Young v. State, 53586

• Decision Date: 29 September 1982
• Docket Number: No. 53586,53586
• Citation: 420 So.2d 1055
• Parties: Jerry Lynn YOUNG v. STATE of Mississippi.
• Court: Mississippi Supreme Court

Page 1055

420 So.2d 1055

Jerry Lynn YOUNG v. STATE of Mississippi.

No. 53586.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

Sept. 29, 1982.

Rehearing Denied Nov. 10, 1982.

Gene Barton, David O. Butts, Jr., Tupelo, for appellant.

Bill Allain, Atty. Gen. by Charles W. Maris, Jr., Sp. Asst. Atty. Gen., Jackson, for appellee.

Before PATTERSON, C.J., and ROY NOBLE LEE and PRATHER, JJ.

PATTERSON, Chief Justice, for the Court:

Jerry Lynn Young was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to thirty years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections by the Circuit Court of Lee County. He appeals from this conviction and sentence.

On the afternoon of March 17, 1980, the Presley Heights Branch of the Bank of Mississippi in Tupelo was robbed by a masked man carrying a sawed-off shotgun. The robbery lasted about two minutes following which the gunman fled in a blue and white automobile just as Police Officer Williams arrived. Williams as well as two of the three bank employees present were unable to identify the robber, however, the remaining employee, Mrs. Hoard, testified the holes in the mask permitted a view of the robber's glasses, eyes, nose, mouth, the side of his face and the color of his hair, and from this she identified Young in court as the robber. On cross-examination she stated that she had first identified Young when shown several photographs by Officer Crider which included one of Young. An objection and motion for a mistrial were interposed to the identification testimony and argument made that the in-court identification was improper because it was upon a photograph shown the witness prior to the in-court identification. The court overruled the objection and motion reasoning it to be within the jury's purview to determine what weight to give the testimony.

Troy Harrison, his wife Shirley, and Jimmy Dorman, also charged as principals, testified for the state. Each expected leniency for testifying but had no promise for such.

Dorman testified that on March 14, 1980, Young discussed the robbery with him and the next day, advised that he had bought two shotguns from The Trading Post in Mooreville and was going to rob a bank. Harrison testified that he and Dorman at Young's request assisted in sawing off the barrels of the guns and identified the weapons exhibited as the ones they altered.

The Harrisons testified a few days before the robbery, at Young's suggestion, they went to Lee Motors under the pretense of purchasing a car and had an extra key made to a blue and white car while trying it out. Dorman and Harrison testified on March 16, 1980, Young stole the car and parked it in his garage.

Shirley Harrison testified that on the day of the crime she heard Young ask her husband and Dorman to help rob the bank and saw Young leave shortly before the robbery in the blue and white car, carrying a shotgun, and wearing gloves and a coat. Shirley stated she and her husband then drove to Reid's Parking Lot, where Young had directed them to park and were joined by Dorman who told them Young was about to rob the bank and departed. Thereafter, about 3:00 p.m., Young arrived in the blue and white car, hurriedly got into the Harrisons' car with a gun and a money bag, stating how easy the robbery was and to "get the hell out of there." They drove Young to his house and continued to their home followed by Young. There the money was counted and divided before Young returned home with his portion. Dorman testified that Young called him to his house and gave him $500, which he later destroyed.

Later that night Young talked with Harrison by phone and told him to get rid of the money because the police had been to his house. Harrison was later arrested and the next morning his wife directed the police to the guns and money which she and her husband had buried. These items were exhibited at trial along with a cap, windbreaker, and green laundry bag.

B.H. Cason, the owner of The Trading Post, verified the sale of the shotguns and identified Young as the purchaser. He also identified the guns exhibited to him in court as those which he sold to Young.

Young did not testify but presented three witnesses who attested his hair color was presently the same as in March, 1980, although each conceded they did not see Young the day of the robbery. One of the witnesses was appellant's brother, Larry Young, who remained in the courtroom during the trial although "the rule" had been invoked. Over objection, the court permitted him to testify but instructed the jury they might consider his presence in the courtroom in determining what weight to give his testimony.

The appellant first contends the verdict was against the credible weight of the evidence. He argues the state failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt because the testimony of the accomplices must be viewed with great caution and suspicion and where uncorroborated, must not be unreasonable, improbable, self-contradictory or substantially impeached, citing Jones v. State, 368 So.2d 1265 (Miss.1979).

We are of the opinion the accomplice's testimony was corroborated in that Mrs. Hoard identified Young as the man who robbed the bank, Cason identified Young as the purchaser of the shotguns found buried with the money, and the accomplice's testimony of Young's disguise as well as the automobile he fled in was corroborated by Williams and the bank employees.

In reviewing the accomplice's testimony we find minor discrepancies, not unusual for any witness, but do not think the testimony unreasonable, improbable, self-contradictory or substantially impeached as urged by appellant. We held in Maddox v. State, 230 Miss. 529, 533, 93 So.2d 649, 650 (1957), "Seldom do witnesses agree upon every detail. Indeed, their failure to do so is often strong evidence each is trying to accurately portray the situation as he saw it, and that is to the credit, rather than discredit, of the witnesses."

The credibility of the witnesses, the weight and worth of their testimony is, of course, for the jury to determine, Davis v. State, 320 So.2d 789 (Miss.1975). Presently the jury was properly instructed on the nature of accomplice testimony, therefore, we conclude this assignment is without merit.

Young next contends the trial court erred by commenting on the weight to be given Larry Young's testimony where the court instructed the jury, "I am instructing you that you may consider the fact that he has been in the courtroom and has not been under the rule in considering what weight you wish to give his testimony."

The trial court permitted Young's brother to testify after sustaining an objection by the district attorney following Young's attorney's plea that he "goofed up" and only wanted to ask the witness one question. Further, when the court advised Young's attorney he would permit the testimony but would instruct the jury of the violation of the rule and that the jury might take that fact into consideration in weighing his testimony, Young's attorney replied without objection, "Thanks, very much, sir."

We are of the opinion the trial court was not charging the jury on the weight of the evidence, but rather was advising it of the infraction of the rule so the testimony might be considered with all factors in mind. Further, Young's attorney was told of the trial court's intention before the comment was given, to which Young's attorney assented without objection. Therefore, Young may not complain of the instruction on appeal. Pittman v. State, 297 So.2d 888 (Miss.1974).

In appellant's third assignment he alleges the lower court erred in instructing the jury on its own motion that the Harrisons and Dorman are accomplices rather than "alleged accomplices" thereby instructing on a question of fact which appellant submits should have been decided by the jury.

The accomplice instructions submitted by Young contained language that the witness "is an accomplice" rather than "alleged accomplice" moreover, Young did not object to the instruction when amended by the court and given. In Reed v. State, 237 Miss. 23, 30, 112 So.2d 533, 535 (1959), we stated, "We will not reverse the trial court for an error created by the defendant's own instruction," and in Bieller v. State, 275 So.2d 97, 99 (Miss.1973), we held, "the acceptance of an instruction after its amendment by the trial court amounts to a waiver of an objection to the amendment." We therefore find Young's third assignment without merit.

In Young's next assignment he argues the trial court erred in instructing the baliff outside Young's presence to inform the jury to "continue their deliberations"...