Court Opinion

ID: 9472844
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 04:12:35.044667+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:43:11.002467
License: Public Domain

SPROUSE, Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent. I can agree that the failure of the trial court to give the defense alibi instruction was error. In my view, however, the error was harmless.
In the first place, the evidence pointing to Hicks’ guilt was overwhelming. Anthony Ford, who took part in the robbery, testified that Hicks was one of the five participants. Ford testified that he and *860three others, Randall, Francis Jones, and James Nicholson, discussed robbing a drug dealer and later enlisted Hicks; they drove in Hicks’ car from Monehella Brown’s apartment to the vicinity of the bank where they discussed robbing the bank and the use of firearms. Ford testified that four of the men robbed the bank, while Hicks served as the getaway driver. As they fled, Ford dropped the bag containing the money when a dye pack exploded. The bag was retrieved and thrown into Hicks’ car. After they departed in Hicks’ car, the fumes from the dye pack caused everyone but Hicks to evacuate the vehicle.
Monehella Brown testified that Ford, Randall, Jones, and Nicholson were at her apartment during the morning of the robbery. She testified that the four discussed robbing “some type of place” and that Jones stated, “I wish Ronnie [Hicks] would hurry up before the place gets crowded.”
Nanette Arrington testified that Hicks drove her to a drugstore near Ms. Brown’s apartment. Upon their return, she went to Ms. Brown’s apartment and saw the four men. Ms. Arrington and Ms. Brown both testified that Hicks arrived at the apartment and left with the four men. Ms. Arrington further testified that approximately three hours after the robbery she encountered Randall, Jones, and Nicholson, who were looking for Hicks. The four went to a friend’s apartment. While there, Ms. Arrington spotted Hicks from a window and the three men left and conversed with Hicks.
Charles Blackmon, who was well-acquainted with Hicks, testified that he saw Hicks walking in an area near the bank approximately one-half hour after the robbery. At Hicks’ request, Blackmon drove Hicks to Alice Conway’s house and then proceeded to visit a friend. While there, Hicks arrived and asked Blackmon to drive him to pick up his car. As they approached Hicks’ vehicle, they noticed that it was in the process of being towed. Police cars were also seen near the car. At this point, Blackmon testified, Hicks told him to “keep going” and Blackmon returned Hicks to a point near Alice Conway’s house.
This evidence placed Hicks with the participants prior to the robbery, at the bank during the robbery, and with either Black-mon or the participants soon after the robbery.
Secondly, even had the jury’s attention been directed to the alibi testimony, it is difficult to imagine evidence with weaker probative effect. Counsel for Hicks in his opening statement told the jury that he would establish an alibi by the testimony of Alice Conway, Hicks’ girlfriend. Alice Conway, however, never testified.
The government, in an effort to prove consciousness of guilt through Hicks’ false exculpatory statement, offered the testimony of FBI agent Clary that Hicks had falsely told him after his arrest that he had spent the whole day with his girlfriend, Alice Conway, at her apartment. This is the only evidence concerning an alibi and the only evidentiary basis on which the instruction could have been requested. In this unusual trial scenario, I find it difficult to believe that any juror could have been impressed with Hicks’ “alibi.” His attorney erroneously informed the jury that Hicks’ girlfriend would establish the alibi; no defense witness offered any positive probative alibi evidence; the government, through Clary, presented Hicks’ statement which was minimally probative of an alibi.
In my mind, the court’s failure to give the alibi instruction was negligible error and harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.