Opinion ID: 1781968
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: the state intentionally struck black persons from the jury in this case in violation of the sixth and fourteenth amendments to the united states constitution.

Text: Foster next presents his Batson claim. See Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79, 106 S.Ct. 1712, 90 L.Ed.2d 69 (1986). Foster is an African American, and the record indicates the State used six of its peremptory challenges to remove black males from the venire. Four additional challenges by the State were used to strike four white males, and the State's two final challenges remained unused. The jury which tried Foster was composed of nine whites and three blacks. Foster's only objection to the State's use of peremptory challenges during the jury selection proceedings was as follows: BY THE DEFENSE: The prosecution making six out of ten strikes were blacks [sic], it shows that he's established a pattern of striking black jurors unconstitutionally, and we'd move to quash the whole venire under Batson  under the authority of Batson, and other applicable federal law and the U.S. Constitution and Mississippi Constitution  Although the trial court determined that Foster had failed to make out the required prima facie case of purposeful discrimination under Batson, he nonetheless required the State to offer their race-neutral reasons for challenges against black jurors. In examining the record, we find that the State articulated race-neutral reasons sufficient to uphold the trial judge's determination. Foster failed to offer any proof in rebuttal to the reasons offered by the State. The record shows the State's six challenges against black jurors and the reasons given therefore as follows: S-1. Frank Lee Nixon: Mr. Nixon states on his questionnaire that he was a juror at some point in time, but he couldn't remember when it was or what the case was. Mr. Nixon stated that he had not come to a full conclusion about the death penalty ... Additionally, your Honor, he has been investigated for murder here in Lauderdale County according to the Meridian Police Department and the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department. S-2. Willie Hopson: Mr. Hopson, most of his entire family has been convicted according to our jury research down here. The people in the DA's office and the worthless check unit and what have you reacted very strongly to him when I asked them about him. They were very familiar with him and with the Hopson family as a whole. Additionally, Mr. Bill Hartiz [sic] who is one of the Bailiffs in the courtroom, when I asked him about this juror, said that the Hopsons were all or had all been in trouble, and a Mrs. Doris Avara who was a relative of the victim . .. likewise knew of the Hopson's family reputation for being trouble makers, being disruptive.... S-3. William Neal, Jr.: Mr. Neal is an alcoholic, according to the people in the worthless check unit upstairs at the district attorney's office. He spoke very slowly, he did shake when he was talking. I had intended  I thought there was something wrong with the man and I had intended to strike him ... because of his demeanor. However, additionally, he has no employment; he is unemployed. He has a residence at 2100 31st Avenue which I am told ... that is an extremely tough neighborhood, an extremely bad neighborhood. S-7. Percy Hudson: He stated that he was against the death penalty on his questionnaire; he equivocated on his  his responses. Additionally, my information is Mr. Hudson has been convicted of a felony; that being the felony of robbery. Uh, we were unable to locate that conviction in Lauderdale County; however the Meridian Police Department and the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department say he is convicted. He may very well be convicted in ... some other jurisdiction, including the federal jurisdiction. And likewise, the DA's office employees knew Mr. Hudson and stated that he was not a very credible individual. S-9. Isaac Washington: If the court will recall, Mr. Washington was one that I had originally brought to the attention of the court as possibly being the individual who was convicted of  of child molestation, and we presented that file to the court. The individual in that particular case was 60 years old; this individual was 34, so obviously it was not the same one; however, in talking with some of the local law enforcement people ... they are certain this man is conn  connected by blood to this individual, that being he's the son.... Likewise, your Honor, his employment ... he works as a  garbage pickup. That was his employment and his education level is  is extremely low.... S-10. Charles Holloway: He stated on his form that he was against the death penalty. He  his appearance  was uh  Judge, I don't know any  any polite way to put it. Uh, he had lots of gold chains and pendants and things of that nature on him. Likewise, his demeanor was such that I did not feel that he was being perfectly honest with us when we asked him questions ... about his death qualifications. I felt like he equivocated on  to those answers. He is presently maintaining a suit against the City of Meridian, and has been a thorn in the flesh of the law enforcement around here for a considerable amount of time. He is apparently quite the gadfly. He runs a lounge and I did not feel that he was the type of juror that would, uh, be what would qualify as a, quote, solid citizen, unquote, because of all these particular reasons. Thereafter, the trial judge reiterated that he had requested the State explain its use of peremptory challenges only for purposes of review both by [himself] and the Supreme Court, should that become necessary. We find implicit in his statements a determination that the reasons given by the State were sufficiently race-neutral and from there we proceed in our review. In Lockett v. State, 517 So.2d 1346 (Miss. 1987), this Court presented a list of reasons accepted as race neutral by other courts in an effort to provide guidance on this issue to the trial judges in this state. Id. at 1353. Among those reasons can be found: involvement in criminal activity, unemployment, employment history, relative of juror involved in crime, low income occupation, juror wore gold chains, rings and watch, dress and demeanor. In the case sub judice, after reviewing the reasons given for the State's challenges, we simply cannot say that any one of the challenges was not supported by a legitimate, race-neutral explanation. Coupled with the fact that our review is made all the more difficult by Foster's failure to offer any evidence whatsoever in rebuttal, we find that this assignment of error fails. This assignment of error is rejected as being without merit.