Wendell K. Dixon v. Commonwealth of Kentucky

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NOT TO BE PUBLISHED OPINION ,
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PROMULGATED BY THE SUPREME COURT, CR 76.28(4)(C),
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RENDERED: FEBRUARY 18, 2016
NOT TO BE PUBLISH-ED
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WENDELL K. DIXON APPELLANT
ON APPEAL FROM FAYETTE CIRCUIT COURT
V. HONORABLE THOMAS L. CLARK, JUDGE
NO. 13-CR-01124
COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY APPELLEE
MEMORANDUM OPINION OF THE COURT
AFFIRMING
I. BACKGROUND
Appellant, Wendell K. Dixon, and April Ballentine had dated and lived
together for approximately five years before she ended their relationship. On
the evening of their breakup, Appellant assaulted Ballentine. According to
Keith Martin, an acquaintance of the couple, Appellant threatened killing
Ballentine at least three times in the following weeks. Approximately two
months later, Appellant shot Ballentine multiple times, causing severe injuries
necessitating the use of life-saving measure by emergency responders.
Ballentine's spinal cord was severed and she was paralyzed from the
breastbone down. It is unlikely she will ever walk again.
A Fayette Circuit Court jury ultimately convicted Appellant of one count
of first-degree assault and two counts of first-degree wanton endangerment.
The trial court imposed a sentence of twenty-eight years' imprisonment.
Appellant now appeals as a matter of right, Ky. Const. § 110(2)(b), arguing the
trial court erred in: (1) striking two impartial jurors for cause and (2) admitting
irrelevant and unduly prejudicial KRE 404(b) evidence of prior bad acts.
II. ANALYSIS
A. Jurors
Appellant first alleges the trial court erred in granting the
Commonwealth's motions to strike two jurors for cause. He insists the two
jurors were impartial. Both parties agree Appellant's trial counsel properly
preserved this issue as to one of the jurors, but disagree on the issue of
preservation as to the other. We find it unnecessary to address the issue of
preservation, as it does not affect our holding. For the reasons that follow, we
affirm the trial court.
"This Court has long recognized that la] determination as to whether to
exclude a juror for cause lies within the sound discretion of the trial court, and
unless the action of the trial court is an abuse of discretion or is clearly
erroneous, an appellate court will not reverse the trial court's determination."'
Pendleton v. Commonwealth, 83 S.W.3d 522, 527 (Ky. 2002), quoting Sholler v.
Commonwealth, 969 S.W.2d 706, 708 (1998). Therefore, we will analyze
whether the trial court abused its discretion in striking these two jurors. "The
test for abuse of discretion is whether the trial judge's decision was arbitrary,
unreasonable, unfair, or unsupported by sound legal principles."
Commonwealth v. English, 993 S.W.2d 941, 945 (Ky. 1999).
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Section 11 of the Kentucky Constitution and the Sixth and Fourteenth
Amendments to the United States Constitution guarantee the right to an
impartial jury. Kentucky Rules of Criminal Procedure 9.36(1) provides in
pertinent part: "[w]hen there is reasonable ground to believe that a prospective
juror cannot render a fair and impartial verdict on the evidence, that juror
shall be excused as not qualified." We have held that a trial court must
"determine the credibility of the juror's answers based on the entirety of the
juror's responses and demeanor." Allen v. Commonwealth, 276 S.W.3d 768,
772 (Ky. 2008). In so doing, "The trial court has the duty to evaluate the
answers of prospective jurors in context and in light of the juror's knowledge of
the facts and understanding of the law." Stopher v. Commonwealth, 57 S.W.3d
787, 797 (Ky. 2001).
In the case at bar, Appellant's defense was never that he did not shoot
his ex-girlfriend. Rather, Appellant's counsel indicated during voir dire that
Appellant was suffering from depression at the time he shot Ballentine. That
prompted defense counsel to ask the jury panel if any of them had experience
with severe depression and four of the prospective jurors raised their hands in
response. Of the four, the Commonwealth moved to strike two, and the trial
court granted those motions.
At the time of trial, Juror 4081 was undergoing treatment for depression
including counseling and medication. In the distant past, both Juror 4081 and
his aunt had been hospitalized due to depression. Moreover, this juror
indicated that depression "definitely" played a role in his older sister's death
years earlier. Juror 4081 stated that "I would not excuse somebody because of
depression or anxiety, but I would also not think down upon him or her, or
whatever." Since Appellant's defense was based on his alleged depression
following his and Ballentine's breakup, the Commonwealth moved to have
Juror 4081 stricken for cause due to his long personal and family history with
depression, opining it may cause him to be biased toward Appellant's defense.
Juror 4371 also raised his hand when defense counsel asked the panel
about experience with severe depression. He indicated his wife had dealt with
depression and anxiety for thirty-five years and had been on medication for
these conditions. When defense counsel asked Juror 4371 if, in light of his
wife's situation, he could be fair if any evidence of depression were introduced
during trial, he responded that he did not know if it would affect him. Later,
when the prosecutor asked if his experience would cause him to be
sympathetic toward the defendant, he responded, "I really don't know if that
would sway my, you know, my, to be honest, I don't know if it would sway me
at all." Juror 4371 further stated he was not sure if his wife's depression
would cause him to go lighter on the penalty phase. The Commonwealth
moved to have Juror 4371 stricken for cause due to these responses.
Appellant argues that the trial court abused its discretion in striking the
aforementioned jurors, as nothing in either juror's responses suggested they
could not conform their views to the requirements of the law in order to render
an impartial verdict. See Mabe v. Commonwealth, 884 S.W.2d 668, 671 (Ky.
1994). We disagree. We reiterate that we will not substitute our judgment for
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that of the trial court in the absence of an abuse of discretion, as the trial court
was in the best position to evaluate the jurors' complete responses and
demeanor. Given the jurors' responses to questions concerning depression and
given the fact that Appellant's defense centered around his depression, we
cannot hold that the trial court's decision to strike these jurors for cause was
arbitrary, unreasonable, unfair, or unsupported by sound legal principles.
Therefore, we affirm the trial court on this issue.
B. Evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts
Next, Appellant argues the trial court committed reversible error when it
admitted KRE 404(b) evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts. Specifically,
Ballentine testified that the day she broke up with Appellant, he grabbed her
head and pushed her out the front door of his brother's home, kicked her in
the back, bruised her forehead, and pulled out her hair. Keith Martin (who
attended church with Appellant and Ballentine and had known Ballentine for
years) also testified that Appellant communicated threats against Ballentine to
him. Martin testified that Appellant told him a week after the breakup that he
"ought to kill that bitch." Martin testified that he saw Appellant again a couple
of weeks later and Appellant told him he might have to serve six months on the
charges pursuant to his assault on Ballentine on the night of their breakup.
Martin testified that Appellant stated he would "kill that bitch." Martin further
stated he saw Appellant again a week later and he again indicated that he
"should kill that bitch" and added "it's fucked up that [I'm] locked up."
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Kentucky Rules of Evidence 404 deals with character evidence and
evidence of other crimes. More specifically, KRE 404(b) provides:
(b) Other crimes, wrongs, or acts. Evidence of other crimes,
wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person
in order to show action in conformity therewith. It may, however,
be admissible:
(1) If offered for some other purpose, such as proof of
motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan,
knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident;
or
(2) If so inextricably intertwined with other evidence
essential to the case that separation of the two (2)
could not be accomplished without serious adverse
effect on the offering party.
In Bell v. Commonwealth, 875 S.W.2d 882, 889 (Ky. 1994), this Court stated
"trial courts must apply the rule cautiously, with an eye towards eliminating
evidence which is relevant only as proof of an accused's propensity to commit a
certain type of crime." However, this Court has ruled on numerous occasions
that "similar acts perpetrated against the same victim are almost always
admissible" to prove motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge,
identity, or absence of mistake or accident. Price v. Commonwealth, 31 S.W.3d
885, 888 n. 4 (2000). Our first step in analyzing whether KRE 404(b) evidence
was properly admitted is to determine whether it fell within one of these
recognized exceptions to the exclusionary rule.
"Mt has long been a rule in this jurisdiction that threats against the
victim of a crime are probative of the defendant's motive and intent to commit
the crime . . . ." Sherroan v. Commonwealth, 142 S.W.3d 7, 18 (Ky. 2004). This
Court has further held that any contention that evidence should be excluded of
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prior assaults perpetrated by the defendant against the victim "would border
on absurdity." Smith v. Commonwealth, 904 S.W.2d 220, 224 (Ky. 1995).
Here, Appellant did not deny that he shot Ballentine. However,
Appellant's mental state was at issue, as he requested and received a jury
instruction on Assault under Extreme Emotional Disturbance (EED). In order
for an EED claim to succeed, the jury must believe "[t]he defendant [was] both
extremely emotionally disturbed and acting under that emotional influence;
and there [was] an identifiable 'triggering event' which resulted in the emotional
disturbance." Driver v. Commonwealth, 361 S.W.3d 877, 888 (Ky. 2012), citing
Spears v. Commonwealth, 30 S.W.3d 152, 155 (Ky. 2000). The evidence of
Appellant's prior assault on Ballentine and of his threats against her were
certainly relevant given the nature of Appellant's defense. His history with the
victim and the threats he made against her life showed his motive and intent to
commit the crime and tended to disprove his defense that he acted under the
emotional influence of his breakup with Ballentine. This evidence was not
admitted merely to show that Appellant had a propensity to commit the type of
crimes with which he was charged.
Thus, we hold that the trial court did not err in admitting evidence of
Appellant's other crimes, wrongs, or acts.
III. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, we affirm Appellant's convictions and
corresponding sentences.
All sitting. All concur.
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COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT:
Samuel N. Potter, Assistant Public Advocate
COUNSEL FOR APPELLEE:
Andy Be shear, Attorney General of Kentucky
Jeffrey Ray Prather, Attorney General Special Prosecutions