Opinion ID: 2373359
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Preserved and Plain Error

Text: Appellant alleges that the admission into evidence of the prior statements of Easley Van Mitchell and Thomas Hawn violated his constitutional rights to due process, to equal protection, and to confront witnesses. Appellant asserts that the statements did not come within the purview of § 491.074, which authorizes admission as substantive evidence of a prior inconsistent statement of any witness testifying in the trial of an offense under Chapters 565, 566, or 568. The statute does not extend to admission of prior consistent statements; those are normally admissible only to rehabilitate a successfully-impeached witness. State v. Clark, 711 S.W.2d 928, 933 (Mo. App.1986). Appellant contends that Mitchell's statement was entirely consistent with his trial testimony. Appellant further contends that, although some portions of Hawn's prior statement were inconsistent with his trial testimony, most were consistent and therefore inadmissible. The result of the admission of these two statements, he claims, was to bolster improperly the testimony of the two witnesses. When a witness testifies from the stand, the use of duplicative and corroborative extrajudicial statements is substantially restricted. State v. Seever, 733 S.W.2d 438, 441 (Mo. banc 1987). Allowing a witness to read prior consistent deposition testimony either before or after he testifies tends to give an unfair advantage to the offering party. Id. In some cases, however, a witness' extrajudicial statement is harmless error, when, for example, the statement adds nothing substantial and the witness is available for cross-examination. In matters involving the admission of evidence, the court reviews for prejudice, not mere error, and will reverse only if the error was so prejudicial that it deprived the defendant of a fair trial. State v. Whitley, 750 S.W.2d 728, 730 (Mo.App.1988). Only a small excerpt of Mitchell's statement to the police detective was read into evidence at trial. The statements concerned whether Mitchell remembered taking rope to McMillin at Jerri Pendergrass' apartment. The state claims that the excerpt contained an inconsistent statement in which Mitchell admitted to police that he had taken a length of cord to McMillin in Bryan Nickle's apartment. At trial Mitchell could not recall whether he had taken the cord to McMillin. Appellant argues that there was no prior inconsistent statement because the police asked Mitchell questions during police interrogation different from those asked by the prosecutor at trial. Even assuming, arguendo, that the record could be read to reflect consistent statements, appellant was not prejudiced by the admission of Mitchell's prior statement. First, Mitchell's prior statement is not patently consistent. Moreover, Mitchell was available for cross-examination. Furthermore, even without the prior statements of Mitchell, there was sufficient evidence for a jury to find appellant guilty of Renee Scurlock's murder. At the time of trial, Thomas Hawn was also charged with the first degree murder of Renee Scurlock, and no agreement had been made for reduction of charges or leniency in exchange for his testimony. Hawn testified that he had been with appellant and Easley Van Mitchell when appellant made arrangements to meet the victim at the intersection of Sunshine and Glenstone streets, and that he had accompanied appellant to the murder scene and observed the killing from a distance. Although a hair matching Hawn's was found in the victim's automobile, Hawn denied playing any role in the murder of Renee Scurlock. At the close of the direct examination, the state impeached Hawn with a number of inconsistent statements he made in an interview with the police two weeks after the murder. Hawn told the police that McMillin stated, in advance, his intention to abuse or kill the victim; on the stand, Hawn admitted that he made that statement but then testified that it was untrue. On the stand, Hawn substantially changed his testimony regarding whether he had seen the victim's hands tied, whether he had seen McMillin pour gas on the victim, what Hawn had said to McMillin when McMillin came to the car for gasoline, whether Hawn had seen McMillin set the car on fire, and whether Hawn had begged McMillin not to kill the victim. During the police interrogation, Hawn stated that he had seen these events and made these statements; on the stand, Hawn admitted making those statements but then testified that they were untrue. Subsequent to the testimony by Hawn, the state sought to introduce the tape recording of Hawn's police interview as well as an authenticated transcript of the entire tape. After a lengthy bench conference concerning the effect of State v. Bowman, 741 S.W.2d 10 (Mo. banc 1987), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 109 S.Ct. 83, 102 L.Ed.2d 60 (1988), the trial court admitted the tape and transcript into evidence. The state does not dispute that § 491.074 authorizes only the admission of a prior inconsistent statement of any witness and that a number of statements in Hawn's police interview were not inconsistent with his trial testimony. The state correctly posits, however, that appellant was not prejudiced through the admission of Hawn's prior statement. Error which may require reversal in a close case may be disregarded as harmless where evidence of guilt is strong. State v. Whitley, 750 S.W.2d at 730. Assuming, arguendo, that the testimony of Thomas Hawn was improperly bolstered, evidence of McMillin's guilt was otherwise established by strong evidence. McMillin provided detailed accounts of the murder to several of his friends in addition to Hawn: Mitchell, Nickle and Jerri Pendergrass. Physical evidence regarding the condition of the victim and her car substantiated the accounts of the murder McMillin gave to his associates. In the two months before the murder, McMillin made statements to associates indicating McMillin's motive for killing Renee Scurlock. Evidence supports a finding that McMillin obtained the murder weapon and rope to bind the victim in advance. Appellant offered to trade his car for Mitchell's motorcycle because he said the cycle would be cheaper to drive if he had to leave and he commented that snitches would be dealt with, evidencing his consciousness of guilt. State v. Rodden, 728 S.W.2d 212, 219 (Mo. banc 1987). Appellant relies upon Seever, 733 S.W.2d 438. The facts are distinguishable. In Seever , the state introduced and played a videotaped statement given by a child who was the victim of a sex crime. The state then called the child herself to testify to the same facts. This Court held that the presentation of the same testimony by the victim in different forms improperly bolstered the credibility of the child witness resulting in an undue advantage to the state. Id. at 441. In the present case, the state impeached the credibility of its own witness and, in fact, called attention to his untruthfulness. Furthermore, the prior statement by Thomas Hawn was not only duplicative of his trial account, it was in several instances clearly different and inconsistent, as appellant concedes. Appellant was not prejudiced. See State v. Ford, 753 S.W.2d 5 (Mo.App.1988). For the first time on appeal McMillin raises an equal protection challenge to § 491.074. Appellant has waived the point. State v. Thompson, 627 S.W.2d 298, 303 (Mo. banc 1982).
In an argument similar to that concerning the victim impact statement contained in the presentence investigation, supra, appellant objects to the admission into evidence of a photograph depicting the victim and her children standing in front of a Christmas tree. Appellant contends that the photograph was irrelevant in that it did not logically tend to support or establish any fact in issue because the victim's identity was undisputed. The trial court has broad discretion in ruling on the admissibility of evidence where the issue is materiality and relevancy. State v. Driscoll, 711 S.W.2d 512, 516 (Mo. banc), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 922, 107 S.Ct. 329, 93 L.Ed.2d 301 (1986). The trial court's rulings will not be overruled absent a showing of an abuse of discretion. State v. Atkins, 697 S.W.2d 226, 227 (Mo.App. 1985). There is no basis for disturbing the trial court's ruling. The state claimed the photograph to be the most recent available photograph of Renee Scurlock. The photograph was identified by the victim's mother. The victim's former husband matched the photograph with the burned body which he had identified as Renee Scurlock. Later in the trial, other state's witnesses who had been in the Pendergrass apartment identified Exhibit 1, the photograph, as the woman who had been brought there by appellant. That the victim had two children was established through testimony of more than one witness. Furthermore, the character of Renee Scurlock was not at issue in this trial. On the claim of relevancy, therefore, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the photograph into evidence. Appellant further asserts that the photograph was extremely prejudicial and violates Booth, 482 U.S. 496, 107 S.Ct. 2529. Appellant raises this claim of error for the first time on appeal. This Court, consequently, reviews for plain error resulting in manifest injustice. Rule 30.20. In Booth , the United States Supreme Court held that the character of the murder victim is not a legitimate factor in determining the appropriate punishment, and that evidence or argument should not be offered which serves no other purpose than to place such matters before the sentencing jury. Booth, 482 U.S. at 502-509, 107 S.Ct. at 2532-2536. Booth states that details about the victim may not be offered to the sentencing jury as grounds for imposing a sentence of death. Booth acknowledged, however, that information concerning the victim may still be admitted if it is relevant to other matters. Booth, 482 U.S. at 507-08 n. 10, 107 S.Ct. 2535 n. 10. The photograph at issue was relevant in proving appellant's guilt for the reasons enumerated above. Unlike the statements objected to in Booth , the statements by the prosecutor in this case did not attempt to portray the victim in a favorable light. Instead, he discussed her children and the things the victim would miss as her children grew up. Furthermore, a presumption arises that the trial judge was not improperly influenced by the photograph in imposing sentence. See, e.g., State v. Young, 477 S.W.2d 114, 117 (Mo.1972). Appellant suffered no manifest injustice through the admission of state's Exhibit 1.
Appellant asserts trial court error in denying his motion to compel the prosecution to disclose results of an alleged computer search of arrest records of venirepersons. Appellant states that the prosecution had a practice of running a computer search in criminal trials. Appellant claims prejudice in that the state had an unfair advantage because it could use information in questioning venirepersons regarding their prior arrests and in exercising its peremptory strikes on this basis, while the defense must ask prospective jurors about arrests and is bound by their answers. Only that error which actually prejudices the defendant can lead to reversal. State v. Kurtz, 564 S.W.2d 856, 861 (Mo. banc 1978). Neither the defense nor the state asked any venireperson about arrests; therefore, appellant's claim is merely speculative and, thus, without merit. For the first time on appeal, appellant additionally contends that obtaining the arrest records of prospective jurors violates § 610.100, which provides for closing of official records if a person is arrested and not charged within thirty days. Section 610.120 then enumerates exceptions to the rule. Appellant's standing to assert the rights of venirepersons is doubtful. See State ex rel. Williams v. Marsh, 626 S.W.2d 223, 227 (Mo. banc 1982). Without deciding the question of standing, it suffices to rule on this point that appellant suffered no manifest injustice.
Appellant maintains that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence photographs taken of the victim at the crime scene and at the morgue. Appellant claims that any probative value the photographs may have had was outweighed by their prejudicial effect. The trial court is vested with broad discretion in the admission of photographs, State v. Guinan, 665 S.W.2d 325, 331 (Mo. banc 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 873, 105 S.Ct. 227, 83 L.Ed.2d 156 (1984), although that decision may be overturned if it constitutes an abuse of discretion. State v. Kincade, 677 S.W.2d 361, 366 (Mo.App.1984). Missouri courts have allowed admission into evidence of photographs to corroborate the testimony of a witness, State v. Davis, 653 S.W.2d 167, 175 (Mo. banc 1983), to assist a jury better to understand the facts and testimony of witnesses, State v. Stevens, 467 S.W.2d 10, 24 (Mo.1971), cert. denied, 404 U.S. 994, 92 S.Ct. 531, 30 L.Ed.2d 546 (1971), and to prove an element of the case, State v. Cutts, 694 S.W.2d 804, 810 (Mo.App.1985). These standards apply although the photographs may be gruesome. State v. Murray, 744 S.W.2d at 772. Appellant acknowledges the trial court's broad discretion in the admission of photographs but claims that, because he has stipulated to the fact that the victim is dead, the photographs have no probative value. See State v. Robinson, 328 S.W.2d 667, 671 (Mo.1959). Appellant's argument fails. The photographs of the crime scene depict details that corroborated testimony of various state's witnesses. Eighteen other photographs depict various stages of the autopsy. The photographs were relevant to the cause of death and to the question of whether the shooting or burning occurred first, as well as to the credibility of Thomas Hawn's testimony regarding appellant's treatment of the victim before her death. The autopsy photographs were also of use in understanding the testimony of the physician who performed the procedure. Appellant's allegation that the three exhibits that were photographs of the crime scene were cumulative also lacks merit. The credibility of the state's principal witnessesMitchell, Jerri Pendergrass, Nickle, and Hawnwas at issue. Accounts of these witnesses with respect to what appellant told them about how he murdered Renee Scurlock were corroborated by the photographs reflecting the condition of the victim and the crime scene. The probative value of the photographs outweighs any prejudicial effect. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the photographs into evidence.
Appellant claims that the trial court erred in overruling his motion to quash the information and dismiss on the basis of the unconstitutionality of Missouri's death penalty statute. Appellant contends the statute vests unrestricted discretion in the prosecutor to determine whether to seek the death penalty and thereby creates the risk of arbitrary and capricious imposition of the death penalty in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article 1, Section 21, of the Missouri Constitution. The issue has been raised and addressed by this Court several times. Discretionary acts before the sentencing phase are not relevant to whether the death penalty is arbitrary and capricious. Only discretionary acts that concern punishment and that occur after conviction for capital murder are relevant to the issue. Consequently, the prosecutor's discretion to prosecute and the jury's discretion to acquit of capital murder are irrelevant. State v. Trimble, 638 S.W.2d 726, 737 (Mo. banc 1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1188, 103 S.Ct. 838, 74 L.Ed.2d 1031 (1983); See Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153, 96 S.Ct. 2909, 49 L.Ed.2d 859 (1976). Appellant also charges that permitting the prosecutor discretion in sentencing violates the separation of powers doctrine by giving the prosecutor authority in an area reserved for the judicial branch. This argument also fails. The United States Supreme Court rejected a similar claim of unconstitutionality based on `the opportunities for discretionary action that are inherent in the processing of any murder case' because `[n]othing ... suggests that the decision to afford an individual defendant mercy violates the constitution.' State v. Bolder, 635 S.W.2d 673, 685 (Mo. banc 1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1137, 103 S.Ct. 770, 74 L.Ed.2d 983 (1983), quoting, Gregg, 428 U.S. at 199, 96 S.Ct. at 2937.
Appellant asserts the trial court erred in overruling his motion to quash information and dismiss due to the unconstitutionality of Missouri's statutory scheme for the imposition of the death penalty and in sentencing him to death. Appellant seems to contend that proportionality review is of constitutional dimension and that this Court must consider all cases in which a sentence of death was available, not simply cases in which the death penalty has been imposed, in conducting proportionality review. This claim is also without merit. Proportionality review need not include cases such as those in which the state chose not to charge a defendant with capital murder, in which the state agreed to a plea bargain whereby a defendant pled guilty to a lesser charge, where the conviction was for an offense less than capital murder, or where the state waived the death penalty. State v. Trimble, 638 S.W.2d at 737, citing, State v. Bolder, 635 S.W.2d at 685.
Appellant contends that the state failed to comply with the mandate of § 565.005, which requires that the state disclose aggravating circumstances at a reasonable time before commencement of trial. Appellant claims he needed time to prepare a defense against the aggravating circumstances. Eight months before trial, the state provided appellant with a list of the potential witnesses for the state. Twenty-five days before trial, the state notified the defense of the statutory aggravating circumstances it intended to submit in the penalty phase of trial. The state also advised appellant that it did not intend to call any witnesses other than those previously disclosed. Appellant does not claim he was unaware that the prosecutor intended to seek the death penalty; the record in this case would not legitimately permit him to do so. Nor does appellant explain how he would prepare a defense against aggravating circumstances. The function of the defense in the penalty phase is to present evidence of the defendant's character and history which might serve in mitigation of punishment. Appellant himself testified and called eight other witnesses in mitigation. Appellant points to no act that he was unable to undertake nor any witness in mitigation whom he was unable to discover or present as a result of having received twenty-five days' notice from the state. There is neither prejudice nor error in this point.
After the jury was unable to agree on punishment, the trial court imposed a sentence of death finding three aggravating circumstances, which authorized the court to consider that penalty: that the murder was outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible or inhuman in that it involved torture or depravity of mind, § 565.032.2(7); that the murder was committed while appellant was engaged in the perpetration of a kidnapping, § 565.032.2(11); and that the murder was committed while appellant was engaged in the attempt to perpetrate a felony offense under Chapter 195, § 565.032.2(11). Appellant challenges all three, claiming violation of the Fifth, Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article I, Sections 10 and 21 of the Missouri Constitution. Appellant first contends that the statutory circumstance contained in § 565.032.2(7), which includes torture or depravity of mind, is unconstitutionally vague as applied by this Court in that it does not distinguish among the cases in which the death penalty is imposed from those in which the death penalty is not. Appellant first argues that the death penalty cannot be imposed pursuant to a sentencing procedure that creates a substantial risk that the death penalty will be inflicted arbitrarily and capriciously. Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238, 92 S.Ct. 2726, 33 L.Ed.2d 346 (1972). Appellant continues by asserting that a sentencer's discretion must be limited to prevent arbitrary and capricious action, Gregg, 428 U.S. 153, 96 S.Ct. 2909, therefore clear and objective standards are constitutionally required. Godfrey v. Georgia, 446 U.S. 420, 428, 100 S.Ct. 1759, 1764, 64 L.Ed.2d 398 (1980). In Maynard v. Cartwright, 486 U.S. 356, 108 S.Ct. 1853, 100 L.Ed.2d 372 (1988), the United States Supreme Court affirmed the Tenth Circuit's holding that the Oklahoma courts had failed to guide sufficiently the sentencer's discretion in applying the especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel aggravating circumstance with constitutionally adequate standards. Id. 108 S.Ct. at 1859. This Court acknowledged Maynard by outlining a limiting construction and listing a group of factors, one of which must be found to be supported by the evidence before a finding of depravity of mind can be made. State v. Smith, 756 S.W.2d 493, 500-01 (Mo. banc 1988), quoting, State v. Griffin, 756 S.W.2d 475, 490 (Mo. banc 1988); see State v. Preston, 673 S.W.2d 1, 10-11 (Mo. banc 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 893, 105 S.Ct. 269, 83 L.Ed.2d 205 (1984). In Mercer v. Armontrout, 864 F.2d 1429, 1435 (8th Cir.1988), the court held that since the Missouri aggravating circumstance combined a finding of depravity of mind with the finding of outrageously or wantonly vile, horrible or inhuman, the aggravating circumstance was sufficiently distinguishable from that found in Maynard. The validity of this aggravating circumstance is grounded in the facts of each case. The limiting effect of the  Preston factors is sufficiently definite to provide a principled means to distinguish cases in which the death penalty is imposed from those in which it is not. Appellant understandably does not contend that the facts surrounding the murder of Renee Scurlock do not support a finding of torture or depravity of mind. Appellant did not merely murder Renee Scurlock; he beat her about the face with a pistol, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire, and then shot her twice. At the time of her death, Renee Scurlock was bound. There is evidence sufficient for the sentencer to believe that the victim experienced physical and psychological torture and experienced a period of time to anticipate and reflect upon her own death, that appellant was brutal in his conduct, and that the victim's body was mutilated. Griffin, 756 S.W.2d at 489, citing Preston, 673 S.W.2d at 11. The Eighth Circuit's recent holding in Newlon v. Armontrout, 885 F.2d 1328 (8th Cir.1989), does not undermine the holding here, nor does it serve to abrogate the aggravating circumstance outrageously or wantonly horrible, or inhuman in that it involved depravity of mind. The Eighth Circuit did not declare the statute facially invalid, but, rather, found Newlon 's sentence to be unconstitutional as a result of the trial court's arbitrary and capricious application of the statute. Id. at 1335. During the penalty phase of the Newlon trial, the jury asked the court to define depravity of mind. The trial court replied that it was unable to instruct the jury further. Id. at 1334. The Eighth Circuit specifically found that the jury in Newlon did not know what the phrase depravity of mind meant, and, thereby, could not have sufficiently narrowed the class of persons eligible for the death penalty. Id. Here, the trial court sentenced appellant. On that basis alone the circumstances are distinguishable from those in Newlon . This statutory aggravating circumstance is not constitutionally defective as construed in the decisions of this Court and as applied by the trial court to the facts of this case. Appellant also contends, for the first time on appeal, that it was plain error for the trial court to submit two statutory aggravating circumstances under § 565.032.2(11), murder during a kidnapping and murder during the perpetration of the sale of a controlled substance. Appellant interprets the language of the statute to permit only one aggravating circumstance to arise from § 565.032.2(11). Appellant's interpretation is erroneous. The language of the statute does not preclude the submission of two statutory aggravating circumstances where the murder is committed in the perpetration or attempt to perpetrate two separate felonies. The use of the disjunctive or cited by appellant indicates that only one such felony is required but does not suggest that no more than one felony may be pleaded or proved. The claim is without merit. Appellant's claim that the state failed to adduce sufficient evidence to support the submission of the aggravating circumstance that the offense was committed during the perpetration of the sale of a controlled substance is likewise without foundation. Before the murder of the victim, appellant demanded that Renee Scurlock either return the money or supply him with drugs he had requested. Appellant's motive for killing Scurlock directly involved the sale of a controlled substance. In conclusion, it serves to recite that a finding of only one aggravating circumstance is sufficient to support the death penalty. Schlup v. State, 758 S.W.2d 715, 716 (Mo. banc 1988).
Appellant objects to the submission of a portion of Instruction No. 25 that instructed the jury in the penalty-phase as provided in MAI-CR 3rd 313.48: If, after due deliberation, you are unable to agree upon the punishment, your foreman will sign the verdict form so stating. In such case, the Court will fix the defendant's punishment at death or at imprisonment for life by the Division of Corrections without eligibility for probation or parole. You will bear in mind, however, that under the law, it is the primary duty and responsibility of the jury to fix the punishment. Although appellant acknowledges that the language used in Instruction No. 25 was approved by this Court in State v. Sandles, 740 S.W.2d 169, 172-74 (Mo. banc 1987), cert. denied, 485 U.S. 993, 108 S.Ct. 1303, 99 L.Ed.2d 513 (1988), and State v. Walls, 744 S.W.2d at 798, appellant nonetheless requests that these decisions be reconsidered in light of the number of trials conducted since Sandles in which the jury has been unable to agree upon punishment. Appellant contends that the language in the instruction leads the sentencing jury to believe that the responsibility for sentencing lies elsewhere, and, thus, violates the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Appellant's point rests in his contention that the number of juries unable to agree upon punishment has significantly increased since October 1, 1984, the effective date of the instruction at issue. First, appellant fails to cite this Court to those cases that appellant alleges were cases in which juries were unable to agree upon punishment after October, 1984. Furthermore, instructions advising the jury of the part played by other officials or agencies in capital sentencing have been upheld by the United States Supreme Court, and appellant has no legal right to require a punishment verdict by the jury based upon their misperception of the law. California v. Ramos, 463 U.S. 992, 1009, 103 S.Ct. 3446, 3457, 77 L.Ed.2d 1171 (1983). For the first time on appeal, appellant lodges constitutional challenges to the provision that the court, rather than the jury, may impose punishment pursuant to § 565.030.4. Appellant asserts that § 565.030.4 is unconstitutional for the reason that it creates a risk of arbitrary and capricious imposition of a death sentence. Appellant asserts that, when the jury could not agree upon punishment, the trial court considered numerous arbitrary factors not relevant to the sentencing decision. There is no evidence in the record to support appellant's contention; moreover, as discussed above, the trial court properly followed the four-step process as mandated by § 565.030.4. Appellant's unpreserved contention that § 565.030.4 is fundamentally unfair is also without merit.