Opinion ID: 2276886
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Mariah Powell's Status as an Accomplice

Text: For his next point on appeal, Appellant claims that the circuit court erred in refusing to declare Mariah Powell an accomplice as a matter of law. In support of this claim, he asserts that the evidence conclusively shows that Mariah Powell was an accomplice to the kidnapping and murder of Monte and Sean Johnson. Specifically, Appellant points to the following facts: (1) Mariah knew that Reed wanted to beat up Monte Johnson and she aided Reed by taking Monte and Sean Johnson to the Reck Road house without telling them that Reed would be there; (2) Mariah further aided Reed by leading the two men into the house where the defendants were waiting to attack them; (3) Mariah was present when the crime occurred and her opportunity and association with Reed were relevant facts in determining her connection with the crime; (4) when Mariah was first questioned by the police, she denied any involvement in the kidnapping and murder of the Johnsons; and (5) Mariah fled with Reed to avoid arrest. Appellant bears the burden of proving that a witness is an accomplice whose testimony must be corroborated. Bush v. State, supra . A defendant must either have the trial court declare a witness to be an accomplice as a matter of law or submit the issue to the jury for determination. Price v. State, 365 Ark. 25, 223 S.W.3d 817 (2006). The law is well settled that a witness's status as an accomplice is a mixed question of law and fact. McGehee v. State, 348 Ark. 395, 72 S.W.3d 867 (2002). However, when the facts show conclusively that the witness is an accomplice, the issue may be decided as a matter of law. Id. When the accomplice status instead presents issues of facts, the question is submitted to the jury. Id. According to Ark.Code Ann. § 5-2-403, an accomplice is defined as follows: (a) A person is an accomplice of another person in the commission of an offense if, with the purpose of promoting or facilitating the commission of an offense, the person: (1) Solicits, advises, encourages, or coerces the other person to commit the offense; (2) Aids, agrees to aid, or attempts to aid the other person in planning or committing the offense; or (3) Having a legal duty to prevent the commission of the offense, fails to make a proper effort to prevent the commission of the offense. (b) When causing a particular result is an element of an offense, a person is an accomplice of another person in the commission of that offense if, acting with respect to that particular result with the kind of culpable mental state sufficient for the commission of the offense, the person: (1) Solicits, advises, encourages, or coerces the other person to engage in the conduct causing the particular result; (2) Aids, agrees to aid, or attempts to aid the other person to engage in the conduct causing the particular result; (3) Having a legal duty to prevent the conduct causing the particular result, fails to make a proper effort to prevent the conduct causing the particular result. Ark.Code Ann. § 5-2-403 (Repl.2006). The term accomplice cannot be used in a loose or popular sense so as to embrace one who has guilty knowledge, or is morally delinquent, or who was even an admitted participant in a related, but distinct offense. McGehee v. State, 348 Ark. 395, 72 S.W.3d 867 (2002). To constitute one an accomplice, he must take some part, perform some act, or owe some duty to the person in danger that makes it incumbent on him to prevent the commission of the crime. Id. Mere presence, acquiescence, or silence, in the absence of a duty to act, is not enough, however reprehensible it may be, to constitute one an accomplice. Id. The knowledge that a crime is being or is about to be committed cannot be said to constitute one an accomplice. Nor can the concealment of knowledge, or the mere failure to inform the officers of the law when one has learned of the commission of a crime. Id. Presence at the crime scene does not make one an accomplice as a matter of law. Id. Relevant factors in determining the connection of an accomplice to a crime are the presence of the accused in proximity of a crime, the opportunity to commit the crime, and an association with a person involved in a manner suggestive of joint participation. Id. A defendant is an accomplice so long as the defendant renders the requisite aid or encouragement to the principal with regard to the offense at issue, irrespective of the fact that defendant was not present at the murder scene and did not directly commit the murder. Id. As stated earlier, kidnapping is defined in Ark.Code Ann. § 5-11-102 as follows: A person commits the offense of kidnapping if, without consent, the person restrains another person so as to interfere substantially with the other person's liberty with the purpose of . . . (3) Facilitating the commission of any felony or flight after the felony; (4) Inflicting physical injury upon the other person. . . . Ark.Code Ann. § 5-11-102 (Repl.2006). Capital murder is defined in Ark.Code Ann. § 5-10-101 as follows: A person commits capital murder if . . . (4) With the premeditated and deliberated purpose of causing the death of another person, the person causes the death of any person. . . . Ark.Code Ann. § 5-10-101 (Repl.2006). The particular result of the offense of kidnapping interfering substantially with another person's libertyis an element of that offense. Similarly, an element of the offense of capital murder is causing the death of another person. An accomplice must have acted with respect to those particular results with the kind of culpable mental state sufficient for the commission of the offenses. Ark. Code Ann. § 5-2-403(b). Based upon the record before us, we cannot say the evidence conclusively shows that Mariah Powell had the culpable mental state sufficient to commit the offenses of capital murder and kidnapping. Both parties agree that Mariah knew Reed was going to beat up Monte Johnson. However, the evidence does not conclusively show that Mariah intended to cause the kidnapping and death of Monte Johnson or Sean Johnson. According to Mariah's testimony, she only thought Reed would beat up Monte Johnson, and she did not intend to cause the death of anyone. [1] She further testified that she was shocked and frightened by the sudden appearance of two armed men in her bedroom at the Reck Road house. The testimony of Latifah Johnson and Tiffany Hammonds corroborated Mariah's state of fear and panic immediately following the confrontation inside the house. Tiffany stated that she had never heard Mariah sound so frightened. Reed also testified that the plan to kidnap and murder the Johnsons arose after Mariah left the house. Moreover, the evidence that Reed and the other defendants repeatedly called Mariah and told her not to call the police belies Appellant's contention that she was an accomplice as a matter of law. Lastly, Mariah's presence at the Reck Road house and her association with Reed are relevant but not conclusive facts in determining the issue of her status as an accomplice. The credibility of witnesses is an issue for the jury and not the court. Phillips v. State, 344 Ark. 453, 40 S.W.3d 778 (2001). The weight to be given to the testimony and all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom were questions for the jury to determine. Reynolds v. State, 211 Ark. 383, 200 S.W.2d 806 (1947). We therefore cannot say that the circuit court erred in submitting the issue of Mariah Powell's status as an accomplice to the jury.