McGhee v. State

• Decision Date: 27 June 1972
• Docket Number: 3 Div. 149
• Citation: McGhee v. State, 48 Ala.App. 330, 264 So.2d 560 (Ala. Crim. App. 1972)
• Parties: Allen McGHEE v. STATE.
• Court: Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals

Page 560

264 So.2d 560

48 Ala.App. 330

Allen McGHEE v. STATE.

3 Div. 149.

Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama.

June 27, 1972.

Ball, Ball & Matthews, and Tabor R. Novak, Jr., Montgomery, for appellant.

William J. Baxley, Atty. Gen., and Sarah V. Maddox, Asst. Atty. Gen., for the State.

TYSON, Judge.

The appellant was indicted for grand larceny, and following jury trial and verdict of guilty as charged, judgment fixed punishment at two years imprisonment in the penitentiary.

Appellant's counsel filed pretrial motion to suppress or exclude the testimony of Mrs. Sandra Stone whose in-court identification, appellant contends, was impermissibly tainted by the out-of-court showing of photographs on the date of the alleged larceny. Such photographic identification is averred to be so suggestive as to constitute a violation of due process of law.

In support of this motion, the appellant called only one witness, Detective Thomas Hudman, who stated that he sent either two or three photographs of the appellant to the Capital City Barber and Beauty Supply Company, where Mrs. Stone was employed, in response to her report that morning of the larceny in question. Mr. Hudman testified that the color photographs were made at police headquarters shortly after the suspect was brought in on the same day of the offense. The suspect had been arrested in connection with another offense. Mr. Hudman's testimony stated:

'A. It was after he was arrested. She had reported this theft out there. And after they went out there an investigated and brought the report back to me, I was fixing to work--I was working on the case, and they picked up this boy in the area out there. He was seen in this area. So I had some photographs of him sent back out there. I was tied up at headquarters at the time. She said she knew who the boy was but she did not know his name. So we sent the photographs out there and she said that it was him.'

Only photographs of the appellant were exhibited to Mrs. Stone; however, some three days later she came to police headquarters and identified the appellant from a number of photographs in the 'mug book.' Detective Hudman testified that some twelve days after the incident that Mrs. Stone also identified the appellant at preliminary hearing in Recorders Court. The trial judge denied the motion to suppress because it was 'apparently uncontroverted that she could identify this person as previously having seen him but did not know his name.'

At the trial Mrs. Stone testified that she was alone in the Capital City Barber and Beauty Supply Company on Friday, May 21, 1971, when shortly after 11:00 in the morning three colored males entered the store, and that one of them engaged her in conversation while two others appeared to look about the store. She stated that the three were between fifteen and eighteen years of age, and that she observed the appellant 'taking a wig out of the box and putting it underneath his shirt.' She stated that the other two men were shorter and were lighter in weight; that one of these had on a black shirt with blue jeans, while the third party had on a blue-green hat and blue jeans. She described the appellant as wearing a gold or yellowish shirt with short sleeves, and had his shirttail on the outside and had on blue jean pants. She stated that he came within two feet of her, that he was taller than she and the other two boys, and that 'he had an odor about his person which was worse than anybody that I have ever smelled before.' On cross-examination Mrs. Stone testified that the height, weight, general characteristics, and clothing were given by her to police in reporting the theft of the four wigs from the store. That same afternoon a police officer brought either two or three color photographs of the appellant to the store, and she told the officer this was the man. She also testified that she went to police headquarters three days later and looked through the 'mug book' and picked out this same photograph of the appellant. Mrs. Stone further testified that she was not aware that the appellant was being held on another charge at the time of her first identification of the appellant from the photographs shown to her, but it was agreed that this occurred on the day of the alleged theft.

Officer Don G. Johnson of the Montgomery Police Department verified that on the morning of May 21, 1971, Mrs. Stone gave a description of the three colored males, all wearing blue jean pants with different colored shirts, with the one wearing the gold or yellowish shirt having a strong body odor to him, and that he subsequently observed the appellant in the general area of the theft and had seen him the same day at his home when he arrested him on another charge and took him to police headquarters. He stated the appellant was wearing 'dark blue jean pants with a yellow shirt, and had a strong odor about his person.' Officer Johnson testified that he made the arrest before 2:30 in the afternoon because he got off work at that time. He stated that Detective Hudman had made the photographs at police headquarters of the appellant which were subsequently shown to Mrs. Stone. He stated that they had not recovered the wigs, but that they did not search his home.

Detective Hudman was called at trial and verified that he had photographs made on May 21, 1971, at police headquarters of the appellant as he had been arrested on a different charge; that he sent these photographs by another officer to the Capital City Barber and Beauty Supply Company for Mrs. Stone to view. He stated that Mrs. Stone had given him a description of the three colored males and their clothing; that none had on masks or their faces otherwise covered. On cross-examination Detective Hudman stated that Mrs. Stone had come to police headquarters and also identified the appellant from a 'mug book,' and this photograph was placed in evidence at trial.

Mrs. Stone was recalled to testify and described the four wigs, which were taken from the store on the morning in question by the appellant, and after this the following occurred:

'THE COURT: I want to ask her one question. Is there any doubt whatsoever in your mind that this is the man?

'A (Mrs. Stone) No, sir, it is not.

'THE COURT: Does your testimony have anything to do with the picture in identifying him?

'A No, sir, not at this time.

'THE COURT: But you are sure that this is the man?

'A Yes, sir, I am sure.

'MR. NOVAK: May I ask her some questions, then, Your Honor?

'THE COURT: All right.

'RECROSS-EXAMINATION

'BY MR. NOVAK:

'Q Is it your testimony, then--what do you mean when you say not at this time?

'A I see him right here and I saw him at the municipal hearing and I can identify him now as the one.

'Q At the time you made the initial identification did the photographs have any influence on you at that time in making your initial identification?

'A No, it did not.

'MR. NOVAK: All right, that is all.

'THE COURT: Come down.

'MR. HERBERT: The State rests.'

The appellant presented the testimony of Joyce Knox and Cynthia Leonard; they testified that they had been with the appellant all day prior to his arrest on May 21, 1971, and that they had been with him when he went over to Jeff Davis High School, and then went out to Montgomery Fair in Eastbrook, stopped to get a hamburger, and that he had not been to the Capital City Barber and Beauty Supply Company on the morning in question at all.

The appellant did not move to...