Title: State v. Lee

State: north-carolina

Issuer: North Carolina Supreme Court

Document:

234 S.E.2d 574 (1977) 292 N.C. 617 STATE of North Carolina v. Steven LEE. No. 4. Supreme Court of North Carolina. May 10, 1977. *576 Atty. Gen. Rufus L. Edmisten by Associate Atty. Gen. George J. Oliver and Asst. Atty. Gen. Roy A. Giles, Jr., Raleigh, for the State. Vernon F. Daughtridge, Jr., Wilson, for defendant. BRANCH, Justice. Defendant assigns as error the rulings of the trial judge during the selection of the jury. We first consider the denial of defendant's challenge for cause of the juror Frances Norvell. This ruling was made after defendant had exhausted all of his peremptory challenges. The voir dire examination of prospective juror Norvell disclosed that her husband was a police officer employed by the City of Wilson. He had been a police officer for a period of ten or eleven years and she had been married to him during that entire period. Mrs. Norvell knew most of the Wilson police officers and was acquainted with police officer Johnny Moore, the chief investigating officer in this case who testified in corroboration of the State's principal witness, Dennis Barnes. She was also acquainted with Captain Tom Smith and Captain Hayes, the Chief of Police of Wilson. Mrs. Norvell and her husband had visited in Captain Hayes' home and Mrs. Hayes had visited in their home. She was friendly with numerous members of the Wilson Police Department. Her brother-in-law was a detective on the Wilmington police force. Prospective juror Norvell stated that she was a member of the Wilson Police Auxiliary and was acquainted with Officer Johnny Moore's wife who was also a member of that organization. The Auxiliary occasionally gave parties which were attended by police officers and their spouses. Her husband on rare occasions discussed with her the cases in which he was involved and they had discussed his views on capital punishment. The following exchanges occurred between defense counsel and the prospective juror and between the trial judge and the prospective juror: Both the defendant and the State are entitled to a fair and unbiased jury. Either party may challenge for cause, without limit, a juror who is prejudiced against him. A party to an action does not have the right to select a juror prejudiced in his favor, but only to reject one prejudiced against him. In short, the primary purpose of the voir dire of prospective jurors is to select an impartial jury. State v. Williams, 275 N.C. 77, 165 S.E.2d 481; State v. Allred, 275 N.C. 554, 169 S.E.2d 833. Unquestionably the trial judge is vested with broad discretionary powers in determining the competency of jurors and that discretion will not ordinarily be disturbed on appeal. G.S. 9-14; State v. Noell, 284 N.C. 670, 202 S.E.2d 750; State v. Johnson, 280 N.C. 281, 185 S.E.2d 698. We note the existence of a line of cases to the effect that "[t]he ruling in respect of the impartiality of the juror . . . presents no reviewable question of law." State v. De-Graffenreid, 224 N.C. 517, 31 S.E.2d 523. See also, State v. Bailey, 179 N.C. 724, 102 S.E. 406; State v. Bohanon, 142 N.C. 695, 55 S.E. 797. In those cases the question was whether a preconceived opinion adverse to the defendant would prevent the juror from basing his verdict solely on the evidence. The case sub judice differs from that line of cases in that it involves an objective relationship which permits the reviewing court to assess the effect of that relationship upon the juror's ability to act impartially. In addition to statutory challenges for cause (as provided in G.S. 9-15), the courts have recognized that under certain circumstances there are relationships which impair a juror's ability to give a defendant an impartial trial. We briefly review some of those decisions. In State v. Allred, supra, the defendant was charged with murder. This Court found error in the trial judge's refusal to excuse a prospective juror for cause and, speaking through Justice Bobbitt (later Chief Justice), stated: The accused was granted a new trial in State v. Jackson, 43 N.J. 148, 203 A.2d 1, because of the trial judge's refusal to excuse juror Carolan. This juror had originally stated that he was not personally acquainted with any law enforcement officers, but it was thereafter elicited that certain members of the Elizabeth, New Jersey, police force were neighbors and friends with whom he had grown up and attended church. He had known Detective Lynes for about twenty years and regarded him as a close friend. This officer was a major witness for the State and his credibility was subject to attack by the defense. Nevertheless, the prospective juror stated that if other witnesses contradicted the testimony of Detective Lynes he would not be inclined to give more credence to the Detective's testimony because of their friendship. Defendant exhausted his peremptory challenges and challenged prospective juror *578 Carolan for cause. In its opinion, the New Jersey Supreme Court, inter alia, declared: The court also quoted with approval the following language from United States v. Chapman, 10 Cir., 158 F.2d 417: In State v. Joiner, 163 La. 609, 112 So. 503, the defendant was charged with murder and a prospective juror stated on voir dire that he was a personal friend of the witness for the State and had been a friend of the deceased. He further said that although he had previously formed an opinion about the case, it would not influence his consideration of defendant's guilt or innocence. He indicated that he would not give more weight to his friend's testimony than to the conflicting testimony of a stranger. Holding that the trial judge erred by allowing this juror to sit, the Supreme Court of Louisiana, in part, stated: See also: Wright v. Bernstein, 23 N.J. 284, 129 A.2d 19; Johnson v. Reynolds, 97 Fla. 591, 121 So. 793. In instant case the position of juror Frances Norvell was such that she was subject to strong influences which ran counter to defendant's right to a trial by an impartial jury. We can judicially notice that the forces of law and order, which are most strongly represented by our police officers, are constantly at war with those who commit crimes and those charged with the commission of crimes. To assume that juror Norvell, a police officer's wife for eleven years, who had been on friendly terms with policemen who worked with her husband and attended parties given by the Police Auxiliary of which she was a member, could assume the robes of impartiality is to ignore natural human reactions. This juror may have well felt that in the eyes of her husband, his fellow officers, and his superior officers, she would have given comfort to the opposition had she voted to return a verdict of not guilty. We further note that the juror Norvell initially stated that she would have a tendency to lend more credibility to the testimony of the police officers than to a stranger. It was only in reply to the questioning of the trial judge that she stated that she would not be swayed by her husband's employment and that she could give the testimony of defendant and his witnesses the same weight as that of others. It is natural that a lay witness in response to a direct question by one in authority, such as this trial judge, would be strongly inclined to state that he could impartially render a verdict in accord with the evidence. State v. Joiner, supra. Finally, Officer Johnny Moore, with whom the juror was acquainted, was an important State's witness. He was not only the State's chief investigating officer, but it was by his corroborative testimony that the State sought to buttress the credibility of its only eyewitness. Under the particular circumstances of this case, we do not believe that juror Norvell could qualify as a disinterested and impartial juror. However, we hasten to add that a juror's close relationship with a police officer, standing alone, is not grounds for a challenge for cause. We hold that the trial judge erred by refusing to grant defendant's challenge for cause as to the juror Norvell. Defendant assigns as error several portions of the trial judge's charge. We deem it necessary to consider only one of the assignments of error directed to the trial judge's instructions. On three occasions, including his final mandate to the jury on the charge of first-degree murder, the trial judge submitted to the jury the offense of "first-degree murder where a deadly weapon is used." We do not approve this instruction. G.S. 14-17 defines murder in the first degree as follows: This instruction creates a new offense without benefit of statute or court decision. It is true that when a killing resulting from the intentional use of a deadly weapon is established, two presumptions arise: (1) that the killing was unlawful, and (2) that it was done with malice. State v. Biggs, N.C., 233 S.E.2d 512. An unlawful killing with malice is murder in the second degree. State v. Jones, 287 N.C. 84, 214 S.E.2d 24. Obviously the use of a deadly weapon does not furnish the elements of premeditation *580 and deliberation, necessary to a conviction of first-degree murder. The vice of this instruction is that a jury could infer that when a person is killed by the use of a deadly weapon, his assailant is, without further proof, guilty of murder in the first degree. We do not deem it necessary to discuss the remaining assignments of error since they may not recur at the next trial. For the reasons stated, there must be a New trial.