Opinion ID: 1705889
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to Investigate Sources of Impeachment of Prosecution Witnesses.

Text: ¶ 33. Spicer claims that his counsel failed to investigate sources to impeach two of the State's witnesses. Spicer specifically refers to witnesses Michael Chubby Jones and Angel Hinger. Spicer asserts that counsel should have impeached their characters for veracity because they were convicted felons. The record clearly shows that defense counsel brought the witnesses' convictions to the jury's attention. In both instances, counsel questioned the witnesses about the prison clothes they were wearing, and the jury was informed that they were in prison on felony charges. In closing, Hurt repeatedly called the jury's attention to the veracity of the two witnesses. Hurt argued: And they haven't proved he stole the truck. They brought two convicts in here. Two convicts. Now I don't know how reliable they are. I don't know, and you don't either, what they have been promised, if anything, to come up here and testify. But there's got to be some reason to haul one convict all the way from Pearl, Mississippi, and bring another one from Greene County down here. There's got to be some reason. Are they reliable witnesses? Can we convict somebody of capital murder on people like that's testimony? Jailbirds? Are they credible? Is that the best witness they could come up with? Looking further, Barnett's closing included the following argument: Michael Jones. Boy he was a good witness for the State, wasn't he? A convict. Put him on the stand to use his testimony and they're going to put a man to death. Put him to death with a convict's testimony. You could look at him and tell the truth wasn't in him. He said they hadn't nobody talked to him until this morning. Maybe the DA's Office didn't talk to him, but I'll bet youhow did he know to come up here? Did he just volunteer on his own to come up here? I'll leave that to your thoughts. I'll leave thatI mean, y'all might have been born at night, but I don't believe you was born last night. Okay? Spicer's claim that these witnesses were not properly impeached is without merit.