FILED

July 21, 1999

Cecil Crowson, Jr.

Appellate Court Clerk

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE

AT JACKSON

MAY SESSION, 1999

STATE OF TENNESSEE, ) C.C.A. NO. 02C01-9707-CC-00265

)

Appellee, )

 ) FAYETTE COUNTY

V. ) 

)

) HON. JON KERRY BLACKWOOD, 

COREY LEMONT POWELL, ) JUDGE

)

Appellant. ) (FIRST DEGREE MURDER)

FOR THE APPELLANT: FOR THE APPELLEE:

MICHAEL E. SCHOLL JOHN KNOX WALKUP 

200 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 202 Attorney General & Reporter

Memphis, TN 38103

R. STEPHEN JOBE 

Assistant Attorney General

2nd Floor, Cordell Hull Building

425 Fifth Avenue North

Nashville, TN 37243

ELIZABETH T. RICE

District Attorney General 

CHRISTOPHER MARSHBURN

Assistant District Attorney General

302 Market Street 

Somerville, TN 38068

OPINION FILED ________________________

REVERSED AND REMANDED 

THOMAS T. WOODALL, JUDGE
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OPINION

In this case, the Defendant, Corey Lemont Powell, appeals as of right

from the judgments of conviction for felony murder and especially aggravated

robbery. Indicted and tried for felony murder, premeditated first degree murder, and

especially aggravated robbery, the jury, on these counts, found him guilty of felony

murder, second degree murder, and especially aggravated robbery. The trial court

merged the second degree murder conviction with the felony murder and Defendant

was given a life sentence. The trial court sentenced him to serve fifteen (15) years

for the conviction of especially aggravated robbery, concurrent to the sentence of life

imprisonment. Defendant presents nine (9) issues for appellate review. This court

initially affirmed the convictions. The Defendant then timely filed a Petition to

Rehear, which was granted. The original opinion and judgment were vacated. The

court ordered the trial court to make certain findings of fact regarding Defendant’s

issue challenging admissibility of his confession. After further briefing following the

trial court’s supplemental findings of fact, the case was then reargued. After review

of the entire record, briefs and arguments of counsel, and applicable law, we find

that suppression of Defendant’s confession is required, and we therefore reverse the

judgments of the trial court and remand this case for a new trial. 

The issues presented by Defendant are as follows:

1) whether the trial court erred in denying Defendant’s motion to

suppress his statement;

2) whether the trial court erred in refusing Defendant access to the

results of a polygraph test for use as evidence;
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3) whether the trial court erred by refusing to suppress evidence of

the murder weapon and the ballistics test;

4) whether the trial court erred in denying Defendant’s motion

regarding the striking of specific jurors and motion for a change

of venue;

5) whether the trial court erred in denying Defendant’s motion for a

mistrial due to admission of evidence of Defendant’s arrest;

6) whether the trial court erred in refusing to admit testimony

regarding Defendant’s restricted access to the telephone during

police questioning;

7) whether the trial court erred in overruling Defendant’s motion for

a judgment of acquittal;

8) whether the trial court erred by refusing to charge lesser included

offenses of premeditated first degree murder; and

9) whether the trial court erred by allowing prosecutorial misconduct

during the trial.

FACTS

Bessie Russell, wife of Don Russell, testified that he was the owner and

operator of Russell’s Grocery located in Hickory Wythe, a rural area of Fayette

County. The store had been open since April 1947. In May 1994, Don Russell was

seventy-four (74) years old. Russell and his wife lived next door to the store, and

each morning he rose at 5:00 a.m. to open the store. He went to the store to eat his

breakfast and read the paper, then returned to the house with the newspaper for her

to read. The store was open from 5:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.

On May 27, 1994, Mrs. Russell awoke and discovered that her husband

had not yet returned with the newspaper. She walked to the store and found him 
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lying on his back in a pool of blood. Mrs. Russell called 911, and the victim was

transported by helicopter to a hospital in Memphis where he was pronounced dead.

She noticed that the cigar box was missing from the store and estimated the amount

of money in the box to be between $800.00 and $1200.00. 

Dr. O’Brien Smith testified that he performed the autopsy of the victim.

Dr. Smith reported that the victim died as a result of a near gun shot wound to the

head, and he removed a .22 caliber bullet fragment from the back of the victim’s

brain. From his examination, Dr. Smith determined that the gun was between six

(6) to twelve (12) inches from the victim’s head at the time it was fired.

Bill Kelley, Sheriff of Fayette County, testified that he led the

investigation of the victim’s murder. After arriving at Russell’s Grocery on May 27,

1994, at 6:30 a.m., Sheriff Kelley determined that a cigar box containing

approximately $1200.00 had been stolen from the store and that there were no

witnesses to the shooting of the victim. On June 24, 1994, Kelley interrogated a

potential suspect, Jerry Coleman, but after a brief investigation, Coleman was

eliminated as a suspect. The investigation, in Sheriff Kelley’s words, came to a

“dead end.” Two years later, in April 1996, Kelley discovered that the Defendant had

told some people within the community that he was responsible for the victim’s

murder. Also, the Defendant’s nine-shot .22 caliber revolver was seized from him

by police during the Mid-South Fair. After the revolver was recovered from the

Memphis Police Department property room, both the revolver and bullet fragments

from the victim’s brain were sent for ballistics testing. 
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Kelley interviewed the Defendant for the first time on May 1, 1996,

advising him that he was investigating the victim’s death and that they had

recovered the Defendant’s pistol. After reading Defendant his constitutional rights,

the Defendant signed a waiver of these rights and did not request an attorney or his

parents to be present during the interview. Defendant denied any involvement in

either the robbery or murder of the victim, but did advise Kelley that Bryant Powell

and Erin Luckett were involved. The Defendant was released following that

interview. After further investigation, the Defendant was again picked up by the

police for questioning and was incarcerated on May 3, 1996. After advising

Defendant of his rights for a second time, Kelley again interviewed the Defendant,

but not until May 6, 1996. Defendant again denied his involvement in the crime.

On May 7, 1996, Sheriff Kelley was notified that the Defendant wanted

to speak with him. After Defendant was advised of his constitutional rights and

signed a waiver form, he again denied involvement in the murder and implicated his

cousin, “Big John,” from Memphis. On May 8, 1996, Agent Scott Walley from the

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation came to interview the Defendant upon Sheriff

Kelley’s request. Sheriff Kelley verified that the Defendant was never mistreated or

promised anything in exchange for his statement. Kelley also stated that he was

never informed by either the Defendant or his parents that they wanted or had

retained an attorney, although Kelley spoke with Defendant’s parents several times

throughout the investigation.

Agent Walley testified that he advised Defendant of his constitutional

rights. During the first portion of the interview, Defendant denied involvement in the
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crime. Following a lunch break, Defendant returned to the interview and gave a

statement to Agent Walley in which he admitted robbing and shooting the victim.

Defendant stated that he entered Russell’s Grocery at approximately 5:30 a.m. on

May 27, 1994, with his nine-shot .22 caliber revolver in his right front pocket. He told

the victim to “give [him] the money and there won’t be no [sic] problem.” The victim

pulled out the gold cigar box from underneath the counter, and then went to the beer

cooler to get a six-pack of Miller beer as Defendant requested. While turning around

with his elbows halfway up, the Defendant became frightened and pulled out his

revolver which “accidentally fired.” 

While the Defendant’s statement was not tape recorded, Agent Walley

took notes and then wrote out a statement in narrative form which Defendant read

and signed after initialing all corrections. Sheriff Kelley returned to the room and

read the statem ent. When Defendant affirmed that this was indeed his statement,

Kelley signed the statement as a witness. 

Steve Scott, an agent of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation,

administered the ballistics testing on the pistol and the bullet fragment. While Scott

was unable to determine that the bullet fragments were fired from the Defendant’s

pistol due to damage, Scott testified that all four class characteristics of the bullet

and the pistol were a match. These four class characteristics included the caliber

of the gun and bullet, the direction of the barrel twist, the number of lands and

grooves, and the width of the lands and grooves. While the Defendant’s weapon

could not be isolated as the murder weapon, it could “certainly” have been the

weapon used. Agent Scott also noted that the pistol required trigger pressure
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“between normal and heavy” to fire the weapon, dependent upon whether the

weapon was cocked or uncocked when it was fired.

The State then rested its case-in-chief.

Tim Adams, a friend of the Defendant’s, testified that after the victim ’s

murder, the Defendant left town for one or two weeks. When the Defendant

returned, he had both new tires and a new vinyl top on his car. Jokingly, Adams

inquired whether the Defendant had “bumped old Donn off,” but the Defendant only

laughed in response.

Jesse James Jones testified that he was incarcerated in a cell facing

that of Defendant’s. Jones made several telephone calls for the Defendant because

the telephone in Defendant’s cell was not working.

Rodney Johnson testified that the Defendant never told him that he

robbed or murdered the victim. Johnson did verify that Defendant owned a .22

pistol.

Stevison Veasey, the Defendant’s stepfather, testified that Defendant

visited his mother around May 27, 1994. During that visit, Veasey bought new tires

for Defendant’s car. During that same visit, Veasey stated that Defendant’s natural

father put a new vinyl roof on the Defendant’s car.
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MOTION TO SUPPRESS STATEMENT

Defendant argues that his statement given to the police on his fifth day

of incarceration should have been suppressed as a violation of his Fourth, Fifth and

Sixth Amendment rights under the United States Constitution. When an accused is

afforded an evidentiary hearing on the merits of a motion to suppress, the findings

of fact made by the trial court are binding upon the appellate court unless the

evidence contained in the record preponderates against these findings. State v.

Odom, 928 S.W.2d 18, 23 (Tenn. 1996). “Questions of credibility of the witnesses,

the weight and value of the evidence, and resolution of conflicts in the evidence are

matters entrusted to the trial judge as the trier of fact.” Id. Provided that the greater

weight of the evidence supports the trial court’s findings, then those findings shall be

upheld by the appellate court and the party prevailing in the trial court is entitled to

the strongest legitimate view of the evidence and all reasonable inferences which

may be drawn from that evidence. Id. In evaluating the correctness of the trial

court’s ruling on Defendant’s pretrial motion to suppress, this court may consider the

proof adduced both at the suppression hearing and at trial. State v. Henning, 975

S.W.2d 290 (Tenn. 1998).

At the hearing on the motion to suppress, Sheriff Bill Kelley testified that

he had the Defendant picked up for questioning for the first time on May 1, 1996.

After the Defendant denied any involvement in the crime and implicated others, he

was released and further investigation occurred. In its supplemental findings of fact,

the trial court determined that Defendant was incarcerated on May 3, 1996. The

record reflects, however, that Defendant was not questioned again until May 6, 1996,
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when he again denied any involvement in the robbery or murder of the victim.

Regarding Defendant’s May 6 denials, Sheriff Kelley testified “I know that he

[Defendant] was blowing hot air at me again and I just took the notes and then I

locked him back up.” (Emphasis added).

We note the chronology of events that Defendant was apprehended on

May 1 and released after denying involvement in the crimes. Two days later he was

again taken into custody, but this time he was incarcerated for three (3) days before

being questioned on May 6, when he again denied his participation in criminal acts.

He was promptly “locked up” again. There had been no judicial determination of

probable cause that Defendant had committed the crimes. As set forth above,

Defendant confessed on May 8, 1996. No judicial determination of probable cause

to arrest Defendant was made until after the May 8 confession. 

First, we will address the Defendant’s contention that his confession

was obtained in violation of his Sixth Am endment right to counsel. The Sixth

Amendment right to counsel does not attach until the adversarial judicial process has

begun. Michigan v. Jackson, 475 U.S. 625, 629, 106 S.Ct. 1404, 1407, 89 L.Ed.2d

631 (1986) (citations omitted); State v. Stephenson, 878 S.W.2d 530, 547 (Tenn.

1994). The long-established law in Tennessee for the initiation of the adversarial

judicial process is at the time of the filing of the formal charge, such as an arrest

warrant, indictment, presentment, or preliminary hearing in cases where a warrant

was not obtained prior to the arrest. State v. Mitchell, 593 S.W.2d 280, 286 (Tenn.

1980), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 845 (1980); State v. Butler, 795 S.W.2d 680, 685

(Tenn. Crim. App. 1990). It is clear from the record that Defendant had not been
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formally charged at the time he gave his statement. Therefore Defendant’s right to

counsel had not yet attached, so no violation of the Sixth Amendment occurred. 

Defendant urges this court to suppress his statement as involuntary

based upon denial of the right to counsel during police interrogation pursuant to the

Fifth Amendment. If a suspect requests that counsel be present during policeinitiated custodial interrogation, then police must cease questioning until counsel for

that suspect is present. Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444-45, 86 S.Ct. 1602,

1612, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966); Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477, 482, 101 S.Ct.

1880, 1883, 68 L.Ed.2d 378 (1981); State v. Stephenson, 878 S.W.2d at 547-48.

The Defendant waived his right to counsel verbally and/or in writing on each

occasion when he was interrogated by the police. Therefore, his waiver is sufficient

for the police to have assumed he did not invoke his right to counsel under the Fifth

Amendment. 

The Defendant asserts that at the time he gave his statement to the

police he had been incarcerated for five (5) days and that this amount of time

violated the Fourth Amendm ent right to prom pt judicial determination of probable

cause after a warrantless arrest. The State concedes that Defendant was detained

for a period of more than forty-eight (48) hours, and that therefore, there was a

violation of the Fourth Amendment. See County of Riverside v. McLaughlin, 500

U.S. 44, 56, 111 S.Ct. 1661, 1670, 114 L.Ed.2d 49, 63 (1991); State v. Huddleston,

924 S.W.2d 666, 671-73 (Tenn. 1996). In Huddleston, our state supreme court

determined that the “fruit of the poisonous tree” analysis is to be applied to

determine whether a statement obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment must
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be suppressed. Huddleston, 924 S.W.2d at 674. The question is “whether [the

statement] ‘was sufficiently an act of free will to purge the primary taint of the

unlawful invasion.’” Brown v. Illinois, 422 U.S. 590, 598, 95 S.Ct. 2254, 2259, 45

L.Ed.2d 416 (1975) (quoting Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471, 486, 83 S.Ct.

407, 416, 9 L.Ed.2d 441 (1963)). As stated by the court in Huddleston, “[u]nder the

‘fruit of the poisonous tree’ analysis, the focus is on whether the evidence was

obtained by exploitation of the Fourth Amendment illegality.” Huddleston, 924

S.W.2d at 674, (emphasis added) (citing Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471,

488, 83 S.Ct. 407, 417, 9 L.Ed.2d 441 (1963)). 

In Huddleston, the supreme court noted that four (4) factors are to be

considered in determining whether the confession was sufficiently an act of free will

to purge the primary taint of the incarceration of a defendant without a judicial

determination of probable cause. These factors are:

1) the presence or absence of Miranda warnings;

2) the temporal proximity of the arrest and the confession; 

3) the presence of intervening circumstances; and 

4) the purpose and flagrancy of the official misconduct. 

Huddleston, 924 S.W.2d at 674-75. The court in Huddleston noted that the fourth

factor, the purpose and flagrancy of the official misconduct, was of particular

significance in this analysis. Id. at 676. 

In its supplemental findings of fact, the trial court found that Defendant

was administered his Miranda warnings on May 1, May 6, May 7, and May 8. The
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record supports this finding, and this weighs against suppression of the confession.

Defendant was taken into custody without a warrant having been issued, on May 3,

1996, and five (5) days later, still without an intervening judicial determination of

probable cause, gave a confession while incarcerated. The defendant in Huddleston

was held without a judicial determination of probable cause for 72 hours, while

Defendant in this case was held 120 hours. Huddleston, 924 S.W.2d at 675. As

noted in Huddleston, once a detention becomes unlawful, the increased passage of

time makes the Fourth Amendment violation worse. Id. at 675. As stated by the

supreme court, “[o]nce the detention becomes unlawful, the pressure to confess

likely increases with each moment of continuing illegal detention.” Id. In

Huddleston, the supreme court held that where the detention was for approximately

72 hours, the “temporal proximity factor” weighed in favor of suppression of the

statement. Likewise, in this case, where the Defendant was detained for

approxim ately 120 hours, this factor weighs in favor of suppression. 

The trialcourt, in its supplemental findings, determ ined that Defendant’s

parents were allowed to visit with him prior to his confession on May 8. This fact was

disputed by Defendant in the trial court and on appeal. However, under the

appropriate standards of review, we agree with the finding of the trial court on this

factor. This would weigh in favor of denying the motion to suppress the statement.

The fourth factor, and the one which the supreme court has placed the

most significance upon, weighs heavily in favor of suppression.
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The Defendant was not questioned for the first approximately 72 hours

that he was incarcerated. When he was finally questioned, he again denied

involvement in the crimes. With no additional evidence of probable cause, and still

no judicial determination of probable cause for the arrest, the Sheriff “locked

[Defendant] back up” because he “knew that [Defendant] was blowing hot air .

. . again . . . .”

When reviewing these facts, as we are required to do in light of

Huddleston, and considering that the “focus” is on whether the evidence was

obtained by exploitation of the Fourth Amendment illegality, id. at 674, the second

and fourth factors outweigh the two factors which favor admissibility of the

confession. Therefore, the confession given by Defendant on May 8, 1996, to Scott

Walley and Sheriff Kelley must be suppressed. Accordingly, the judgments of

conviction are reversed and this matter is remanded for a new trial.

Defendant also argues on appeal that the confession should have been

suppressed as being in violation of Rule 5 of the Tennessee Rules of Criminal

Procedure. Rule 5(a) states that a person arrested without a warrant must be taken

without unnecessary delay before the nearest appropriate magistrate. The State

concedes that the detention of the Defendant violated the rule. However, under

Huddleston, the test for the violation of this statutory rather than constitutional right

is the voluntariness of the confession under the totality of the circumstances.

Huddleston, 924 S.W.2d at 670. Under similar circumstances as found by the court

in Huddleston, we determine that the confession in this case should not be 
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suppressed solely under Rule 5 of the Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure, even

though it must be suppressed under Fourth Amendment constitutional provisions.

Although we have determined that this case must be reversed and

remanded upon the issue regarding Defendant’s confession, we will address the

remaining issues presented by Defendant. 

POLYGRAPH EXAMINATION

Defendant contends that he should have been allowed access to the

results of his polygraph examination and should have been allowed to present the

results as evidence. At the suppression hearing, Agent Walley testified that the

results indicated that Defendant was “deceptive” as to his involvement in the crimes

committed against the victim. Therefore, Defendant was allowed access to the

results of the examination. 

Well-established law in Tennessee holds that the results of a polygraph

examination are not admissible as evidence. State v. Hart, 911 S.W.2d 371, 377

(Tenn. Crim. App. 1995); State v. Irick, 762 S.W .2d 121, 127 (Tenn. 1988), cert.

denied, 489 U.S. 1072, 109 S.Ct. 1357, 103 L.Ed.2d 825 (1989); State v. Adkins,

710 S.W.2d 525, 529 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1985); Grant v. State, 213 Tenn. 440, 443,

374 S.W.2d 391, 392 (1964). As the State correctly notes within its brief, neither the

offer to take a polygraph nor the circumstances surrounding the exam are admissible

as evidence. Adkins, 710 S.W.2d at 528-29; Grant, 374 S.W.2d at 392. This issue

is without merit.
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REVOLVER AND BALLISTICS TEST RESULTS

Defendant argues that the trial court erred in admitting a revolver and

ballistic test results into evidence. Defendant asserts that the revolver was

inadmissible since his prior criminal record had been expunged. Furthermore, the

Defendant urges this court that the ballistics test results were so inconclusive as to

be rendered neither relevant nor probative, but highly prejudicial.

During September 1994 at the Mid-South Fair in Memphis, Tennessee,

Defendant was arrested for carrying a loaded .22 caliber revolver. After pleading

guilty to charges of carrying a weapon on recreational property, Defendant was

placed on judicial diversion. Evidently, Defendant completed his sentence of

diversion without further incident and his record was expunged. 

Expungement pursuant to judicial diversion includes “all recordation

relating to the person’s arrest, indictment or information, trial, finding of guilty and

dismissal and discharge. . . .” Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-35-313(b). This statute’s

purpose is to restore the defendant to the status the person occupied prior to such

arrest, indictment or information. Defendant maintains that physical evidence is

inadmissible under the judicial diversion statute. There is no authority to support his

argument. The purpose of expunging records of a criminal charge is to place the

person back in the position he or she occupied prior to being arrested or charged.

State v. Sims, 746 S.W .2d 191, 199 (Tenn. 1988). While the trial court did allow use

of the revolver as admissible physical evidence, he refused to allow admission of any

facts surrounding Defendant’s prior arrest. The expungem ent language in our 
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judicial diversion statute precludes use of proof of any arrest, indictment,

information, or trial. State v. Dishman, 915 S.W.2d 458, 464 (Tenn. Crim. App.

1995). Physical evidence is not excluded under this statutory section, and this issue

is without merit.

Defendant complains the ballistic test results should have been

suppressed as they were “inconclusive” and, although relevant, their probative value

was substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. The decision to

admit or exclude evidence rests in the sound discretion of the trial court, and this

court will not overturn the trial court’s rulings absent a clear showing of abuse of

discretion. State v. Bigbee, 885 S.W.2d 797, 806 (Tenn. 1994). While the officer

who conducted the ballistics tests admitted the test results were not conclusive, he

testified that the weapon could not be excluded as the potential murder weapon.

The officer also stated that the four class characteristics of the Defendant’s weapon

matched the bullet which killed the victim. The revolver and the murder weapon had

matching calibers, same number of land and grooves, matching land and groove

widths, and the same direction of barrel twists. These test results are relevant, and

the probative value clearly outweighs the potential prejudicial effect of the

inconclusive nature of the results. 

BATSON CHALLENGE AND CHANGE OF VENUE

Defendant argues that the State’s exclusion of certain black jurors was

in violation of Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 
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(1986). Following the conclusion of voir dire, the State exercised its peremptory

challenges against four (4) jurors, specifically jurors Rivers, Howell, Woods and

Bryant. Defendant objected under Batson that such challenges were based upon

willful and purposeful discrimination by the State. While the Defendant argued that

these challenges resulted in all blacks being excluded from the jury, the State

responded, “[I]t’s been an unfortunate coincidence that most everybody that knows

the defendant or his family is African-American, but that’s a sociological fact that the

State can’t be prejudiced by. . . .” 

After Defendant objected, the State responded to each challenge with

an individual explanation for the peremptory challenge. First, with regard to juror

Rivers, the State cited the fact that he had been through the criminal courts before

and worked with individuals similarly situated to the Defendant on a daily basis. The

State referenced the challenge to juror Howell due to her relationship with the

Defendant and his family, and that, in response to questioning, some of her answers

“gave her some pause about her judgment in this case.” Juror Woods was excluded

by the State as he has a son the same age as the Defendant and is friends with the

Defendant. Juror Bryant had two family mem bers convicted of felony offenses in

Fayette County. 

There is a three-step analysis defined in Batson which is used to

determine whether purposeful discrimination has occurred in jury selection. Batson,

476 U.S. at 96-98. First, the opponent of the peremptory challenge must establish

a prima facie case of racial discrimination. Second, the one exercising the challenge

must present a race-neutral explanation for exercising the challenge. Third, the trial
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court is to determine whether the reasons given are sufficient or are pretexts for

discrimination. 

In Woodson v. Porter Brown Limestone Company, Inc., 916 S.W.2d

896, 904 (Tenn. 1996), our supreme court held that in accom plishing the mandate

of Batson, the trial court should state clearly on the record, outside the jury’s

presence, the facts relied upon for finding the presence or absence of a prima facie

showing. If the trial court finds that a prima facie showing has been made, then the

party seeking to exclude the juror must have an opportunity to offer neutral and

nondiscriminatory explanations for the exercise of the challenge. “Thereafter, the

judge must determine, based on all the evidence, whether purposeful discrimination

has been established.” Id. at 904. While the procedure used by the trial court did

not explicitly follow these guidelines, we must conclude that the trial judge

determined first that a prima facie case of discrimination was established and,

second, that the trial judge rejected Defendant’s objection by concluding that there

was no purposeful discrimination by the State. Id. at 905. While the trial court did

not specifically state within the record the reasons for each finding, the record of voir

dire supports the trial court’s ruling as to Defendant’s Batson objection. Upon review

of the record, we will not set aside the rulings of the trial court as they are not clearly

erroneous. See Woodson, 916 S.W.2d at 906 (citations omitted).

After Defendant made a contemporaneous motion for a change of

venue during his voir dire challenges, the trial court overruled his motion. Defendant

objected on the basis of the prosecutor’s statement that most every AfricanAmerican in the potential jury pool knew the Defendant. Rule 21(a) of the

Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure provides for a change of venue “if it appears
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to the court that, due to undue excitement against the defendant in the county where

the offense was committed or any other cause, a fair trial probably could not be had.”

The decision to change venue rests in the sound discretion of the trial court and will

not be overturned absent a clear abuse of discretion. Rippy v State, 550 S.W .2d

636, 638 (Tenn. 1977); State v. Melson, 638 S.W .2d 342, 360 (Tenn. 1982). 

In order to reverse a defendant’s conviction due to the denial of his

motion to change venue, the defendant must establish that the jurors empaneled to

hear his case were prejudiced or biased against him. State v. Burton, 751 S.W.2d

440, 451 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1988); State v. Evans, 838 S.W.2d 185, 192 (Tenn.

1992), cert. denied, 114 S.Ct. 740 (1993). There is no evidence in the record that

undue excitement or any other cause threatened his right to a fair trial in that county.

The mere fact that there was extensive knowledge of the crimes and the defendant

is not sufficient to render the trial constitutionally unfair. State v. Kyger, 787 S.W.2d

13, 19 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1989) (citation omitted). Absent any proof by this

Defendant that the jurors were prejudiced against him, we find this issue to be

without merit.

MOTION FOR MISTRIAL

Defendant argues that the trial court erred in overruling his motion for

a mistrial based upon the prosecutor’s reference to Defendant’s expunged conviction

during the trial. During pretrial motions, the trial court determined that Defendant’s

prior arrest had been properly expunged and, therefore, the prosecution could not

“go into the underlying circumstances of any crimes [the Defendant] would have

committed while he had the gun or any charges against him.” Defendant claims that
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the prosecution did present testimony of and reference these inadmissible matters.

A mistrial is an appropriate remedy when a trial cannot continue, or a

miscarriage of justice would result if it did. State v. McPherson, 882 S.W.2d 365,

370 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1994). The decision to grant a mistrial rests in the sound

discretion of the trial court, and this court will not interfere with the exercise of that

discretion absent clear abuse appearing on the face of the record. State v. Jones,

733 S.W.2d 517, 522 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1987); State v. Adkins, 786 S.W.2d 642,

644 (Tenn. 1990); McPherson, 882 S.W.2d at 370.

Clearly, the record demonstrates that the prosecutor elicited testimony

regarding the pistol taken from the Defendant, but the prosecutor at no instance ever

inquired into the underlying circumstances surrounding the Defendant’s arrest. As

previously determined, the testimony concerning Defendant’s possession of a

revolver was admissible, and there is no evidence of a “manifest necessity” by which

the trial court should have declared a m istrial. See Arnold v. State, 563 S.W.2d 792,

794 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1977).

TESTIMONY OF JESSE JAMES JONES

Defendant contends that the trial court erred in excluding some portions

of the testimony of Jesse James Jones, a cellmate of the Defendant. Specifically,

Defendant asserts that the trial court excluded testimony regarding the Defendant’s

lack of ability to use a telephone while incarcerated. As this issue was not

specifically included within the Defendant’s motion for new trial, this issue is not
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properly before this court and is, therefore, waived. Tenn. R. App. P. 3(e); State v.

Clinton, 754 S.W.2d 100, 103 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1988).

JUDGMENT OF ACQUITTAL

Defendant argues that the trial court erred by failing to grant a motion

for a directed verdict and judgment of acquittal following the conclusion of the State’s

proof and at the end of the trial. The duty of the trial judge and the reviewing court

on the determination of a motion for a judgment of acquittal is the same as for a

motion for a directed verdict. State v. Torrey, 880 S.W.2d 710, 712 (Tenn. Crim.

App. 1993). This duty is as follows:

The rule for determining a motion for a directed verdict requires the trial

judge and the reviewing court on appeal to look at all of the evidence,

to take the strongest legitimate view of it in favor of the opponent of the

motion, and to allow all reasonable inferences from it in its favor; to

discard all countervailing evidence, and if then, there is any dispute as

to any material determinative evidence, or any doubt as to the

conclusion to be drawn from the whole evidence, the motion must be

denied.

State v. Thompson, 549 S.W.2d 943, 946 (Tenn. 1977) (citing Jones v. State, 533

S.W.2d 326, 329 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1975)).

Defendant was convicted of murder in the perpetration of robbery and

second degree murder, which the trial court merged as one conviction for felony

murder. At the time of this offense, a reckless killing of another committed in the

perpetration of or attempt to perpetrate any robbery or burglary constituted first

degree murder. Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-13-202(a)(2). He was also convicted of

especially aggravated robbery. Especially aggravated robbery is the intentional or

knowing theft of property from another person accomplished by a deadly weapon
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and the victim suffers serious bodily injury. Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 39-13-401 and 

-403. 

From the record, it is clear that the evidence is sufficient to support the

trial court’s refusal to grant these motions. While Defendant focuses upon the

element of “prem editation” in his brief, this mental state was not required by these

offenses and his argument is moot. In his own statement, Defendant admitted to

intentionally using a revolver to rob the victim of his store earnings. W e note that all

evidence admitted at the trial, even if admitted erroneously, can be considered when

addressing a Defendant’s challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain the

conviction. See Lockhart v. Nelson, 488 U.S. 33, 109 S.Ct. 285, 102 L.Ed.2d 265

(1988); State v. Longstreet, 619 S.W.2d 97, 100-01 (Tenn. 1981). While the

Defendant claims to have accidentally fired the handgun, evidence demonstrated

that it would take a significant amount of pressure to discharge the weapon. In any

event, the reckless use of the weapon resulting in the death of the victim while

Defendant comm itted a robbery is sufficient to constitute convictions of felony

murder and especially aggravated robbery.

LESSER INCLUDED OFFENSES

While we are addressing each of the issues raised by Defendant,

despite the fact that we have reversed the convictions based upon his first issue, we

note that if the case is retried, any issue regarding the charging of lesser included

offenses must be based upon the record presented in the new trial. 
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Defendant argues that the trial court erred in refusing to charge the jury

with the lesser offenses of premeditated first degree murder, including voluntary

manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Reasoning that there was not

adequate evidence of passion or provocation, the trial court refused to charge the

jury on these lesser offenses. The trial court charged second degree murder as a

lesser offense of premeditated first degree murder and charged reckless homicide

as a lesser offense of felony murder.

We note that the Defendant failed to include this issue in his motion for

a new trial. Tennessee Rule of Appellate Procedure 3(e) requires that issues in a

motion for new trial be “specifically stated . . . otherwise such issues will be treated

as waived.” We do have the authority to address the trial court’s failure to charge

the jury on appropriate lesser offenses as plain error. Tenn. R. Crim. P. 52(b).

However, for the reasons stated hereafter, we find no plain error.

The Defendant was convicted by the jury of second degree murder,

felony murder and especially aggravated robbery. The trial court merged the offense

of second degree murder into the conviction for m urder in the perpetration of a

felony. Likewise, even if the jury had been charged with voluntary manslaughter and

criminally negligent homicide and had delivered a guilty verdict on each of those

counts, both voluntary manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide convictions

would have been merged by the trial court into the conviction for felony murder. The

result would have been the same as Defendant’s current conviction for felony

murder. Therefore, any error in failing to charge these offenses is harmless. Tenn.

R. App. P. 36(b); Tenn. R. Crim. P. 52(a).
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PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT

Defendant asserts in his brief that the State’s prosecutor conducted

himself inappropriately throughout the trial by failing to comply with discovery,

impermissibly communicating with a witness during trial recess, and noting

Defendant’s expunged conviction during the trial. Defendant’s motion for new trial

specifically asserts that the trial court erred “in allowing the State to argue during the

sentencing phase, matter which was outside the scope of the aggravating factors

presented by the State.” There is no mention in his motion for new trial of any

communication by the prosecutor with a witness during the trial or of any failure by

the State to comply with discovery. During the Defendant’s hearing on the motion for

new trial, his counsel orally requested that the portion of his motion referencing the

“sentencing phase” of the trial be struck as the Defendant received the minimum

sentence with regards to all counts. As the Defendant’s rem aining assertions of

prosecutorial misconduct were not specifically included within his motion for new

trial, this issue is not properly before this court and is, therefore, waived. Tenn. R.

App. P. 3(e); State v. Clinton, 754 S.W .2d 100, 103 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1988). 

CONCLUSION

For the reasons stated in this opinion addressing Defendant’s issue on

the motion to suppress, the judgments of conviction for felony murder and especially

aggravated robbery are reversed. Reversal of the judgments also negates the
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merger of the second degree murder conviction into the felony murder conviction.

By return of a verdict of guilty of second degree murder, the jury acquitted the

Defendant of the greater offense of premeditated first degree murder in that count

of the indictment. Accordingly, this case is remanded for a new trial on the charges

of one count of felony murder, one count of second degree murder, and one count

of especially aggravated robbery.

____________________________________

THOMAS T. W OODALL, Judge

CONCUR:

___________________________________

JOHN H. PEAY, Judge

___________________________________

JOE G. RILEY, JR., Judge