Opinion ID: 1919806
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: whether the circuit court erred as a matter of law by failing to grant the appellants' motions for the severance of their causes?

Text: A trial judge exercises discretion in refusing or granting a severance in all criminal trials except for cases involving the death penalty. Miss.Unif.Crim.R.Cir.Ct.Prac. 4.04; Tillman v. State, 606 So.2d 1103, 1106 (Miss. 1992); Rigby v. State, 485 So.2d 1060, 1061 (Miss. 1986); Cardwell v. State, 461 So.2d 754, 758 (Miss. 1984). The trial court abuses its discretion in not granting a severance if the defense of one codefendant tends to exculpate himself at the expense of the other codefendant, or the balance of the evidence tilts more towards the guilt of one codefendant than to the other. Duckworth v. State, 477 So.2d 935, 937 (Miss. 1985). Gossett argues that the evidence produced in favor of his defense showed that he either stumbled and fired the shots at Hunter accidentally, or that he shot the victim in the defense of May during May's initial struggle with the victim. Gossett contends that the evidence of May's guilt created the supposition of guilt by association. Contrary to Gossett's argument, his actual defense employed at trial failed to produce any evidence of an accidental shooting or in support of the inference that he shot Hunter in the defense of May. Gossett's entire defense was based upon the witnesses' inability to perceive the events which transpired on the morning of March 16, 1991. Gossett introduced the disc jockey from Ford's Entertainment who explained that the room was equipped with strobe lights, fog machines, and loud music making it difficult for anyone to perceive the events which transpired that evening. Another victim to the shooting who was wounded in the hand testified that he used a flashlight to locate his wife in the bar that evening. This was his entire line of defense  one based upon mistaken identity. Although he claims in his brief that these other defenses existed, this Court must rely on the record before it and not on the assertions in the brief however sincere counsel may be in those assertions. Phillips v. State, 421 So.2d 476, 478 (Miss. 1982). Based upon the evidence within the record before this Court, May's defense was not prejudicial to Gossett's case nor did their separate defenses tend to exculpate one while inculpating the other. Gossett's defense required the jury to believe that Gossett either was, or was not, one of the two men responsible for shooting Hunter, and May's guilt or innocence neither altered nor was affected by Gossett's contentions at trial. May makes essentially the same arguments in support of his claim that the failure to grant a severance denied him of his constitutional right to a fair trial. His argument is also without merit. May introduced one witness on his behalf who testified that he heard a bottle break over May's head, but that he could not see the individuals responsible for the three gunshots which resulted in Hunter's death. Gossett's defense simply had no significance to the guilt or innocence of May, especially in light of the State's evidence. The balance of the evidence demonstrated that both defendants separately shot Hunter implicating them equally in the murder. Accordingly, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying either of the codefendants' requests for a severance.