Baker v. Bailey

246 F. Supp. 131, 1965 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7134
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. North Carolina
DecidedAugust 27, 1965
DocketCiv. No. 1728
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 246 F. Supp. 131 (Baker v. Bailey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Baker v. Bailey, 246 F. Supp. 131, 1965 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7134 (E.D.N.C. 1965).

Opinion

LARKINS, District Judge:

SUMMARY

This cause comes before the Court upon a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, filed by a State Prisoner pursuant to the provisions of Title 28 U.S.C.A. § 2254. Issues were joined upon the respondent answering the petition and moving to dismiss.

Petitioner alleges that his rights guaranteed him by the Constitution of the United States were denied him in the following particulars:

(1) “I was arrested, then taken to the said scien (sic) of crime without having a warrant read or issued to me.
(2) “I was questioned at said scien (sic) of crime, without a warrant being issued against me and without the aid of counsel.
(8) “My home was searched without a warrant, and evidence taken was used illegally against me.
(4) “Instead of being taken before a majistrate (sic) or to jail, after my arreast (sic) without a warrant, I was taken to the said scien (sic) of the crime.
(5) “The person who is guilty of the crime I was caarged (sic) with was never arrested or questioned, although I named this person.
(6) “My lawyer protected his friend who is guilty of the crime I am charged with.”

[132]*132FINDINGS OF FACT

Petitioner was arrested on April 11, 1963 upon a warrant issued for his arrest on April 4, 1963 and charging him with the murder of one Elizabeth Wells Baker on April 3, 1963. The warrant further shows that probable cause was determined at a Preliminary Hearing on April 11, 1963, whereupon no bond was allowed for petitioner’s release. Petitioner was represented at this Hearing by his privately retained counsel.

The face of the warrant further indicates it to have been executed on April 11, 1963, and signed by the executing officer on that date.

At the May “A” Term, 1963, of the Superior Court of Wake County, a true bill of indictment was returned by the Grand Jury against petitioner for the murder of Elizabeth Wells Baker.

At the July Assigned Criminal Term, on July 16, 1963, Wake County Superior Court, in Case No. 8682, petitioner’s counsel entered on his behalf a plea of guilty to the crime of second degree murder, the same being accepted by the State and the Court. Petitioner was thereupon sentenced to a period of incarceration in the State Prison System to not less than twenty-eight (28) years, nor more than thirty (30) years.

Under date of October 2, 1964, petitioner filed a “Petition For Review Of The Constitutionality Of Criminal Trial” (commonly called a petition for “Post-Conviction Hearing”). The grounds stated therein:

“What is the effect of counsel for the defense being incompetent?
“Did counsel for the defense have the right to enter a plea of guilty for the Petitioner?”

In addition, the following contentions appear from the content of the petition for Post Conviction Hearing:

“Your petitioner will prove at the hearing that this friend of Mr. Joslyn (sic), had a great instreat (sic) in this case (Petitioner will withhold his name until the time of the hearing).
“And further the court records will show they (sic) was no direct testimony presented concerning presented the actual crime charged and the testimony presented was conflicting some perjered and heresay (sic).”

The record shows petitioner was arrested on April 11, 1963, and was given a preliminary hearing that same day. He was represented at the Hearing, and throughout the course of his defense by the same privately retained counsel, William Joslin, Esquire, and his associate counsel in the case, Robert L. McMillan, Jr., Esquire, both attorneys being learned and competent members of the bar of the State of North Carolina, having considerable experience in the trial of criminal matters.

Counsel consulted with petitioner frequently between the time of his arrest on April 11, 1963, and the time of his trial on July 16, 1963. After weighing all the possibilities, probabilities, and related matters, it was the considered opinion of these attorneys that it was in petitioner’s best interest to enter a plea of guilty to the offense of murder in the second degree, rather than face a jury trial for the offense of murder in the first degree with the possibility of the death sentence being imposed.

Counsel expressed their opinion to petitioner frequently during the course of their consultations with him, and although he was at first non-committal, uncommunicative, and apparently undecided as to what to do about the proposed plea of guilty to murder in the second degree, petitioner finally authorized the plea to be entered on the Sunday preceding the trial of July 16,1963.

Petitioner not only had the benefit of the advice of his retained counsel and associate, but also received learned advice from William E. Rouse, Jr., Esquire, an attorney friend of petitioner’s son. Attorney Rouse visited petitioner with Attorney Joslin, upon the request of petitioner’s son, in order to persuade him to follow the advice of his counsel and to plead guilty.

On July 16, 1963, petitioner’s retained, counsel and his associate, in open court, [133]*133entered the plea of guilty to the crime of murder in the second degree on his behalf. Petitioner was present in court at this time, and although he did not make any statement, he had the opportunity to do so. He in no way indicated to the Court or his attorneys any protest or objection to the plea being entered.

Evidence was then offered by the State and by the petitioner, and statements were made on petitioner’s behalf by his counsel prior to the time sentence was imposed. Whether the evidence met the usual standards required when a case is being tried before a jury is not before the Court under the circumstances of this case because it was received upon a guilty plea.

In relation to the question of whether Attorney Joslin was acting in the best interest of petitioner or on behalf of the “unnamed friend”, the Court notes that petitioner sets out no evidentiary allegations in support of this contention. At the same time, he makes no attempt to impune the motives of the other attorneys who concurred with Attorney Joslin in recommending the plea. Nothing appears in this record other than petitioner’s bare allegation to cause the Court to inquire further into this frivolous allegation.

The Court further notes that petitioner, in his State Post-Conviction Hearing petition, attacked the voluntariness of his plea of guilty, but that he has abandoned this attack in this Court. Be that as it may, the Court has not only considered all those allegations directly enunciated by him but has also examined the petition, response and record to determine if any reason appears to the Court to consider the question of an involuntary guilty plea further, and no such reason appears.

CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

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Related

Barefoot v. North Carolina
259 F. Supp. 1020 (E.D. North Carolina, 1966)
Brown v. Turner
257 F. Supp. 734 (E.D. North Carolina, 1966)
Padgett v. United States
252 F. Supp. 772 (E.D. North Carolina, 1965)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
246 F. Supp. 131, 1965 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7134, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/baker-v-bailey-nced-1965.