Opinion ID: 1759329
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the plea bargain agreement.

Text: As previously mentioned, this is Lanier's second appeal to this Court. This Court originally reversed the death penalty sentence and remanded same to the lower court for a new sentencing hearing, which was the impetus for Lanier's plea bargain agreement. Therefore, the facts underlying that lower court conviction for capital murder and his concomitant sentence of death warrant revisiting: On December 28, 1985, the Meridian, Mississippi, Police Department received an early morning domestic disturbance call from Catherine Smith. Smith informed the police that she and Johnny Rufus Lanier, her livein companion, had become involved in a dispute, and Lanier had pushed or shoved her out of the house. In response to Smith's call, the Meridian Police Department dispatched Officer Alma Walters. Officer Walters arrived and was met by Smith who explained that Lanier had been beating her and she wanted him out of the house. Smith led Officer Walters into the house and she indicated that Lanier was in a bedroom. Lanier was awakened by Officer Walters and they proceeded outside for some fresh air. Once outside, Lanier overpowered Officer Walters and was able to get her nightstick and .357 magnum revolver. Lanier beat Walters with her own nightstick while shouting to Smith that, I'm going to kill that bitch. Smith, understandably frightened, fled the scene and called the police to inform them that Officer Walters was in trouble. Lanier forced Officer Walters back into the house. A short time later, Officer K.D. Merchant was the first on the scene in response to the officer in distress call. While approaching the front door of the house, Officer Merchant yelled to ascertain if Officer Walters was in the house. Summoning up the courage to give up her own life for that of a fellow officer, Officer Walters replied, [d]on't come in. He's got my gun. He's got my gun. A gunshot emanating from the house was heard immediately. Officer Merchant called for an ambulance and for backup. Once those arrived, they entered the house and found Officer Walters' body lying face-up across a coffee table, but Lanier had escaped out the back door. Walters was examined and determined to be dead. An autopsy of Officer Walters' body and a forensic study revealed that she had died from a single contact gunshot wound to the head. The barrel of the gun had been placed against the skin behind her left ear and fired, causing the bullet to travel through her head and exit in front of her right ear. Shortly thereafter, Lanier was apprehended at a roadblock. He was subsequently tried by a jury on the charge of capital murder. Upon completion of the guilt/innocence phase of the trial, the jury returned a verdict finding Lanier guilty of capital murder for the killing of Officer Walters. Afterwards, during the sentencing phase of the trial, the jury concluded, based upon the evidence before it, that Lanier's punishment should be death by lethal injection. Lanier appealed the jury's finding of guilt as well as the jury's determination that the death penalty was appropriate. On appeal, the Supreme Court of Mississippi affirmed the jury's guilty verdict, however, the case was reversed and remanded for a new sentencing hearing based upon a confrontation clause problem encountered during the original sentencing phase. Lanier v. State, 533 So.2d 473 (Miss. 1988). On remand, only the sentence of Lanier was required to be determined anew since his conviction for capital murder was upheld on appeal. As a result, no plea bargain involving a plea to a less serious crime could be utilized by Lanier in an attempt to make a deal with the State of Mississippi which would reduce the severity of his sentence. According to MISS. CODE ANN. § 97-3-21 (1972), as amended, the sentence for every person convicted of capital murder is either: (a) death; or (b) imprisonment for life. However, Lanier decided that he did not want to face another sentencing hearing before a jury while the possibility of the death sentence loomed overhead. Lanier, with the assistance of five attorneys, bargained with the State. The culmination of that plea bargain was an agreement by the State of Mississippi not to pursue the statutory death penalty against Lanier in exchange for the only thing remaining which Lanier could exchange  Lanier's agreement to life imprisonment and a waiver of any and all present or future rights or privileges for parole and parole application. The document embodying the plea bargain agreement between the State and Lanier contains the following caption(s) and accompanying rights and obligations of the respective parties: WAIVER OF PAROLE RIGHTS Personally appeared before me the undersigned authority in and for the above jurisdiction, Johnny Rufus Lanier, defendant in Cause # 24433 in the Circuit Court of Harrison County and after being duly sworn depose [sic] and says as follows: (1) My name is Johnny Rufus Lanier, I am the defendant in the Capital Murder case of State of Mississippi versus Johnny Rufus Lanier in the Circuit Court of Harrison County, Cause # 24433. (2) I have previously been convicted by jury of Capital Murder in this cause and am now awaiting sentencing for that crime. (3) I have agreed with my attorney's [sic], with the State of Mississippi, and with the Court to waive any and all rights I now have or may have in the future to parole from the Mississippi Department of Corrections on the charge in Cause # 24433. The reason for the waiver is that I am agreeing to waive my rights to parole in exchange for the State agreeing to a life sentence instead of trying me and seeking the death penalty in this case. (4) I understand and have been advised by my attorney's [sic] that under Section 47-7-17 of the Mississippi Code, I will be eligible for consideration for parole by the Parole Board after serving ten (10) years of my life sentence. However, I agree that it would not be in the best interest of society at any time for me to be released. I agree that it would be impossible for any arrangements to be made for my proper employment and care and I do state under oath that I would not be able to fulfill my obligations as a law abiding citizen. Therefore, I have waived my rights to parole in this case being fully aware of those rights and request that parole never be granted to me if and when I am reviewed for parole by the State Parole Board. (5) I understand that under Mississippi law, I may not sue the Parole Board to require them to give me parole at any time. I waive my rights to parole with full knowledge that parole in Mississippi is not a Constitutionally protected liberty interest. (6) I have consulted with my attorneys. I have considered my options in this case. I willingly waive all rights and privileges for parole in exchange for the sentence offered by the State of Mississippi in this case. (7) I waive all rights to make application for parole and will not make application for parole at any time in the future on this charge. (8) I have not been coerced or promised any other consideration except that of being allowed to have a life sentence in this case as well as consecutive thirty (30) year sentences in two (2) Lauderdale County cases which are part of the plea agreement in this case. (9) It has been determined by Circuit Judge Robert W. Bailey, that I am competent to enter this waiver as well as to enter my pleas of guilty in the two (2) companion cases to Cause # 24433 and I and my attorney's [sic] agree that I am fully aware of what I am doing and claim no disabilities whatsoever with respect to this waiver and the plea agreements entered into as a part of this transaction. Witness my signature this the 27th day of October, 1989. (signed) Johnny Rufus Lanier JOHNNY RUFUS LANIER SWORN TO AND SUBSCRIBED to [sic] before me this the 27th day of October, 1989. (signed) Raymond P. Davis, Circuit Clerk By: Renee R. Covert, D.C. My Commission Expires 1st Monday Jan. 1992 Witnessed by: (signed) David A. Stephenson Clyde Smith Raymond L. Falls, Jr. John G. Hutchinson Earl P. Jordan, Jr. The State of Mississippi accepted the plea bargain and did not pursue the death penalty against Lanier. Having accepted the plea bargain, no sentencing trial was necessary. Instead, the court sentenced Lanier to life imprisonment without parole in accordance with the terms of the agreement. Nevertheless, less than eighteen (18) months after Lanier agreed to the terms which allowed him to avoid facing the possibility of a sentence of death, he filed the appeal sub judice, claiming that the lower court sentence of life imprisonment without parole was illegal and that the WAIVER OF PAROLE RIGHTS was not valid. In other words, now that Lanier has benefitted from the State's fulfillment of its contractual obligation, whereby the State refrained from exercising its right to seek the death penalty against him, Lanier now desires to renege on his obligations under the agreement by attempting to regain the possibility of eligibility for parole. III.