Opinion ID: 1365946
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Appeal of Fincher

Text: By his first assignment of error, defendant contends the trial court committed reversible error in permitting the State to question prospective jurors regarding their views on the death penalty and excluding for cause those who expressed opposition to it. Defendant argues that this process of death qualifying a jury eliminates from consideration for jury service an identifiable segment of the population, thereby violating his sixth amendment right to select a jury from a representative cross-section of the community. Defendant concedes that this argument has been consistently rejected by this Court. See State v. Ladd, 308 N.C. 272, 302 S.E.2d 164 (1983); State v. Davis, 305 N.C. 400, 290 S.E.2d 574 (1982); State v. Taylor, 304 N.C. 249, 283 S.E.2d 761 (1981), and State v. Avery, 299 N.C. 126, 261 S.E.2d 803 (1980). He cites no new arguments in support of his position that these cases were wrongly decided. We hold that our prior decisions are sound and binding precedent and therefore dispositive of defendant's contention. This assignment is overruled. We next consider defendant's contention that the trial judge erroneously admitted into evidence a blue coat taken from defendant's bedroom during a warrantless search of his apartment. The coat was identified at trial as the coat defendant Fincher was wearing on the night of Ms. Wallace's death. Jane Burton, a criminalist with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Crime Laboratory, testified that she found human bloodstains on the coat which had a similar PGM activity to the blood found on the blouse Ms. Wallace was wearing on the night of the murder. According to Ms. Burton, the bloodstains on the coat were inconsistent with defendants' blood types and could not, therefore, have come from either Fincher or Wright. Dr. Louis Portis also identified the coat and testified that he compared fibers which were removed from the coat with fibers taken from a pillowcase found in Ms. Wallace's apartment. He concluded from this comparison that the fibers were microscopically consistent and that each had a similar dye color. Upon defendant's motion to suppress this evidence, the trial judge found facts and concluded that the search of defendant's apartment was a valid consent search. He therefore ruled that the evidence obtained pursuant to the search was admissible into evidence. Defendant argues that the search of his apartment was not based upon lawful consent because the totality of the circumstances surrounding his consent impels the conclusion that it was not voluntarily and intelligently given. When the validity of a consent to search is challenged, the trial court must conduct a voir dire hearing to determine whether the consent was in fact given voluntarily and without compulsion. State v. Vestal, 278 N.C. 561, 180 S.E.2d 755 (1971), cert. denied, 414 U.S. 874, 94 S.Ct. 157, 38 L.Ed.2d 114 (1973). [T]he question whether a consent to a search was in fact `voluntary' or was the product of duress or coercion, express or implied, is a question of fact to be determined from the totality of all the circumstances. Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 227, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 2047-48, 36 L.Ed.2d 854, 862-63 (1973); accord, State v. Brown, 306 N.C. 151, 293 S.E.2d 569 (1982). Here, the trial court conducted an extensive voir dire and heard testimony concerning the events surrounding the signing of the consent form. The evidence at this evidentiary hearing revealed that defendant's consent to the search was acquired under the following circumstances: Michael Fincher was arrested at his residence on Friday, 6 November 1981, at approximately 8:30 a.m. At least ten city police officers were then present. The arresting officer immediately advised Fincher of his Miranda rights. Fincher stated, in response to direct questions by Officer R.E. Sanders, that he understood the warnings and that he would answer police questions without a lawyer present. The officer did not, however, ask defendant any questions at that time. Defendant was permitted to get dressed and was handcuffed and taken from the apartment to a patrol car. Officer James Alsbrooks prepared a consent to search form for the apartment. He first discussed the form with Luvenia Montgomery, defendant's mother. After determining that defendant's grandmother, Amanda Johnson, was in fact the lessee of the duplex apartment, Officer Alsbrooks approached Ms. Johnson and asked if she would permit the officers to conduct a search of the residence. Alsbrooks read the consent form to Ms. Johnson and she was afforded an opportunity to examine it. She agreed to permit the search and, according to Officer Alsbrooks, signed the consent form. Ms. Johnson did not remember signing the document, although she admitted that it looked like her signature on the form. Officer W.D. Starnes then read the consent form to defendant and spoke with him about signing it. Defendant asked the police officers whether his mother had given permission for the officers to search the house. The officers replied that defendant's mother had given her permission but that only defendant could consent to the search of his room. In fact, it was defendant's grandmother who had signed the consent form granting permission to the police officers to search the apartment. Defendant agreed to sign the consent form but when it was presented to him he stated that he did not understand it. When asked what he did not understand about the form, defendant responded that he wanted to know what would happen if he did not sign it. Fincher was told that although he did not have to give permission to search, if he refused the officers would obtain a search warrant and conduct a search of his bedroom. Sergeant Starnes said, Either way, we are going to search the apartment. Defendant thereafter stated that he understood and signed the consent to search form. Defendant presented psychiatric testimony which tended to show that he is mentally retarded and suffers from a schizophreniform disorder. Dr. Jim Groce, a psychiatrist for the State of North Carolina, testified that Fincher's mental illness causes a disturbance of defendant's mood and behavior, sometimes to the extent that defendant suffers from auditory hallucinations. Dr. Groce testified that if defendant was hallucinating at a particular point in time he might talk to himself and would perhaps respond nonsensically to questions posited to him. The arresting officers testified, however, that defendant was coherent and cooperative and that he responsively answered all questions they asked him. Further testimony of Dr. Groce indicated that defendant's mental and emotional condition would make him somewhat more susceptible to fear in a given situation than an average individual. Dr. Edwin Harris agreed that Fincher is easily influenced by emotion and that his ability to deal with stress is limited. In response to questioning by the district attorney on voir dire, however, Dr. Groce stated that, in his opinion, defendant was capable of telling the police officers that he did not understand the warnings. Dr. Groce determined defendant's I.Q. to be 50, although Dr. Edwin Harris estimated that defendant has a verbal I.Q. of 65. Dr. Harris testified that, in his opinion, Fincher is functionally illiterate and could not have understood the consent to search form that he signed. Tests performed on defendant at Dorothea Dix Hospital revealed that he reads on a level between second and third grade. Dr. Barbara Edwards, an expert in reading and reading education, stated that an individual would have to read on a tenth grade level or comprehend on an eighth grade level in order to understand the waiver forms. Both she and Dr. Groce stated, however, that repetition, explanations and prior experience could affect the test results and enable an individual to better understand and comprehend. Defendant bases his argument that the consent to search was not voluntarily and understandingly given primarily on the psychiatric testimony outlined above. He contends that his mental illness, coupled with the circumstances surrounding his arrest, created a situation that frightened and intimidated him to the extent that he was incapable of giving a voluntary and knowing consent to search. While most of our cases involving a mentally deficient defendant have been concerned with the voluntariness of an inculpatory statement made during custodial interrogation, the controlling legal principles are equally apposite to situations where the voluntariness of a consent to search is at issue. See Schneckloth v. Bustamonte, 412 U.S. 218, 223-27, 93 S.Ct. 2041, 2045-47, 36 L.Ed.2d 854, 860-62 (1973). We have consistently held that a defendant's subnormal mental capacity is a factor to be considered when determining whether a knowing and intelligent waiver of rights has been made. See State v. Jenkins, 300 N.C. 578, 268 S.E.2d 458 (1980); State v. Thompson, 287 N.C. 303, 214 S.E.2d 742 (1975), death sentence vacated, 428 U.S. 908, 96 S.Ct. 3215, 49 L.Ed.2d 1213 (1976). Such lack of intelligence does not, however, standing alone, render an in-custody statement incompetent if it is in all other respects voluntary and understandingly made. State v. Jenkins at 585, 268 S.E.2d at 463; State v. Thompson at 318, 214 S.E.2d at 752. Although age is also to be considered by the trial judge in ruling upon the admissibility of a defendant's confession, the fact that the defendant is youthful will not preclude the admission of his inculpatory statement absent mistreatment or coercion by the police officers. State v. Thompson, supra ; State v. Penley, 284 N.C. 247, 200 S.E.2d 1 (1973); State v. Lynch, 279 N.C. 1, 181 S.E.2d 561 (1971). In State v. Thompson, supra , we held that a 19-year-old defendant with an I.Q. of 55 was capable of waiving his rights. Thus, we conclude that defendant is not incapable of giving a valid consent to search as a matter of law by virtue of his age and mental deficiency. Following voir dire, Judge Sitton found facts consistent with the evidence presented and specifically found: 1. That on November 6th and 7th, 1981, both defendants appeared to be alert, coherent, were not under the influence of alcohol or narcotic drugs; that neither defendant was threatened, nor were they promised or offered any reward or inducements by the law enforcement officers to make a statement or to sign the waivers herein. 2. That no threats or suggested violence or show of violence of law enforcement officers to persuade or induce the defendants to waive their rights and make statements existed. .... 7. That the defendant Fincher understood the questions in regard to the non-testimonial form and consent to search form. Despite the testimony cited by defendant as indicative of his lack of intelligence and comprehensive ability, there is ample evidence of record to support the trial judge's findings that defendant understood the form and that no force or coercion was used against him or any promises made to him. These findings are therefore binding upon this Court. State v. Rook, 304 N.C. 201, 283 S.E.2d 732 (1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 1038, 102 S.Ct. 1741, 72 L.Ed.2d 155 (1982); State v. Pruitt, 286 N.C. 442, 212 S.E.2d 92 (1975). In turn, these findings support the legal conclusion that defendant voluntarily, willingly and understandingly consented to the search of his bedroom. We hold that the trial court correctly ruled that the blue coat seized pursuant to the search was admissible. Defendant also assigns as error the denial of his motion to suppress and the admission into evidence of statements given by him to police officers on 6 and 7 November 1981. Defendant contends that the admission of these statements violated his fifth amendment right to be free from self-incrimination, his sixth amendment right to counsel and his right to be advised as a juvenile in accordance with G.S. 7A-595. We do not reach the constitutional issues raised because we find error in the failure to properly advise defendant as a juvenile pursuant to G.S. 7A-595. G.S. 7A-517(20) defines a juvenile as [a]ny person who has not reached his eighteenth birthday and is not married, emancipated, or a member of the armed services.... It is undisputed that defendant Fincher was seventeen years old at the time he committed the offenses charged and at the time he was interrogated by police officers on 6 and 7 November 1981. He therefore is a juvenile within the statutory definition of that term. G.S. 7A-595(a) provides that: Any juvenile in custody must be advised prior to questioning: (1) That he has a right to remain silent; and (2) That any statement he does make can be and may be used against him; and (3) That he has a right to have a parent, guardian or custodian present during questioning; and (4) That he has a right to consult with an attorney and that one will be appointed for him if he is not represented and wants representation. (emphasis added). The uncontroverted evidence reveals that defendant was never advised of the third warning, that is, that he was entitled to have a parent, guardian or custodian present during questioning. The trial judge recognized this omission but determined that defendant was not entitled to the statutory protections enumerated in G.S. 7A-595. He concluded as a matter of law [t]hat the defendant Fincher was not, within the meaning of the law, a minor or a juvenile, requiring any special treatment; but, that he may be treated within the law of the State as an adult. Although the basis for the trial court's ruling is not entirely clear, the State argues that since G.S. 7A-517(12) defines a delinquent juvenile for purposes of juvenile court jurisdiction as anyone who has not yet reached his sixteenth birthday, and since Fincher was seventeen years old and over the age of being a juvenile delinquent, G.S. 7A-595 does not apply. This position is simply unsupportable. G.S. 7A-517(12) reads: Delinquent Juvenile. Any juvenile less than 16 years of age who has committed a criminal offense under State law or under an ordinance of local government, including violation of the motor vehicle laws. Contrary to the State's contention, this statute does not define the age limitations of juvenile court jurisdiction. The word jurisdiction does not even appear in the statute, nor is there a reference to other jurisdictional provisions of the Juvenile Code. Furthermore, whether defendant is a juvenile delinquent is, in our opinion, irrelevant to a consideration of whether he is entitled to the protections of G.S. 7A-595. The definitional section of the North Carolina Juvenile Code, G.S. 7A-517, is prefaced by the following language: Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following words have the listed meanings.... (emphasis added). As previously stated, juvenile is defined in subdivision (20) of G.S. 7A-517 as [a]ny person who has not reached his eighteenth birthday, with a few exceptions not here applicable. We conclude that the term juvenile as it is used in G.S. 7A-595 must be given this listed meaning for the context does not require, nor even suggest, a different interpretation. We therefore hold that, as a juvenile, defendant was entitled to receive all of the warnings set forth in G.S. 7A-595. We further hold, on the basis of G.S. 7A-595(d), that it was error for the trial judge to admit the 6 and 7 November statements into evidence in light of the fact that defendant was not properly advised. G.S. 7A-595(d) provides that: (d) Before admitting any statement resulting from custodial interrogation into evidence, the judge must find that the juvenile knowingly, willingly, and understandingly waived his rights. Since the record reflects that defendant was not informed of his right to have a parent, guardian or custodian present during questioning, there can be no finding that defendant Fincher knowingly, willingly, and understandingly waived this privilege. In the absence of such a finding, it was error for the trial judge to admit the challenged statements. We now turn to the question of whether defendant was prejudiced by the erroneous admission of this evidence. The failure to advise defendant of his right to have a parent, custodian or guardian present during questioning is not an error of constitutional magnitude because this privilege is statutory in origin and does not emanate from the Constitution. Therefore, we apply the standard set forth in G.S. 15A-1443(a) to determine whether the erroneous admission into evidence of defendant's statements to police officers is sufficient to warrant a new trial. G.S. 15A-1443(a) provides, in part, as follows: A defendant is prejudiced by errors relating to rights other than under the Constitution of the United States when there is a reasonable possibility that, had the error in question not been committed, a different result would have been reached at the trial out of which the appeal arises. The burden of showing such prejudice under this subsection is upon the defendant. We conclude that in light of the overwhelming evidence of defendant's guilt, there is not a reasonable possibility that had defendant's in-custody statements not been admitted, a different result would have been reached at trial. Several persons testified that they saw defendant in the area of the victim's apartment on Halloween night. Tony Camp and Billy Charles Wright stated that defendant had in his possession that evening a Halloween mask which was later recovered from the scene of the crime. Camp further testified that defendant told him that he thought he had killed someone on Halloween night. There was also substantial physical evidence which tended to place defendant at the scene of the crime on the night of Ms. Wallace's murder. A bloodstained coat recovered from defendant's bedroom during the search of his apartment was identified as the coat Fincher was wearing on Halloween night. Jane Burton testified that the blood on the coat and blood found on Ms. Wallace's blouse had a similar PGM reaction. She further stated that the bloodstains on the coat were inconsistent with defendants' blood types. Dr. Louis Portis also testified regarding physical evidence obtained from defendant's coat. He testified that he compared fibers removed from the coat with those removed from a pillowcase found in the victim's apartment. It was his opinion that the fibers were microscopically consistent. Finally, the State introduced the critical testimony of Kathleen Ramseur, an expert in fingerprint identification and comparison. She testified that she compared the characteristics of a bloody handprint recovered from a plastic mattress cover on a bed in the victim's apartment with Michael Fincher's prints. It was her opinion that the bloody print found in Ms. Wallace's bedroom was that of defendant Fincher. Although we do not decide the question of whether defendant's constitutional rights were violated by the admission into evidence of his inculpatory statements to police officers, we are satisfied that even if such constitutional error was committed, the substantial evidence of defendant's guilt is sufficient to render such error harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. G.S. 15A-1443(b).