Opinion ID: 1706565
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 25

Heading: did the state impermissibly present evidence of other crimes or bad acts during the sentencing phase?

Text: Willie contends that the State improperly referred to other crime evidence first by falsely accusing Willie of stealing the gun used in the crime and emphasizing this evidence during closing argument, and second by eliciting repeated references to other crime evidence during the questioning of Sheriff Bryan. We summarily dismiss Willie's allegation of being falsely accused. Willie at one time stated that he obtained the gun from a gambling house, but later admitted that he stole the gun. Willie's argument that the State should not have referred to this evidence during closing argument as it was evidence of other crimes has merit, but Willie is procedurally barred from raising this claim because he did not object on this ground at trial. See Thornill v. State, 561 So.2d 1025, 1029 (Miss. 1990); see also, Rule 103(a)(1) M.R.E. Willie next alleges that the questioning of Sheriff Bryan elicited four improper and prejudicial references to evidence of other crimes. The first reference occurred when Sheriff Bryan testified that Willie had been arrested for driving an unlicensed vehicle. The trial judge overruled Willie's objection finding that the testimony was used to show that there was no license on the car driven by Willie. Sheriff Bryan later made three general references indicating that Willie had committed other crimes, two during direct examination and one during cross-examination. Willie did not object to these statements. Generally, evidence of other crimes is inadmissible. Mackbee v. State, 575 So.2d 16, 27 (Miss. 1990). This rule is not absolute, and such evidence is admissible when it is used to show proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident. Rule 404(b), M.R.E.; Mackbee, 575 So.2d at 27. We find that Sheriff Bryan's testimony regarding Willie's arrest was admissible to show identity and link Willie to the unlicensed car seen in the vicinity of Joe's Package Store at the time of the murder. The admission of this testimony into evidence over Willie's objection was not error. Sheriff Bryan's other statements were improper, but Willie's failure to object at trial procedurally bars him from asserting this claim on appeal. Lambert v. State, 574 So.2d 573, 575 (Miss. 1990); see also, Rule 103(a)(1), M.R.E.