Cassell Boyd, Jr. v. State of Mississippi
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IN THE COURT OF APPEALS
OF THE
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
NO. 96-CA-00270-COA
CASSELL BOYD, JR.
v.
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
APPELLANT
APPELLEE
DATE OF JUDGMENT:
02/07/1996
TRIAL JUDGE:
HON. MARCUS D. GORDON
COURT FROM WHICH APPEALED: LEAKE COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT:
R. JACK BRANTLEY JR.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE:
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
BY: W. GLENN WATTS
DISTRICT ATTORNEY:
J. KENNEDY TURNER
NATURE OF THE CASE:
CIVIL - POST CONVICTION RELIEF
TRIAL COURT DISPOSITION:
POST-CONVICTION RELIEF DENIED
DISPOSITION:
AFFIRMED - 5/22/01
MOTION FOR REHEARING FILED: ; denied 8/14/2001
CERTIORARI FILED:
8/15/2001; denied 10/25/2001
MANDATE ISSUED:
6/12/2001
BEFORE SOUTHWICK, P.J., BRIDGES, AND LEE, JJ.
BRIDGES, J., FOR THE COURT:
¶1. Following indictments by the grand jury, Cassell Boyd, Jr. pled guilty to charges of two sales of cocaine
and one possession of cocaine before the Circuit Court of Leake County, Mississippi, the Honorable
Marcus Gordon presiding. After hearing Boyd's guilty plea and discussing with Boyd the consequences of
such guilty plea, Judge Gordon accepted Boyd's plea as voluntary, knowing and intelligent. Boyd was
thereafter sentenced to six years in prison for each of the two sales of cocaine, to be served concurrently,
and two years in prison for the possession of cocaine charge, to be served consecutively with the six year
sentence.
¶2. On November 17, 1995, Boyd filed his motion for post-conviction relief. That motion was denied by
the trial court on February 7, 1996, and Boyd appealed to the Mississippi Supreme Court seeking reversal
of such denial. Even though Boyd initially failed to adhere to proper appeals procedure, the court allowed
Boyd the opportunity to perfect his appeal, whereby his case now comes before this Court raising the
following issues:
1. Whether Boyd entered his guilty plea voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently as required
by Mississippi law?
2. Whether Boyd's guilty plea should be overturned due to ineffective assistance of
counsel?
FACTS
¶3. Boyd was indicted by the grand jury on May 3, 1995, on two counts for the sale of cocaine. The
indictment arose as a result of Boyd's selling the substance to Stanley Wash on two separate occasions.
Also, on May 3, 1995, Boyd was indicted on one count of possession of cocaine. On May 11, 1995,
Boyd filled out and executed petitions to plead guilty on all three counts. In the petitions, Boyd
acknowledged that he understood the maximum sentences he could receive for these crimes and that, by
pleading guilty, he was waiving his constitutional right to a jury trial, his right to confront witnesses and his
right against self-incrimination. Boyd indicated that he comprehended these things by writing "yes" next to
each of these items on his petition to plead guilty. Also, Boyd wrote the word "no" next to questions on the
petition asking whether anyone coerced or promised Boyd anything in exchange for his guilty plea. He
further demonstrated on the petition that he was satisfied with the counsel and advice of Edward Blackmon,
Jr., his attorney at that time, and that he believed Blackmon adequately represented him in this case.
¶4. Boyd admitted to each of the three counts on which he was indicted, stating the following: "On
November 23, 1993, I sold a quantity of cocaine for the sum of forty dollars to Stanley Wash. On that
same date I sold another quantity of cocaine to Stanley Wash for the sum of twenty dollars. I acted alone
on each sale." In the second petition, he wrote the following: "On April 2, 1994, I had in my possession
cocaine in Leake County, Miss. I was acting alone on the aforesaid time." Further, in his petitions to plead
guilty to these charges, Boyd acknowledged that he understood that the maximum penalty for two counts of
the crime of the sale of cocaine is thirty years, and the maximum penalty for the possession of cocaine is
three years. In addition, Boyd asserted in these petitions that he understood that the State had
recommended that he serve two five year concurrent sentences for his sale offenses and two years for his
possession offense, to be served consecutively with the five year sentence.
¶5. Boyd repeated all of these acknowledgments and admissions in open court before Judge Gordon,
pleading guilty to all counts with Blackmon present. Judge Gordon, in an effort to determine whether Boyd's
guilty pleas were voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently made, questioned Boyd on his understanding of the
rights he was waiving by pleading guilty. Further, Judge Gordon also interrogated Boyd as to his counsel,
Blackmon. Boyd assured the judge that he understood all of his rights, the waiver of those rights by
pleading guilty, the maximum sentences that he could receive for his crimes and all other consequences a
guilty plea would necessarily bring him. Boyd further confirmed to the judge that he was content with
Blackmon as his attorney and that Blackmon had provided him with competent advice and counsel.
¶6. Based upon Boyd's petitions to plead guilty and his acknowledgments and confessions before the trial
judge in open court at the plea acceptance hearing, the trial court found that Boyd's plea was voluntarily,
knowingly and intelligently made. Despite the recommendations of the State, Judge Gordon sentenced Boyd
to six years for each sale of cocaine charge, to be served concurrently, and two years on the possession
charge, to be served consecutively with the six year sentence, for a total of eight years in prison.
¶7. In Boyd's motion for post-conviction relief, he contended that he was deprived of effective assistance of
counsel, that he was held in custody unlawfully, that his guilty plea was not knowingly and voluntarily made
and various other claims. No affidavits or other documents were filed with the court in support of Boyd's
motion for post-conviction relief. The trial court denied Boyd's motion and on March 12, 1996, Boyd filed
his notice of appeal. The Mississippi Supreme Court initially denied Boyd's appeal for failure to comply
with Rule 4(a) of the Mississippi Rules of Appellate Procedure. However, in an order filed on May 12,
1999, the court suspended that denial and allowed Boyd's appeal to be perfected.
¶8. Along with his appellate brief before this Court, Boyd has filed an affidavit signed by himself attesting to
facts which would support his motion for post-conviction relief. This is the first time that Boyd has
presented this affidavit before any court, as it was not used as evidence before the lower court during the
hearing on Boyd's motion. Neither has the State had occasion to see this affidavit before the filing of Boyd's
appellate brief. The State contends that this affidavit should not be allowed because it was not presented to
or discussed before the trial court. Attorneys for the State have filed a motion to strike Boyd's affidavit for
failure to raise the issues within it before the trial court or for failure to file a motion to amend the record to
reflect the presence of this affidavit. There were no further affidavits filed with either the lower court or this
Court to support Boyd's claims. Boyd and his newly appointed attorney request that this Court add the
affidavit signed by Boyd to the record of this case.
LEGAL ANALYSIS
1. Whether Boyd entered his guilty plea voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently as required
by Mississippi law?
¶9. Boyd submits to this Court that, despite the monumental evidence in the record indicating that he fully
understood all of the consequences of his guilty plea, he actually did not plead guilty voluntarily, knowingly
and intelligently because he was forced into his guilty plea by his own attorney as well as the lower court
itself. The United States Supreme Court case of Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 242 (1969), provides
the standard for determining whether a guilty plea is knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently made by a
defendant. See Vittitoe v. State, 556 So. 2d 1062 (Miss. 1990). The privileges and rights waived by a
guilty plea are the right against compulsory self-incrimination, the right to a trial by jury and the right to
cross-examine witnesses. Boykin, 395 U.S. at 243. Where the record is silent as to evidence showing that
these rights were known and understood by the defendant, there can be no presumption of a waiver of such
rights by him. Id. at 242.
¶10. The record must provide explicit evidence of such a waiver and the admissibility of the waiver must be
"based on a reliable determination on the voluntariness" of the waiver. Id. This determination of
voluntariness may be evaluated by looking to see whether the defendant was advised of the nature of the
charges against him, the rights which he would be waiving by pleading guilty, the maximum sentences that he
could receive for the crimes with which he was charged and whether he was satisfied with the advice and
counsel of his attorney. Alexander v. State, 605 So. 2d 1170, 1172 (Miss. 1992). See also Boykin, 395
U.S. at 243; Wilson v. State, 577 So. 2d 394, 396-97 (Miss. 1991).
¶11. The burden of proving that a guilty plea was not made voluntarily is on the defendant. Gardner v.
State, 531 So. 2d 805, 810 (Miss. 1988); Sanders v. State, 440 So. 2d 278, 284 (Miss. 1983); Baker
v. State, 358 So. 2d 401 (Miss. 1978). If this burden is not met, the defendant's plea must be upheld as
one that was made voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently. Gardner, 531 So. 2d at 810. It should be noted
that "[s]olemn declarations in open court [by a defendant] carry a strong presumption of verity." Id.; Baker,
358 So. 2d at 403. See Blackledge v. Allison, 431 U.S. 63 (1977). Further, the record must reflect that
the trial court thoroughly discussed with the defendant all of the consequences of a guilty plea, including the
waiver of rights, satisfaction with one's attorney and advisement on the maximum and minimum penalties one
can acquire for the crime committed. Alexander, 605 So. 2d at 1172; Gardner, 531 So. 2d at 809-10.
¶12. A guilty plea may not be accepted where the defendant did not plead of his own volition. Boykin, 395
U.S. at 243. As the United States Supreme Court provided in Boykin, "a plea of guilty is more than an
admission of conduct; it is a conviction. Ignorance, incomprehension, coercion, terror, inducements, subtle
or blatant threats might be a perfect cover-up of unconstitutionality." Id. See Kercheval v. United States,
274 U.S. 220, 223 (1927). Aside from incidents where defense counsel simply neglects his client's case or
makes negligent fatal errors in the case, ineffective assistance of counsel may include instances where a
defendant's attorney misrepresents information regarding the plea to the defendant, thereby inducing him to
plead guilty. Myers v. State, 583 So. 2d 174, 177 (Miss. 1991). Similarly, counsel would be defective if
defense counsel purposefully lies to the defendant or asks the defendant to lie in court proceedings
regarding his plea. Id. In such situations, it is likely that the plea could be successfully attacked by the
defendant as involuntary. Id.
¶13. In accordance with the aforementioned case law, we find that the lower court was correct in accepting
Boyd's guilty plea and denying him post-conviction relief. Because of the ample evidence provided to us in
the record, we are convinced that Boyd entered his plea voluntarily, knowingly and intelligently, and it
should therefore be upheld. In the first place, the petitions for guilty pleas filled out and signed by Boyd for
all three charges against him state in no uncertain terms that Boyd committed the crimes of two sales of
cocaine and possession of cocaine which are the causes of this action. Also contained in those petitions was
undeniable evidence that Boyd indicated that he understood the nature of the charges against him, the
waiver of his constitutional rights and the maximum and minimum penalties he could incur. Boyd explicitly
indicated his understanding by writing "yes" beside those questions. It is apparent by the information
contained in these petitions alone that Boyd was fully aware of the consequences of his guilty plea and there
is absolutely no evidence that he was coerced or induced into pleading guilty or to sign the petitions.
However, there is more.
¶14. We must also note that the transcript of the plea hearing speaks volumes to the issue of voluntariness.
Everything which Boyd so readily admitted and signed his name to in the petitions was completely reiterated
in the plea acceptance hearing before Judge Gordon. Judge Gordon asked Boyd whether he was aware
that by pleading guilty, he was giving up certain constitutional rights, after which he named those rights for
Boyd. Boyd answered clearly that he understood and proceeded to admit that he committed all three of the
crimes with which he had been charged. In addition, Judge Gordon asked Boyd a number of questions
required of him under the law, including whether Boyd had been coerced into pleading guilty; whether he
was satisfied with the advice and counsel of Blackmon throughout the time he was Boyd's attorney; whether
Blackmon explained the ramifications of a guilty plea; whether Boyd was under the influence of alcohol or
drugs at the time of the plea hearing or was otherwise impaired; whether Boyd understood the maximum
and minimum penalties to which he could be sentenced for these crimes; and whether or not Boyd actually
committed these crimes. See Alexander, 605 So. 2d at 1172 (explaining the trial judge's duties to inquire
of the defendant whether he fully understands what he is giving up and what may happen as a result of his
guilty plea).
¶15. Not only did Boyd point blank admit to each of the three crimes in open court, but he maintained
before the judge and all present at the hearing, including Blackmon, that he was satisfied with Blackmon as
his attorney. According to the transcript, Boyd further made it crystal clear to all listening that he understood
that his guilty plea would serve as a waiver to all of those constitutional rights that Judge Gordon had
mentioned. Boyd answered that he was aware of and accepted any possible statutory penalties he could
receive for his crimes. Finally, he stated that he was not being coerced and that he was not under the
influence of any form of impairing drug. However, despite all of this, Boyd would now have us believe that
all of this was some sort of illusion or untruth-that he, in fact, was forced to plead guilty because Blackmon
left him with no other choice by telling Boyd that he did not have time to adequately prepare for a trial in this
matter. Boyd not only blames his counsel, but blames the lower court as well, claiming that the court
ordered that the trial date be set without giving his attorney enough time in which to prepare. Boyd asserts
that because of the trial court's directive, he was literally forced into pleading guilty, even knowing the
repercussions of doing so, including the heavy burden he would have to meet to have his plea overturned.
We are not so convinced of this unlikely claim.
¶16. First, Boyd's current contentions before this Court plainly indicate that he either lied to the trial court or
is lying to this Court about the voluntariness of his plea. The fact that he has been glaringly untruthful to at
least one court of law renders him, in our opinion, completely without credibility. As we recently provided in
Wilson v. State:
If a movant could, at a later date, successfully contradict his own assertions made under oath at his
plea acceptance hearing, then there would be no purpose in conducting the hearing at all. "Truth"
would become an illusory concept meaning nothing more than what the declarant asserted it to be at
any particular point in time.
Wilson v. State, 760 So. 2d 862, (¶ 7) (Miss. Ct. App. 2000). Furthermore, Boyd has given this Court no
plausible evidence on which we may rely to overturn the decision of the trial judge to accept Boyd's plea.
The credible evidence before us, including the petitions to plead guilty, filled out and executed by Boyd
himself, and the transcript of the plea hearing before Judge Gordon, points to the inescapable fact that Boyd
made his decision to plead guilty on his own, without coercion and without misrepresentation, thereby
waiving his right to a trial by a jury of his peers. We do not believe that Boyd has met his very high burden
of proof to show that he did not understand what he was signing or that he was pressured or intimidated
into executing the petitions for guilty pleas.
¶17. If there were ever a time for Boyd to have brought such an injustice to light, he should have done so at
his plea hearing before Judge Gordon. Rather, Boyd essentially echoed in open court all of the information
to which he swore in the petitions, thereby losing his opportunity to make a viable case of coercion or
incomprehension and sealing his fate. In Gardner v. State, the court ruled that there would be a
presumption of verity on the part of the defendant where he makes forthright declarations in open court.
Gardner, 605 So. 2d at 810. Therefore, we can only deduce that Boyd was telling the truth at his plea
hearing rather than now, on appeal. This issue is without merit.
2. Whether Boyd's guilty plea should be overturned due to ineffective assistance of
counsel?
¶18. We hereby deny the offer of Boyd's affidavit before this Court and grant the State's motion to strike
such affidavit for failure to raise the issues contained in it before the trial court and for failure to properly and
timely amend the record to include the affidavit.
¶19. We note that this self-serving affidavit is Boyd's only offering to this Court to rebut the State's evidence
that Blackmon provided Boyd with adequate counsel. It alleges, among other things, that it was the fault of
Blackmon and the fault of the lower court that he pled guilty to the crimes with which he was charged.
However, this affidavit and its assertions were never seen or heard of by the lower court and therefore, it
cannot be found in the record of this case. Because the rule is well settled by now, Boyd and his current
counsel must be aware that this Court may only review and rely on evidence that is provided in the record.
Denson v. State, 746 So. 2d 927, (¶ 18) (Miss. Ct. App. 1999); Parker v. Mississippi Game and Fish
Commission, 555 So. 2d 725, 730 (Miss. 1989); Britt v. State, 520 So. 2d 1377, 1379 (Miss. 1988);
Shelton v. Kindred, 279 So. 2d 642, 644 (Miss. 1973). "It is a well stated principle that issues not
presented at trial cannot be raised on appeal." Denson, 746 So. 2d at (¶ 17). See also Parker, 555 So. 2d
at 730. As well, the rules of appellate procedure dictate that "claims must be decided upon the facts in the
record rather than upon assertions in the parties' briefs." Denson, 746 So. 2d at (¶ 18). See also Parker,
555 So. 2d at 730; Britt, 520 So. 2d at 1379; Shelton, 279 So. 2d at 644.
¶20. Boyd bears the burden of ensuring that the record contains all necessary information that he wishes for
the reviewing court to consider in support of his theory that the decision of the trial court should be
reversed. See Denson, 746 So. 2d at (¶ 18); Shelton, 279 So. 2d at 644; Willenbrock v. Brown, 239
So. 2d 922, 924 (Miss. 1970). We cannot entertain Boyd's affidavit as it clearly was not presented to the
lower court as evidence. Moreover, Boyd's affidavit alone would not be enough for this Court to reverse
on the grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel. Lindsay v. State, 720 So. 2d 182, 184 (Miss. 1998).
"Where a party offers only his affidavit, then his ineffective assistance of counsel claim is without merit." Id.;
Vielee v. State, 653 So. 2d 920, 922 (Miss. 1995). See also Brooks v. State, 573 So. 2d 1350 (Miss.
1990).
¶21. In order to make out a case for ineffective assistance of counsel, Boyd must prove that Blackmon's
performance as his attorney was deficient and that the deficiency was so substantial as to deprive Boyd of a
fair trial. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687-96 (1984); Leatherwood v. State, 473 So. 2d
964, 968 (Miss. 1985); Stringer v. State, 454 So. 2d 468, 476-77 (Miss. 1984). Boyd must prove both
of these elements in order to succeed on his claim. Id. Each case should be decided based on the totality of
the circumstances, that is, by looking to the evidence in the entire record. McQuarter v. State, 574 So. 2d
685, 687 (Miss. 1990); Stringer, 454 So. 2d at 476. The standard of performance used is whether
counsel provided "reasonably effective assistance." Leatherwood, 473 So. 2d at 968. "There is a strong
presumption that counsel's conduct is within the wide range of reasonable professional conduct." Id. at 969.
¶22. While the record shows that Blackmon was present at the time that Boyd signed the petitions, even
answering questions for Boyd in an effort to alleviate any of his confusion, there is absolutely no evidence
which would tend to advance Boyd's theory that Blackmon was deficient or that he forced Boyd to execute
the petitions. There is nothing in the record to indicate that Blackmon did anything more than be available to
his client and advise him on the ramifications of pleading guilty versus pleading not guilty and taking his
chances at trial. Further, we are not swayed by Boyd's assertion that the seven days allocated by the trial
court for trial preparation was insufficient, thereby causing Blackmon to fall short of his duties to Boyd's
detriment. "The decision to grant or deny a continuance is left to the sound discretion of the trial court."
Lambert v. State, 654 So. 2d 17, 22 (Miss. 1995); Johnson v. State, 631 So. 2d 185, 187 (Miss.
1994); Hayes v. State, 723 So. 2d 1182, (¶ 10) (Miss. Ct. App. 1998). We cannot reverse based on a
denial of a continuance without evidence of a manifest injustice. Lambert, 654 So. 2d at 22. There is no
evidence that such an injustice exists here.
¶23. Again, the petitions and the plea hearing transcript completely negate all of Boyd's assertions against
Blackmon. Boyd clearly stated before Judge Gordon that he was satisfied with his attorney, that he was
content with the advice and counsel of Blackmon and that he was voluntarily pleading guilty and admitting to
the three crimes for which he was charged. As such, we accept the truth to be the version told by Boyd in
open court under oath before Judge Gordon rather than the version in Boyd's brief supported by nothing
but his procedurally barred affidavit. See Gardner, 605 So. 2d at 810.
¶24. Finally, we take note of Boyd's argument that this Court should consider that he proceeded with this
case pro se, citing Moore v. Ruth, 556 So. 2d 1059 (Miss. 1990), as his authority providing that we
should not dismiss his complaint simply because it is "inartfully drafted." Moore, 556 So. 2d at 1061. In
addressing Boyd's concern, we wish only to say that clearly, Boyd is now represented by counsel and it
was that very counsel who drafted and submitted a brief to this Court on Boyd's behalf. Therefore, while
we would normally take such a case as Moore under advisement when dealing with a pro se appellant, that
case would no longer be applicable here. Boyd's brief, while a bit digressive at times and brimming with
useless legalese, coupled with frequent laudatory adjectives, no doubt for the benefit of this Court, is more
than acceptable to argue his case. However, Boyd fails to present competent evidence to us in support of
that argument. We affirm.
¶25. THE JUDGMENT OF THE CIRCUIT COURT OF LEAKE COUNTY DENYING THE
APPELLANT POST-CONVICTION RELIEF IS HEREBY AFFIRMED. ALL COSTS OF THIS
APPEAL ARE ASSESSED TO APPELLANT.
McMILLIN, C.J., KING AND SOUTHWICK, P.JJ., PAYNE, THOMAS, LEE, IRVING,
MYERS AND CHANDLER, JJ., CONCUR.
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