Opinion ID: 1702221
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Whether the trial court erred in charging the trial jury with State requested instruction 10 as the same is an incorrect statement of the law of the State and as a result, Bishop was unfairly prejudiced and denied a fundamentally fair trial.

Text: ¶ 36. Bishop argues that jury instruction 10 regarding aiding and abetting was plain reversible error and contrary to the law of Mississippi. Bishop argues that this error is of constitutional dimension and that he has been denied his rights to due process and a fundamentally fair trial. He contends that his conviction and sentence should be vacated. ¶ 37. The State correctly points out that this Court thoroughly considered and rejected this issue in Bishop's direct appeal. Bishop, 812 So.2d at 942-44. This Court first pointed out that Bishop failed to raise the specific objection at trial and that the issue was procedurally barred. Notwithstanding the procedural bar, this Court held, Jury Instruction 10, on aiding and abetting, when read with the other instructions which required the jury to find the State had to prove all elements of the offense before Bishop could be found guilty, was harmless error. Id. at 944. Accordingly, this claim is barred by the doctrine of res judicata and is barred from relitigation by Miss.Code Ann. § 99-39-21(3); Jackson, 860 So.2d at 660-61; Lockett, 614 So.2d at 893. ¶ 38. Bishop next argues that appellate harmless error review was necessary because the error affects a fundamental right. Bishop's argument fails to overcome the procedural bar. This Court is well aware of the holding in Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 87 S.Ct. 824, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967), and its implications for harmless error analysis. See Jasper v. State, 871 So.2d 729, 731-32 (Miss.2004); Kolberg v. State, 829 So.2d 29, 48-49 (Miss.2002); Butler v. State, 217 So.2d 3, 6 (Miss.1968). This Court's holding regarding jury instruction 10 was issued with complete and full knowledge of the ramifications of the harmless error terminology. [8] There is no requirement that this Court cite Chapman every time it declares that an error is harmless. This issue is procedurally barred and without merit.