Title: Jackson v. State

State: mississippi

Issuer: Mississippi Supreme Court

Document:

420 So. 2d 1045 (1982) Gene JACKSON v. STATE of Mississippi. No. 53524. Supreme Court of Mississippi. September 22, 1982. Rehearing Denied November 10, 1982. Darden, Sumners, Carter & Trout, Thomas R. Trout, New Albany, for appellant. Bill Allain, Atty. Gen. by Carolyn B. Mills, Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., Jackson, for appellee. Before SUGG, P.J., and HAWKINS and DAN M. LEE, JJ. SUGG, Presiding Justice, for the Court: On August 24, 1980, in an area around the Enterprise community of Union County a lumber shed and a farm truck were burned and there were attempts to burn an uninhabited residence and a store resulting in damage in excess of $150,000. Four indictments were returned against appellant; one for second degree arson, one for third degree arson, and two for fourth degree arson as defined by section 97-17-5, 7, 9 Mississippi Code Annotated (1972). The *1046 cases were consolidated for trial, appellant was convicted on each charge, and was sentenced to serve a maximum statutory penalty on each charge. The judgments provided for sentences to run consecutively with five (5) years suspended, leaving twelve (12) years to serve less credit for the three hundred ten (310) days appellant spent in jail before trial. A co-indictee, Gene Howard, pled guilty before appellant's trial. Howard testified that, on the day of the fires, he and appellant went "riding around" in the appellant's car with the avowed purpose being of staying "away from the law" as they consummed a large quantity of beer. Both men were subsequently arrested for public drunkenness after their car went off the road into a ditch less than one mile from the scene of the fires. Testimony of the arresting officers was that both men were extremely drunk, smelled of gasoline and smoke, and appellant had black smudges on his arms. It is noteworthy at this point that gasoline was used in starting one of the fires. Neither man was questioned that night due to their intoxication, but the following day Howard gave a voluntary statement to a deputy sheriff implicating the appellant and himself which led to the discovery of the burned truck. Appellant first complains that the two indictments charging him with fourth degree arson are void for their failure to allege an overt act toward the commission of the crime with which he was charged. The charging part of the indictments are set forth below. The appellant was charged under section 97-17-9, which provides: This assignment of error presents the question of whether an indictment in the language of the statute is sufficient or whether it is necessary to allege an overt act. In Jesse v. State, 28 Miss. 100 (1854) an indictment which charged an offense in the language of the statute was quashed because the indictment did not contain averments that the act of burning a barn was done maliciously. The Court held that whether an indictment in the language of the statute is sufficient, or whether other words or acts are necessary to properly charge the commission of a crime, depends on the nature of the offense and the terms in which it is described in the statute. If the offense is fully and clearly defined in the statute, an indictment in the language of the statute is sufficient; otherwise, the indictment should charge the offense by the use of additional words that clearly set forth every element necessary to constitute the crime. The Court stated: In Sullivan v. State,[1] 67 Miss. 346, 7 So. 275 (1889) the Court held: In numerous cases we have held that an indictment is sufficient to charge an offense by using only the words of the statute. Norwood v. State, 258 So. 2d 756 (Miss. 1972); State v. Labella, 232 So. 2d 354 (Miss. 1970); Love v. State, 211 Miss. 606, 52 So. 2d 470 (1951); State v. Needham, 182 Miss. 663, 180 So. 786 (1938); State v. Coltharp, 176 Miss. 883, 170 So. 285 (1936); State v. Snowden, 164 Miss. 613, 145 So. 622 (1933); State v. Southern Ry. Co., 112 Miss. 23, 72 So. 837 (1916). However, this Court has never addressed the question of the sufficiency of an indictment charging fourth degree arson under section 97-17-9 when the offense is charged only in the words of the statute. The rules announced in Jesse, supra, and Sullivan, supra, require an examination of the statute to determine if the language of the statute is specific enough to give notice of the act made unlawful, and exclusive enough to prevent its application to any other acts or than those made unlawful. The statute provides that a person is guilty of arson in the fourth degree for willfully and maliciously committing any one of four acts which are stated disjunctively as follows: *1048 The two indictments under attack charge that appellant willfully, maliciously, unlawfully and feloniously attempted to burn a store building, a dwelling house, and named the owner of each. The statute clearly makes an attempt to burn the structures described in the indictments a violation of the law if done willfully and maliciously. The indictments were in the language of the statute and plainly and fully informed appellant of the nature and the causes of the charges against him. Appellant argues that it was necessary to charge an overt act toward commission of the crime with which he was charged. He relies on Maxie v. State, 330 So. 2d 277 (Miss. 1976); Stapleton v. State, 130 Miss. 737, 95 So. 86 (1923); Miller v. State, 130 Miss. 730, 95 So. 83 (1923); State v. Wade, 102 Miss. 711, 59 So. 880 (1912). These cases dealt with indictments under the general attempt statute, section 97-1-7 Mississippi Code Annotated (1972). These cases have no application because the fourth degree arson statute is specific in describing the acts made unlawful, and exclusive enough to prevent their application to lawful acts. We hold the indictments were sufficient to charge appellant with the crime of fourth degree arson. There is no merit to appellant's contention that there was error in the following instruction: Appellant asserts there was no evidence before the jury to justify the instruction because the indictee recanted his culpability, notwithstanding his earlier plea of guilty. This recantation on the stand does not diminish the fact in evidence that Howard pled guilty and made a voluntary statement implicating himself. The recantation at best, only affected the weight to be afforded his testimony. When an instruction correctly states the law, as this one did, and there is evidence to justify it, granting the instruction is not error. Foley v. State, 348 So. 2d 1034 (Miss. 1977). We also find no merit in appellant's contention that the testimony of accomplice Howard was insufficient to support the verdict. This Court has consistently applied the common law rule that a conviction may rest solely upon the uncorroborated testimony of an accomplice where it is not so self-contradictory, unreasonable, inconsistent or impeached as to be inherently unbelievable. E.g., Greene v. State, 406 So. 2d 805 (Miss. 1981); Catchings v. State, 394 So. 2d 869 (Miss. 1981); Wall v. State, 379 So. 2d 529 (Miss. 1980); Culberson v. State, 379 So. 2d 499 (Miss. 1979). Moreover, where the record contains even slight corroborating evidence, we have held the testimony sufficient to sustain the verdict. See Jones v. State, 381 So. 2d 983 (Miss. 1981) cert. denied, 449 U.S. 1003, 101 S. Ct. 543, 66 L. Ed. 2d 300; Lifer v. State, 189 Miss. 754, 199 So. 107 (1940). Contrary to appellant's assertion, Howard's testimony was not uncorroborated. There was testimony that placed the appellant's car at the scene of one of the fires and there was also testimony that the appellant smelled of gas and smoke and had black smudges on his arm. In sum, we feel that it was for the jury to accept or reject the testimony, especially since the jury was instructed that the testimony of an admitted accomplice should be weighed with great care and caution. The jury had the duty to determine the impeachment value of the inconsistencies or contradictions as well as any testimonial defects. See Jones, 381 So. 2d at 989. Appellant's final contention is that this case must be reversed because the trial judge restricted his right to cross examine the witness Gene Howard on two material points. Initially, it is his theory that he was denied the opportunity to pursue a line of *1049 questions in reference to Howard's plea of guilty. This issue arises in part from the following proceedings at trial: In denying a motion for a mistrial lodged after he sustained the objection, the trial judge again advised appellant's counsel that: Simply stated, the judge's ruling at trial did not amount to a restriction of the appellant's right of cross-examination. The rulings allowed the appellant's counsel to explore any possible correlation between Howard's guilty plea and his testimony at trial. The record reflects that counsel examined Howard at length in an attempt to show that he pled guilty with the understanding that he would testify against the appellant and that he was induced to so plea because of promises made in regard to his sentence. The witness was allowed to answer these questions; therefore, we fail to see any restriction. The second alleged limitation arises from the following proceedings at trial: *1050 After the statement by the court, appellant did not cross-examine in an effort to show that the right of review of his sentence induced Howard to plead guilty and testify for the state, but appellant now complains that he was curtailed in his effort to show the effects this right of review may have had on Howard's willingness to testify. On review of the entire record, we are not convinced that appellant was restricted in his cross-examination. The jury was made aware of Howard's status as an accomplice and the right of the court to review his sentence. Furthermore, as stated earlier, the jury was instructed to receive Howard's testimony with care and caution. Finding no reversible error, we affirm. AFFIRMED. PATTERSON, C.J., WALKER, P.J., and BROOM, ROY NOBLE LEE, BOWLING, HAWKINS, DAN M. LEE and PRATHER, JJ., concur. [1] This case arose from the famous prize fight between John L. Sullivan and Jake Kilrain in Marion County.