Opinion ID: 1723925
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: In this case, John Randall Alexander appeals from a murder conviction in the Panola County Circuit Court. This Court affirms.
The following statement of facts is recited in a light most favorable to the verdict. On July 14, 1987, four friends  17-year-old Robert Neil Smith, 18-year-old Andrew Andy Byars, 23-year-old John Randall Randy Alexander, and 19-year-old Gregory Todd Knight  cruised around Panola County in Randy's car. As they cruised, they drank beer and smoked marijuana. At one point, they stopped at a bar, played pool, and drank more beer. They left the bar at closing time, around 12:15 a.m., and drove to Enid Dam near Pope. They stopped at the Dam and messed around on a nearby pier. After a short while, one of the guys decided he wanted to go home. But Randy informed them he wasn't going to take them home unless someone gave him some gas money. As Todd recounted: [We lived pretty far away, but] Randy's dad lived [only] two miles down the road, so, you know, we was going to have to walk. They argued for a while over Randy's ultimatum; in the end, no one gave him any gas money. So Andy, Todd, and Neil started to walk home. Eventually, Randy drove by them and decided to stop and pick them up. They drove to nearby Benson's Grocery Store and parked. At Benson's, they resumed their argument over Randy's demand for gas money. Neil offered $3.00, but Randy wanted $5.00. Neil refused to give Randy more than $3.00 because he had already spent too much money; for example, he had given Randy $10.00 for gas earlier in the evening and had bought the beer and some marijuana for everyone. Neil spent a lot of money on everyone because he had just received his paycheck  which he cashed  and the others were essentially broke and relying on him to subsidize their fun and frolic. They continued to argue over gas money until Neil finally threw up his hands and decided to walk home. Randy then drove Andy and Todd home  leaving Neil behind at Benson's. [1] They arrived at Todd's home in Batesville at approximately 2:30 a.m. Randy dropped both Todd and Andy off (Andy spent the night at Todd's home) and then drove away. Todd and Andy felt bad about leaving Neil behind. According to Andy: Todd woke his mama up and tried to get her car, you know, so we could go back and pick up Neil but she knew we'd been drinking and were drunk, you know, so she didn't let us do it, so we went to sleep. At approximately 6:30 a.m., the Mississippi Highway Patrol received a report that a dead man had been found lying face down along side Highway 51 just south of Pope. Investigators identified the dead man as Robert Neil Smith who, they concluded, definitely was struck by a vehicle. [2] Dr. Steven Hayne, the pathologist who conducted the autopsy on Neil, corroborated the investigators' conclusion: [Neil had] multiple injuries, predominately bruising and tearing of the skin. He also had an imprint of a tire across the small of his right back and he had an unusual linear, that is a straight line contusion or bruise, with a small laceration or tear in his right shoulder that had left a distinct imprint. The investigators quickly learned that Randy, Todd, and Andy had been with Neil prior to his death. The investigators seized Randy's car, but a search of it revealed no incriminating evidence  except that it appeared ... it had been washed. The record seems to indicate that the investigation uncovered few clues as to who killed Neil. Approximately one year passed before investigators got their break in the case. In May 1988, Randy made a tearful and somber confession to three friends: Scott Tucker, Theresa Tucker (Scott's wife), and Roger Golden. Theresa recounted what Randy confessed: He said that  Randy said that they [Randy and Neil] got to fighting, arguing, and he said that some how or another that he hit him [on his back] with a jack and then ran over him and then picked his head up and put a carton of cigarettes up under it. Theresa added that Randy said he woke up [on the morning of Neil's death]. [H]e said he couldn't eat or sleep and that he just  he vomited. Scott Tucker and Roger Golden corroborated Theresa's testimony. Investigators eventually arrested Randy and, in September 1988, the Panola County Grand Jury indicted him for Neil's murder. After a trial at the Panola County Circuit Court, a jury found Randy guilty  after which he received a life sentence. Randy filed a motion for a new trial; the judge denied the motion; and Randy appealed.
Randy presented three issues for analysis: 1. WHETHER STATEMENTS MADE BY THE PROSECUTOR DURING THE CLOSING STATEMENT INDIVIDUALLY AND CUMULATIVELY PREJUDICED RANDY TO SUCH A DEGREE THAT SUCH COULD NOT BE CURED BY FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS OF THE COURT? 2. WHETHER THE VERDICT OF THE JURY WAS AGAINST THE OVERWHELMING WEIGHT OF THE EVIDENCE? 3. WHETHER THE LOWER COURT ERRED IN FAILING TO GRANT A CONTINUANCE SO THAT A MATERIAL DEFENSE WITNESS COULD BE BROUGHT BEFORE THE COURT?