Opinion ID: 864445
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether the State, in a case wholly based upon

Text: circumstantial evidence, failed to meet its burden of proof when it failed to exclude the reasonable hypothesis that David Rowland committed suicide. ¶6. The State's case was based purely upon circumstantial evidence. There was no direct evidence of Cox's involvement in Rowland's death, and Cox did not make any statements to law enforcement officers. The State established motive by testimony that Jo Jo had a long-term affair with Rowland. It established opportunity by showing, through the testimony of several witnesses, that Cox had been scouting the area where Rowland lived for several days prior to the shooting, that Cox would have been able to enter and exit Rowland's property without being detected by cutting across the Stubblefield and Buntin properties, that the cigarette butt found on Rowland's property proved that Cox had staked out Rowland's cabin, and that Cox had time after the shooting to arrive at the Co-Op where he worked by 7:00 a.m. Finally, the State proved that the sawed-off shotgun which was used to kill Rowland belonged to Cox. ¶7. Cox contends that the guilty verdict could not rest on this circumstantial evidence because he presented the alternative theory of suicide which was a reasonable hypothesis of his innocence that could not be excluded. Cox presented evidence that Rowland had been depressed and was taking an antidepressant, that the eyewitnesses' identifications of Cox's truck were not positive, that the hard contact nature of the gunshot wound could not have occurred unless Rowland himself was holding the gun to his head, that Cox could not have killed Rowland and arrived at his work place within the time frame advanced by the State, that Cox had loaned the sawed-off shotgun to someone else prior to the shooting and had not had possession of the gun in years, and that no blood was ever found on Cox, his clothing, his shoes, or 3 his vehicle. Cox further supports his argument by stating that the forensic pathologist who conducted Rowland's autopsy could not rule out suicide. Cox called three expert witnesses who testified that a bloodstain analysis, gunshot reconstruction and death scene reconstruction showed that Rowland committed suicide, that Rowland was at very high risk for committing suicide, and that one of the side effects of the antidepressant Rowland was taking could cause him to attempt suicide. Cox claims that his wife Jo Jo either planted the cigarette butt or emptied the contents of her ashtray on Rowland's property. ¶8. To sustain a conviction on circumstantial evidence, every other reasonable hypothesis of innocence must be excluded. [D]irect evidence is unnecessary to support a conviction so long as sufficient circumstantial evidence exists to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Neal v. State, 805 So. 2d 520, 526 (Miss. 2002) (quoting Underwood v. State, 708 So. 2d 18, 35 (Miss. 1998) (quoting Conner v. State, 632 So. 2d 1239, 1252 (Miss. 1993), overruled on other grounds, Weatherspoon v. State, 732 So. 2d 158 (Miss. 1999))). Circumstantial evidence need not exclude every 'possible doubt,' but only every other 'reasonable' hypothesis of innocence. Neal, 805 So. 2d at 526 (quoting Tolbert v. State, 407 So. 2d 815, 820 (Miss. 1981)). Each case must be determined from the circumstances shown in the testimony and the facts must consistently point to but one conclusion--guilt. Neal, 805 So. 2d at 526 (quoting Hilliard v. State, 749 So. 2d 1015 (Miss. 1999)). ¶9. In support of his argument Cox cites Steele v. State, 544 So. 2d 802, 807-08 (Miss. 1989), where we reversed a conviction based solely upon circumstantial evidence. Steele was caring for a small child who died from massive head injuries. The State's theory was that Steele physically abused the child, causing his death; Steele's theory was that the injuries were caused when the child fell out of the bed. No one but Steele was present at the time the injuries were sustained. Physical evidence did not support either 4 theory. Five physicians testified that the child's injuries were inconsistent with Steele's theory. One physician testified that the injuries could not have been sustained by a fall from a bed. Another physician testified that, while Steele's theory was not probable, it was possible. We held that the State proved only that the child's injuries were probably not caused by a fall from a bed, and that the State failed to prove Steele's guilty because it did not exclude the possibility that the injuries were caused by a fall. The evidence was legally insufficient to establish anything more than a probability of guilty and did not 'invest mere circumstances with the force of truth.' Id. at 809. ¶10. Here, the State established motive and opportunity. Cox made no attempt to impeach evidence of the existence of his wife's affair with Rowland or that he knew his wife was having an affair with Rowland. Other unimpeached testimony was that within a week or two of Rowland's death, Cox asked several people for the location of Rowland's property or the Stubblefield property, and Cox engaged in threatening behavior to Rowland when he stood outside Rowland's apartment2 with a gun. Cox's wife had also asked him for a divorce, which he had refused to give her. ¶11. Cox complains that the death scene was cleaned up before investigators could collect measurements of tire tracks, fingerprints and blood spatter patterns. This claim is addressed in further detail in Issue III below. However, even though this evidence was not available, Cox ignores ample physical evidence at the scene which belies a suicide theory. Before the shooting, Rowland had gotten up, eaten breakfast, dressed, fixed his lunch and gathered up garbage to take to town for disposal. Immediately preceding the shooting, Rowland was loading an ice chest in his car with a bottle of frozen water. While he was loading the ice chest, he set a cup of coffee on the roof of the car. The bag of garbage and the lunch bag were found between Rowland's body and the car. Crediting this evidence and all reasonable 2 Rowland lived in an apartment in Charleston prior to moving out to his cabin in the county. 5 inferences most favorable to the State, we find that the jury could reasonably exclude the hypothesis that Rowland committed suicide. See, e.g., McDonald v. State, 454 So. 2d 488, 493 (Miss. 1984). ¶12. Some of the evidence presented was contradicted, but, of course, the jury assigns credibility. A Winston cigarette butt was found behind a bale of hay. It had been put out by someone stepping on it. If Cox stood behind the bale of hay, he would have a clear view of Rowland's cabin. Cox had bought a pack of Winstons at a convenience store between 4:00 and 4:30 a.m. that morning. Testing showed that Cox's DNA was on the cigarette. Jo Jo testified that she routinely emptied her car's ashtray on Rowland's property, but cigarettes put out on an ashtray are usually stubbed out, not stepped on. And even though Cox's DNA was on the cigarette, there was no evidence of how old the cigarette butt was. ¶13. A trail of clues portrayed a possible route used by Rowland's killer to carry out the murder. An impression in grass on neighboring property showed that a vehicle had been parked there. Dirt was found on a metal gate between the Rowland and the Buntin properties and on a barbed wire fence between the Buntin and Stubblefield properties. A boot print was found on the Stubblefield property. An expert testified that the overall size and shape of the print was consistent with the overall size and shape of the bottom of Cox's boot. Because there was some distortion of the details, he was not able to observe any individual characteristics. He therefore testified that the boot could not be excluded as the source of the print. He further stated that he could not reach a definite conclusion that Cox's boot either made the print or could not have made the print. ¶14. However, Cox's suicide theory is considerably weakened when one considers the fact that the shotgun which caused Rowland's death belonged to Cox, while there were other shotguns and a handgun in Rowland's house which were not used. There was no ammunition in Rowland's house which could have been used in Cox's shotgun. Cox contends that Paul Hughes, Rowland's close friend, saw a 12-gauge 6 pump shotgun in Rowland's house two days before the shooting, but, on cross-examination, Hughes stated that he did not get close enough to the gun to know if it was a 12-gauge, a 16-gauge, or a 20-gauge. Furthermore, Cox's shotgun was sawed-off. Surely Hughes would have noticed a sawed-off shotgun in Rowland's gun cabinet. ¶15. Cox insists that Rowland was suicidal because he was depressed, anxious about his finances, worried about whether he should go back to his wife or marry Jo Jo, and spreading himself too thin with too many women. He had lost 30 pounds in the months prior to his death and had difficulty sleeping. However, Hughes and Jo Jo testified that Rowland took great pride in the work he had already done on his cabin and property and that he was happy and excited about future work he had planned. Hughes testified that Rowland was very happy being a single man. A recovering alcoholic, Rowland had been sober for several years and attended AA meetings on a regular basis. He had a good salary and benefits from his job with the federal government which gave him plenty of time to work on the property. Although Dr. Abbe Finn, one of Cox's expert witnesses, testified that Rowland was a prime candidate for suicide, she had never treated Rowland, and the people who knew Rowland personally contradicted her testimony. Additionally, the physicians who prescribed the antidepressants to Rowland testified that Rowland was not seriously depressed or suicidal. One of these physicians, T. T. Lewis, M. D., had treated Rowland for 45 years. The other physician, Todd Threadgill, M. D., a gastrologist, saw Rowland only three days before his death. ¶16. Cox contends that the eyewitnesses' identifications of Cox's truck were not positive and that his son had the truck in question at school with him at Mississippi State University. However, other witnesses testified that they saw Cox sitting in the truck, parked on a road near Rowland's property, or driving the truck. 7 ¶17. Cox makes much of the fact that the fatal shot was a hard contact shot, meaning that the end of the barrel of the shotgun was pressed so tightly against Rowland's face that the skin around the end of the barrel enfolded itself around the end of the barrel. He contends that a hard contact could not have occurred unless Rowland himself was holding the gun to his face. But this theory is merely speculative. The fact is that we do not know how Rowland was shot. Another plausible theory is that once Rowland saw Cox approaching with the shotgun, he stood still to call Cox's bluff or accept his fate. Furthermore, the forensic pathologist testified that most gun suicides occur under the chin, in the mouth, or to the side of the head, and that a suicide shot rarely occurred on the forehead. ¶18. At trial, there was much testimony about the time of the shooting and when Cox arrived at work, and if the interval between the two times was sufficient for Cox to leave Rowland's property, clean up and get to work. Both the State and Cox's theories were based on one man's testimony that he heard a gunshot about 6:30 that morning, and that Rowland was shot about 6:30. This testimony is speculative at best. Even if he heard a gunshot, he could not positively state what time it occurred; he merely judged the time by his regular morning routine. The only positive proof of a time frame that morning was that Cox was seen in a convenience store around 4:00 or 4:30 a.m., and that he arrived at work around 7:00 a.m. ¶19. Cox contends that he had loaned the shotgun to someone else before the shooting and had not had possession of the gun in years. However, after looking at a photograph of the shotgun, the recipient of Cox's largesse affirmatively stated that the shotgun in the photograph was not the shotgun Cox had given him. ¶20. We find that the jury could conclude that Cox's defense of suicide did not constitute a reasonable hypothesis of innocence, see McDonald, 454 So. 2d at 492, and that the circumstantial evidence used to convict Cox was sufficient to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 8 II. Whether the circuit court erred in denying Cox's motion for JNOV. ¶21. To review the denial of a motion for JNOV, we must, with respect to each element of the offense, consider all of the evidence-not just the evidence which supports the case for the prosecution in the light most favorable to the verdict. The credible evidence which is consistent with the guilt must be accepted as true. The prosecution must be given the benefit of all favorable inferences that may reasonably be drawn from the evidence. Matters regarding the weight and credibility to be accorded the evidence are to be resolved by the jury. We may reverse only where, with respect to one or more of the elements of the offense charged, the evidence so considered is such that reasonable and fair-minded jurors could only find the accused not guilty. Morgan v. State, 741 So. 2d 246, 256 (Miss. 1999) (citing Franklin v. State, 676 So. 2d 287, 288 (Miss. 1996) (quoting Wetz v. State, 503 So. 2d 803, 808 (Miss.1987)). ¶22. Reviewing in the light most favorable to the State the evidence set out in Issue I, we affirm the circuit court's denial of Cox's motion for JNOV. III. Whether the State's destruction of physical evidence violated Cox's constitutional right to due process and fundamental right to a fair trial. ¶23. Cox claims that he was denied due process due to the loss of evidence. Specifically, Cox contends that the death scene was insufficiently documented and promptly cleaned up before law enforcement could complete the investigation, that the gun and the body were moved, and that law enforcement destroyed fingerprints on the gun. ¶24. The State has the duty to preserve evidence, but that duty is limited to that evidence which 'might be expected to play a significant role in the suspect's defense.' Northup v. State, 793 So. 2d 618, 623 (Miss. 2001) (quoting Tolbert v. State, 511 So. 2d 1368, 1372 (Miss. 1987) (quoting California v. Trombetta, 467 U.S. 479, 488, 104 S. Ct. 2528, 2534, 81 L. Ed. 2d 413, 422 (1984))). 9 ¶25. When a defendant claims he is entitled to a new trial based on the prosecution's having lost or destroyed evidence, we employ a two-part test: First, it must be determined whether the evidence would have played a significant role in the defendant's case. To play a significant role, the exculpatory nature and value of the evidence must have been apparent before the evidence was lost. The second part of the test requires that the defendant have no way of obtaining comparable evidence by other means. Tolbert, 511 So. 2d at 1372 (collecting authorities). ¶26. The intentional spoliation or destruction of evidence raises a presumption or inference that the evidence would have been unfavorable to the case of the spoliator: Such a presumption or inference arises, however, only where the spoliation or destruction was intentional and indicates fraud and a desire to suppress the truth, and it does not arise where the destruction was a matter of routine with no fraudulent intent. Tolbert, 511 So. 2d at 1372-73 (citing Washington v. State, 478 So. 2d 1028, 1032-33 (Miss. 1985)). ¶27. However, unless a criminal defendant can show bad faith on the part of the police, failure to preserve potentially useful evidence does not constitute a denial of due process of law. Wilson v. State, 574 So. 2d 1324, 1329 (Miss. 1990) (quoting Arizona v. Youngblood, 488 U.S. 51, 58, 109 S. Ct. 333, 102 L. Ed. 2d 281 (1988)). Here, the record is absolutely devoid of any evidence that the law enforcement officers acted in bad faith. ¶28. The body was slightly moved by the emergency medical technicians. One of the EMTs was a rookie, and another EMT wanted to show him how, in this type of shooting, blood pooled underneath the skull. A law enforcement officer gave the EMT permission to move the body slightly. The EMT carefully picked up the upper torso so that the rookie could see the pooled blood and then placed it back, taking care to place it as it was before. No fingerprints were found on the shotgun shells or the shotgun 10 itself. One law enforcement official picked the gun up while wearing vinyl gloves. Cox put on evidence that handling objects with vinyl gloves ruined any fingerprints. Also, law enforcement officers returned to the scene a day or two after the murder, washed Rowland's station wagon and scraped the ground with a backhoe, destroying any opportunity to take measurements of blood spatter. ¶29. An EMT testified that the gun was found lying at Rowland's feet, but pictures showed that the gun was at Rowland's side. If Rowland had committed suicide, the more natural position for the gun would have been in front of the body.3 In fact, experts fired the shotgun, and it recoiled directly backwards (to the front of the person firing it) for about 16 feet, so neither position would have been natural if Rowland had shot himself. Either of the shotgun's positions, therefore, would tend to prove that someone had killed Rowland and attempted to stage a suicide. This issue, however, boils down to credibility, and the jury did not believe Cox's suicide theory. ¶30. Cox complains that the investigation was insufficient, but this claim does not rise to a constitutional level. There is no constitutional requirement that certain investigative procedures be performed at each scene of a suspicious death or that the investigation rise to a certain level of expertise. Furthermore, the sufficiency or insufficiency of a police investigation goes to the weight of the evidence, and it is for a jury to decide what evidence to believe. Several witnesses who testified for Cox stated their opinion that the investigation was inadequate, so the issue was squarely before the jury. ¶31. This claim is without merit.