Opinion ID: 1841912
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Prejudice to Price

Text: ¶ 18. The trial court ruled that even with a thirty-four month delay, Price suffered no actual prejudice and thus weighed this factor in favor of the State. Price contends that contrary to the trial court's findings, he did in fact suffer actual prejudice, including: (i) oppressive pre-trial incarceration; (ii) anxiety and concern, and (iii) additional charges. While this Court has noted the importance of the prejudice factor and has attempted to protect against the type of problems listed by Barker, we have remained reluctant to uphold dismissal of charges on speedy trial grounds where the defendant suffered no actual prejudice. State v. Magnusen, 646 So.2d 1275, 1284 (Miss.1994). In considering the prejudice factor, we consider three interests: (i) prevention of oppressive pretrial incarceration; (ii) minimization of anxiety and concern of the accused; and (iii) limiting the possibility that the defense will be impaired. Id. at 1284 (quoting Barker, 407 U.S. at 532, 92 S.Ct. at 2193, 33 L.Ed.2d at 118). Of these, the most serious is the last, because the inability of a defendant adequately to prepare his case skews the fairness of the entire system. Id. In Magnusen, this Court found presumptive prejudice from a fifteen-month delay between arrest and trial but no actual prejudice and weighed the prejudice factor against the defendant. Id. at 1284. Magnusen offered no proof of extraordinary anxiety or of loss of evidence or witnesses, and this Court declined to infer prejudice to the defense out of the `clear blue.' Id. We hold that the trial court correctly followed the logic of Magnusen, in weighing the prejudice factor in favor of the State. The trial court found and the record bears no proof of extraordinary anxiety or loss of evidence or witnesses by Price to demonstrate actual prejudice. Thus, given the totality of the circumstances, the trial court was correct in ruling the prejudice factor weighed against Price.