Case Name: Monica Jean FRAMBES, Appellant, v. STATE of Mississippi, Appellee
Court: Mississippi Court of Appeals
Jurisdiction: Mississippi
Decision Date: 1999-09-21
Citations: 751 So. 2d 489
Docket Number: No. 97-KA-00921-COA
Parties: Monica Jean FRAMBES, Appellant, v. STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.
Judges: BRIDGES, DIAZ, IRVING,LEE, AND PAYNE, JJ, CONCUR.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 751
Pages: 489–493

Head Matter:
Monica Jean FRAMBES, Appellant, v. STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.
No. 97-KA-00921-COA.
Court of Appeals of Mississippi.
Sept. 21, 1999.
Glenn F. Rishel, Jr., Jackson, Attorney for Appellant.
Office of the Attorney General by Deirdre McCrory, Attorney for Appellee.

Opinion:
MODIFIED OPINION ON MOTION FOR REHEARING
KING P. J.,
for the Court:
¶ 1. This case is back before this Court upon the State's motion for rehearing.
The prior opinion
of this Court is withdrawn, and this opinion substituted in its stead.
¶ 2. Monica Jean Frambes was convicted of felony driving under the influence of alcohol causing death and sentenced to serve a term of fifteen years with eight years suspended in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. Aggrieved by her conviction and sentence, Frambes has appealed and assigned seven errors. This Court quotes these errors verbatim:
I. THAT THE OVERWHELMING WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE CONTRADICTS THE VERDICT OF THE JURY.
II. THAT ACCEPTING AS TRUE ALL THE EVIDENCE FAVORABLE TO THE STATE, TOGETHER WITH ALL REASONABLE INFERENCES ARISING THEREFROM AND DISREGARDING THE EVIDENCE FAVORABLE TO THE DEFENDANT, THE EVIDENCE DOES NOT SUPPORT A VERDICT OF GUILTY BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT.
III. THAT THE SUSPENSION OF THE DEFENDANT'S PRIVILEGE TO DRIVE BY THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI AND HER SUBSEQUENT CONVICTION UNDER SECTION 63-11-30(4), MISS. CODE ANN., PLACES THE DEFENDANT TWICE IN JEOPARDY OF LIFE AND LIMB CONTRARY TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES AND THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI.
IV. THAT THE TESTIMONY OF THE STATE'S EXPERT, DR. MCGARRY, REGARDING THE MAGNITUDE OF THE FORCE OF IMPACT SUFFERED BY L.B. MCNAIR, VIOLATED THE RULES OF EVIDENCE AND THE UNIFORM CRIMINAL RULES OF CIRCUIT COURT PRACTICE AND THE CIRCUIT JUDGE ABUSED HIS DISCRETION IN ALLOWING THE STATE TO PRESENT THIS EVIDENCE.
V. THAT THE COURT'S JURY INSTRUCTION #4 IS NOT A CORRECT STATEMENT OF THE LAW AND PREJUDICED THE JURY AGAINST THE DEFENDANT.
VI. THAT THE COURT'S JURY INSTRUCTION # 5 SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN GIVEN SINCE THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT THE INSTRUCTION.
VII. THAT THE COURT ERRED BY REFUSING TO SUBMIT JURY INSTRUCTION D-ll TO THE JURY.
¶ 3. Finding error, this Court reverses the circuit court judgment.
FACTS
¶ 4. On December 15, 1994, Monica Frambes attended a birthday party at a community center in Gulfport, Mississippi. While there, she consumed several twelve ounce beers. At approximately 2 a.m., Frambes and her sister left the party and went to her sister's house where Frambes fell asleep. After sleeping for forty-five minutes, Frambes awoke and drank a swallow of beer. She then decided to drive to her boyfriend's house.
¶ 5. While proceeding to her boyfriend's house, Frambes drove on 34th street in Gulfport and then onto Highway 49. At the intersection of Highway 49 and Martin Luther King Street, she turned right onto Martin Luther King Street. While driving on this street, Frambes hit L.B. McNair, an elderly man, as he walked across the street. She drove further down the street, but returned to the scene of the accident. After being informed that a resident in the area had called the police, Frambes waited for them to arrive.
¶ 6. Willie Bryant witnessed the accident. She had turned onto Martin Luther King Street and traveled approximately 30 feet behind Frambes's car. Ms. Bryant later testified that it appeared that Fram-bes had been speeding. It was also Ms. Bryant's opinion that Frambes appeared to have been drinking because her eyes were glossy and she staggered while walking.
¶ 7. Charles Tillman, a patrol officer for the Gulfport Police Department, was dispatched to the scene of the accident. His patrol car was equipped with a video camera and a wireless microphone was clipped to his shirt. When Officer Tillman arrived, Frambes walked up to him and stated that she had been drinking. At this point, he began an investigation for DUI violations.
¶8. At the start of the investigation, Officer Tillman requested that Frambes move to the front of his patrol car so that the video camera could record the administration of several field sobriety tests. He initially conducted a horizontal gaze nys-tagmus test which measured the jerkiness in Frambes eyes when focused on an object that moved in front of her face, right to left or left to right. This test required that Officer Tillman look for six clues to indicate the influence of alcohol. He found six clues, the maximum number that could have been achieved.
¶ 9. The preliminary breath tests proved positive for the presence of alcohol, and the official Intoxilyzer Breathalizer measured her blood alcohol level at .159. Because she could not balance herself well, Frambes failed several portions of the walk-and-turn test and the one-leg test.
¶ 10. It was later determined by Dr. Paul McGarry, a forensic pathologist, that Mr. McNair died from blunt injury of great force. He sustained extensive injuries to his head, neck, trunk, and extremities.
¶ 11. Frambes was subsequently indicted for driving under the influence and causing the death of Mr. McNair. She admitted having consumed several beers prior to hitting Mr. McNair. However, Frambes claimed that Mr. McNair walked out in front of her car and was, therefore, con-tributorily negligent causing his own death. A trial was held, and the jury convicted Frambes. Frambes's motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and new trial was denied. She now appeals her conviction and sentence.
DISCUSSION
¶ 12. Frambes contends that State Jury Instruction 4A was not a correct statement of the law and therefore prejudiced the jury. She argues that this instruction improperly instructed the jury to disregard any negligence on the part of the decedent unless they were convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the decedent's negligence was the sole cause of death.
¶ 13. State Instruction 4A read as follows:
The Court instructs the jury that negligence is the failure to use reasonable care. Reasonable care is that degree of care which a reasonably prudent person would use under like or similar circumstances. Negligence may consist either in doing something that a reasonably careful person would not do under like or similar circumstances or in failing to do something that a reasonably careful person would do under like or similar circumstances. You are instructed that the contributory negligence is not a defense to the crime charged unless you are convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that the decedent's negligence, if any, was the sole proximate cause of the collision.
¶ 14. It is well settled in Mississippi criminal law that the defendant is not required to prove his innocence. Heidel v. State, 587 So.2d 835, 843 (Miss.1991). The State must prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. Though the defendant bears the burden of persuasion regarding matters he alleges affirmatively, mere persuasion is not to be equated with the obligation of proving one's innocence beyond a reasonable doubt.
¶ 15. State Instruction 4A indicated that Frambes's defense of contributory negligence must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. This instruction effectively placed the burden of proving innocence on Fram-bes and "instructions that shift the burden to the accused are error.... " Id. Accordingly, this Court finds that State Instruction 4A was improper, and therefore should not have been granted.
¶ 16. This Court's findings, that instruction 4A improperly shifted the burden of proof, should not be read as a repudiation of Dickerson v. State, 441 So.2d 536. Dickerson held that contributory negligence was not a defense to manslaughter Id. at 538. It is significant that Dickerson was charged with manslaughter, while Frambes was charged with felony DUI, resulting in death, pursuant to M.C.A., 63-11-30(4).
¶ 17. Felony DUI causing death is not manslaughter, but is a separate and distinct, though lesser included offense of manslaughter Evans v. State, 562 So.2d 91 (Miss.1990). Conviction of manslaughter requires an active disregard of the danger to others. Felony DUI merely requires a negligent act, from which death or injury results Wilkerson v. State, 731 So.2d 1173, 1180 (Miss.1999).
¶ 18. The State suggests that because contributory negligence is not a defense to a charge of manslaughter under Dickerson, this instruction should be held as harmless error. Where the state is granted a jury instruction which (1) misstates and misapplies the law, and (2) shifts the burden of proof this Court will not excuse such prejudicial actions, by finding them to be harmless error.
¶ 19. The trial judge having improperly granted State Instruction 4A, we find reversible error and remand for a new trial. Having reversed on this error, this Court finds it unnecessary to address the remaining issues.
¶ 20. THE JUDGMENT OF THE HARRISON COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT OF CONVICTION OF DRIVING UNDER INFLUENCE CAUSING DEATH IS REVERSED AND REMANDED FOR A NEW TRIAL. ALL COSTS OF THIS APPEAL ARE ASSESSED TO HARRISON COUNTY.
BRIDGES, DIAZ, IRVING,LEE, AND PAYNE, JJ, CONCUR.
SOUTHWICK, P.J., CONCURS WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN OPINION JOINED BY McMILLIN, C.J. MOORE AND THOMAS, JJ., NOT PARTICIPATING.
. Sam Howell, an expert in forensic toxicology, later testified that the legal blood alcohol level for driving in Mississippi is .10 for persons over the age of 21.