I N T H E SUPR EM E C O UR T O F M I SS I SS I PPI NO. 2 0 0 7 - KA- 0 0 4 2 7 - S CT Z AC HAR I S E P AG E a / k / a Z AC KERI S E P AG E
v. STATE OFM

I SS I SS I PPI D A T E O F JU D G M E N T : 05/ 23/ 2006 T RI AL J UDGE : HON. BI L L Y J OE L ANDR UM COURT F ROM W HI CH APP EAL ED: J ONES COUNTY CI RCUI T COURT ATTO RN EY FO R A PP ELLAN T: M I CH AEL D UA NE M I TCH ELL AT T OR NE Y F OR AP P E L L E E : OF F I CE OF T HE AT T OR NE Y GE NE RA L BY : S T E P HANI E BR E L AND W OOD DI STRI CT A TTOR NEY : AN THO NY J
. BU CK LEY NAT UR E OF T HE CA S E : CR I M I NAL - F E L ONY D I SPO SI T I O N : A FFIRM E D - 09/ 18/ 2008 M OT I ON F OR RE HE AR I NG F I L E D: M ANDAT E I S S UE D: B E F O R E SM I T H , C . J. , C A R L SO N A N D D I C K I N SO N , JJ. DI CKI NS ON, J US TI CE , F OR THE COURT : ¶1. A f

t erthe def

endantw as c onvi ct ed of c ons pi r acy t o comm i tdr i ve- by s hoot i ng, dr i veby s hoot i ng, and murde r , hi s couns el f ai l ed to fi l e p ost - tr i al m ot i ons f ora new tr i al or j udgm entnotw i ths t andi ng the ver di ct . T he d efendanti s thus pr ocedur al l y barr ed f r om
ra isin g o n d ire c t ap p e a l th e iss u e s w h ich sh o u ld h a v e b e e n ra ise d in th e trial c o u rt.

B AC KGR OU ND F AC T S AN D P RO CE E DI NG S ¶2. Z acha r i s e P age, a/k/ a Z ackeri se Page, J ohnny W hi t e, and ot her s att ended a par ty at the Tw enty G r and, a ni ght cl ub i n L aur el
. W hi l e atthe cl ub, Page goti nt o a f i ght
. T her e w as conf l i ct i ng t es t i m ony conce rni ng w het herthe vi ct i m , A nt oi ne C l ant on, part i ci pat ed i n t he

### 2

f i ght
. Page t es t i f

i ed thatC l ant on had had no pa r ti n the f i ghtand w as notcarryi ng a gun,
w h ile W h ite te stifie d th a t C lan to n h a d p a rticip a ted in th e fig h t an d h a d p o in te d a g u n in Page’ s f ace . ¶ 3
. A fte r th e a lterc a tio n , W h ite d ro v e to Q u e e n sb u rg , M iss iss ip p i, w h e re m e n in a w h ite S ub urban bl ocked hi s vehi cl e and be gan s hoot i ng athi m . W hi t e then tr avel ed t o the H oy
comm uni ty, w her e he m etP age and other s . A f t erdi s cus s i ng t he al t er cat i on atthe cl ub and the i nci denti n Q ueens bur g, P age a nd other s r etr i eved thei rguns , and f i ve ors i x car l oads of p e o p le tra v e led to S o u th L a u re l. ¶4
. A ft er arri v ing i n L au rel, th ey dro v e in th e are a aro u n d S o u th F o u rth S tre e t, w h ere W hi t e s pot t ed the s ame m en w ho had bl ocked hi m w i th the w hi t e Suburban, and w ho had
s hotathi m i n Q ueens bur g. W hen the men st art ed s hoot i ng, Page – w i t houtl ooki ng or ai m i ng – r eturned f

i r e by putt i ng h i s gu n o ut of the w i ndow and f

i r i ng i n thei rgener al di r ect i on. O ne of

the bul l et s s truck C l ant on i n the upperc hes t , ki l l i ng hi m . A t es tr evea l ed gu nsho tres i du e on C l anton’s han ds. ¶5. D ur i ng thei r i nves t i gat i on, L aur el Pol i ce i dent i f i ed Page as a s us pect . A f t erw ai vi ng hi s r i ght s t o s i l ence and couns el , Page admi tt ed thath e h ad shotf r om the ca r , butdeni ed
s hoot i ng C l ant on. Page l ed of f i cer s t o hi s re s i dence , w her e he r etr i eved hi s gun and tur ned i to ver. T he gun w as a hi ghpoi nt , . 380 cal i berhandgun, s er i al num ber909628. B r yan M cI nt i r e of

the M i s s i s s i ppi C r i m e Labor at ory, t es t i f i ed thatC l ant on w as ki l l ed by a r ound f i r ed f r om Page’ s gun. ¶6. Page pr ocee ded t o tr i al on char ges of c ons pi r acy t o comm i tdr i ve- by s hoot i ng, dr i veb y sh o o ti n g , an d m u rde r. A lth o u g h he m o v ed for a directed ve rdict atth e clo se o f th e S tat e’s

### 3

cas e- i n- chi ef

, Page f ai l ed t o pr es entpos t - tr i al m oti on s f ora new tr i al orf

orj udgm ent
n o tw ith sta n d in g th e v e rd ict. A N A L Y S IS ¶ 7
. P a g e ra ise s tw o iss u e s o n a p p e a l: (1 ) D id th e lo w e r c o u rt e rr w h e n fa ili n g to d ire c t a
ver di ctof

acqui t t al on the char ge of m ur derand al l ow i ng the j ury t o cons i derthe cha r ge of
m ans l aught er ; ( 2) di d the l ow ercourterri n f ai l i ng t o dir ect a verdi ctof acqui t t al on t he char ge of

cons pi r acy? ¶8. Page f

ai l ed t o r enew hi s r eques t f or di r ect ed ver di ct at the cl os e of the evi dence , and he f ai l ed t o pr es entpos t - tr i al m ot i ons f ora new tr i al orf

orj udgm entn otw i t hst andi ng t he
v e rd ict. ¶9. T o pr es erve the i s s ue of denial o f a dir ect ed verdi ct , the def ens e mustm ove f

or d ir e c te d v e rd ic t a t th e c lo s e o f t h e S ta te ’s c a s e -i n -c h ie f. W rig h t v. S ta te , 5 4 0 S o . 2 d 1 , 3 ( M i s s . 1989) ( ci t i ng H

a rr is v . S ta te , 413 So. 2d 1016, 1018 ( M i s s . 1982))
. I f a mot i on f

or di r ect ed ver di cti s deni ed and the def endanti ntr oduces evi dence on hi s ow n behal f , the d e fe n d a n t m u s t r e n e w h is m o tio n fo r d ir e c te d v e rd ic t a t th e c lo s e o f a ll e v id e n c e . Id
. ¶10. I n the ca s e s ub j udi ce , P ag e m o v ed fo r a d ire c ted v erd ict at the clos e o f the S tat e’s
ca se -in -c h ief. T h is m o ti o n w as d en ied. P ag e the n p rese n ted e v iden ce o n h is ow n b eh alf. A t th e co n c lu sio n o f all ev id e n c e , P a g e d id n o t ren e w h is m o tio n fo r d ire c ted v e rd ict. O n ly af t erthe j ury w as i ns truct ed and t he ca s e w as s ubm i t t ed t o them di d Page att empt t o r enew h is m o ti o n for d ir ec ted v erd ict
. T h ere fore , h e fail ed to p rese rve the issu e o f th e tri al co u rt ’s deni al of hi s m ot i on.

### 4

¶11. I n addi t i on, the r ecor d does not cont ai n a m ot i on f or j udgm ent no t w i t hst andi ng t he
ver di ctora mot i on f

ornew tr i al
. T hi s C ourtcan notcons i derm att er s noti ncl uded i n t he
re c o rd
. Shelton v. K

indre d , 279 So. 2d 642, 644 ( M i s s . 1973)
. I tw as Page’ s duty t o “s ee t o i tthatthe r ecor d cont ai ned al l dat a es s ent i al t o an under st andi ng and pr es ent at i on of
m att er s r el i ed upon f

orr ever s al on appea l
. ” Id
. ¶1 2
. P ag e’s a p p ell ate c o u n sel fail ed to raise th e issue o f ine ffecti v e assistan ce o f P ag e’s trial c o u n se l. T h u s, su c h iss u e m a y n o t b e a d d re ss e d in th is d ire c t ap p e a l. CO NC L US I ON ¶13. Fi ndi ng al l i s s ues Page r ai s ed on appea l t o be pr ocedur al l y barr ed, thi s C our tcannot addr es s them. A ccor di ngl y, Page’ s convi ct i ons ar e af f i r m ed. ¶ 1 4
. CO UNT I : CONV I CTI ON OF CO NSPI RA CY TO CO M M I T A DR I VE BY S HOO T I NG AN D S E NT E NC E OF FI VE ( 5 ) YE AR S I N T HE CU S T OD Y O F T HE M ISS ISS IP P I D E P A R T M E N T O F C O R R E C T IO N S , A F F IR M E D . S E N T E N C E IN C O U N T I SH A L L R U N C O N S E C U T IV E L Y W IT H S E N T E N C E IN C O U N T III . COUNT I I : CONVI CT I ON OF DRI VE BY S HOOTI NG AND S EN TE NCE OF F I VE ( 5 ) YE AR S I N T HE CU S T OD Y O F T HE M I S S I S S I P P I DE P AR T M E NT OF CORRE CT I ONS , AF F I RM ED . S EN TE NCE I N COUNT I I S HALL RUN CO NS E CU T I VE L Y WI T H S E NT E NC E I N C OU NT I . CO UN T I I I : CO NV I CT I ON OF M URDE R AND S EN TE NCE OF L I F E I M P RI S ON M E NT I N T HE CU S T OD Y O F THE M I S S I S S I P P I DE P ART M EN T OF CORRE CT I ONS , AF F I RM ED . SM I TH , C . J. , W A LL ER A N D D I A Z, P. JJ . , EA SLE Y , C A R LSO N , G R A V E S, R A N D O L P H A N D L A M A R , J J ., C O N C U R .