Opinion ID: 1778775
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Procedural History and The Facts

Text: ¶ 2. Raymond Liggins, was indicted jointly with Bernard Brown, in Cause No. 11,966-V, for aggravated assault [Count I] and armed robbery [Count II]. On September 1, 1995, Liggins was found guilty by a jury on both counts, with the jury being unable to agree on life imprisonment in Count II. On September 14, 1995, the court, having entered judgment of conviction on the verdict, sentenced Liggins to concurrent terms of 20 years imprisonment with 5 years thereof suspended, for the aggravated assault [Count I], and 30 years imprisonment with 10 years thereof suspended, for the armed robbery [Count II]. Liggins filed a Motion for Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict, or in the Alternative a New Trial, both of which were denied. Liggins subsequently filed a timely Notice of Appeal. Liggins argues we erred as to the following issues: II. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN GRANTING A FLIGHT INSTRUCTION OVER DEFENSE OBJECTION, THEREBY VIOLATING LIGGINS'S DUE PROCESS RIGHT TO A FAIR AND IMPARTIAL TRIAL UNDER THE FEDERAL AND STATE CONSTITUTIONS? V. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED BY GRANTING STATE JURY INSTRUCTIONS S-1, S-3, AND S-4 NECESSITATING A REVERSAL? ¶ 3. The evening of September 23, 1994, Wilburn Moffet, Jr., co-manager of a Vicksburg A & P Sav-A-Center, worked after hours to prepare the night deposit. Between 10:30 and 11:00 p.m., Moffett locked the store and went out to his car with the deposit. He saw two men running toward him from around the side of the building. He ran for his car, got in, and slammed the door. At this time, he heard one gunshot which flattened one of the tires of his car. About two seconds later, a second gunshot went off which shattered the window of his car. He played dead and rolled over on the money, but Bernard Brown, who had the shotgun, reached into the car and took the money bag, which contained about $13,000.00. The two men then ran towards the woods. After the robbery, Moffett went back into the store. Moffett could describe neither of the robbers, except that they were black males and one of them was wearing a stocking cap. Further, Moffett received some minor cuts to the front of his face which required medical treatment. ¶ 4. Detective Naylor was parked a short distance away at a service station. He heard the gunshots and proceeded to the Sav-A-Center. He saw three people running, stopped one of them, Freddie Stewart, who was a bystander not implicated in the crime, and asked him what was happening. Naylor then went to the store and learned that Moffett had been robbed. Naylor immediately broadcast the robbery on the police radio and called for assistance. ¶ 5. Officers Cooper and Watt were on patrol when they heard Naylor's radio report. The two suspects split up when they realized they had been spotted by police officers; the second suspect was running on Clay Street towards Trustmark Bank and the County Market store. Officer Cooper got out of the patrol car and apprehended the first suspect, Bernard Brown, who had the bank bag in his possession. Upon apprehending Brown, officers attained both a stocking and a shirt he was wearing inside-out. Naylor also found a stocking cap along the path taken by the suspects. Brown later testified that Raymond Liggins was with him, conceived the plan, solicited Brown's participation, and provided the car and the shotgun. ¶ 6. Officer Cooper broadcast the second suspect's direction of travel and description of him as medium build and wearing blue jeans and a red and blue shirt. Officer Jackson, who was also on patrol in that area that night, proceeded to the wooded area behind the County Market, where he was joined by Officer Combes. Officer Jackson observed a man running at full speed across the St. Aloysius campus. Jackson made a foot pursuit and followed this individual from the campus down Howard Street towards Poplar Street. At the intersection of Lynn Street, Officer Jackson said an individual ran into the wooded area behind the Vicksburg Church of Christ. According to Jackson, the individual was wearing a red and dark colored vertical striped shirt and long blue jeans. He broadcast this information and asked for assistance before going into the woods after the suspect. While he was waiting, he heard over the radio that other officers had apprehended the second suspect. ¶ 7. Officers Hall and Bryant also were on patrol in the area. Hall had Bryant let him out of the car on Fourth North Street where Officer Hall figured he could help surround the suspect. He heard a fence rattle behind a detail shop on North and Grove Streets and saw an individual who was wearing a pink and blue striped shirt jump a fence. The individual was running very fast. About a block from St. Aloysius, Hall grabbed the suspect and recognized him as Raymond Liggins. Liggins pulled away from Hall and ran into a wooded area and into a bayou, where Hall lost sight of him. Officers Hall and Bryant found both a pistol and Liggins under a hollow log near the bayou. ¶ 8. At the time of his arrest, Liggins was muddy and wet and was wearing blue jeans and a red-and-blue striped shirt. Later, Officers Jackson and Hall identified the striped shirt while Officer Watts confirmed, by sex, race, build, and clothing that Liggins appeared to be the suspect he had observed running on Clay Street. ¶ 9. Liggins and several witnesses testified that, until it was broken up by police, Liggins attended a party at Monise Bester's house the evening in question. The party at issue was typical for a party hosted by the Bestersattendees drank and gambled. Liggins, not the only party attendee wearing a striped shirt, arrived between 9:00 and 9:15 p.m. Once the police arrived, several people ran off, including Liggins. Liggins testified that he ran from the house both because the police habitually harass he and his friends and because he did not want to be charged with a crime, such as open container or gambling. Liggins chose to hide from the police because he was carrying a pistol.