Opinion ID: 1149417
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: neutral magistrate

Text: There is no merit to Bevill's claim that the circuit judge who issued the search warrants was not neutral and detached. The basis for this contention is that the circuit judge who went to the scene of the crime and saw the body also issued the search warrants. There is no showing how this in and of itself created any prejudice or bias towards Bevill. Bevill made no claim of the incompetency of the issuing magistrate at the lengthy suppression hearing when he had opportunity to develop any such allegation. Compare: Lockett v. State, 517 So.2d 1317, 1322-1323 (Miss. 1987); McCommon v. State, 467 So.2d 940, 942 (Miss. 1985), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 984, 106 S.Ct. 393, 88 L.Ed.2d 345 (1985). In deference to the circuit judge, however, we must state that in a case of this magnitude and importance, a circuit judge would be prudent to avoid the risk of a claim such as this.