Opinion ID: 1777077
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Communication with the jury during deliberation

Text: After the jurors began deliberating the case, they sent a note to the judge asking a factual question. Upon agreement of the appellant's counsel and the prosecutor, the judge returned a note to the jurors with the answer. The same thing occurred two more times, and on the fourth occasion, the appellant's lawyer refused to consent to allowing the judge to answer the question by returning a note to the jurors with the answer to the question. Instead, the judge sent a note in which he declined to answer the question but offered to send the jurors a tape recording of the proceedings. The judge should not have communicated with the jurors in this fashion. Although the facts in Tarry v. State, 289 Ark. 193, 710 S.W.2d 202 (1986), are distinguishable from those before us now, we made it clear in that case that the provisions of Ark.Stat. Ann. § 43-2139 (Repl.1977), requiring the judge to call the jury into open court to answer any question the jury may have, are mandatory. Andrews v. State, 251 Ark. 279, 472 S.W.2d 86 (1971). 6. Other points We find no error in and no need to discuss the appellant's other points having to do with death qualification of jurors, sequestered voir dire, and the prosecutor's closing argument. Reversed.