Opinion ID: 1654600
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: WHETHER PROBABLE CAUSE EXISTED FOR McGILBERRY'S ARREST.

Text: ¶ 4. McGilberry contends that police had no probable cause to arrest him at the time he arrived at the crime scene. He also claims ineffective assistance of counsel because counsel failed to challenge the probable cause for his arrest. On direct appeal, we acknowledged that the issue had not been properly raised, yet we considered the merits of the claim: Regardless, McGilberry's contention that he was illegally arrested is without merit. At the time McGilberry gave his confession, he was not under arrest. He was only a suspect brought in for questioning. Furthermore, McGilberry was sought for questioning because police had learned that he was the only surviving family member, he was missing and Petranglo had told police to look for McGilberry because Kimberly's GEO Storm was not at the Dewberry residence and McGilberry's Bronco was there. This issue is without merit. McGilberry, 741 So.2d at 904. McGilberry argues that the holding is inconsistent with our decision in Campbell v. State, 798 So.2d 524 (Miss.2001). In that case however, the State conceded that there was no probable to cause to arrest when the suspects were first taken in for questioning based solely upon the discovery of the victim's body on the defendant's property. We reversed Campbell's murder conviction because police seized his clothing without a warrant in order to test for blood stains. In the present case, probable cause existed based on the facts that McGilberry was the only surviving member of the family, that Kimberly's car was missing, and that McGilberry's car was not missing. The issue was correctly decided on direct appeal and is therefore procedurally barred under the doctrine of res judicata. Miss. Code Ann. § 99-39-21(3) (Supp.2002).