such instruction. Brazile v. State,
THE PROSECUTION IMPROPERLY INTERRUPTED DEFENSE COUNSEL'S CLOSING ARGUMENT WITH THE PREJUDICIAL OBJECTION, AND SAID PREJUDICE WAS THEN AMPLIFIED BY THE TRIAL COURT'S RULING.
The defendant asserts as his final assignment of error that the prosecution improperly interrupted defense counsel's closing argument, and that the court implied that defense counsel misrepresented facts in evidence. During defense counsel's closing argument, the following exchange occurred:BY MR. WILSON (defense): What's really interesting about this case is the proof that didn't show up. You heard Captain Mills testify that they took fingerprints samples from Ken Dennis. They took hair samples from Ken Dennis. They took clothing. . . .
BY MR. ROBERTS (prosecution): Objection, Your Honor, that's not what he testified to. That's outside the scope of his testimony.
BY MR. WILSON (defense): Your Honor, on yesterday, he testified to that.
BY THE COURT: Ladies and gentlemen, the attorneys will not intentionally try to mislead you. If you remember things differently from the attorneys, then your memory and recollection prevails. . . .
This Court finds that the comment by the trial judge fails to constitute a comment upon the weight of the evidence. Weaver v.State,
The case of Craft v. State,
AFFIRMED.
ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., HAWKINS and DAN M. LEE, P.JJ., and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN and ANDERSON, JJ., concur.
PITTMAN, J., not participating.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Kenneth Dennis v. State of Mississippi.
- Cited By
- 85 cases
- Status
- Published