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

Heading: whether the trial court erred in admitting irrelevant and inflammatory evidence.

Text: ¶ 122. Beckwith argues that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence various items for the sole purpose of inflaming and prejudicing the jury against the defendant.
¶ 123. Reed Massengill was the nephew of Byron De La Beckwith's wife of twenty years, Mary Louise Williams. From 1986 to 1992, Mr. Massengill corresponded with Beckwith in an effort to write a book about Beckwith's life. To aid Mr. Massengill, Beckwith sent him letters Beckwith had written, racist propaganda, and a manuscript of a book about Beckwith written by another author who had collaborated with Beckwith. Mr. Massengill also received documents and materials from his aunt, Ms. Williams. During Mr. Massengill's testimony, and over defense objections, the trial court admitted into evidence three of the letters and a page from the book manuscript. ¶ 124. The documents admitted into evidence expressed support for segregation and hostility towards the black race and the NAACP, spoke with favor of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and proclaimed involvement with the Ku Klux Klan. The manuscript page contained a letter submitted by Beckwith in 1957 to a newspaper editor for publication. It reads in part: Believe it or not, the NAACP, under the direction of its leaders, is doing a first class job of getting itself in a position to be exterminated! In an undated letter To a Friend, Beckwith wrote: The Negro in our country is as helpful as a boll weevil to cotton. Some of these weevils are puny little runts, and can't create the volume of damage that others can. Some are powerful, becoming mad monsters, snapping and snarling and biting the cotton. They must be destroyed, with their retched remains burned, lest the pure white cotton bolls be destroyed. In a November, 1963 letter to his son, Beckwith wrote: And it looks like the country's politics are gradually going to get straight now pretty soon since Kennedy was assassinated. Whoever shot Kennedy sho did some fancy shooting, to be sure. No need for us to make much fuss over it except to say, to me it came as no surprise. ... Well, I guess when a few more of our enemies are gone then this will be a real fine world to live in  wonder who will be next? I bet ole Medgar Evers told Kennedy when he got down there, I thought you'd be along pretty soon. Haw. Haw. Haw. Now its best to keep this letter out of sight and don't let anyone see it. Oh, what a load off the country's back  what a relief. When a few more Reds bite the dust we can live in peace once more. In a 1976 letter to Ms. Williams, Beckwith wrote: So when you think of me, you see a man in deep debt, facing five years in prison, living like a nigger and as far in global, not state or county, Klan work as a 56-year-old man can be, and happy at it. ¶ 125. Beckwith argues that because none of these documents contained an admission to the murder of Medgar Evers, they were irrelevant to the crime charged in this case. He contends the documents constituted character evidence used to prove that he acted in conformity therewith in violation of Mississippi Rule of Evidence 404(b). Even if the evidence was permissible under Rule 404(b), Beckwith argues, its probative value was substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, and thus the documents were inadmissible under Rule 403. The State argues that the documents were not other crimes, wrongs, or acts within the meaning of Rule 404(b), and thus the rule was inapplicable. The State also contends that the evidence was relevant under Rule 401 and thus was admissible under Rule 402. Even if Rule 404(b) was applicable, the State urges, the evidence was admissible because it was introduced to show motive. The State argues, finally, that the probative value of the evidence was not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. We agree with the State. ¶ 126. Beckwith urges us to hold that any evidence not amounting to an admission is irrelevant to show motive. There is nothing in our Rules of Evidence, however, that even remotely suggests such a principle. Clearly, the rules do not intend such an unlikely result, for Rule 404(b) provides that evidence of other acts, while not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show that he acted in conformity therewith, may nonetheless be admissible for other purposes, including proof of motive. ¶ 127. We are asked here to determine whether Beckwith's letters constituted other crimes, wrongs, or acts under Rule 404(b). If the letters did constitute other crimes, wrongs, or acts, then our analysis turns on whether the trial judge abused his discretion under Rule 403 in admitting the evidence despite the danger of unfair prejudice. However, even if the letters do not fall under Rule 404(b), our analysis is still essentially the same, since the letters could still be relevant under Rules 401 and 402 to show intent or motive. May v. State, 524 So.2d 957, 965 (Miss. 1988). In either scenario, the question of remoteness enters the analysis as a question of relevancy. May, 524 So.2d at 965. ¶ 128. In the case of Kolb v. State, 542 So.2d 265 (Miss. 1989), the defendant was arrested and charged with sexual battery of a child. While in jail following his arrest, the defendant wrote two letters in which he indicated that he had sexual urges toward small children, which letters were admitted into evidence over the defendant's relevancy objection. On appeal, this Court affirmed, holding the letters were relevant to show that the defendant did have such sexually deviant tendencies in conjunction with the issue of whether he in fact engaged in the act with which he was charged. Kolb, 542 So.2d at 269. The weight to be given to the letters was entirely up to the jury. Id. Although the Court determined the admissibility of the letters under a Rule 401/402 analysis, we noted that federal courts have held such evidence to be admissible under Rules 403 and 404 as well. Id. (citing McGahee v. Massey, 667 F.2d 1357 (11th Cir.), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 943, 103 S.Ct. 255, 74 L.Ed.2d 199 (1982); U.S. v. Free, 574 F.2d 1221 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 873, 99 S.Ct. 209, 58 L.Ed.2d 187 (1978); Oliphant v. Koehler, 594 F.2d 547 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 877, 100 S.Ct. 162, 62 L.Ed.2d 105 (1979)). ¶ 129. Likewise, we believe that Beckwith's expressions of violent animosity towards the black race, the NAACP and civil rights leaders were relevant to establish his motive for killing Medgar Evers, the black leader of the NAACP's Mississippi chapter. As for the remoteness of the letters, such determination was one for the sound discretion of the trial judge. Edlin v. State, 533 So.2d 403, 407 (Miss. 1988), cert. denied, 489 U.S. 1086, 109 S.Ct. 1547, 103 L.Ed.2d 851 (1989); May v. State, 524 So.2d 957, 965 (Miss. 1988). We do not believe the judge abused his discretion in this instance, given that the letters were not isolated and were written both before and after Medgar Evers was killed. As in Kolb, the weight to be given the letters was entirely up to the jury. ¶ 130. Finally, these documents were particularly probative since there was no evidence that Beckwith ever met Mr. Evers face to face. Beckwith's views, which he expressed in these documents, offered the only explanation of his motive for killing Mr. Evers. Although the prosecution is not required to show motive, it is certainly entitled to do so in order to paint a clearer picture of the crime. To be sure, this evidence prejudiced Beckwith's defense, but we do not believe the prejudice was so unfair as to outweigh its probative value. Beckwith himself provided these documents to Mr. Massengill in order to aid the effort to write a book about Beckwith's life. Beckwith's intent apparently was to express to the world his hostile views towards the black race in America and its leaders. We do not find it unfair that these views were presented to the jury so that it could determine whether such views led Beckwith to murder Medgar Evers. We hold the trial court did not err in finding that this evidence was relevant to show motive, and that its probative value was not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice.
¶ 131. Dick Davis was an FBI informant who infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan. He was allowed to testify, over defense objection, that on October 21, 1969, he met and had a conversation with Byron De La Beckwith. He testified that although Beckwith neither admitted nor denied killing Medgar Evers, Beckwith discussed selective killings as a partial solution to the right wing's problem. Mr. Davis testified that Beckwith said he would never ask anyone to do anything that he hadn't already done himself. ¶ 132. Beckwith here raises the same objection as to the letters above, i.e., the evidence was irrelevant since it contained no admission to the killing of Medgar Evers, and any probative value was substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. Using the same analysis as above, we find the evidence was relevant to show that Beckwith had violent tendencies towards his perceived political/social enemies in conjunction with the issue of whether he engaged in the selective killing of Medgar Evers. The question of remoteness is not a problem here, for although Beckwith did not directly admit to killing Evers, his statement that he would never ask anyone to do what he hadn't already done himself certainly suggested that he had killed before, and Evers may have been the victim to which he was referring. We believe that such determination was one for the jury. We find the probative value of this evidence was not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, and thus the evidence was properly admitted.
¶ 133. Mark Reiley was prepared to testify that while he was guarding Byron De La Beckwith in the hospital ward at Louisiana's Angola State Penitentiary in 1979, Beckwith admitted to killing Medgar Evers. Prior to Mr. Reiley's testimony, the defense objected to any mention being made of the circumstances of Beckwith's alleged confession, because the five-member jury conviction for which Beckwith was incarcerated at Angola had subsequently been declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court and had been vacated. The trial judge ruled that Mr. Reiley could testify as to where his conversation with Beckwith took place, but not as to aspects of Beckwith's confinement. During his testimony, Mr. Reiley stated that while a sergeant at Angola State Penitentiary, he was assigned to guard Bryon De La Beckwith at the prison ward of Earl K. Long Hospital. ¶ 134. Beckwith argues that the admission of this testimony was error because under Loper v. Beto, 405 U.S. 473, 483, 92 S.Ct. 1014, 1019, 31 L.Ed.2d 374 (1972), prior void convictions may not be used for impeachment purposes. See also Signer v. State, 536 So.2d 10, 12 (Miss. 1988) (finding that admission for impeachment purposes of prior conviction that had been set aside violated Mississippi Rule of Evidence 609(c)). Beckwith also contends the evidence was inadmissible under Rule 404(b), which prohibits the admission of other crimes, wrongs or acts to prove a person's character in order to show that he acted in conformity therewith. ¶ 135. In Loper, cited by Beckwith, the U.S. Supreme Court phrased the issue as follows: Does the use of prior, void convictions for impeachment purposes deprive a criminal defendant of due process of law where their use might well have influenced the outcome of the case? Loper, 405 U.S. at 480, 92 S.Ct. at 1018. In that case, the defendant was charged with statutory rape of his eight-year-old stepdaughter. In finding the admission of the prior void convictions to be error, the Supreme Court noted that the issue of innocence or guilt turned entirely on whether the jury would believe the testimony of an 8-year-old girl or that of [the defendant]. And the sole purpose for which the prior convictions were permitted to be used was to destroy the credibility of [the defendant's] testimony in the eyes of the jury. Id. at 482, 92 S.Ct. at 1019. ¶ 136. In the case sub judice, Mr. Reiley's testimony regarding the circumstances of his relationship with Beckwith was not introduced for impeachment purposes, nor was it so vital to the central issue in the case as to have influenced the outcome of the case. Loper is therefore inapplicable. Regarding Rule 404(b), it is true that evidence of other crimes is generally not admissible against an accused. Gray v. State, 351 So.2d 1342, 1345 (Miss. 1977). Although there are certain recognized exceptions to the rule, the use of Mr. Reiley's testimony in this instance does not appear to fall within any of the exceptions. See Gray, 351 So.2d at 1345. The question remains, however, whether the trial judge's abuse of discretion in admitting this testimony was prejudicial to Beckwith. Parker v. State, 606 So.2d 1132, 1137 (1992). ¶ 137. In Parker, we ruled that because the improper other crimes evidence was of a different type than that with which the defendant was currently charged, the prejudicial effect, if any, was minimal, and thus the trial court's abuse of discretion in admitting the evidence did not necessitate a reversal. Parker, 606 So.2d at 1137. Later, in Duplantis v. State, 644 So.2d 1235, 1248 (Miss. 1994), cert. denied, 514 U.S. 1123, 115 S.Ct. 1990, 131 L.Ed.2d 876 (1995) we stated: This is not a case where the other crimes evidence is similar or identical to the crime with which the defendant is currently charged, thereby making it likely that the jury would find him guilty this time simply because he had done it before. Consequently, the risk of unfair prejudice is minimal. Furthermore, in Duplantis, [n]o details of the other crimes were offered. 644 So.2d at 1246. ¶ 138. In the case sub judice, Mr. Reiley made no reference to the details of the crime for which Beckwith was incarcerated. Mr. Reiley merely explained his duties at the prison in order to give the jury a rational and coherent picture of his relationship with Beckwith and the circumstances of Beckwith's confession. We do not feel the jury was more likely to convict based on this testimony, the primary effect of which was not to show that Beckwith had committed another crime, but rather was to lay the foundation for much more incriminating evidence, i.e., a confession. Although trial courts generally should avoid admitting testimony which alludes to other crimes committed by the defendant, we find that the trial court's failure to do so in this instance did not amount to reversible error.
¶ 139. Peggy Morgan was prepared to testify that sometime in the late 1960's or early 1970's, she and her husband gave Byron De La Beckwith a ride from Greenwood, Mississippi, to Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, during which ride Beckwith confessed to killing Medgar Evers. According to Ms. Morgan, Beckwith was going to Parchman to visit an inmate, Cecil Sessums, who had been convicted of bombing the home of civil rights activist Vernon Dahmer in Hattiesburg. Before she took the stand, the defense objected to any testimony regarding bombings or the identity of the inmate whom Beckwith was going to visit. The trial judge sustained the objection, ruling that Ms. Morgan could testify about those portions of her conversation with Beckwith that involved Medgar Evers and the offense charged, but she could not testify regarding the identity of the inmate or the charges against him. Assistant District Attorney DeLaughter responded, She won't get into that unless I ask her, which I won't ask her. When defense counsel requested that the record reflect that the prosecution did not undertake to caution the witness before she took the stand, Mr. DeLaughter responded that he would talk to her. ¶ 140. During Ms. Morgan's direct examination, the following exchange took place: Q. All right. Now, at any time on this trip, Ms. Morgan, would you tell the ladies and gentlemen of the jury what, if any, statements that this defendant made concerning the murder or killing of Medgar Evers? A. Yes, sir. He started talking about some bombings  At this point, the defense objected and moved for a mistrial. The trial judge overruled the objection, but told the prosecutor to move along. Nothing more was said regarding bombings. Beckwith argues that Ms. Morgan's comment about bombings constituted improper other crimes evidence under Rule 404(b). ¶ 141. This situation is virtually identical to that in Watson v. State, 521 So.2d 1290 (Miss. 1988). In that case, the following exchange occurred during the prosecution's direct examination of a witness: Q. Have you had any contact with [Watson] lately? A. He's come by the office where I work, but we didn't really talk. He was just telling me he was out of jail  Watson, 521 So.2d at 1293. The defense objected at this point and moved for a mistrial, which objection and motion the trial court overruled. Id. On appeal, this Court affirmed, holding: The answer of [the witness] was not responsive to the question and there was no purposeful effort or intent on the part of the State to elicit such information from the witness. Assuming arguendo that the answer constituted error, certainly it was harmless error under the facts of this case. Id. at 1294. Similarly, in Craft v. State, 656 So.2d 1156, 1165 (Miss. 1995), we held that a witness' reference to another possible crime committed by the defendants did not warrant a reversal where the witness alluded to the other crime only once and the prosecution did not deliberately ask or infer about whether the defendants had been involved in any other offenses. See also United States v. Webster, 750 F.2d 307, 336 (5th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 471 U.S. 1106, 105 S.Ct. 2340, 2341, 85 L.Ed.2d 855, 856 (1985) (holding that fleeting, unexplained reference to other crime was obviously not reversible error). ¶ 142. In the case sub judice, the prosecutor did not ask Ms. Morgan about any comments made by Beckwith regarding bombings, but instead asked her about comments regarding Medgar Evers, to which question Ms. Morgan's answer was unresponsive. The prosecutor thereafter directed Ms. Morgan's testimony towards matters involving Medgar Evers, and the bombings were never again mentioned. Clearly, the prosecution did not deliberately elicit testimony regarding other crimes. There is also some doubt as to whether the naked reference to bombings, without any indication as to who may have perpetrated them, could be considered testimony of other crimes committed by Beckwith. As in Watson, however, even assuming arguendo that the answer constituted error, the error was harmless. We therefore find no reversible error under this assignment.