Opinion ID: 1907388
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: whether the trial court erred in its instructions to the jury so as to prejudice rushing's rights to a fair trial.

Text: ¶ 22. Rushing asserts that the trial court erred in granting Instruction S-5 as submitted by the State, and that the trial court further erred in failing to sua sponte give a limiting (cautionary) instruction informing the jury as to the limited purpose for which the jury could consider the evidence concerning the two prescription drugs found on Rushing's person at the time of his arrest.
¶ 23. Rushing complains of an aiding and abetting instruction (No. S-5) which was submitted by the State and granted by the trial court. Instruction No. S-5 stated: The Court instructs the Jury that under the laws of Mississippi anyone who aids, assists, or encourages in the commission of a crime is deemed a principal to that crime, and is just as guilty as if he committed the crime himself. Therefore, if you find from the evidence in this case beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant, WILLIE RUSHING, aided, assisted and encouraged another or others in the forgery of the prescriptions by carrying those prescriptions to the various pharmacists and presenting them to be filled, then the defendant is a principal to those offenses under the laws of the State of Mississippi. ¶ 24. In reviewing a trial court's grant or denial of jury instructions, our standard of review is that we do not read the jury instructions in isolation, but instead we read them as a whole. No one instruction is to be read alone or taken out of context. Young v. State, 891 So.2d 813, 819 (Miss.2005); Hawthorne v. State, 835 So.2d 14, 20 (Miss.2003); Woodham v. State, 800 So.2d 1148, 1156 (Miss.2001). A defendant is entitled to have jury instructions given which present his theory of the case. However the trial judge may also properly refuse the instructions if he finds them to incorrectly state the law or to repeat a theory fairly covered in another instruction or to be without proper foundation in the evidence of the case. Young, 891 So.2d at 819-20 (quoting Howell v. State, 860 So.2d 704, 761 (Miss.2003) (quoting Thomas v. State, 818 So.2d 335, 349 (Miss.2002) and Humphrey v. State, 759 So.2d 368, 380 (Miss.2000))). When reading the instructions as a whole, we must determine whether the jury was properly instructed. Burton ex rel. Bradford v. Barnett, 615 So.2d 580, 583 (Miss.1993). This proposition stands even when one specific instruction is arguably faulty. Defects in specific instructions do not require reversal `where all instructions taken as a whole fairlyalthough not perfectly announce the applicable primary rules of law.' Id. (citations omitted). ¶ 25. In reading not only Instruction No. S-5, but all the jury instructions, as a whole, it is clear that Rushing's jury was not unfairly or erroneously instructed. The record of the jury instruction conference reveals that when the trial judge called up Instruction No. S-5 for discussion, the following occurred: BY [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Um, your Honor, I believe I would object to this because I don't think there's evidence in the case to support this jury instruction. BY THE COURT: State? BY [PROSECUTOR]: In response your Honor, the defendant, if I understand his defense in this case to Count 1 is that I didn't do it, but if I did do it, I did it because my wife gave it to me and I took it in there. BY [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Your Honor, he was asked that question point blank and he said no. BY THE COURT: The Court recalls the testimony being that he did not pass these scrips, but then he indicated on cross-examination that if he did take them in there and if they had been forged, someone else would have been done it (sic) but he got these scrips from his wife; and he also unsolicited indicated to the jury that his wife had just gotten out of the penitentiary for doing this same thing. That was unsolicited when you asked him on direct examination. BY [DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Your Honor, but the burden of proof is on the State and the State is seeking a jury instruction on something that they didn't produce any evidence or any witnesses of any conspiracy at all. BY THE COURT: I know, but the evidence seemed to have come from your client. Whether it comes on direct examination by the State's witnesses or by the defense witnesses, at the end of the case I've got to look at all the evidence that's before the jury and the jury now, he was very careful to say, I'm not accusing her of doing this, but he said she's the one that took me to the store to get these drugs and she's the one that handed me these prescriptions, and oh, by the way, she just got out of prison for doing this same thing. Not in that particular order, but that was the gist of his testimony. I find that there is sufficient evidence that a jury could find this and I will give this instruction. ¶ 26. The trial court correctly recalled the gist of Rushing's testimony. At least as to Count 1, regarding the passing of the prescription to pharmacist Van Miles on February 18, 2003, without Instruction No. S-5, the jury could have been left confused as to the legal culpability of Rushing under our state law since the jury knew that Susan was outside in the car and Rushing was at least inferentially trying to leave the impression with the jury that he was acting on behalf of Susan. Instruction No. S-5 was not peremptory in nature, and it did not mandate the jury's finding of guilt if the jury found Rushing to have aided and assisted others (such as Susan). This instruction only explained to the jury that an aider and abetter was deemed under our law to be a principal to the offense. The instruction informed the jury that if the jury found from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Rushing aided, assisted and encouraged another or others in the forgery of prescriptions by carrying those prescriptions to the various pharmacists and presenting them to be filled, then Rushing was a principal to the offenses under Mississippi law. ¶ 27. Instruction Nos. S-2, S-3 and S-4 were the elements instructions for the three indicted crimes, and these three instructions were identical in their language, except for the date of the offense and the name of the pharmacist. Instruction No. S-2 was the elements instruction for the February 18, 2003, encounter with Van Miles at Wal-Mart. Via this instruction, the jury was informed that in order to find Rushing guilty of passing a forged prescription on this occasion, the jury had to find from the evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Rushing did unlawfully, wilfully, feloniously, knowingly and intentionally transfer and deliver to Van Miles, a pharmacist, a prescription upon which the name of Dr. Jim Smith, a licensed medical practitioner, had been forged. ¶ 28. The jury was informed, inter alia, by way of Instruction No. C.01, that the jury was not to single out one instruction alone as stating the law, but you must consider these instructions as a whole. The jury was also informed via Instruction No. S-1 (the form of the verdict), that as to each of the three counts, the jury must consider each count separately, that each count was a separate case, and that separate verdicts of either guilty or not guilty (or unable to reach a verdict) should be rendered in each count. ¶ 29. All of the instructions, when read together and considered as a whole, make it clear that Rushing was to be found guilty as charged only if the jury found beyond a reasonable doubt that Rushing committed all of the elements of the crime of prescription forgery, namely that he knowingly or intentionally passed a forged prescription of a practitioner to the pharmacists involved in this case. See Miss.Code Ann. § 41-29-144(2) (Rev.2001). We find, without question, that the jury instructions in this case, when read together, appropriately informed the jury of the applicable law. Even if we were to find by some stretch of the imagination any error in Instruction No. S-5, which we do not, this Court has held that failure of one instruction to set out properly a necessary element of a crime is not error when the element is correctly included in other instructions. Gray v. State, 487 So.2d 1304, 1308 (Miss.1986). ¶ 30. For the foregoing reasons, we find that the trial court appropriately granted Instruction No. S-5; therefore this issue is without merit.
¶ 31. In the final two paragraphs of his brief, Rushing raises an issue of the trial judge's being required to submit limiting instructions sua sponte to the jury regarding the evidence of the prescription drugs found on his person at the time of the arrest. In making his assertion that the trial judge should have sua sponte given a limiting instruction to the jury, Rushing relies on Smith v. State, 656 So.2d 95, 99 (Miss.1995), where this Court held that admission of evidence of prior acts allowed pursuant to Miss. R. Evid. 404(b) required the trial judge in certain circumstances to sua sponte instruct the jury as to the limited consideration that the jury may give to such evidence. However, Rushing acknowledges our recent decision in Brown v. State, 890 So.2d 901, 913 (Miss.2004), overruling Smith as to the requirement of the trial judge to sua sponte give a limiting instruction after receiving Miss. R. Evid. 404(b) evidence. ¶ 32. In Smith, we see the culmination of this Court's long struggle with convictions secured under our possession (of drugs) with intent (to sale/distribute) laws. See Miss.Code Ann. § 41-29-139(a) (Supp.2004). How does the State reach into a defendant's mind and prove intent? In Smith, we stated: Nevertheless, we must be mindful of our rules. We have promulgated M.R.E. 105 which clearly contemplates that restrictive instructions be given upon request and as the Comment acknowledges, that in the absence of a request, there is no error. M.R.E. 105 and Comment. We are loath to reverse for plain error in the face of a rule so clear. We say for the future, however, that wherever 404(b) evidence is offered and there is an objection which is overruled, the objection shall be deemed an invocation of the right to MRE 403 balancing analysis and a limiting instruction. The court shall conduct an MRE analysis and, if the evidence passes that hurdle, give a limiting instruction unless the party objecting to the evidence objects to giving the limiting instruction. 656 So.2d at 100. While there is no doubt that this Court in Smith was focusing on cases involving evidence of prior drug sales of a defendant to prove the intent element of possession of drugs with intent to sale/distribute, the language in Smith is admittedly unqualified as to its applicability in all cases involving Rule 404(b) evidence. However, in Brown, we once and for all laid this issue to rest when we stated: Today we abandon Smith's requirement that a judge issue a sua sponte limiting instruction and return to the clear language of Rule 105. The rule clearly places the burden of requesting a Rule 404(b) limiting instruction upon counsel. The rule is controlling, and to the extent that Smith and its progeny contradict that plain language they are overruled. 890 So.2d at 913. ¶ 33. Rushing reads Brown correctly to note that it changed the rule pronounced in Smith, but argues that Smith was still in effect at the time of his trial and thus required the trial court in today's case to sua sponte give a limiting instruction to the jury regarding the 404(b) evidence found on his person at the time of the arrest, namely the actual prescription drugs. However, there is one problem with Rushing's request. Here is the sum total of Rushing's argument on this issue: The trial court did not give a limiting instruction related to this evidence. This trial was conducted November 20th and 21st, 2003. At that time, the opinion in Brown v. State, 890 So.2d 901 (Miss.2004), had not been issued. Therefore, the law that required the trial court to sua sponte give a limiting instruction, regardless of whether the Defendant requested such an instruction, mandated by Smith v. State, 656 So.2d 95 (Miss.1995), was still the law applicable to the trial court. The Supreme Court, until the Brown decision, had reversed some convictions based on the absence of the limiting instruction relying on the mandate in Smith. Brown, in plain language, overrules Smith and its progeny, and re-established the rule that the burden of seeking a Rule 404(b) limiting instruction was on defense counsel. As this area of the law has proven unsettled, the Defendant seeks to preserve this error in case this Court re-establishes the Smith or similar rule. In essence, Rushing requests that we now engage in a retroactive/prospective discussion to determine whether Brown or Smith applies to his case; however, while we know what Rushing requests of us, he offers no citation to any authority, much less any relevant authority to undergird his position. We have repeatedly held that when a party on appeal raises an issue for us to consider but nonetheless fails to cite any authority to support his or her argument on this issue, we need not consider it. Byrom v. State, 863 So.2d 836, 880 (Miss.2003) (quoting Simmons v. State, 805 So.2d 452, 487 (Miss.2001) (citing Williams v. State, 708 So.2d 1358, 1362-63 (Miss.1998))). See also Brown v. State, 798 So.2d 481, 494 (Miss.2001); Evans v. State, 725 So.2d 613, 691-92 (Miss.1997). Accordingly, we decline Rushing's invitation to engage in a retroactive/prospective analysis to ascertain the applicability or inapplicability of Smith or Brown to his case. This issue is thus without merit.