¶ 6. The case of Agee v. State prescribes the procedure the trial court must follow to determine whether a confession was coerced and involuntary. Kelly v. State, 735 So.2d 1071, 1077 (¶ 13) (Miss.Ct.App. 1999) (citing Agee v. State, 185 So.2d 671, 673 (Miss. 1966)).
When a defendant objects to the admission of a confession, the court must hold a hearing outside of the presence of the jury to determine its admissibility. Kelly v. State, 735 So.2d 1071, 1077 (¶ 13) (Miss.Ct.App. 1999) (quoting Agee v.State, 185 So.2d 671, 673 (Miss. 1966)).
Specifically, Malone refers to events surrounding his giving his statement of confession. "We review the admissibility of a confession by the trial court under our well established abuse of discretion standard." Kelly v. State, 735 So.2d 1071 (¶ 20) (Miss.Ct.App. 1999). ¶ 13. Malone recalls that as he walked to the interrogation room along with Detective Tommy Nelson and Detective Ronald Youngblood, Detective Youngblood told Malone that as long as he told the truth, "they would be lenient on him," referring to the district attorneys. Malone claims this was the sole reason he made his statement.
1990); Goodson v. State, 566 So.2d 1142, 1147-48 (Miss. 1990); and Kelly v. State, 735 So.2d 1071 (Miss.Ct.App. 1999). ¶ 50.
¶ 32. Finally, Jones accuses the prosecution of improperly discussing the fact that Jones was held without bail prior to the trial, a reversible breach. Kelly v. State, 735 So.2d 1071 (Miss.Ct.App. 1999). ¶ 33. Trial judges are given wide latitude in determining whether a remark is prejudicial to the defense and whether a remark may be so prejudicial as to warrant a mistrial.
See Walker v. State, 740 So.2d 873 (Miss. 1999); Kelly v. State, 735 So.2d 1071 (Miss. Ct. App. 1999). We, therefore, find this assignment of error to be without merit.
¶ 8. Miller cites Edwards v. State, No. 97-KA-00434-COA, 1999 WL 55990 (Miss.Ct.App. February 9, 1999), and Kelly v. State, 735 So.2d 1071 (Miss.Ct.App. 1999). A review of these cases show that neither is applicable. Edwards involved reversal and dismissal of criminal charges due to improper jury instructions and insufficient evidence.
Gilmore claims that the testimony given by the one officer on cross-examination was sufficient to be rebuttal as required by Malone v. State, 829 So.2d 1253, 1257-58 (Miss. 2002); see also Kelly v. State, 735 So.2d 1071, 1077 (Miss. 1999); Mettetal v. State, 602 So.2d 864, 867-68 (Miss. 1992); Lesley v. State, 606 So.2d 1084, 1091 (Miss.
When one party invites himself, that the other party then opens the door is a natural response and not a relinquishment of rights. Kelly v. State, 735 So.2d 1071, 1086 (Miss.Ct.App. 1999). This was not even an invitation to where the State quickly went.
That approach was followed by this Court when in a later case, the State had added language about the homicide not being in necessary self-defense to the manslaughter instructions requested by the defendant. Kelly v. State, 735 So.2d 1071, 1088 (¶ 49) (Miss.Ct.App. 1999). Kelly's defense was alibi.