Opinion ID: 1723327
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: limitation of cross examination of fields

Text: Prior to his death, Patrolman Langham had killed a black man. The state made a motion in limine to prevent Fields from testifying to this fact, which the circuit judge sustained. (Vol. V, p. 775) The mere fact Langham had previously killed a black man in and of itself had no relevancy to this case. In order to make evidence of this fact competent in this case it was incumbent on the defense to in some manner demonstrate its relevancy. No attempt was made to do so either before or during trial. It was not error, therefore, for the court to sustain the motion. In Johnson's hearing on his motion for a new trial, conducted September 18, 1983, approximately one year following his trial, the circuit judge was presented with the following affidavit executed by Fairley on September 15, 1983 (Vol. XIV, p. 2520): Before me the undersigned authority personally appeared Otis Lee Fairley who after being duly sworn deposes and says: My name is Otis Lee Fairley. I grew up in Covington County. Anthony Fields is my first cousin, my father and his mother are brother and sister. Anthony Field's mother has lived for the last several years in Collins, Covington County Mississippi. At Samuel Johnson's trial, I was not allowed to testify to a conversation between Anthony Fields and I in the Simpson County Jail in January, 1982, at which time he told me that the Highway Patrolman, Billy Langham, had murdered a black person in Jeff Davis County Ten (10) months before we were stopped. I asked Anthony Fields why he had to kill the Highway Patrolman instead of just coming to the car. He told me that he knew the Highway Patrolman had murdered a black person and that if he let him go he thought the Highway Patrolman would go for his gun and kill us before we could leave. On appeal Johnson argues he was prevented from introducing the statement allegedly made by Fields to Fairley as to why he, Fields, shot Langham. No such attempt to introduce such statement was ever made, by asking either Fields or Fairley if it was made. Had defense counsel done so, we would have an entirely different question on competency. In looking at this record, we could not believe the state would have objected to the admissibility of this statement for either evidentiary or strategic reasons. The concluding sentence of this affidavit as a reason for killing Langham is nonsensical. It is worth noting that during trial Fairley was given the opportunity on cross-examination to answer why Fields would have shot Langham, but only stated: He knew all the officers from Covington County. (Vol. XI, p. 1908) There is no merit to this contention.