Opinion ID: 1779869
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Counts VIII and IX (aggravated assault)

Text: ¶ 43. Culp asserts that he was entitled to a directed verdict regarding the aggravated assaults of Scott and Doe because neither the physical nor testimonial evidence present is reliable and sufficient to prove that he committed the assaults charged. Our review of the record reveals otherwise. ¶ 44. According to Lowe's testimony, the events that transpired that night began when Culp learned from a third party that Scott had bragged about robbing someone in Texas of $5,000. On direct examination Hudie Weatherby, a friend of Culp and Lowe, testified that Culp suggested to a group of men, five in total, that they rob Scott and Doe. To aid in this, Culp asked Lowe if he had a pistol that they could use. They also discussed using a bat on the victims. According to Lowe's testimony, he and Culp then drove to Lowe's sister's house where he kept a pistol. On the way back to the Amigo Mart, they stopped the other three men who were originally present and asked them again if they would like to join. It was at that time, according to Weatherby, that Culp informed the group that he intended on killing the victims. ¶ 45. On direct examination Lowe testified that he and Culp encouraged Doe and Scott to drive with them to sell their bus tickets back to the owner of the bus stop so that they would have money to buy a car from Culp. Culp then drove the victims to an isolated stretch of road and produced the pistol, ordered them out of the car, and threatened them with the pistol. It was at that time that Culp and Lowe both raped Doe. After the rape Culp became nervous that Scott and Doe would report them to the police, so Culp stabbed Scott in the neck twice and stabbed Doe in the torso with knives that they had taken from the victims. Culp then beat Scott with a bat. After he had beaten Scott, he handed the bat to Lowe and according to testimony from Lowe, instructed him to beat Doe with the bat, which he did. ¶ 46. There was ample evidence for a reasonable jury to convict. The testimony of Culp's co-conspirator, Lowe, and Doe is sufficient to support a finding that Culp participated in the aggravated assault of Scott by stabbing him with a knife, and, that he cut Doe with the same knife. While there is no evidence to support the allegation that he personally beat Doe with a bat, there is evidence to support the finding that as an accomplice he aided and incited Lowe to beat her. We find no merit to Culp's assignments of error regarding Issue III.
¶ 47. The jury found Culp guilty of aggravated assault [7] but not guilty of capital murder. [8] Culp argues that these verdicts are inconsistent, and thus his conviction and subsequent sentence for the aggravated assault of Scott must be vacated. Culp further asserts that whoever assaulted Scott also killed him, and therefore it is logically inconsistent to hold him guilty of aggravated assault, but not capital murder. Culp contends that because he was acquitted of capital murder, his conviction for aggravated assault must also be vacated. In Holloman v. State, 656 So.2d 1134, 1141 (Miss.1995), this Court addressed the issue of inconsistent jury verdicts, as follows: Regarding inconsistent verdicts, the United States Supreme Court has said this: [I]nconsistent verdictseven verdicts that acquit on a predicate offense while convicting on the compound offenseshould not be interpreted as a windfall to the Government at the defendant's expense. It is equally possible that the jury, convinced of guilt, properly reached its conclusion on the compound offense, and then through mistake, compromise, or lenity, arrived at an inconsistent conclusion on the lesser offense. But in such situations the Government has no recourse if it wishes to correct the jury's error; the Government is precluded from appealing or otherwise upsetting such an acquittal . . . Inconsistent verdicts therefore present a situation where error, in the sense that the jury has not followed the court's instructions, most certainly has occurred, but it is unclear whose ox has been gored. Given this uncertainty, it is hardly satisfactory to allow the defendant to receive a new trial on the conviction as a matter of course.. . . there is no reason to vacate the respondent's conviction merely because the verdicts cannot rationally be reconciled. Respondent is given the benefit of her acquittal on the counts on which she was acquitted, and it is neither irrational nor illogical to require her to accept the burden of her conviction on the counts on which the jury convicted. United States v. Powell, 469 U.S. 57, 65, 69, 105 S.Ct. 471, 476-77, 479, 83 L.Ed.2d 461 (1984) (citations omitted). ¶ 48. As noted in Holloman, the Court's review of the sufficiency of the evidence is adequate protection from jury error or irrationality. Id. Culp states that Scott was beaten with a baseball bat and stabbed, which caused his death, that the jury determined that he committed these acts pursuant to an aggravated assault. Culp then interprets the jury's determination to mean that the jury found that Scott's death was somehow not the result of the beating, and thus Culp beat Scott to death, but did not cause his death. ¶ 49. A person is guilty of aggravated assault if he: (a) attempts to cause serious bodily injury to another, or causes such injury purposely, knowingly or recklessly under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life; or (b) attempts to cause or purposely or knowingly causes bodily injury to another with a deadly weapon or other means likely to produce death or serious bodily harm. Miss.Code Ann. § 97-3-7(2). ¶ 50. Clearly the essential elements of aggravated assault are present here beyond a reasonable doubt. First, there was the testimony of co-defendant Lowe, implicating Culp asthe person who obtained a pistol, drove Doe and Scott out into the country, raped her, set their clothes on fire, stabbed and cut both of them with a knife and then repeatedly beat Scott with a bat. Even though the State offered leniency to Lowe, the jurors still found his testimony credible. Second, Doe testified similarly to the events of the day in question. Third, there was strong evidence linking Culp to the crime. This includes Doe's blood found on Culp's shirt, Culp's DNA found in Doe's vagina and eyewitness testimony of a police officer who saw Culp and Lowe together with the victims earlier that day. ¶ 51. Inconsistent verdicts are permissible under the rationale of Powell. Culp's argument is without merit.
¶ 52. Culp argues that his rights under the Mississippi and United States Constitutions were violated when he was charged with both aggravated assault and capital murder by felonious abuse of a child. As this issue involves constitutional rights the standard of review is de novo. Palm v. State, 748 So.2d 135, 142 (Miss. 1999). ¶ 53. Culp recasts his argument from Issue IV, asserting that because the aggravated assault merged with capital murder by felonious abuse of a child his conviction for aggravated assault should be vacated. Culp additionally asserts that the charges of aggravated assault and capital murder merged into a single count of capital murder, because neither requires proof of an additional element. ¶ 54. Mississippi follows the test set out by the United States Supreme Court in Blockburger v. United States, 284 U.S. 299, 52 S.Ct. 180, 76 L.Ed. 306 (1932), when interpreting Miss.Code Ann. § 99-7-2(1). [9] White v. State, 702 So.2d 107, 109 (Miss.1997). In applying this statute, we note that the principles of the Double Jeopardy Clause of the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution apply, and we use the Blockburger test to determine if a set of facts violates the Double Jeopardy Clause. White, 702 So.2d at 109. ¶ 55. The Blockburger Court said that where the same act or transaction constitutes a violation of two distinct statutory provisions, the test to be applied to determine whether there are two offenses or only one is whether each provision requires proof of an additional fact that the other does not. Blockburger, 284 U.S. at 304, 52 S.Ct. 180. ¶ 56. The crime of capital murder by felonious abuse of a child requires proof that a child is involved. This is an additional element that must be proven for capital murder that is not required for aggravated assault. Aggravated assault requires proof of an intent to kill, while capital murder by felonious abuse of a child can be committed with or without intent to kill. Intent to kill is an additional element not required for capital murder by felonious abuse of a child. Therefore, under the Blockburger test, there is no violation of Culp's constitutional rights. When each separate crime charged requires proof of a fact that the other does not, the Blockburger test is satisfied, notwithstanding a substantial overlap in the proof offered to establish the crimes. This wellstated logic was correctly applied by the Mississippi Court of Appeals in Towner v. State, 812 So.2d 1109, 1114 (Miss.Ct.App.2002)(citing Iannelli v. United States, 420 U.S. 770, 785 n. 17, 95 S.Ct. 1284, 43 L.Ed.2d 616 (1975)), and today we adopt and apply it in the present case. ¶ 57. In Powell v. State, 806 So.2d 1069, 1074 (Miss.2001), this Court applied the same elements test articulated in Blockburger, clearly indicating that the proper inquiry concerns the elements of the crime, rather than the underlying facts. In the present case, the fact that one crime was committed with a baseball bat and the other with a knife is irrelevant. The United States Supreme Court used similar language in United States v. Dixon, 509 U.S. 688, 689, 113 S.Ct. 2849, 2851, 125 L.Ed.2d 556 (1993), stating that the Blockburger test inquires whether each offense contains an element not contained in the other; if not, they are the `same offence' and double jeopardy bars additional punishment and successive prosecution. ¶ 58. The Blockburger test does not look to the facts adduced at trial but rather focuses on the elements of the offense charged. Brock v. State, 530 So.2d 146, 150 (Miss.1988) (citing Brown v. Ohio, 432 U.S. 161, 166, 97 S.Ct. 2221, 2225-26, 53 L.Ed.2d 187 (1977)). Differences in underlying facts are not relevant for determining whether Culp's constitutional rights have been violated by double jeopardy. Culp's multiplicitous counts argument is without merit.
¶ 59. Once a grand jury has been sworn and empaneled, no objection can be raised except as to fraud, according to Miss.Code Ann. § 13-5-43. [10] See Polk v. State, 288 So.2d 452 (Miss.1974). In a more recent case, this Court held that grand jury proceedings are sacred, and courts cannot go behind an indictment and inquire into evidence considered by a grand jury. Hood v. State, 523 So.2d 302, 306 (Miss.1988) (citing State v. Matthews, 218 So.2d 743 (Miss.1969); Case v. State, 220 So.2d 289 (1969)). The sole inquiry for an appellate court is whether the grand jury was subjected to improper influences. Id. at 307. Absent evidence that a member of the grand jury acted with malice, hatred, or ill will, or fraud, or otherwise violated the oath taken by grand jurors, it is presumed that the grand jurors did not improperly or illegally act in returning the indictment against the accused. Southward v. State, 293 So.2d 343, 344 (Miss. 1974). The circuit court's factual determinations related to this issue are reviewed by this Court only for clear error. Morris v. State, 777 So.2d 16, 24 (Miss.2000). However, the trial court's conclusions of law are reviewed de novo. Palm v. State, 748 So.2d 135 (Miss.1999); Entergy Miss., Inc. v. Burdette Gin Co., 726 So.2d 1202, 1204 (Miss.1998). ¶ 60. Culp argues that his constitutional rights were violated because of the appearance of improper influence and fraud in the grand jury that indicted him, stating that one of the jurors was the wife of the county attorney, [11] she did most of the writing for the grand jury, and was pretty much doing the talking. She also had worked as a part-time bookkeeper in her husband's office at the time of the indictment. Like the other grand jurors, she was instructed that if any time she had an interest or bias in a particular case that she should make that known and ask to be excused. She testified that she felt that she had no reason to excuse herself for bias or interest. ¶ 61. Culp also points out that the foreman of the grand jury was an employee of the Durant Police Department, the same department that assisted in the arrest of Culp's co-defendant, Travis Lowe. Culp argues that these two improprieties violate his right to an unbiased grand jury, a right which is deeply embedded in the law of this country and, therefore, special care should be taken to ensure that it is not infringed upon. He asserts the trial court should have concerned itself with whether the appearance of impropriety existed. ¶ 62. This Court requires there to be actual influence, not just the appearance of impropriety. Southward, 293 So.2d at 344. Culp relies on Hood, 523 So.2d at 302, for the proposition that the appearance of impropriety alone is enough to quash the indictment. However, Hood is factually distinguishable, because there were two attorneys present during Hood's grand jury proceedings who were actually interested in the outcome. Southward involved two grand jurors who were allegedly interested because of a family relationship because the husband of the prosecuting witness and his first cousin were members of the grand jury. This Court found that in Southward the accused failed to meet his burden for quashing an indictment because he failed to show that a grand juror acted with malice, hatred, ill will, or fraud. Southward, 293 So.2d at 344. ¶ 63. There is no evidence in the record that there was improper influence on the grand jury. The trial court held an extensive hearing on this issue, over the course of two days. Following argument by both counsel, Culp called eight witnesses. They included county attorney Marc Boutwell; his wife Dawn, who was the bookkeeper for his law office; Barry Mitchell, the dispatcher for the Durant Police Department; Patrick James, a patrolman for the Durant Police Department; and grand jurors David Creamer, Beverly Langston, Darrell Anderson, and Coletta Brown. Culp asked members of the grand jury whether anything influenced them in their decision and they said only the evidence presented influenced their votes. The county attorney testified that he never entered the grand jury room during proceedings regarding Culp, and his wife testified that she did not have any special knowledge about the case, and did not make comments or discuss the case during the grand jury proceeding. ¶ 64. There is contradictory evidence that juror Dawn Boutwell was vocal, and in addition, she served as the secretary of the grand jury. Further, her relationship to the county attorney is arguably stronger than the relationship in Southward. However, these factual differences alone are not enough to require quashing Culp's indictment. ¶ 65. We noted in Hood that [w]e do not think it right and now condemn any practice whereby the accuser may also be the trier of fact. Hood, 523 So.2d at 311. Culp has not shown that the accuser is also the trier of fact in this case. The fact that the county attorney's wife was on the grand jury does not mean the county attorney exerted improper influence. The trial court specifically found that there was no evidence that the police department employee did anything improper to influence the grand jury. The presumption that the grand jury acted properly, together with the sacredness of grand jury proceedings, prevents this Court from quashing the indictment based on the appearance of impropriety alone. ¶ 66. Culp makes one additional argument that we address summarily. He argues that the prosecution engaged in fraud by presenting the case so quickly to the grand jury. The prosecutor did testify that he had never presented a case to the grand jury as quickly as this one, and Culp contends that this is tantamount to fraud, and would therefore be one of the grounds for quashing the indictment. However, he cites no authority in support of this contention. Culp's defense is based on the idea that the appearance of impropriety is enough to quash an indictment. This is not the law, and the fact that the prosecutor moved quickly clearly does not constitute fraud. ¶ 67. We affirm the circuit court's finding that there was no exertion of improper influence. Such decision is not clearly erroneous. Culp has not met his burden of overcoming the presumption that the grand jury acted properly and without improper influence. Issue six is without merit.
¶ 68. This issue involves a constitutional right and thus the standard of review is de novo. Palm v. State, 748 So.2d at 135 (Miss.1999); Entergy Miss., Inc. v. Burdette Gin Co., 726 So.2d at 1204 (Miss. 1998). ¶ 69. Culp argues that his constitutional rights were violated because the State did not disclose the identity of the two allegedly interested grand jurors and that their identity would be evidence favorable to the defense and material under Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 1196-97, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). He further asserts that without the tainted indictment, there would not have been a conviction, thus producing a different outcome and satisfying the Giglio test. See Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 153-54, 92 S.Ct. 763, 766, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972). ¶ 70. In Brady, the United States Supreme Court said the suppression of material evidence justifies a new trial irrespective of good faith on the part of the prosecutor. Brady, 373 U.S. at 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194. The requirement of materiality is of utmost importance. Materiality has been defined by the United States Supreme Court as evidence that could have a reasonable likelihood of affecting the outcome of the case. More specifically, the Court said that when the `reliability of a given witness may well be determinative of guilt or innocence,' nondisclosure of evidence affecting credibility falls within this general rule. Giglio, 405 U.S. at 153-54, 92 S.Ct. 763, (quoting Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264, 269, 79 S.Ct. 1173, 3 L.Ed.2d 1217 (1959)) (emphasis added). ¶ 71. Much of Culp's argument centers around his incorrect presumption that the appearance of impropriety is enough to quash a grand jury indictment. Based on his misstatement of the law, he incorrectly argues that this evidence is material. However, because the record does not show actual improper influence, the identity of the two grand jurors alleged to be interested is immaterial. ¶ 72. In a recent case, the Mississippi Court of Appeals addressed the issue of grand jurors, albeit in a different context, and came to the same conclusion we reach today. In Busick v. State, 906 So.2d 846, 860 (Miss.Ct.App.2005), the defendant sought to obtain several items of exculpatory evidence, including the identity of the temporary grand jury foreman. Busick argued that the name should have been disclosed because he believed that the foreman worked for the FBI, which was involved in the case, and thus his grand jury service was improper. The Mississippi Court of Appeals agreed with the trial court's holding that, based on Southward, even if the foreman did work for the FBI, his grand jury service would not constitute grounds for quashing Busick's indictment. We agree with the Court of Appeals' rationale, and adopt its holding today. The mere fact that the foreman of the grand jury which indicted Culp was employed part time by one of the same law enforcement agencies which worked on the case, without more, was not evidence that there was an improper effect on the indictment or that any member of the grand jury acted with fraud, ill will, hatred, or malice. There was no requirement that the information about the two interested grand jurors must be given to Culp, because it was not material. Because it was not material and there was no showing of an improper effect on the indictment or grand jurors, the trial court was correct in denying Culp's motion to quash the indictment.
¶ 73. Culp argues that his constitutional rights were violated because of cumulative error, in that the six errors set forth above combine to create an unfair trial, even if not individually reversible. Although Culp correctly states the law, he fails to show any errors which cumulatively require reversal. ¶ 74. In Byrom v. State, 863 So.2d 836, 847 (Miss.2003) we made it clear that each error, whether or not it reaches a level to require reversal, may be considered cumulatively. Byrom is the clearest expression from this Court as to how cumulative error should be analyzed, as follows: What we wish to clarify here today is that upon appellate review of cases in which we find harmless error or any error which is not specifically found to be reversible in and of itself, we still have the discretion to determine, on a case-by-case basis, as to whether such error or errors, although not reversible when standing alone, may when considered cumulatively require reversal because of the resulting cumulative prejudicial effect. Byrom, 863 So.2d at 847 (emphasis added). ¶ 75. There is nothing in the record before us that amounts to a violation of Culp's right to a fair trial. There are no errors that accumulate to result in a fundamentally unfair trial. A criminal defendant is not entitled to a perfect trial, only a fair one. Sand v. State, 467 So.2d 907, 911 (Miss.1985). In a complex case like this one, there will inevitably be minor mistakes. These are a part of the process, and in the interests of judicial efficiency should not result in a reversal. Culp has not shown any errors, which when accumulated, have prejudiced his rights.