Case Title: Beckham v. State

Citation: 556 So. 2d 342

Docket Number: 07-58753

State: mississippi

Court: Mississippi Supreme Court

Date: 1990-01-17T00:00:00Z

Document:
556 So. 2d 342 (1990) Isaiah BECKHAM v. STATE of Mississippi. No. 07-58753. Supreme Court of Mississippi. January 17, 1990. Ross Parker Simons, Pascagoula, for appellant. Mike C. Moore, Atty. Gen., John R. Henry, Jr., Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., Jackson, for appellee. Before HAWKINS, P.J., and ROBERTSON and SULLIVAN, JJ. HAWKINS, Presiding Justice, for the Court: Isaiah Beckham was convicted of armed robbery in the circuit court of Jackson County and sentenced to life imprisonment. While incarcerated in the county detention center awaiting transportation to Parchman, he escaped on May 3, 1980. Thereafter he was indicted for this escape, and also as a habitual offender under Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-83 (Supp. 1979). He was convicted of this escape and as a habitual offender sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. He has appealed, claiming that under Miss. Code Ann. § 97-9-45 he was only guilty, at most, of a *343 misdemeanor in making his escape from the detention center. We affirm. The indictment did not specify which escape statute was used to convict Beckham. There were two applicable statutes in effect at the time of his escape. Miss. Code Ann. § 97-9-45 (Supp. 1979) reads in part: Miss. Code Ann. § 97-9-49 (Supp. 1979) reads in part: According to Grillis v. State, 196 Miss. 576, 586, 17 So. 2d 525, 527 (1944): Grillis, however, does not require the State to prosecute under the statute with the lesser penalty. In Cumbest v. State, 456 So. 2d 209, 222 (Miss. 1984), this Court held: Yet if the indictment is ambiguous, the accused can only be punished under the statute with the lesser penalty. Weaver v. State, 497 So. 2d 1089, 1092 (Miss. 1986). The indictment here is silent as to the applicable statute. Since Miss. Code Ann. § 97-9-45 simply takes away earned time toward parole as opposed to a possible sentence of up to two years under Miss. Code Ann. § 97-9-49, Grillis and Weaver require that Miss. Code Ann. § 97-9-45 apply. As noted, Beckham was convicted of escape, and also convicted and sentenced under Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-83 as a habitual offender. Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-83 provides: Beckham's escape conviction must constitute a felony in order for Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-83 to apply. A felony is defined as: "any violation of law punished with death or confinement in the penitentiary." Miss. Code Ann. § 1-13-11 (1972). Beckham contends that forfeiture of earned time toward parole does not constitute a felony according to Miss. Code Ann. *344 § 1-3-11.[1] Thus, he believes his conviction under Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-83 should be reversed. To hold in favor of Beckham, however, would create an absurd result. Those not serving life sentences would be convicted of a felony under Miss. Code Ann. § 97-9-45 if they escaped, but those serving life sentences would only be guilty of a misdemeanor. This could not be the intent of the Legislature. In Aikerson v. State, 274 So. 2d 124, 127 (Miss. 1973), this Court held: The definition of a felony, however, simply requires "confinement in the penitentiary." Forfeiture of earned time toward parole in effect confines Beckham to the penitentiary for a period of time. Thus, his escape conviction does constitute a felony and sentencing under Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-83 was proper. AFFIRMED. ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., DAN M. LEE, P.J., and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, ANDERSON, PITTMAN and BLASS, JJ., concur. [1] Miss. Code Ann. § 1-3-11 reads: The term "felony," when used in any statute, shall mean any violation of law punished with death or confinement in the penitentiary.