Opinion ID: 1938175
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: whether byrom was denied her rights guaranteed by the fifth, sixth, eighth and fourteenth amendments to the federal constitution and mississippi law due to the cumulative effect of the errors at her capital trial.

Text: ¶ 65. Although we have found no reversible error in the guilt phase or the sentencing phase of her trial, Byrom requests of us that we reverse her conviction and sentence due to the cumulative effect of certain errors committed during her trial. We addressed and considered this issue on Byrom's direct appeal. Byrom, 863 So.2d at 847. Accordingly, Byrom is now procedurally barred in this PCR proceeding from raising this issue again, pursuant to Miss.Code Ann. Section 99-39-21(3). Procedural bar notwithstanding, we address this issue on its merits. ¶ 66. In the past, we have admittedly taken different approaches in discussing the cumulative effect of trial errors. In McFee v. State, 511 So.2d 130 (Miss.1987), we stated that [a]s there was no reversible error in any part, so there is no reversible error to the whole. Id. at 136. On the other hand, in Jenkins v. State, 607 So.2d 1171 (Miss.1992), we stated that errors in the lower court that do not require reversal standing alone may nonetheless taken cumulatively require reversal. Id. at 1183 (citing Griffin v. State, 557 So.2d 542, 553 (Miss.1990)). However, in being confronted with this issue on Byrom's direct appeal, we stated: What we wish to clarify here today is that upon appellate review of cases in which we find harmless error or any error which is not specifically found to be reversible in and of itself, we shall have the discretion to determine, on a case-by-case basis, as to whether such error or errors, although not reversible when standing alone, may when considered cumulatively require reversal because of the resulting cumulative prejudicial effect. That having been said, for the reasons herein stated, we find that errors as may appear in the record before us in today's case, are individually harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, and when taken cumulatively, the effect of all errors committed during the trial did not deprive Michelle Byrom of a fundamentally fair and impartial trial. We thus affirm Byrom's conviction and sentence. Byrom, 863 So.2d at 847. When we consider the totality of the record in this case, we conclude that Byrom did not receive a perfect trial, nor was she entitled to one. However, we conclude that any error committed during the guilt and/or sentencing phases of Byrom's trial was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, and, even when considering the cumulative effect of any harmless errors, we find that there was no cumulative prejudicial effect such that Byrom was denied her right to a fundamentally fair and impartial trial by both the convicting jury and the sentencing judge. We thus find this assignment of error to be without merit.