Opinion ID: 1269370
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Pre-trial Publicity-Change of Venue

Text: In September 2002, approximately five months prior to the murder in this case, the body of a woman named Demaris Huff was found near a creek beside a walking trail near a park in Spartanburg. She had been strangled and was nude except for a pair of socks. DNA testing revealed that semen found on Huff matched that of Evins. The case remained unsolved until Evins' subsequent arrest for the February 2003 murder of Ward. At that time, after DNA testing, authorities also charged Evins with Huff's murder. The Huff murder charges were pending at the time of Evins' trial for the murder of Ward. Evins moved for a change of venue based upon extensive pre-trial publicity, much of which linked Evins to both murders. The trial court ruled in a pre-trial hearing that it would allow Evins latitude in the voir dire of potential jurors to determine if they had any prior knowledge of Evins and/or the Huff murder. At the conclusion of voir dire, the defense renewed its motion for a change of venue, indicating that a total of thirty-nine people out of the jury pool of sixty-eight had heard something about the case. By defense counsel's count, seven of the twelve jurors seated had some knowledge of the case. The trial court declined to change venue, concluding that all of the jurors who had any prior knowledge of the case had indicated they could set aside any information and would not consider it. The court also noted the defense had used only nine of its ten peremptory challenges to remove potential jurors. Evins now contends the denial of his motion to change venue constituted an abuse of discretion. We disagree. A motion to change venue is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial judge and will not be disturbed on appeal absent an abuse of discretion. Sheppard v. State, 357 S.C. 646, 594 S.E.2d 462 (2004); State v. Manning, 329 S.C. 1, 495 S.E.2d 191 (1997) (finding trial court abused discretion by granting the State's motion to change venue based on pretrial publicity because no evidentiary facts supported finding of actual juror prejudice towards the State). When a trial judge bases the denial of a motion for a change of venue because of pretrial publicity upon an adequate voir dire examination of the jurors, his decision will not be disturbed absent extraordinary circumstances. State v. Caldwell, 300 S.C. 494, 388 S.E.2d 816 (1990). When jurors have been exposed to pretrial publicity, a denial of a change of venue is not error where the jurors are found to have the ability to set aside any impressions or opinions and render a verdict based on the evidence presented at trial. State v. Tucker, 334 S.C. 1, 512 S.E.2d 99 (1999); Manning, 329 S.C. at 1, 495 S.E.2d at 191. Therefore, mere exposure to pretrial publicity does not automatically disqualify a prospective juror. Id. The relevant question is not whether the community remembered the case, but whether the jurors had such fixed opinions that they could not judge impartially the guilt of the defendant. Id. It is the defendant's burden to demonstrate actual juror prejudice as a result of such publicity. Caldwell, 300 S.C. at 494, 388 S.E.2d at 816. In Rideau v. Louisiana, 373 U.S. 723, 83 S.Ct. 1417, 10 L.Ed.2d 663 (1963), the United States Supreme Court found reversible error in a trial court's refusal to grant a motion for a change of venue due to the effect of pretrial publicity. There, the Court found that the people of Calcasieu Parish in Lake Charles, Louisiana, were exposed repeatedly and in depth to the spectacle of Rideau personally confessing in detail to the crimes with which he was later to be charged. Id. The Court noted that three members of the jury which convicted Rideau had seen and heard Rideau's televised interview in which he confessed to the sheriff, and that two members of the jury were deputy sheriffs of Calcasieu Parish. Id. The Court found Rideau's due process rights had been compromised by such a procedure. Id. The present case is clearly inapposite. We find Evins has demonstrated no prejudice from the denial of his motion. Both the trial court and defense counsel conducted a thorough voir dire of the jury pool. Additionally, all members of the jury who had any knowledge of Evins or the Huff murder due to pre-trial publicity indicated they could put that knowledge aside. Further, the defense used only nine of its peremptory challenges. Evins contends, however, that one juror had read about both crimes and connected them mentally such that she could not be expected to disregard the image created by the articles. Evins' depiction of the juror's response is overstated. The juror testified on voir dire that the only thing she had heard was that the crime had taken place; she specifically testified that she knew no details, did not know the location, she had formed no opinion, could put aside what she had heard, and could be fair and impartial. This is simply not akin to the situation in Rideau. We find this case more akin to Sheppard, 357 S.C. at 646, 594 S.E.2d at 462, in which the defendant claimed he was entitled to a change of venue due to extensive pretrial publicity where, out of eighty-seven potential jurors, all but five had been exposed to pretrial publicity. Noting our holdings in Manning and Caldwell, we found the defendant had not met his burden of demonstrating actual juror prejudice as a result of the publicity. Sheppard, 357 S.C. at 655, 594 S.E.2d at 468. We held, [m]ere exposure to pretrial publicity does not automatically disqualify a prospective juror. Instead, the relevant question is not whether the community remembered the case, but whether the jurors had such fixed opinions that they could not judge impartially the guilt of the defendant. Id. Moreover, Evins concedes that evidence of the Huff murder was properly admitted at the sentencing phase of trial. Accordingly, Evins' complaint regarding pretrial publicity is necessarily limited to the guilt phase of his trial. Given the overwhelming evidence presented during that phase of trial, and the fact that Evins actually admitted to stabbing Ward, we find Evins has suffered no prejudice. Accordingly, the trial court's denial of the motion to change venue is affirmed.