Opinion ID: 1090851
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: whether the introduction of the transcript of smith's testimony at the 1990 trial prejudiced russell at the 1993 trial.

Text: ¶ 78. Smith was serving time in Parchman for burglary on July 18, 1989. He was a floorwalker that day, describing his duties as cleaning floors and passing out food trays. He stated that Officer Cotton had asked him to pass out food trays in Zones 2 and 3. He said that he started passing the trays over and looked around and saw Officer Cotton and an inmate involved in an incident. Smith stated that he had already passed out trays in Zone 2 and was in Zone 3 and that Officer Cotton was trying to lock the door between Zone 2 and 3 at the time of the attack. He felt glass come past me and he then looked around and saw Russell stabbing Officer Cotton in the back with a knife. ¶ 79. Smith's testimony is confusing, but he stated that Officer Cotton and Russell fought, went up some stairs and fought again, where Russell stabbed Officer Cotton again, this time in the chest. Officer Lee came to Officer Cotton's aid and hit Russell with a nightstick, while Officer Cotton ran into the guard tower. Smith did not know where Russell came from before the stabbing. ¶ 80. The State wanted to produce Smith's testimony at Russell's second sentencing hearing but claimed that he was unavailable. The State sought to introduce Smith's testimony through transcript of his testimony in the first trial. Over the defense's objection, the testimony was introduced. On direct appeal defense counsel argued that the State had not sufficiently shown that Smith was unavailable. We found this issue to be without merit. See Russell, 670 So.2d at 827-29. ¶ 81. Russell argues first that defense counsel should have impeached Smith with a letter Smith wrote to Officer Cotton's mother. It appears that the letter is undated, and we will assume that defense counsel had access to the letter before the 1990 trial, since no one makes a contrary argument. Russell states that Smith's letter says the KKK was behind Officer Cotton's death, and he could have been impeached with this inconsistency. We have attempted to read the letter in question. It is a poor copy and nearly illegible. Even if the letter says this it seems to amount to meager impeachment, and no one suggests that Russell did not stab Officer Cotton. ¶ 82. Russell next mentions a letter that Smith wrote to Warden Booker. It is not clear whether Russell is alleging that defense counsel had or should have had this letter at the time of trial or not. Once again the letter is nearly illegible. Smith seems to be trying to say that he knows how some officer was killed and how the inmate got out of his cell and how he got the weapon, but details are not given. ¶ 83. Russell next states that defense counsel did not attempt to impeach Smith with Smith's internal affairs interview. Defense counsel did ask Smith at trial that if Smith told internal affairs that Russell just lost control during the attack, is that probably correct. Smith said yes. Defense counsel asked Smith about another part of the interview where Smith said that Russell was only intending or trying to scratch Officer Cotton. Smith said that was correct. Russell does not say how else defense counsel should have tried to impeach with this particular item. ¶ 84. Russell is correct that Smith mentioned glass coming past him during his testimony and defense counsel failed to ask him about this. Whether this glass had any relevance to this case is speculation. ¶ 85. Russell next argues that Smith could have been impeached by his testimony on the number of times Officer Cotton was stabbed. Since the number of times Officer Cotton was stabbed is known, showing Smith was incorrect on this appears to be of little value. ¶ 86. Russell next argues that Officer Lee said he did not see Smith in Zone 3 while Smith said he was there during the stabbing. A review of the interview Russell refers to shows that Officer Lee said he did not see Smith in Zone 3. Once again this would have been marginal impeachment. ¶ 87. Russell next argues that Officer Nathan Allen said that when he came into the building after the stabbing, Smith was locked up. Officer Allen's interview with investigators does say this. This is marginal impeachment.
¶ 88. Russell next argues that Smith told a pack of lies at Russell's first trial. Russell's authority for this assertion is Smith's unsworn statements attached as Exhibits NN and SS to this Petition. In this affidavit, Smith states that Officer Cotton hit Russell with a food tray and a big set of keys and was trying to force Russell into Zone 4, where the GDs were waiting for him; that this gang was after Russell because he had interfered in their business; that guards or someone beat Smith and forced him to testify as he did in 1990, and that testimony was false; he wanted to tell the truth at the second sentencing hearing in 1993 because he was not under any of the heavy pressures that he was under in 1990. This statement somewhat follows Russell's new version of the stabbing, but it is not an affidavit and, pursuant to statutory requirements, we give it no credence. Furthermore, because Smith would have been subject to withering cross-examination concerning his general criminal background and lack of proof to support his changed story that he was beat up, in connection with the lack of any sworn affidavit, Smith's story would be very easily impeached.
¶ 89. At Russell's second sentencing trial on March 2, 1993, the State argued that Smith was not available, and therefore it should be able to introduce his transcript from the first trial into evidence. Sandy Sanders, an employee of the District Attorney's Office, testified that she began issuing subpoenas in January 1993 for witnesses in this case. She issued a subpoena to Parchman, then found out Smith had been transferred to the correctional facility in Greene County. She issued a subpoena there, only to find that Smith had been released on July 10, 1992. There were apparently no restrictions on Smith's release. Sanders was told Smith got on a bus for Jackson, so she contacted the Hinds County Sheriff's Office, which was unable to locate him. ¶ 90. There is no dispute that Smith was actually in the Yazoo County Jail on September 28, 1992, after his arrest on forgery charges, and that he remained there until April 6, 1993, when he pled guilty to two counts of forgery. Smith received five years on one forgery count, with 4½ years suspended and six months to serve, which he had already served by that time. Smith was sentenced to complete the Restitution Program on the other count. ¶ 91. He was released on April 6, 1993, failed to report to the Restitution Program, stole a one-ton truck on May 28, 1993, and was arrested and placed in the Yazoo County Jail on May 31. His suspended sentence was revoked on June 24, 1993, and a hold was placed on Smith in Yazoo County for the MDOC at that time. Smith pled guilty to one count of grand larceny in July 1993 and received a four year sentence with one year suspended. ¶ 92. Russell first argues that defense counsel was ineffective for failure to determine Smith's whereabouts prior to the second trial. There is no way to determine now why defense counsel did not find Smith. However, it is evident that Smith's reliability as a witness would be questionable at best due to a number of factors and the lack of an authenticated affidavit which would cast further doubt on what his testimony would be. ¶ 93. Russell then argues that since the same assistant district attorney prosecuted Russell in March 1993 and Smith at his guilty plea hearing four months later, the State knew where Smith was in March 1993 and lied to the court about his availability. According to Russell, the State's motive to keep Smith off the stand at the second sentencing trial was the knowledge that he would testify truthfully the second time. Russell also implies that the dismissal of a burglary charge against Smith in July 1993 was a reward of some kind for some earlier testimony. ¶ 94. The State answers that Smith flat-timed his sentence and was released without restriction in July 1992, and the State would have no reason to know of Smith's whereabouts until he was sentenced to their custody in April 1993. ¶ 95. Russell states that at the time of the second trial, it is clear that the State would not have got the same testimony from Mr. Smith, and the story that the jury heard would have been very different. Once again there is no authority for this except Smith's unsworn statement. If Smith testified in fear of his life at Russell's first trial because of threats from MDOC personnel, there is no reason to believe that these threats would not have been as viable in 1993 when Smith was still in custody. While Smith was available at the second trial, there is no credible evidence that his testimony would have been different, that the defense would have been able to do a better job of impeaching him, or that the State's failure to find him was part of some deliberate plot. We find that this issue to be without merit.