Steele v. State
| Docket Number: | 2000-KA-01561-COA Linked Case(s): 2000-CT-01561-SCT ; 2000-KA-01561-COA |
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| Court of Appeals: |
Opinion Link Opinion Date: 05-20-2003 Opinion Author: Southwick, P.J. Holding: Affirmed |
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| Additional Case Information: |
Topic: Depraved heart murder - Sufficiency of evidence - Intent Judge(s) Concurring: McMillin, C.J., King, P.J., Bridges, Thomas, Lee, Irving, Myers, Chandler and Griffis, JJ. Procedural History: Jury Trial Nature of the Case: CRIMINAL - FELONY |
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| Trial Court: |
Date of Trial Judgment: 08-03-2000 Appealed from: Pike County Circuit Court Judge: Mike Smith Disposition: COUNT I: MURDER, SENTENCE OF LIFE; COUNT II: SHOOTING INTO AN OCCUPIED VEHICLE, SENTENCE OF FIVE YEARS ALL IN THE CUSTODY OF MDOC, $10,000 FINE AND RESTITUTION TO THE CRIME VICTIM'S COMPENSATION FUND, WITH SENTENCES TO RUN CONCURRENTLY District Attorney: J. Daniel Smith Case Number: 99-608-KA |
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| Party Name: | Attorney Name: | |||
| Appellant: | William A. Steele |
DAVID S. STRONG |
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| Appellee: | State of Mississippi | OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BY: JOHN R. HENRY |
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Synopsis provided by:  If you are interested in subscribing to the weekly synopses of all Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals hand downs please contact Tammy Upton in the MLI Press office. |
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| Topic: | Depraved heart murder - Sufficiency of evidence - Intent |
| Summary of the Facts: | William Steele was convicted of depraved heart murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle. He appeals. |
| Summary of Opinion Analysis: | Steele argues that this case does not constitute depraved heart murder, because he lacked the requisite malice to sustain a murder conviction. The proper guiding principle is not whether the killing was unintentional or accidental, but the degree of recklessness employed by the defendant. Intentionally firing an instrument as deadly as most handguns is often found to be in disregard of the life of others, even if there was no intention to kill or even injure. Here, the jury was properly instructed on both depraved heart murder and culpable negligence manslaughter. There is no evidence in the record to suggest that Steele did not intend to shoot. The choice of verdict among murder, manslaughter, or acquittal turned on fact questions of Steele's intent as he fired into the vehicle, and depraved heart murder was an appropriate verdict. In addition, from the evidence in the record, a rational and fair-minded juror could have rejected Steele’s theory of self-defense. |
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