Opinion ID: 1033713
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Starks's Direct Appeal

Text: ¶15 Following his convictions, the Public Defender's Office appointed a new attorney, Robert Kagen, to represent Starks in his postconviction matters. Kagen did not file any postconviction motions with the circuit court and instead pursued a direct appeal at the court of appeals, in which he 7 No. 2010AP425 raised four arguments: (1) the circuit court should have granted Starks's request for the lesser-included offense instruction on second-degree reckless homicide; (2) a mistrial should have been declared when a witness sequestration order was violated; (3) the circuit court erred in not dismissing the case based on the prosecution's failure to turn over information relating to the identity of Junebug; and (4) the evidence was inconsistent and therefore insufficient to support the verdict. In an unpublished opinion, the court of appeals rejected each of Starks's arguments and affirmed his convictions. Starks I, No. 2008AP790-CR. ¶16 On the issue of the jury instruction, Starks argued that he was entitled to an instruction on second-degree reckless homicide. As Starks pointed out, the only difference between first- and second-degree reckless homicide is that the former requires proof of the additional element of utter disregard for human life. Compare Wis. Stat. § 940.02 with Wis. Stat. § 940.06. Starks contended that because he shot Weddle below the waist and expressed distress when he learned Weddle died, he showed at least some regard for Weddle's life. Starks I, No. 2008AP790-CR, ¶13. As Starks fled from the apartment without trying to help Weddle or calling 911, however, the court of appeals held that Starks showed a complete lack of concern for Weddle's life, and thus was not entitled to a jury instruction on second-degree reckless homicide. Id., ¶15. ¶17 The court of appeals also rejected Starks's claim that a mistrial should have been granted when Gray and Rogers were 8 No. 2010AP425 accidently transported to the courthouse in the same sheriff's van, in violation of a sequestration order. When Starks made this motion during his trial, the circuit court found that Gray and Rogers had not discussed the substance of their testimony and thus denied his request for a mistrial. The court of appeals affirmed the circuit court's findings, and held that the circuit court did not erroneously exercise its discretion in denying Starks's motion for a mistrial. Id., ¶22. ¶18 The third issue Starks raised was that the circuit court should have declared a mistrial because the prosecution failed to disclose Junebug's identity. Junebug was the owner of the cell phone that Gray used when he spoke to Starks on the day of the murder. In August 2006, nearly three months before trial, Starks asked the State to turn over the identity of Junebug so that the defense could examine whether any calls were made between Junebug's phone and Starks. The State turned over Gray's cell phone directory, which included Junebug's number. The prosecution submitted, though, that it did not know Junebug's identity. At trial, Gray unexpectedly revealed Junebug to be Ray Gill. Starks moved for a mistrial on the grounds that, because federal agents discovered Junebug's identity in September 2006 (more than two months before Starks's trial), that knowledge was imputed to the State such that it had a duty to turn over the information. The circuit court found that, in addition to providing Junebug's phone number, the State also gave the defense documents which showed that the same phone number was registered to Gill, but apparently neither the 9 No. 2010AP425 defense nor the prosecution pieced the information together to deduce that Junebug was Gill. As Starks possessed the same information as the State, the circuit court denied the motion for a mistrial. The court of appeals accepted this factual finding and concluded that the circuit court was within its discretion to deny Starks's motion. Id., ¶29. ¶19 Starks's final argument on direct appeal was that the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions because of inconsistencies in the testimony of various witnesses. For example, Starks alleged that some of the witnesses who were in the apartment at the time of the shooting gave conflicting accounts as to who left first, whether people left before or after the shooting, and whether Weddle was shot in the living room or the kitchen. Id., ¶30. In reviewing the record, the court of appeals concluded that the jury could reasonably find Starks guilty based on the evidence presented. Id. The court noted that eyewitness testimony often produces some inconsistencies and that in any event, [t]he State's case was strong. Id., ¶31. ¶20 After the court of appeals affirmed Starks's judgment of conviction, this court denied his petition for review.