Anthony Doss v. State of Mississippi ( 1993 )

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF MISSISSIPPI
NO. 1999-DR-00296-SCT
ANTHONY DOSS
v.
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
DATE OF JUDGMENT: 03/30/1993
TRIAL JUDGE: HON. JAMES C. SUMNER
COURT FROM WHICH APPEALED: GRENADA COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT
ROBERT B. McDUFF
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT: OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLEE: BY: MARVIN L. WHITE, JR.
DOUG EVANS
CIVIL - DEATH PENALTY - POST
DISTRICT ATTORNEY: CONVICTION
NATURE OF THE CASE: LEAVE TO SEEK POST-CONVICTION
RELIEF GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED
DISPOSITION: IN PART- 07/15/2004
MOTION FOR REHEARING FILED:
MANDATE ISSUED:
EN BANC.
COBB, PRESIDING JUSTICE, FOR THE COURT:
¶1. Anthony Joe Doss was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death for the murder of
Robert C. Bell. Doss's conviction and sentence were affirmed by this Court on direct appeal. See Doss
v. State, 709 So. 2d 369 (Miss. 1996), cert. denied, 523 U.S. 1111, 118 S. Ct. 1684, 140 L. Ed. 2d
821 (1998). The following summary of the facts is compiled from that opinion:
On May 6, 1991, outside Sparks Stop-N-Shop, a small grocery store in rural
Grenada County, Doss, James, Coffey, and Freddie Bell (who was Doss’s co-defendant)
were sitting at a picnic table when the events giving rise to the subsequent murder began
to unfold. As they sat drinking beer and eating potato chips, Freddie mentioned that he
needed some money to get to Memphis. According to the other three, Freddie asked
them to join him in robbing Sparks. James and Coffey testified that they said no to joining
Freddie’s plan. They further testified that Freddie then pulled out two guns and gave one
to Doss, who testified that it was a .25 caliber gun. According to James, Freddie told
Doss they should “go in shooting”. Coffey testified that Doss then stated “Let’s go. Let’s
go do it.” James and Coffey then left to go to Coffey’s home nearby. A few seconds later
they heard gun shots coming from Sparks.
Doss admitted that he was given the gun, but said he did not agree to hurt anyone,
but he was forced at gunpoint by Freddie to be involved. Doss did admit he went into the
store to rob it. Three guns were tested by a Mississippi Crime Lab forensic scientist, who
testified that five of the nine bullet holes in the victim were matched to the .38 caliber pistol
recovered and tested. Three of the remaining shots were similar but nota 100% match.
Exactly what happened during the commission of the robbery naturally could only
be explained by the robbers and Bell. Unfortunately, Bell was dead, Freddie did not
testify, and Doss's stories change over the course of time. Once the shooting ceased,
however, Freddie and Doss ran from the store and headed up the same road that James
and Coffey were on, where Doss and Freddie met them. James testified that Doss was
given the .25 caliber gun before entering Sparks and that after the robbery Freddie had the
original .22, as well as the .38 which was taken from Sparks. The .22 and .38 caliber
pistols were later recovered from Freddie's house and the .25 caliber was recovered from
the car of a friend who took them to Memphis.
According to Coffey, Doss then said that he shot Bell in the neck and that it caused
him to "hung lower" because he had "emptied his gun into" Bell. Coffey testified that
Freddie also admitted to shooting Bell, but did not offer any further comments. James also
testified that Doss admitted to shooting Bell. As would be expected, Doss's police station
statement and in-court testimony are very different from what others said.
After Doss and Freddie admitted to shooting Bell, Freddie said that he needed to
get to Memphis. However, before they left, Freddie allegedly threatened to kill James,
stating that he did not want any witnesses. James testified that Doss then stepped in and
prevented Freddie from killing James. James and Coffey confirmed that Doss and Freddie
had stolen a pistol, a box of shells, and a gray money bag from Sparks. James also
confirmed, as did Doss himself, that Doss admitted to unsuccessfully trying to open the
cash register.
Subsequently, Freddie, Doss and Coffey went to Memphis leaving James in
Grenada County. Coffey testified that he remembered Freddie wanting to go back to
Grenada County to shoot James so that there were no witnesses and that Doss said that
he "was ready to do it" too. Doss denied suggesting to Freddie that they should go back
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and shoot James. Freddie, Doss and Coffey were arrested in Memphis shortly thereafter.
Each of the three gave statements in the Memphis police department on May 9, 1991.
Doss, after signing a Miranda form, stated that Coffey was the person who shot
Bell with the .38, but he subsequently admitted on cross-examination that his statement
about Coffey being involved was a complete fabrication. Doss contends that the statement
he gave at trial was the "truth" and that the Memphis statement, which he admitted was
riddled with lies, was given because he was "scared" and "knew they wouldn't believe me."
The State's physical evidence included, among other things, the store owner's testimony
that a .38 caliber gun was taken from the store during the robbery which was matched to
guns recovered following the arrests of the suspects. Additionally, the State had ballistics
matches between the bullets retrieved from Bell's body and the .38 caliber gun. The State
also introduced evidence from the Mississippi Crime Laboratory matching the fingerprints
from the coke box behind the counter with those of Doss.
Doss, 709 So. 2d at 375-77.
¶2. Doss has now filed an application for leave to file motion to vacate judgment and sentence with this
Court, raising eight issues: (1) juror dishonesty; (2) shackling during trial; (3) ineffective assistance of
counsel in guilt phase (failure to object to judge’s inquiry during voir dire and to admission of statement
into evidence); (4) ineffective counsel in sentencing phase (failure to present mitigation evidence); (5) mental
retardation which precludes the death penalty under Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304, 122 S. Ct. 2242,
153 L. Ed. 2d 335 (2002); (6) use of avoiding arrest aggravator; (7) disproportionate sentence since he
was not the trigger man, and (8) cumulative error. We grant leave for Doss to proceed in the Grenada
County Circuit Court for an evidentiary hearing on the merits of his claim of ineffectiveness of counsel
during the mitigation or penalty phase of his trial and his claim of mental retardation, pursuant to Atkins
and the standards and procedures set forth in Chase v. State, 873 So. 2d 1013 (Miss. 2004). We deny
Doss’s application in all other respects.
ANALYSIS
I. Juror dishonesty.
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¶3. Doss first argues that during voir dire, prospective juror Lewis Paul Griffin failed to answer a
question which would have resulted in his being challenged had he answered. The trial judge asked the
following:
I was about to ask the question, how many of you, if any, have ever had an occasion
where you might have used any of these men to represent you or any member of your
family. Now, remember, that would mean that the District Attorney might have had
occasion in his official capacity to prosecute a crime, which he prosecutes in the name of
the state of Mississippi, but it might have involved a member of your family as a victim.
You may have come in contact with them because of that. In the case of Mr. Bailey
[Doss’s attorney], of course, it might have been either a plaintiff or defendant. Have they
ever represented you or a member of your family?
Randall O. Poss stated that he had used District Attorney Doug Evans "as a personal attorney to draw up
wills and such" but stated that would not pose a problem for him. Barbara Ann Spence stated that she had
"used Mr. Evans for some things," that these matters had been concluded and would pose no problem.
Jesse Fields stated that Evans helped his father with a bad check. The trial judge then asked whether any
of the attorneys had been on the "opposite side," stating that "in the District Attorney's case that would
mean he might have prosecuted you or a member of you family. Anyone at all? I take it then that none of
you have ever had an occasion where these men have been on the opposite side. They have never
prosecuted you or a member of your family that might have been charged with a felony, and they have
never represented the opposite side in a civil matter, either." Lewis Paul Griffin did not answer and
eventually he served on the Doss jury.
¶4. A couple of months earlier, in January 1993, Frederick Bell, Doss's co-defendant, had his separate
murder trial in Grenada County, and Griffin was also in that venire. There, the same trial judge conducted
voir dire and asked the same type questions, but after one juror stated that District Attorney Evans was
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"our lawyer," the trial judge added: "I wanted to say, also, that, of course, he could have represented you
in private practice in some manner, and I want to know that, as well." At that point, Griffin stated that
Evans represented him in a custody case during a divorce, but that would make no difference to him if
selected as a juror in Bell's case. Nevertheless, Bell's defense counsel peremptorily struck Griffin.
¶5. Doss now argues that if Griffin had answered truthfully during voir dire in his case, as he did in the
Bell case, counsel for Doss would have stricken him from the venire. Doss cites Odom v. State, 355
So. 2d 1381, 1383 (Miss. 1978), where this Court stated:
[W]e hold that where, as here, a prospective juror in a criminal case fails to respond to a
relevant, direct, and unambiguous question presented by defense counsel on voir dire,
although having knowledge of the information sought to be elicited, the trial court should,
upon motion for a new trial, determine whether the question propounded to the juror was
(1) relevant to the voir dire examination; (2) whether it was unambiguous; and (3) whether
the juror had substantial knowledge of the information sought to be elicited.[FN1] If the
trial court's determination of these inquiries is in the affirmative, the court should then
determine if prejudice to the defendant in selecting the jury reasonably could be inferred
from the juror's failure to respond.
Odom was granted a new trial where a juror failed to reveal that his brother was one of the investigating
officers in the murder Odom was charged with. See also Laney v. State, 421 So. 2d 1216 (Miss. 1982)
(murder conviction reversed where juror failed to mention relatives who were law enforcement officers);
Atkinson v. State, 371 So. 2d 869 (Miss. 1979) (manslaughter conviction arising from car crash reversed
where juror failed to mention two relatives killed in car accidents); Brooks v. State, 360 So. 2d 704
(Miss. 1978) (assault conviction reversed on several grounds, including where juror failed to mention family
member was victim of crime); Dase v. State, 356 So. 2d 1179 (Miss. 1978) (murder conviction reversed
where juror failed to mention son's murder one month before trial).
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¶6. In the present case, the State first asserts that “this information [that Griffin was peremptorily struck
during the Bell trial due to the fact that the D.A. had been his attorney in a civil matter] was available to
Petitioner and [his attorney] Bailey” at trial, and argues that there was nothing wrong with Griffin not
supplying this information because he wasn't specifically asked to. The State contends that the circuit court
only asked whether they had been involved in some matter with Evans in his official capacity as district
attorney, and indicated that any other answers were "unnecessary" and "unimportant." Additionally, the
State argues that the circuit court asked a different question during Bell's trial, and that when Griffin did
provide the information in Bell's trial, the court noted that the answer did not fall within the scope of the
question.
¶7. The transcripts of both voir dires partially support the State's argument. In the Bell trial, when one
potential juror volunteered that Evans had been his lawyer outside his district attorney capacity, Judge
Sumner stated that he should have made that part of his question and he wanted to know that. In the Doss
trial, the parties volunteered their connections to Judge Sumner, but he did not clarify the matter as he had
done in the Bell voir dire. If D.A. Evans's previous civil litigation clients were a relevant matter during voir
dire in Frederick Bell's case, then they were also a relevant matter during Anthony Doss's trial two months
later. It is difficult to understand why, notwithstanding the difference in the actual wording of the questions,
Griffin volunteered this information at Bell's trial and not at Doss's trial, where other jurors volunteered such
information. The State also argues that Doss shows no proof that Griffin's previous association with Evans
was the reason he was stricken from Bell's jury. There would be, however, no such proof with a
peremptory challenge absent some kind of statement from Bell's attorney.
¶8. The State also argues that, despite defense counsel Bailey's sworn assertion to the contrary, it is
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doubtful that Bailey would have stricken Griffin had he known this information. The State points to jurors
Randle Poss, Barbara Spence and Jesse Fields as jurors who provided much better reasons on voir dire
to question their fairness and were not peremptorily challenged. A review of voir dire shows that Randle
Poss was the victim’s Sunday School teacher for two or three years and the victim's grandmother was a
baby sitter for Poss's family for two or three years. Barbara Ann Spence stated that she knew the Bells
casually from softball practices, and that their children went to school together, and her daughter and Mr.
Bell's son were very close. She also stated that she had heard some statements about the case from the
victim's father. Jesse Fields stated that his mother worked closely with Mrs. Bell, and he knew the victim.
The State further argues that Griffin would take mercy into account when rendering his verdict.
¶9. Doss argues that this is irrelevant because Jesse Fields was stricken for cause because he stated
that he would automatically vote for the death penalty in case of a conviction of capital murder, and that
defense counsel ran out of peremptory challenges on juror 44, whereas jurors Poss and Spence were
numbers 73 and 83. The State's argument that Griffin would have taken mercy into account is based on
Griffin's failure to respond to defense counsel's question as to how many of the jurors felt that mercy should
have nothing to do with their verdict.
¶10. The Odom test provides that the trial court should, on a motion for new trial, determine whether
the question propounded to the juror was relevant, unambiguous and whether the juror had substantial
knowledge of the information sought to be elicited. The court then determines whether prejudice can be
inferred from the juror's failure to respond. The record shows that the second requirement, that of the
questions being unambiguous, was not met in Doss's trial. The judge may have been only interested in
jurors who had contact with D.A. Evans in his official capacity, or he may also have been trying to elicit
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information about contacts that jurors may have had in other aspects of Evans's legal practice. It is
impossible to tell, from the circuit court's questions, or from the judge’s failure to clarify the matter, as he
had done earlier in the Bell trial. Since all the relevant questions from the Odom test cannot be answered
in the affirmative, we do not reach the question of whether prejudice to the defendant can reasonably be
inferred. “If prejudice reasonably could be inferred, then a new trial should have been ordered. It is, of
course, a judicial question as to whether a jury is fair and impartial, and the court’s judgment will not be
disturbed unless it appears that it is clearly wrong. Odom, 353 So. 2d at 1383. This issue is without merit.
II. Must the conviction be reversed because the defendant was shackled
during the trial in a manner apparent to the jury?
¶11. Doss next argues that he was shackled throughout his trial, that at least four jurors saw him, and
since there was no finding or reason or justification for this stated in the record, he was prejudiced and his
rights violated. Doss joined in several motions filed by his co-defendant, Frederick Bell, in a pretrial
hearing on November 30, 1992. One of the motions was a motion to preclude the sheriff's department
frombringing Frederick Bell [or Anthony Doss] into court in shackles, and to limit the number of uniformed
officers in the courtroom. The circuit court ruled:
I require that they have some restraint in view of representation being made to the Court,
and I believe it being undenied that they are under charges from other jurisdictions also,
and, therefore, they will be restrained. However, I will ask the Sheriff to do so in a manner
which will be least obtrusive to the jury or anyone else involved in the trial. I will not limit
the number of uniformed officers, at this time, in the courtroom. I may do so later when
I see how many we've got.
This issue was not raised on direct appeal.
¶12. Doss also relies on four "affidavits" to argue that four jurors saw him in shackles in the courtroom.
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An examination of the exhibits shows that two are statements by interviewers working for the defense team
as to what the former jurors, Susan Honeycutt and Joycelyn Clark Mitchell, said. In other words, it was
plainly hearsay. The other two statements, apparently made by Maxine Brock and S.D. Booker, the
former jurors themselves, are not notarized. See Russell v. State, 849 So. 2d 95, 109 (Miss. 2003)
(affidavit is a sworn statement in writing made before an authorized individual).
¶13. Doss cites numerous cases from the U.S. Supreme Court, federal courts and courts of this and
other states on shackling, but the primary rules to be taken from these cases are the following: shackling
a defendant is allowable within the discretion of the court, but should be used as a last resort. It is
allowable to protect the decorum or dignity of the trial process or the safety of trial participants or prevent
escape. One of the oldest and most cited cases from this Court dealing with shackling is Rush v. State,
301 So. 2d 297, 300 (Miss. 1974), where this Court stated:
[Rush] contends that being exposed to the jurors in handcuffs denied him
a fair trial. It is a common-law right of a person being tried for the commission of a crime
to be free from all manner of shackles or bonds, whether of hands or feet, when in court
in the presence of the jury, unless in exceptional cases where there is evident danger of his
escape or in order to protect others from an attack by the prisoner. Whether that ought to
be done is in the discretion of the court, based upon reasonable grounds for apprehension.
But, if this right of the accused is violated, it may be ground for the reversal of a judgment
of conviction. Marion v. Commonwealth, 269 Ky. 729, 108 S.W.2d 721 (1937).
However, the failure, through an oversight, to remove handcuffs from a prisoner
for a short time or any technical violation of the rule prohibiting shackling, not prejudicial
to him, is not ground for reversal. Marion, supra.
Under the facts and circumstances of this case, we are of the opinion that the action of the
deputy sheriff in bringing the appellant into the courtroom in the presence of the
prospective jurors while handcuffed did not result in any prejudice to his right to a fair trial.
See United States v. Hamilton, 444 F.2d 81 (5th Cir. 1971); Williams v.
Commonwealth, 474 S.W.2d 381 (Ky.1971).
¶14. The State argues that because this argument could have been raised on direct appeal and was not,
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it is now procedurally barred. We agree. See McGilberry v. State, 843 So. 2d 21 (Miss. 2003) (claim
based on shackling in death penalty post-conviction case was barred under Miss. Code Ann. § 99-39-
21(1) for failure to raise at trial or on direct appeal). Even if this Court did reach the merits of this
argument, there is no prejudice to Doss, based on the statements offered by him from: Honeycutt (“Doss
was wearing street clothes, but because he could not walk normally she thought he was wearing shackles”);
Mitchell (“[Doss] had shackles on his legs. He was very quiet. He obviously couldn’t hurt anybody under
the circumstances”); Brock (“I do remember that he had shackles around his ankles. I don’t think they ever
took the shackles off. He wore them the entire trial”); and Booker (“Anthony was wearing casual clothes
during the trial. He was also wearing chains on his wrists and legs”). Even though some of the jurors did
notice that Doss was shackled, it appears it had no prejudicial effect. Additionally, neither Doss nor the
State cites even one case where this Court has reversed a conviction based on the jury seeing someone
shackled before or during a trial. This issue is procedurally barred and is without merit.
III. Was trial counsel ineffective at both the guilt and punishment phases for
failing to raise the various issues upon which this court imposed a
procedural bar on direct appeal?
¶15. This Court stated the following about ineffective assistance of counsel in Burns v. State, 813
So. 2d 668, 673 (Miss. 2001):
The standard for determining if a defendant received effective assistance of counsel is well
settled. "The benchmark for judging any claim of ineffectiveness [of counsel] must be
whether counsel's conduct so undermined the proper functioning of the adversarial process
that the trial cannot be relied on as having produced a just result." Strickland v.
Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 686, 104 S. Ct. 2052, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674 (1984). A defendant
must demonstrate that his counsel's performance was deficient and that the deficiency
prejudiced the defense of the case. Id. at 687, 104 S. Ct. 2052. "Unless a defendant
makes both showings, it cannot be said that the conviction or death sentence resulted from
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a breakdown in the adversary process that renders the result unreliable." Stringer v.
State, 454 So. 2d 468, 477 (Miss.1984) (citing Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S.
at 687, 104 S. Ct. 2052). The focus of the inquiry must be whether counsel's assistance
was reasonable considering all the circumstances. Id.
¶16. The entirety of this issue as presented by Doss in his motion to vacate judgment and sentence, is
as follows:
On direct appeal, this Court imposed procedural bars with respect to a number of claims
that trial counsel failed to preserve. Counsel's errors in that regard constitute ineffective
assistance of counsel. This claim is raised under the Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth
Amendments to the United States Constitution, §§ 14, 26, and 28 of the Mississippi
Constitution.
This Court's opinion on Doss's direct appeal contains 17 instances where this Court found that the
procedural bar was applicable because of defense counsel's failure to raise an objection at trial, or failure
to raise the same objection at trial he was attempting to raise on direct appeal. In 15 of these instances,
the Court also discussed the merits of the issue and found that the issue was without merit. If the issue was
without merit, then defense counsel would not be ineffective under the two part test set forth in Strickland
v. Washington, which requires (1) deficient conduct and (2) prejudice to the defendant caused by the
deficiency.
¶17. There were two issues where this Court found a procedural bar and did not reach the merits. The
first was where the trial judge attempted to determine if anyone on the jury venire might possess any racial
bias because of the race of the defendant and victim. Doss admitted that the inquiry was proper, but
asserted that the way in which the trial judge worded the question would actually discourage someone from
revealing such a bias. This Court found: "After reading the transcript in its entirety, it appears to this Court
that the trial judge had the best of intentions in trying to discover anyone on the venire that was not
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impartial, although the manner in which the inquiry was done may have had a chilling effect." Doss, 709
So. 2d at 382.
¶18. The other instance involved a transcript of Doss's statement made to police in which another
shooting, besides that of Robert C. Bell, was mentioned. This was the shooting of Tommy White, which
took place hours after the shooting of Robert Bell. Doss eventually pled guilty to second degree murder
in connection with the shooting of White. In the statement Doss was asked if the gun "they" used to shoot
"this guy up here in Memphis" was the same gun that was taken from the Sparks store. Doss said he wasn't
sure, but it was similar. Doss denied getting any additional guns after they had left the Sparks store. This
statement was admitted into evidence.
¶19. In neither instance does Doss demonstrate that his counsel’s failure to timely object, or to object
with specificity, so undermined the proper functioning of the adversarial process that the trial did not
produce a just result, or prejudiced his defense of the case as required under the second prong of
Strickland. As we said in Davis v. State, 743 So. 2d 326, 334 (Miss. 1999):
To determine the second prong of prejudice to the defense, the
standard is “a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional
errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” Mohr v.
State, 584 So. 2d 426, 430 (Miss. 1991). . . . There is no constitutional
right then to errorless counsel. Cabello v. State, 524 So. 2d 313, 315
(Miss. 1988). . . . If the post-conviction application fails on either of the
Strickland prongs, the proceedings end. Neal v. State, 525 So. 2d 1279, 1281 (Miss. 1987).
This issue is without merit.
IV. Must the sentence be vacated because of ineffective assistance of counsel
in the penalty phase of the trial?
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¶20. Doss relies first on the affidavit of his trial attorney who states that: Doss's was the first case he had
defended where the death penalty was sought; he did not seek any school, medical, mental health or other
records, because he did not realize the importance of the records in presenting a defense during the
sentencing phase; he did not seek advice from a mental health expert, funds for a mental health expert or
any kind of mental health evaluation; and he did not obtain any records resulting from the investigation of
criminal charges against Doss in Shelby County, but he did obtain the indictment and judgment in that case.
Bailey also obtained the appointment of an investigator, Kelvin Winbush, who was also the investigator
for Doss's co-defendant, Frederick Bell. Bailey stated that Winbush told him he had interviewed: Doss's
aunt, Lillie Moore; Doss's sisters, Lucretia Monger and Mavis McCaster; Doss's brothers, Marvin Doss
and Randy Doss; and John Westmoreland and that all stated that Doss was a good and/or quiet person
who got involved with the wrong crowd. Bailey did not follow up with these witnesses or ask them to
testify at the sentencing phase. Bailey stated that Winbush told him he had contacted two teachers in
Bruce, a Mrs. Parker and a Coach Smith, but it was questionable as to whether these people actually knew
Doss, or whether they had mistaken him for Frederick Bell. Bailey did not realize that a conflict might result
from using Winbush, where one of Bailey's potential defense strategies was to blame Bell as the instigator
of the shooting. Bailey states that he interviewed only Doss's mother and an aunt for a few minutes. Bailey
states that he felt he did a good job in defending the case at the guilt phase, but that he did not know what
he was doing as to the sentencing phase.
¶21. Kelvin Winbush's affidavit states that this was his first mitigation investigation, and that he was also
the investigator for Frederick Bell. Winbush identified Lillie Moore, Lucretia Monger, , Mavis McCaster,
, Marvin Doss, , Randy Doss, , and John Westmoreland, a friend, as favorable mitigation witnesses.
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Winbush also identified Coach Smith, a teacher and coach in Bruce, as someone who knew Anthony and
said he "behaved fairly well for the most part." Winbush stated that he gave Bailey contact information for
some of the witnesses, and Bailey knew Winbush had contact information for them all. Winbush says that
he was never asked to follow up with the witnesses, to arrange for subpoenas, to arrange for their presence
at trial, or to look for additional witnesses after Winbush's initial report. He was also not asked to do any
investigating in Chicago.
¶22. Carolyn Watkins, the public defender who handled Doss's murder charge in Shelby County, states
in an affidavit that she obtained school records for Doss from Chicago; Doss's medical records from
Chicago, including records involving a 1986 head injury; and the 1988 psychological report done at the
University of Mississippi. She states that Lee Bailey never requested these records.
¶23. Doss attaches the affidavits of his mother, Sadie Doss; Verlene Forest Williams, a woman who
became friends with Doss during his imprisonment; Carolyn Phillips, an aunt; Ernestine Williams, an aunt;
Lucretia Monger, ; Randy Doss, ; Roselyn Monette Jackson, Doss's aunt; Mary Jennings, Doss's aunt;
John Westmoreland, who had been married to Doss's aunt; Annette James, a girlfriend; Marvin Doss,
Anthony's half-brother; Q.T. Doss, a family member; Lillie Moore, ; Sandra Price, a daughter of Sam "Joe"
Brown, who lived with Doss's mother in Chicago; Chantay Price, Sandra Price's sixteen-year-old daughter;
Varnado McDonald, step-sister of Lucretia Monger; Carrie Cole, Doss's aunt; Rosie Caldwell, a friend
of Doss's mother; and Sam Phillips, Doss's biological father. The affiants say that Doss was shy and quiet,
not a violent person; that there were times when Doss seemed to go into a seizure or trance of some kind,
when he did not respond to people; that he had mental or medical problems that began with his mother's
drinking and drug use during her pregnancy with him, followed by lead poisoning and head injuries during
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Doss's childhood; that mental illness seemed to run in the Doss family; that Doss was easily led by
Frederick Bell, who was a bad, violent person and came from a violent family; that Doss began to run with
a bad crowd when he moved from Chicago to Mississippi; that Doss's birth and upbringing in Chicago
were riddled with crime, drug abuse and poverty. Specifically mentioned and blamed for much of the
misfortune suffered by Doss and his family in Chicago was Sam Brown, who lived with Doss's mother.
Doss apparently believed for much of his early life that Sam Brown was his biological father. According
to various affidavits, Sam Brown was violent and abusive toward Doss, his mother and the rest of the
family; he took what little money the family had to buy drugs and gamble; and he sold drugs and introduced
the children in the family to drugs.
¶24. In Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. 510, 123 S. Ct. 2527, 156 L. Ed. 2d 471 (2003), the United
States Supreme Court found that prejudice resulted from counsel’s failure to discover and present
mitigating evidence. Doss relies on Davis v. State, 743 So. 2d 326, 329 (Miss. 1999), in which this
Court stated: "[W]hile attorneys will be granted wide discretion as to trial strategy, choosing defenses and
calling witnesses, a certain amount of investigation and preparation is required. Failure to call a witness may
be excused based on the belief that the testimony will not be helpful; such a belief in turn must be based on
a genuine effort to locate or evaluate the witness, and not on a mistaken legal notion or plain inaction." This
Court granted Davis leave to proceed on that issue where his attorney called three witness in sentencing,
a friend of Davis's, and Davis's sister and mother. Davis alleged that his trial attorney did not call available
character witnesses and did not prepare the ones he did call.
¶25. Doss also relies on Woodward v. State, 635 So. 2d 805 (Miss. 1993), where this Court vacated
Woodward's death sentence on post-conviction and remanded for a new sentencing hearing, and
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Leatherwood v. State, 473 So. 2d 964 (Miss. 1985), where this Court, on post-conviction, remanded
the question of ineffective assistance of counsel to the circuit court for an evidentiary hearing. In both cases
it was alleged that defense counsel had failed to properly investigate, locate and prepare witness for
sentencing.
¶26. Doss finally cites Burns v. State, 813 So. 2d 668 (Miss. 2001). Burns alleged that his defense
counsel was ineffective for failure to call any witnesses during the sentencing phase. Burns presented
affidavits from several persons who stated that they would have been willing to testify for Burns if they had
been called, including his mother, sister, two co-workers and a former employer. The Court noted that
"[s]ome of the evidence as proposed in the affidavits probably would not have aided the defense," such as
evidence about violent behavior and drug use by Burns, and it was possible that the failure to call such
witnesses was a matter of trial strategy. Id. at 678. Apparently no testimony concerning this decision from
trial counsel was provided, as this Court found that it should grant leave to proceed on this issue "absent
explanatory testimony." Id. at 679.
¶27. The State argues that Doss's supporting affidavits are contradicted by earlier testimony, contradict
each other, are irrelevant, facially false, and insufficient to support Doss's claim. The State correctly points
out numerous problems with the affidavits, including: Anthony Doss and his mother had numerous
opportunities to tell the horror stories about life in Chicago earlier, and never did so until after his
conviction; several persons now testify that Anthony wanted to return to Chicago just before the murder
but was unable to; Anthony Doss and his mother never testified about any family history of mental illness
until after his conviction; Sadie Doss never previously testified about any personal drug abuse history or
16
problems with Anthony's delivery; Sadie Doss never testified about the terrible treatment she, Anthony and
the rest of the family endured at the hands of Sam Brown, but falsely told the jury at Anthony's trial that
Sam Brown was Anthony's father.
¶28. The State cites a psychological report issued by the University of Mississippi after Doss was tested
there in 1988. In that report Sadie Doss told the interviewers that her pregnancy and Anthony's delivery
was normal, that there was no history of mental illness in the family, that there was no history of alcohol or
drug abuse in the immediate family; and that the first of Anthony's three most important wishes was to return
to Chicago. The State points out affidavit testimony supplied by Doss which supports his desire to return
to Chicago. The State also points out that Doss does not supply any police or medical reports to support
the stories of assaults against the family by Sam Brown and others, or the stories of illness and drug abuse.
The State points out these inconsistencies and some untruths in the affidavits, such as citing Sandra Price's
affidavit as evidence of the family's history of mental problems, where Sandra Price, the daughter of Sam
Brown, and Anthony Doss are not blood relatives.
¶29. The State argues that defense counsel Bailey's opinions about his own performance are irrelevant
because (1) effective assistance of counsel is based on an objective standard and (2) such evidence is not
newly discovered evidence. See In re Hill, 460 So. 2d 792 (Miss. 1984). While Bailey's opinions about
his own performance may not be relevant, there is no doubt that his many statements about what he did
not do, because he did not think it would be helpful, and that he did not know enough about death penalty
litigation to know better, and that his decisions were not a part of trial strategy, are relevant. Doss does not
allege that Bailey's statements are newly discovered evidence because there is no such need at this point.
Doss is not trying to get past a procedural bar.
17
¶30. The State sums up its argument by citing Dowthitt v. Johnson, 230 F.3d 733 (5th Cir. 2000),
for the proposition that counsel cannot be ineffective for failure to interview or call witnesses when those
witnesses will not cooperate; Chase v. State, 699 So. 2d 521 (Miss. 1997), where this Court stated that
an attorney was not ineffective where a witness supporting a defense motion refused to appear and the
attorney did not attempt to force the witness to appear; Brown v. State, 798 So. 2d 481, 496 (Miss.
2001), where this Court stated that the duty to investigate and prepare is not limitless; Washington v.
Watkins, 655 F.2d 1346 (5th Cir. 1981), which finds that, when considering a claim of ineffective
assistance, one must take into account all circumstances, but only as known to counsel at the time in
question; and Ladd v. Cockrell, 311 F.3d 349 (5th Cir. 2002), which states that, in the face of
overwhelming evidence, modest mitigation evidence to the contrary becomes irrelevant.
¶31. What the State does not attempt to do is distinguish, or even mention, Davis, Woodward,
Leatherwood or Burns, the cases from this Court cited by Doss. The State points out that some of what
is included in Doss's affidavits is not helpful to him, but this did not prevent this Court from granting relief
in Burns. We acknowledge that many discrepancies exist among the affidavits presented by Doss in
support of this issue. However, we conclude that Doss has made a sufficient showing under the
Strickland test that Bailey's efforts fell short of the efforts a counsel should make in a death penalty
sentencing trial, so as to entitle Doss to an evidentiary hearing on this claim in the circuit court. This was
Bailey’s first death penalty case, and he admitted that he did not know what he was doing in the sentencing
phase. When counsel makes choices of which witnesses to use or not use, those choices must be made
based on counsel’s proper investigation. Counsel’s minimum duty is to interview potential witnesses and
18
to make an independent investigation of the facts and circumstances of the case. Woodward, 635 So. 2d
at 813 (Smith, J., concurring in part).
¶32. Under Strickland, “[t]he performance inquiry must be whether counsel’s assistance was
reasonable considering all the circumstances” and once a deficient performance is shown “a defendant must
show that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the
[sentencing phase] would have been different.” Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694. In the present case, the
inquiry is whether the sentence would have been different if mitigating evidence which was available, but
not used, had been presented. Doss should have the opportunity to present evidence to the trial court in
support of his claim that his counsel’s failure to investigate and present available evidence in mitigation
amounted to ineffective counsel.
V. Must the sentence be vacated under Atkins v. Virginia?
¶33. Doss argues that he is entitled to have his sentence vacated because he is mentally retarded and
his execution is prohibited under Atkins v. Virginia, 536 U.S. 304, 122 S. Ct. 2242, 153 L. Ed. 2d 335
(2002). Doss claims that Atkins is an intervening decision which allows him to proceed in the trial court.
¶34. Doss is correct that Atkins is an intervening decision; however, the United States Supreme Court
did not define who is or is not mentally retarded for purposes of eligibility for a death sentence, but instead
“leave[s] to the State[s] the task of developing appropriate ways to enforce the constitutional restriction
upon [their] execution of sentences.” 122 S. Ct. at 2250. After Atkins was decided in June of 2002, this
Court considered and developed the standards and procedures which should be used in determining the
proper disposition of claims of mental retardation, in a series of decisions including Foster v. State, 848
19
So. 2d 172 (Miss. 2003), Russell v. State, 849 So. 2d 95 (Miss. 2003), Goodin v. State, 856 So. 2d
267 (Miss. 2003), and Chase v. State, 873 So. 2d 1013 (Miss. 2004), with Chase now being the
seminal case by which we measure claims of mental retardation.
¶35. In Chase, we noted that the Atkins majority cited with approval two specific, almost identical,
definitions of “mental retardation.”
The first was provided by the American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR):
Mental retardation refers to substantial limitations in present functioning.
It is characterized by significantly subaverage intellectual functioning,
existing concurrently with related limitations in two or more of the
following applicable adaptive skill areas: communication, self-care,
community use, self- direction, health and safety, functional academics,
leisure, and work, Mental retardation manifests before age 18.
Atkins, 536 U.S. at 308 n. 3, 122 S. Ct. 2242, citing Mental Retardation: Definition,
Classification, and Systems of Support 5 (9th ed.1992). The second was provided by The
American Psychiatric Association:
“The essential feature of Mental Retardation is significantly subaverage
general intellectual functioning (Criterion A) that is accompanied by
significant limitations in adaptive functioning in at least two of the following
skill areas: communication, self-care, home living, social/interpersonal
skills, use of community resources, self-direction, functional academic
skills, work, leisure, health, and safety (Criterion B). The onset must occur
before age 18 years (Criterion C). Mental Retardation has many different
etiologies and may be seen as a final common pathway of various
pathological processes that affect the functioning of the central nervous
system.” Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 39 (4th
ed.2000).
Id.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, from which the
American Psychiatric Association definition is quoted, further states that "mild" mental
retardation is typically used to describe persons with an IQ level of 50-55 to
20
approximately 70. Id. at 42-43. The Manual further provides, however, that mental
retardation may, under certain conditions, be present in an individual with an IQ of up to
75. [FN18] Id. at 40. Additionally, According to the Atkins majority, "[i]t is estimated that
between 1 and 3 percent of the population has an IQ between 70 and 75 or lower, which
is typically considered the cutoff IQ score for the intellectual function prong of the mental
retardation definition." Id. citing 2 Kaplan & Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of
Psychiatry 2952 (B. Sadock & V. Sadock eds 7th ed.2000) (emphasis added).
These definitions were previously adopted and approved by this Court in Foster
v. State, 848 So. 2d 172 (Miss.2003). This Court further held in Foster that
the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-II (MMPI-II) is to be
administered since its associated validity scales make the test best suited
to detect malingering.... Foster must prove that he meets the applicable
standard by a preponderance of the evidence.... This issue will be
considered and decided by the circuit court without a jury.
Id. at 175.
These definitions, approved in Atkins, and adopted in Foster, together with the
MMPI-II, [FN19] provide a clear standard to be used in this State by our trial courts in
determining whether, for Eighth Amendment purposes, a criminal defendant is mentally
retarded. The trial judge will make such determination, by a preponderance of the
evidence, after receiving evidence presented by the defendant and the State.
Chase, 873 So. 2d at 1027-28.
¶36. Further, in Chase we also adopted the procedures to be used in determining mental retardation,
as follows:
Having established the definition of mental retardation to be used for purposes of
Eighth Amendment protection to mentally retarded defendants, we now turn to the
procedure to be used in reaching a determination of mental retardation.
We hold that no defendant may be adjudged mentally retarded for purposes of the
Eighth Amendment, unless such defendant produces, at a minimum, an expert who
expresses an opinion, to a reasonable degree of certainty, that:
1. The defendant is mentally retarded, as that term is defined by the
American Association on Mental Retardation and/or The American
Psychiatric Association;
2. The defendant has completed the Minnesota Multi phasic Personality
21
Inventory-II (MMPI-II) and/or other similar tests, and the defendant is not
malingering.
Such expert must be a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, qualified as an expert
in the field of assessing mental retardation, and further qualified as an expert in the
administration and interpretation of tests, and in the evaluation of persons, for purposes of
determining mental retardation.
Upon meeting this initial requirement to go forward, the defendant may present
such other opinions and evidence as the trial court may allow pursuant to the Mississippi
Rules of Evidence.
Thereafter, the State may offer evidence, and the matter should proceed as other
evidentiary hearings on motions.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court must determine whether the
defendant has established, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the defendant is
mentally retarded. The factors to be considered by the trial court are the expert opinions
offered by the parties, and other evidence if limitations, or lack thereof, in the adaptive skill
areas listed in the definitions of mental retardation approved in Atkins, and discussed
above. Upon making such determination, the trial court shall place in the record its finding
and the factual basis therefor.
Chase, 873 So. 2d at 1029.
¶37. Although Chase was in a somewhat different procedural posture than the present case, the
underlying evidentiary requirements for Eighth Amendment protection from execution remain the same.
Doss must provide evidence from at least one expert, qualified as described above, who opines, to a
reasonable degree of certainty, that: (1) Doss has a combined Intelligence Quotient ("IQ") of 75 or below,
and; (2) in the opinion of the expert, there is a reasonable basis to believe that he is mentally retarded, as
defined herein.
¶38. Doss has more than met the threshold requirement to be heard on the Atkins issue, based on the
neuropsychological evaluation of Dr. Michael M. Gelbort, and the affidavits of Dr. James R. Merikangas
and Jeffrey Eno, a clinical and social worker.
¶39. Dr. Gelbort examined Doss in Parchman in May 2003, and reported certain family medical and
22
traumatic events. He administered the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale - III, Wechsler Memory Scale -
III subtests, Wide Range Achievement Test - III, Lateral Domination Examination, Strength of Grip, Trail
Making Test, Category Test, items from the Luria Nebraska, and diagnostic interview with mental status
testing. Doss had test scores 68 verbal, 79 performance, and 71 IQ. Dr. Gelbort states that "[t]hese
scores are virtually identical to those obtained in the distant past and lend weight to the opinion that the
patient put forth appropriate effort, as well as that his intellectual functioning is in the borderline mentally
retarded range and that he qualified, in terms of intellectual impairment, for a diagnosis of Mental
Retardation."
¶40. Dr. Merikangas, a physician specializing in neurology and psychiatry, provided an affidavit, dated
August 14, 2001, in which he stated that he had been provided with a psychological report on Doss
prepared by the University of Mississippi Psychological Services Center based on testing of Doss
conducted in July and August 1988. Dr. Merikangas states that this report by itself "suggests organic brain
damage and mental retardation that is important mitigating evidence." Dr. Merikangas's ultimate conclusion
was that a neuropsychiatric evaluation was necessary.
¶41. Jeffrey Eno, a clinical and forensic social worker who develops mitigation evidence for criminal
defendants, states in his affidavit that he was asked to investigate and evaluate Doss's social history
background and to highlight the influences that have shaped his development. Eno states that this
information was readily available at the time of Doss's original trial and sentencing hearing. Eno then
provides a life history of Doss, including his prenatal history, the poverty of his youth, his exposure to lead
paint chips, his violent, physically abusive step-father, his growing up in a dangerous area of Chicago, his
physical injuries, his exposure to violent crimes and criminals, the history of mental problems suffered by
23
other members of the family, his substance abuse and exposure to drug dealers and his psychiatric history.
¶42. The State denies that Anthony Doss is retarded, relying heavily on the same psychological report
on which Dr. Merikangas relies, performed on Doss at the University of Mississippi Psychological Services
Center in July and August 1988. The State points out that Doss, fifteen at the time, was being evaluated
because he had been placed on probation in April 1988 by the Calhoun County Youth Court due to his
pleading guilty to charges of breaking and entering, possession of marijuana and causing a family
disturbance. This evaluation took place less than three years before the shooting of Robert C. Bell. Doss
was administered the Wechlser Intelligence Scale for Children - Revised, the Millon Adolescent Personality
Inventory, the Wide Range Achievement Test - Revised, the Bender Motor Gestalt Test, and a clinical
interview.
¶43. The State further argues that there are numerous contradictions and inconsistencies between the
version of Anthony Doss's life as he and his family now are reporting it versus their description in 1988.1
The University of Mississippi Report states that Doss's mother, Sadie, reports that her pregnancy and
Anthony's delivery were normal and uneventful; Sadie Doss reported that there was no history of mental
illness in the family; that Anthony and his mother and brother moved to Calhoun City so that Sadie could
help her adult daughters with their childcare; Sadie Doss stated that she only drinks an occasional beer and
there was no history of alcohol or drug abuse in their immediate family; and that Anthony told the
interviewers that his most important wish was to go back to Chicago. The State reports that this all
1
Based on this 1988 report and other inconsistencies in Doss’s claim, Justice Easley writes in
his separate opinion that the “majority’s conclusion to grant Doss leave to proceed in the trial court on
this issue is flawed.” However, that is precisely the procedure established by this Court in Chase,
which allows the State, as well as Doss, to offer evidence in support of their respective arguments.
24
contradicts Doss's allegations now, that being born, growing up and living in Chicago was a horrible,
dangerous, traumatic experience. Nowhere in the 1988 report is Sam Brown, the violent, abusive
stepfather from Chicago, mentioned.
¶44. The State argues that Doss had been taking special education courses, but also had been
mainstreamed into some regular classes with some good results, making B's, C's and D's. After this Doss
starting skipping school regularly. Doss's test results on the Wechlser were verbal scale IQ of 67,
performance scale IQ of 80 and a full scale IQ of 71. The State argues that these scores are too high to
denote mental retardation. The Psychological Report provides a diagnostic impression of "conduct
disorder, socialized, aggressive." The Report never states that Doss is retarded.
¶45. The State finally argues that, if this Court does grant Doss leave to proceed in the trial court on this
issue, Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584, 122 S. Ct. 2428, 153 L. Ed. 2d 556 (2002), is not applicable
to his claim. See Russell v. State, 849 So. 2d at 148. We agree.
¶46. The State raises numerous legitimate questions concerning Doss's claim, including his supporting
expert testimony, the alleged facts of his upbringing, and the timing of his claim of retardation. All might be
available to impeach Doss and undermine his claim, but this does not prevent Doss from presenting his
claim before the trial court. We hold that Doss is granted leave to present his Atkins claim before the trial
court.
VI. Use of the “avoiding arrest” aggravating circumstance.
¶47. Doss next argues that it was error to allow the jury to consider the aggravating circumstance that
the murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest. This issue was raised
on direct appeal and considered by this Court as follows:
25
Doss argues (1) that the evidence did not support the giving of sentencing instruction No.
C-1 setting forth the aggravating circumstance that the murder was committed for the
purpose of avoiding arrest and (2) that no accompanying limiting instruction was given.
The State asserts that this Court, in Chase held that a limiting instruction on this type of
aggravator is not necessary. Chase clearly does dispose of this portion of Doss's
argument, rendering it without merit. See Evans v. Thigpen, 631 F. Supp. 274, 283
(S.D.Miss.1986), aff'd 809 F.2d 239 (5th Cir.1987); Gray v. Lucas, 677 F.2d 1086,
1109-1110 (5th Cir.1982).
The State next asserts that the evidence supported the instruction. It points to the following
facts. (1) Doss admittedly went into the store with a gun to rob it. (2) Freddie had said
before entering the store that they were "going to go in shooting." (3) Doss supposedly said
"Let's go. Let's go do it" immediately before entering Sparks. (4) Bell hollered as he was
shot and had several shots through his hands indicating that he was neither armed nor
posed a threat to the robbers' escape. (5) According to Coffey, once Doss was on his way
to Memphis, Doss was ready to go back and kill James to eliminate a possible witness.
And finally, (6) Doss admitted that he went to Memphis so that he would not get caught.
[FN27]
FN27. Facts 2, 3, and 5 were denied by Doss during trial.
Doss responds in his reply brief with the argument that all of the above-mentioned facts
exist in any felony-murder case and that there are no "substantial reasons" to support the
aggravating circumstance in this case. We find Doss's argument unpersuasive as the
aforementioned facts, particularly # 4 and # 6, support the giving of the instruction. This
argument is without merit.
Doss, 709 So. 2d at 390-91.
¶48. Doss relies on this Court's decision in Taylor v. State, 672 So. 2d 1246 (Miss. 1996), in which
Taylor was convicted for murdering his stepdaughter Mildred Spires. Taylor challenged the validity of
several aggravating factors, including avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest. This Court found the following:
(4) Avoiding or Preventing a Lawful Arrest. Taylor claims that the State adduced
no evidence to support the proposition that the murder was committed for the purpose of
avoiding or preventing the detection and lawful arrest of the defendant. The Court has said
that the "avoiding arrest" aggravating circumstance is justified where:
26
there is evidence from which it may be reasonably inferred that a
substantial reason for the killing was to conceal the identity of the killer or
killers or to 'cover their tracks' so as to avoid apprehension and eventual
arrest by authorities.
There is absolutely no evidence that a desire to avoid apprehension and arrest was a
substantial reason for the killing of Mildred Spires. This instruction was improperly given
to the jury as an aggravating circumstance.
Taylor, 672 So. 2d at 1275. In addition, a partially concurring opinion added:
However, the evidentiary basis for avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest is without any
testimony. The timing of the actions of a person's spray painting the victim's automobile is
not in evidence. To be an aggravating factor, Miss.Code Ann §§ 99-19-101(5)(e) states:
The capital offense was committed for the purpose of avoiding or
preventing a lawful arrest or effecting an escape from custody.
For this factor to apply, the act of avoiding or preventing an arrest or escaping had to have
occurred when the murder was committed, and it must have been a motivating factor in the
killing. The dissent suggests that the spraying of the car was such an act, but has no
evidentiary basis for the time of the action. Assuming that the defendant was the actor, the
dissent suggests that the spray painting occurred after Taylor was told by Detective
Knowles that fingerprints would be found on the car. It is my view that the above statutory
language requires that the actual killing be done in avoidance of the arrest. A later act to
avoid arrest does not meet the statutory requirement for this aggravating factor. The record
here is without substantiation on this factor; therefore, there is error in this sentencing
hearing on this point and that error requires a new hearing.
Taylor, 672 So. 2d at 1279 (Prather, J., concurring in part).
¶49. Doss argues that because this Court did not consider Taylor when it decided this issue on direct
appeal, the claim is not procedurally barred. Doss argues that this Court in Taylor "restricted the kind of
evidence that may be used to support the submission of the aggravating factor of avoiding arrest,"
particularly citing Justice Prather's partial concurrence. Doss then argues that there was insufficient
evidence to support the "avoiding arrest" aggravating factor in his case because items 5 and 6 concern
27
Doss's attempt to avoid arrest after the murder and are irrelevant under this Court's decision in Taylor.
Doss argues that there was much more evidence in Taylor concerning an effort to avoid arrest after the
murder of Mildred Spires. Doss argues that item 4 was not applicable in light of Taylor, as Mildred Spires
was not armed and there was no indication she posed a threat to Taylor's escape. As this Court found Bert
Bell similarly situated, Doss argues that the factor supports his argument. Doss argues that the rest of the
enumerated facts were not sufficient to support the aggravator.
¶50. The State first answers that the issue was raised and decided on direct appeal and is barred by res
judicata. The State also argues that Taylor was handed down by this Court on April 25, 1996, whereas
Doss was initially decided on May 23, 1996, and handed down in its final form on December 15, 1997,
so Doss could have relied on Taylor before this Court.
¶51. The State further argues that this analysis is dependent on the facts of each case, and under the facts
of this case, the jury was entitled "to make a logical connection between the injuries Bert Bell suffered and
the find that Doss murdered Bell in order to avoid arrest." The State also contends that Justice Prather's
partially concurring opinion is not controlling, and this Court has found several times since Taylor that
actions taken after the murder may be taken into consideration with this particular aggravator. See
Manning v. State, 735 So. 2d 323 (Miss. 1999) (lied to police about his presence); Woodward v.
State, 726 So. 2d 524 (Miss. 1997) (disposed of the murder weapon); and Edwards v. State, 737
So. 2d 275 (Miss. 1999) (burned victim's vehicle).
¶52. Taylor presents a unique fact situation. Any time a murder victim is found a month and a half after
the murder, the facts surrounding the victim's death will probably be more difficult to determine, and any
28
statutory aggravator will probably be more difficult to prove. If Mildred Spires had been found the day
after her death, then there may have been sufficient evidence to support this aggravator. Under the
circumstances there was not. Taylor did not set any new standard or provide any new rule of law.
Taylor is also distinguishable because there was evidence of another motive for the killing. In the present
case, there appears to be no other motive, except the desire to eliminate witnesses.
¶53. Doss also cites numerous cases from this Court on the avoiding arrest aggravator in an effort to
show that the aggravator has been applied inconsistently, in almost every factual situation, to the point
where it has been rendered arbitrary and unconstitutional. The State points out that this argument has been
raised in numerous cases before this Court and has been rejected. See Chase v. State, 645 So. 2d 829
(Miss. 1994); Walker v. State, 671 So. 2d 581 (Miss. 1995); and Wiley v. State, 750 So. 2d 1193
(Miss. 1999). This issue is without merit.
VII. Proportionality.
¶54. Doss next takes issue with the fact that the jury found that he intended that a killing take place and
that he had contemplated lethal force. Doss points out that the jury did not find that Doss killed or
attempted to kill Robert C. Bell. Doss cites the trial judge's report which states that Frederick Bell shot
Robert C. Bell. Doss argues that because he was "neither the trigger person nor the instigator" the death
sentence in this case was disproportionate and should be vacated.
¶55. This Court considered this issue on direct appeal as follows.:
Doss primarily draws the Court's attention to two cases in support of his proportionality
argument. He contends that given the failure of the jury to find that Doss killed or
attempted to kill Bert Bell, that the sentence of death is excessive. The cases relied upon
for his issue here are Bullock v. State, 391 So. 2d 601 (Miss.1980) and Reddix v.
29
State, 381 So. 2d 999 (Miss.1980) [FN48]. Bullock and Reddix are offered for the
proposition that a death sentence is disproportionate against a non-trigger defendant
involved in a capital murder case. [FN49]
FN48. Reddix was subsequently granted Habeas Corpus by Reddix v. Thigpen, 554
F. Supp. 1212 (S.D.Miss.1983) which was affirmed in part and reversed in part and
remanded by Reddix v. Thigpen, 728 F.2d 705 (5th Cir.(Miss.) (1984). The 728 F.2d
705 decision was based upon the fact that the State had failed to prove that Reddix had
the criminal intent to commit the murder or the requisite Enmund intent to be sentenced
to death. Request for a rehearing of this decision and certiorari were denied respectively.
Reddix v. Thigpen, 732 F.2d 494 (5th Cir.(Miss.)1984)) and Thigpen v. Reddix,
469 U.S. 990, 105 S. Ct. 397, 83 L. Ed. 2d 331 (1984). Such is not the case with Doss as
two Enmund factors were found by the jury.
FN49. The Court very recently affirmed a death sentence against an instigator nontrigger
defendant in Ballenger v. State, 667 So. 2d 1242 (Miss.1995).
The State contends that Doss's reliance upon Bullock and Reddix is misplaced because
the language relied upon did not garner a majority of votes. The original opinion from
Bullock is offered against Doss for what Bullock really stands for.
In the case at bar [Bullock], there is no record of the aggravating
circumstances and mitigating circumstances in the trial of Tucker, and it is
not possible to determine what circumstances influenced the jury in its life
verdict. The law is well settled in this State that any person who is present,
aiding and abetting another in the commission of a crime, is equally guilty
with the principal offender. Jones [James] v. State, 307 So. 2d 549
(Miss.1975); Bass v. State, 231 So. 2d 495 (Miss.1970); McBroom
v. State, 217 Miss. 338, 64 So. 2d 144 (1953).
Bullock, 391 So. 2d at 614.
In light of the restatement in Bullock about accomplice liability, coupled with the fact that
Doss's jury found two of the four required statutory findings for a death sentence under §§
99-19-101(7) and Enmund, the State submits that Doss correctly received the death
sentence as supported by case precedent and the jury's findings. We agree that the
sentence is not disproportionate to Doss's involvement in the crime in this case.
Accordingly, this issue is without merit. See Davis v. State, 660 So. 2d 1228
(Miss.1995).
30
Doss, 709 So. 2d at 400.
¶56. Doss states that he has done a survey of this Court's death penalty decisions, and has found sixteen
where the condemned "were not found to have pulled the trigger or otherwise physically caused the death."
Doss states that the death penalty has been vacated or otherwise reversed in fourteen of these cases. Doss
argues that this leaves two cases, Carr v. State, 655 So. 2d 824 (Miss. 1995), and Jordan v. State, 728
So. 2d 1088 (Miss. 1998), where the death sentence has not been reversed. Doss distinguishes these two
decisions by saying that Carr and Jordan "were more involved" in the crimes for which they received the
death sentence than was Doss.
¶57. As for this Court's decision on this issue on Doss's direct appeal, Doss argues that this Court relied
on Ballenger v. State, 667 So. 2d 1242 (Miss. 1995), where this Court identified Ballenger as an
"instigator non-trigger defendant." Doss states that Ballenger should be distinguished, as Ballenger was
the instigator and mastermind, while Doss was not. Doss claims that because of this erroneous analysis the
issue is not barred by res judicata.
¶58. The State answers that Doss's argument is nothing more than a proportionality claim, which was
considered by this Court and rejected on direct appeal, and is barred by res judicata under Miss. Code
Ann. § 99-39-21(3). The State argues that Doss's act of rephrasing this direct appeal issue will not render
res judicata inapplicable. The State also argues that Doss's argument concerning the large number of cases
where a death sentence has been reversed or vacated is misleading. The State does not identify the cases,
but states that in twelve of the fourteen cases where the death penalty was reversed, it was done so on
grounds other than the issue of the defendant's minimal involvement in the murder.
31
¶59. As for Ballenger, this Court granted a new trial to Ballenger because of the trial court's failure
to instruct the jury on the elements of the underlying felony of robbery, and not because her sentence was
found to be disproportionate. See Ballenger v. State, 761 So. 2d 214 (Miss. 2000). While this Court
may find degrees of differences between the involvement of Doss versus other death penalty defendants,
they are not significant for purposes of this analysis. This matter was decided on direct appeal and nothing
cited by Doss nullifies the procedural bar.
VIII. Do the errors, when taken together, require reversal?
¶60. Doss finally argues that he is entitled to a new guilt and sentencing trial, or at least a new sentencing
trial, due to the cumulative effect of the errors at his trial. Doss cites Williams v. State, 445 So. 2d 798,
810 (Miss. 1984), where this Court stated that it "has an established practice in capital cases of considering
trial errors for their cumulative impact." As we find little error in the issues of this case, this issue is
unconvincing.
CONCLUSION
¶61. We grant Anthony Doss leave to proceed in the Grenada County Circuit Court only on his claim
of ineffective assistance of counsel at the sentencing phase, and on his Atkins claim. We deny leave to
proceed on all other claims.
¶62. LEAVE TO SEEK POST-CONVICTION RELIEF GRANTED IN PART AND DENIED
IN PART.
SMITH, C.J.,WALLER, P.J., CARLSON, GRAVES AND DICKINSON, JJ., CONCUR.
EASLEY, J., CONCURS IN PART AND DISSENTS IN PART WITH SEPARATE WRITTEN
OPINION. DIAZ AND RANDOLPH, JJ., NOT PARTICIPATING.
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EASLEY, JUSTICE, CONCURRING IN PART AND DISSENTING IN PART:
¶63. As I disagree that Doss is entitled to proceed in the trial court on the issue of mental retardation,
I must respectfully dissent in part. The affidavit submitted from Dr. Merikangas concludes that
neuropsychiatric evaluation is necessary. However, the State notes the numerous contradictions and
inconsistencies between the version of Doss's life provided by Doss and his family and that provided in the
1988 University of Mississippi report upon which Dr. Merikangas relied in his affidavit. As noted by the
majority and argued by the State, in 1988 Doss did not allege "a horrible, dangerous, traumatic experience"
growing up in Chicago as he now alleges. While, the majority applies the correct legal authority, it reaches
the wrong conclusion. The majority correctly states on the one hand that "the State raises numerous
legitimate questions concerning Doss's claim." However, the majority's conclusion to grant Doss leave to
proceed in the trial court on this issue is flawed. Therefore, I must respectfully dissent.
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