Opinion ID: 1611371
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 23

Heading: the stare down

Text: The first of these alleged errors concerns the behavior of the victim's father towards the defendant. At the beginning of the trial, defense counsel for Woodward had placed into the record a notation that the victim's father was engaging in disruptive behavior, including but not limited to a shoving match at the back of the courtroom and staring intently at the defendant. Deputy Joe Lowery testified that the father also walked into the court room and said that is the guy that killed my daughter. Woodward claims that this put the State and the court on notice at the beginning of the trial that there were problems with the conduct of the victim's father toward him. Defense counsel also moved for a mistrial because during the majority of the victim's father's testimony he stared at the defendant. On leaving the witness stand, the victim's father stopped in front of the defendant and stared him down for a few brief seconds before the district attorney moved him past the defendant. This behavior was also noted in the defendant's motion for a new trial. Woodward relies upon Fuselier v. State, 468 So.2d 45 (Miss. 1985), wherein the victim's daughter conspicuously placed herself within the rail of the courtroom facing the jury box after her testimony. She also conferred on several occasions with the district attorney. In finding the daughter's behavior objectionable, this Court noted the following rule: Only officers of the court, attorneys and litigants or one representative of a litigant in the case on trial will be permitted within the rail of the courtroom, unless authorized by court. Unif.Crim.R.Cir.Ct.Prac. 5.01. Of course, the action here falls far short of that in Fuselier. The testimony of the victim's father here was relevant, had probative value, and was admissible no matter how emotional his testimony became. Evans v. State, 422 So.2d 737, 743 (Miss. 1982), cert. denied, 476 U.S. 1178, 106 S.Ct. 2908, 90 L.Ed.2d 994 (1986). See Booth v. Maryland, 482 U.S. 496, 107 S.Ct. 2529, 2535 n. 10, 96 L.Ed.2d 440, 451 n. 10, reh'g. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 108 S.Ct. 31, 97 L.Ed.2d 820 (1987). Furthermore, the stare at the counsel table was very brief, and the victim's father did not remain within the rail of the courtroom. The trial court was in control of the proceedings at all times. Therefore, this portion of the assignment is without merit. B.