Opinion ID: 1671765
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether the trial court erred in permitting jurors, bailiffs and witnesses to be improperly sworn.

Text: ¶ 206. Beckwith argues that the oath given to jurors by the Circuit Clerk of Panola County did not conform to Miss. Code Ann. § 13-5-73 (1972), which requires jurors in capital cases to swear that they will well and truly try the issue between the state and the prisoner, and a true verdict give according to the evidence and the law. Indeed, in Miller v. State, 122 Miss. 19, 84 So. 161 (1920), this Court held that the defendant in a capital case is entitled to have his case heard by a legal jury, that is, a jury specially sworn in accordance with the statute, and that although the jury laws are merely directory, the oath of the jury to try the issue is essential to a legal jury. ¶ 207. In the case sub judice, it was brought to the trial judge's attention that the jurors had been improperly sworn. The day after the improper oath was given, after the jurors had been transported to Hinds County for trial and prior to commencement of the trial, the trial court directed the Circuit Clerk of Hinds County to administer the proper oath, which was done. (R. 1955). Beckwith contends, however, that once venue was transferred to Panola County, the Circuit Clerk of Hinds County no longer had jurisdiction to administer oaths, which jurisdiction rested solely with the trial judge and the Circuit Clerk of Panola County. We find this argument to be wholly without merit. The trial court in its order explicitly transferred venue to Panola County for the purpose of jury selection only, and transferred venue to DeSoto County for trial proceedings. The court later transferred venue to Hinds County for trial proceedings, which order we have already upheld above. Clearly, once venue had been transferred back to Hinds County for trial, the Circuit Clerk of Hinds County had jurisdiction to administer oaths. ¶ 208. Beckwith also argues that the bailiffs who accompanied jurors to their respective homes after the improper oath was given, but before the proper oath was given, were themselves not properly sworn. Beckwith contends that until such time as the jurors were properly sworn and thus became legal jurors, the bailiffs could not have been sworn to perform their duties for a legal jury serving in a capital case. This argument also is without merit. ¶ 209. Beckwith alleges no error in the swearing of the bailiffs other than that the jurors whom the bailiffs accompanied home were not properly sworn. In Thomas v. State, 298 So.2d 690, 692 (Miss. 1974), where the trial court neglected to swear the jury in accordance with Section 13-5-73 until after a few questions had been asked of the first witness, we held that such oversight was technical error, but only harmless. Beckwith fails to allege, much less show, any prejudice that occurred during the brief period in which the jurors were not properly sworn. We therefore find that the technical error was only harmless. ¶ 210. Beckwith also argues that most of the State's witnesses were not properly sworn, as their oaths were given by the Circuit Clerk of Hinds County, who Beckwith contends did not have jurisdiction to administer oaths after venue was transferred to Panola County. We have already disposed of this argument above, and thus this assignment of error is without merit.