Opinion ID: 1501117
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Venireperson Charles M.

Text: The state proffered that Charles M. was convicted of a felony charge of passing a bad check and was on probation. In addition, the prosecuting attorney stated that Charles M. claims he doesn't even remember that it was my office, the Circuit Attorney's Office, that prosecuted him and my colleague, Jeff Jamieson, that tried to put him in jail for seven years. The state also struck Charles M. because he was equivocal during death qualification, in that he stated that he could not impose death and later stated that he could impose death. Brown contends that there are similarly situated white venirepersons who were not struck by the state. According to Brown, venireperson Jeff R., a white male, was currently on probation for a felony. Brown further alleges that venireperson Joan T., a white female, was on probation for two years before the trial, for writing bad checks. In addition, Brown contends that venirepersons Virginia C. and Mary Elizabeth R., white females, were equivocal in their responses but were not struck. In determining whether the prosecutor struck a venireperson because of his or her race, the trial court looks at the totality of the facts and circumstances surrounding the case. State v. Parker, 836 S.W.2d 930, 939 (Mo. banc 1992). The existence of similarly-situated white jurors is probative of pretext under Batson analysis, but it is not dispositive, in determining whether use of peremptory challenges is discriminatory. State v. Nicklasson, 967 S.W.2d 596, 613 (Mo. banc 1998). In this case, the venirepersons that Brown has listed may have one factor or the other in common with Charles M., but none has all the factors that the prosecutor listed against Charles M. Thus, the trial court concluded, they are not really similarly situated, and furthermore, the reasons proffered by the prosecutor are sufficiently race-neutral and nonpretextual. Thus, we defer to the trial court's ruling denying Brown's challenge. See State v. Brown, 902 S.W.2d 278, 284 (Mo. banc 1995).