FILED

September 22, 1998

Cecil Crowson, Jr.

Appellate C ourt Clerk

IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE

AT JACKSON

MAY SESSION, 1998

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

DOUGLAS D. HIMES 

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 ________________________

AFFIRMED 

THOMAS T. WOODALL, JUDGE
-2-

OPINION

The Defendant, Corey Lemont Powell, appeals as of right from his conviction

in the Fayette County Circuit Court. Defendant was indicted on three counts,

including especially aggravated robbery, murder during the perpetration of a robbery,

and premeditated first degree murder. Following a jury trial, Defendant was

convicted of second degree murder, felony murder and especially aggravated

robbery. The trial court merged the second degree murder conviction with the felony

murder conviction and sentenced Defendant to serve a life sentence for felony

murder concurrent with a sentence of fifteen (15) years for the especially aggravated

robbery conviction. Defendant submits the following issues for appellate review:

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;

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.
-3-

After a thorough review of the record and the briefs in this matter, we affirm

the judgment of the trial court in all respects.

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

operator of Russell’s Grocery located in Hickory W ythe, 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 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 Sm ith 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 rem oved a .22 caliber bullet fragment from the back of the victim’s brain.

From his examination, Dr. Smith determined that the gun fired at the victim 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
-4-

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

comm unity 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. 

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 on May 3 or 4, 1996. After advising Defendant of his rights for a second

time, Kelley interviewed the Defendant on 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
-5-

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 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

statement. When Defendant affirmed that this was indeed his statement, Kelley

signed the statem ent as a witness. 
-6-

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 “between normal and

heavy” to fire the weapon, dependent upon whether the weapon was cocked or

uncocked when it was fired.

The State 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.
-7-

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.

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. Johnny

Henning, _____ S.W .2d _____, No. 02S01-9707-CC-0065, 1998 WL 324318, slip

op. at 6, Madison County (Tenn., at Jackson, June 22, 1998).
-8-

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. Kelley recalled that Defendant was

picked up again for questioning on May 6, 1996, and was held until he confessed on

May 8, 1996. There is some discrepancy in Kelley’s testimony as to the date the

Defendant was picked up by the police for questioning on the second occasion.

However, the trial court’s findings of fact and the strongest legitimate view of the

evidence require us to conclude that Defendant was not picked up for questioning

again by the police until May 6, 1996 and was held without a warrant or arrest until

May 8, 1996, when he confessed to the robbery and murder of the victim. 

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

obtained in violation of his Sixth Amendment constitutional 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

as yet been formally charged as of the time he gave his statement, therefore no right

to counsel had yet attached and no violation of the Sixth Amendment occurred. 
-9-

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 police-initiated

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 Amendment right to prompt judicial determination of probable cause after a

warrantless arrest. The State concedes that Defendant may have been detained

over a period of forty-eight (48) hours, 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 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)). 
-10-

Four factors are useful in determining whether the statement was voluntary

under the above standard: (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. Brown,

422 U.S. 603-04, 95 S.Ct. at 2261-62; Huddleston, 924 S.W.2d at 674-75. First, all

testimony indicates that Defendant was given Miranda warnings both orally and in

writing prior to giving his statement to the police. The fact that Defendant was aware

of his Fifth Am endm ent rights against self-incrimination is a factor weighing in favor

of attenuation. Huddleston, 924 S.W .2d at 675. Second, the temporal proximity of

the arrest and confession, a period of just a few hours past a McLaughlin violation,

weighs only slightly in favor of suppression.

The third factor, the presence of intervening circumstances, points toward

purging the initial illegality of the statement as Defendant consulted with his family

on May 7, 1996, prior to giving his statement. Huddleston, 924 S.W.2d at 675. Also

on May 7, Defendant requested to voluntarily submit to a polygraph examination on

the following day. Defendant’s consent to submit and remain present for the

polygraph examination exemplifies his “act of free will,” also pointing towards

attenuation. Finally, the State concedes that Defendant’s detention under the fourth

determining factor was neither inadvertent nor unintentional based upon Sheriff

Kelley’s testimony. 

While the fourth factor is weighed heavily by this court when determining

whether to suppress a statement, a review of the remaining three (3) factors leads

this court to conclude that Defendant acted sufficiently of free will to purge the initial

illegality of his statement. Both the intervening factors and the use of Miranda
-11-

warnings clearly demonstrate that Defendant acted of his own free will, and the third

factor, that of temporal proximity, does not exhibit such a length of time as to require

suppression.

Defendant also argues that this delay violated Rule 5 of the Tennessee Rules

of Criminal Procedure. Rule 5(a) states that any person arrested without a warrant

shall be taken without unnecessary delay before the nearest appropriate magistrate.

As Defendant did not agree to a lengthy detention, it is argued that the delay was not

in good faith and was unnecessary. The State again concedes that Defendant’s

detention violates this rule. Violation of this rule results in suppression of a

statement if the statement was not voluntarily given under the totality of the

circumstances. Huddleston, 924 S.W.2d at 670. The following factors may be used

in determining the voluntariness of the confession:

The age of the accused; his lack of education or his intelligence level;

the extent of his previous experience with the police; the repeated and

prolonged nature of the questioning; the length of the detention of the

accused before he gave the statement in question; the lack of any

advice to the accused of his constitutional rights; whether there was an

unnecessary delay in bringing him before a magistrate before he gave

the confession; whether the accused was injured, intoxicated or

drugged, or in ill health when he gave the statement; whether the

accused was deprived of food, sleep, or medical attention; whether the

accused was physically abused; and whether the suspect was

threatened with abuse.

Huddleston, 924 S.W.2d at 671 (quoting People v. Cipriano, 431 Mich. 315, 429

N.W.2d 781 (1988)).

There is no evidence within the record to support that the Defendant’s age,

intelligence or education levels prevented him from voluntarily confessing. Nor were

any physical or mental limitations introduced into evidence. There is some evidence

indicating Defendant has had prior contact with law enforcement. While Defendant

was repeatedly questioned by the police, he was Mirandized prior to all questioning
-12-

and he initiated many portions of that questioning voluntarily. Another factor favoring

voluntariness of his confession is the contact he was allowed to have with his family.

At no time during the questioning was there any evidence that Defendant was

deprived of any necessities, nor is there evidence of physical or mental abuse.

While we agree there was an unnecessary delay and a violation of Rule 5(a) of the

Tennessee Rules of Criminal Procedure, under the totality of the circumstances we

cannot conclude that Defendant’s statement was involuntary. 

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.
-13-

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 Septem ber 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 expungement language in our

judicial diversion statute precludes use of proof of any arrest, indictment,
-14-

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. Coupled with the statement of Defendant

confessing to the crime, 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 (1986).

Following the conclusion of voir dire, the State exercised its peremptory challenges

against four (4) jurors, specifically jurors Rivers, Howell, Woods and Bryant.
-15-

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 members 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 court

is to determine whether the reasons given are sufficient or are pretexts for

discrimination. 
-16-

In Woodson v. Porter Brown Limestone Company, Inc., 916 S.W.2d 896, 904

(Tenn. 1996), our supreme court held that in accomplishing 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 m ust 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

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
-17-

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 m otion 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

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,
-18-

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 mistrial. 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

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
-19-

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 and the victim suffers

serious bodily injury. Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 39-13-401, -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 “premeditation” in his brief, this mental state was not required by these offenses

and his argum ent is moot. In his own statement, Defendant admitted to intentionally
-20-

using a revolver to rob the victim of his store earnings. 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 committed a

robbery is sufficient to constitute convictions of felony murder and especially

aggravated robbery.

LESSER INCLUDED OFFENSES

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
-21-

second degree murder into the conviction for murder 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).

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 remaining 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). 
-22-

After a thorough review of the law and the records in the case sub judice, we

affirm the judgment of the trial court.

____________________________________

THOMAS T. W OODALL, Judge

CONCUR:

___________________________________

JOHN H. PEAY, Judge

___________________________________

PAUL G. SUMMERS, Judge