Court Opinion

ID: 7822097
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-09-07 17:58:34.510245+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:30:45.755577
License: Public Domain

John I. Purtle, Justice, dissenting. It is undisputed that the appellant used a gun in the crime with which he was charged. He was also found to have committed the crime of murder in the perpetration of a robbery. Any evidence of him pulling a gun for the purpose of robbing another individual would be seen by a jury as similar conduct to that for which he was being tried. Under our Uniform Rules of Evidence, Rule 404 (b), evidence of other crimes is not admissible to either show the character of a person or to show that someone acted in conformity with certain criminal actions. I think it was prejudicial error to admit John Martin’s testimony that appellant pulled a gun on him at a time very close to the robbery and murder in question. The appellant’s alibi was that he was not in the neighborhood at the time of the commission of the murder. Mr. Martin could easily have been asked, without prejudicial effect, whether he observed the appellant near his place of business and at what time. He also could have been asked whether he had a conversation with the appellant at that time. This would be all thát would be needed to disprove appellant’s alibi theory. No mention would have to be made of any prior criminal acts of the appellant. The single effect of the testimony that the appellant pulled a gun on Martin was to prejudice the jury. It had absolutely no probative value beyond the fact that it placed the appellant near the robbery scene. In the case of Alford v. State, 223 Ark. 330, 266 S.W.2d 804 (1954), we stated: We do not permit the State to bolster its appeal to the jury by proof of prior convictions, with their conclusive presumption of verity, and still less is there reason to allow the jury to be prejudiced by mere accusations of earlier misconduct on the part of the defendant. This clearly shows that our standards in the past and up until now have been to disallow evidence of prior misconduct on the part of a defendant being charged with a crime. In Gustafson v. State, 267 Ark. 278, 590 S.W.2d 853 (1979), we stated: There are circumstances where it is possible for the State to introduce into a criminal trial evidence that the defendant has committed crimes unrelated to those with which he is charged. One circumstance is in its case in chief, where, in very limited circumstances, the State may offer evidence of other offenses. Ordinarily, such evidence is not permitted. It is prejudicial by nature and should only be used against a defendant in a criminal action in rare cases. I cannot see where this is a rare case coming under the exception stated in Gustafson because evidence of the physical presence of the appellant could have been introduced without evidence of the appellant’s prior bad acts. In response to the majority opinion that no limiting instruction was requested by the appellant, he filed a motion in limine to prevent the exact testimony which was twice presented in this case, once on cross-examination and a second time on rebuttal. Objections were also made at the time the testimony was presented and a motion for mistrial was made. Every effort was made to prevent this prejudicial material from being used against the appellant. A limiting instruction at this point would have been useless even if it had been given. I believe the appellant has furnished proof that a “death qualified” jury is more apt to convict than a jury not so qualified. The record on this point is quite persuasive and voluminous. I will not repeat any of it here because my opinion comprises such a distinct minority on this issue. It appears to me the only way to solve this continuous and troublesome problem is to have a “non-death qualified” jury determine the guilt or innocence of an accused and then allow a “death qualified” jury to determine the sentence.