Opinion ID: 1871446
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Appellant Denied a Fair Trial.

Text: The appellant asserts that he was denied a fair trial because the indictment was returned by a grand jury that was told the defendant is a habitual criminal, and such allegations were put on record before the court at the inception of the trial, prior to the sentencing phase. It is claimed that the right to enhanced punishment matures only after conviction on the principal charge. Rule 6.04 specifically requires prior convictions to be set out in the indictment when an enhanced penalty is sought under Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-81 in part as follows: The indictment must include both the principal charge and a charge of previous convictions. The indictment must allege with particularity the nature or description of the offense constituting the previous felonies, the state and federal jurisdiction of previous conviction, and the date of judgment. Established caselaw of this jurisdiction has long established that where prior felony convictions are used to enhance punishment for a subsequent offense, specificity concerning the jurisdiction of the prior convictions, the date of the judgment, and the nature and description of the offense must be included in the indictment or affidavit. Lay v. State, 310 So.2d 908 (Miss. 1975); Watson v. State, 291 So.2d 741 (Miss. 1974); Burnett v. State, 285 So.2d 783 (Miss. 1973); Ladnier v. State, 273 So.2d 169 (Miss. 1973); McGowan v. State, 269 So.2d 645 (Miss. 1972); Branning v. State, 224 So.2d 579 (Miss. 1969). 39 Am.Jur.2d Habitual Criminals, etc., § 20, (1968). The prior convictions are required to be in the indictment so the defendant will know what convictions the state is relying on to bring him under the habitual criminal sentencing statute. A grand jury of necessity has to be informed of prior convictions before an indictment seeking enhanced punishment can be sought by the state. It must be noticed, however, that no grand jury member would ever be used as a trial juror. Nor would the trial jurors ever be read an indictment during the trial on the principal charge. After conviction on the principal charge, a separate trial is had for the sentencing phase of the proceeding. Mississippi Uniform Criminal Rules of Circuit Court Practice 6.04(1) and 6.04(2). However, previous convictions may be mentioned by the state for purposes of impeaching the defendant's testimony, as rules 6.04(1) and 6.04(2) provide: The indictment shall not be read to the jury. (2) Separate trials shall be held on the principal charge and on the charge of previous convictions. In the trial on the principal charge, the previous convictions will not be mentioned by the state or the court except for impeachment purposes. This Court holds that there is no constitutional violation in this procedure of informing the grand jury of the defendant's prior convictions. Sufficient safeguards are contained within the procedural rule of Mississippi Uniform Criminal Rules of Circuit Court Practice 6.04 to guarantee a fair trial.