Bell v. Patterson

279 F. Supp. 760, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8992
CourtDistrict Court, D. Colorado
DecidedFebruary 12, 1968
DocketCiv. A. 67-C-458
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 279 F. Supp. 760 (Bell v. Patterson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Bell v. Patterson, 279 F. Supp. 760, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8992 (D. Colo. 1968).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

WILLIAM E. DOYLE, District Judge.

The action comes before the Court on a petition for relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. When a matter is thus presented the mentioned act of Congress contemplates that a United States court will *762 search the record carefully and in depth. This we have attempted to do.

Petitioner was convicted of first degree murder in Denver, Colorado District Court on June 12, 1963, and subsequently sentenced to death. Petitioner contends that his conviction and sentence violated certain rights guaranteed to him under the U. S. Constitution. With certain minor exceptions noted below, it is agreed by the parties that petitioner has exhausted the state remedies available to him as required by 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b).

There have been two hearings in this Court. The first was held to deal with the legal issues. Subsequently it appeared that there were some evidentiary disputes. Thereafter, witnesses were heard for the purpose of resolving these matters. The cause now stands submitted.

Voluntariness of Petitioner’s Confession

Petitioner asserts that his confession introduced in the Denver District Court murder trial (Crim. No. 50233; May 27 — June 12, 1963) was involuntary, and he therefore contends that its admission as evidence violated his right against self-incrimination protected from state infringement by the Fourteenth Amendment. We note at the outset that since petitioner’s trial took place in May 1963, any failure of Denver police officers to follow procedures expostulated in Escobedo v. State of Illinois, 378 U.S. 478, 84 S.Ct. 1758, 12 L. Ed.2d 977 (1964) and finally in Miranda v. State of Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966) does not automatically require exclusion of the contested confession, though any variation from these procedures may still be significant in assessing the voluntariness of the confession. Johnson v. State of New Jersey, 384 U.S. 719, 730, 86 S. Ct. 1772, 16 L.Ed.2d 882 (1966).

The events surrounding petitioner Bell’s apprehension and subsequent interrogation culminating in the confession are pertinent to a decision as to voluntariness. On September 12, 1962, Denver patrolman Carl Knobbe was shot to death while trying to apprehend a robbery suspect, who later proved to be petitioner. After a city-wide manhunt was instituted to search for Knobbe’s assailant, petitioner Bell was apprehended on September 13 at 5:55 A.M. by patrolman Kenneth Pennel who was shortly joined by patrolman Paul Holland.

Pennel and Holland took Bell to Denver Police headquarters, arriving there at about 6:30 A.M. Bell was held in a third-floor office of the building until about 7:00 A.M., when Division Chief James Shumate, assisted by other police officers, began interrogating him. The interrogation lasted until about 7:55 A. M., at which time a reporter took down the statement and later transcribed it. This was an acknowledgment of guilt.

Petitioner was formally booked at 8:30 A.M., and between 8:30 and 10:15 A.M. he was photographed in the identification bureau, issued prison clothing, and given something to eat. At 10:15 A.M. petitioner was returned to Chief Shumate’s office, where he read and signed his statement, making certain corrections thereon. At 10:50 A.M. petitioner was taken before a magistrate in the same building, where he was formally advised of his rights.

At the Denver District Court trial, counsel had objected to admission of Bell’s confession on grounds that it was involuntary. The trial judge heard evidence on the question of voluntariness out of the presence of the jury. During that in camera hearing petitioner made several specific allegations:

1. After he was arrested and taken to police headquarters, he was told by an unidentified detective that he would be held incommunicado until he gave a statement.

2. Before Chief Shumate arrived, petitioner stated that he wanted to see an attorney and did not want to make any statement. At that point an unidentified detective drew his pistol, and *763 patting it with his hand stated that while Bell had his rights the police had certain rights too. The detective supposedly further threatened that Bell would be shot in a staged escape attempt if he refused to give a statement. Bell stated that these alleged threats, made in Chief Shumate’s office before Shumate arrived, were his only reason for giving the confession.

The only other witness testifying at the in camera hearing on the question of voluntariness was Chief Shumate. Shumate stated that he had arrived and begun questioning Bell shortly after 7:00 A.M.; that he talked with him about one-half hour; and that Bell gave his statement shortly before 8:00- A.M. During this period Shumate did not recall Bell requesting to see an attorney. According to Shumate no threats, promises, coercion, or duress were used against Bell during this interrogation, and specifically no guns were drawn or flourished. (Shumate’s previous testimony in open court was that he had warned Bell that anything he said could be used against him.)

At the conclusion of this hearing the trial judge made certain findings:

1. He held that Bell was taken before a magistrate within a reasonable time, particularly in view of the fact that Bell first made his statement to the police shortly before 8:00 A.M., less than an hour after his interrogation had begun and before the court felt a magistrate was available.

2. Bell had been advised of his rights by Chief Shumate, particularly that anything he said might be used against him as evidence.

3. The trial judge chose not to believe Bell’s testimony concerning the threats allegedly made against him before Shumate’s arrival. Bell’s failure to mention such threats, if any, to Shumate once Shumate arrived further evidenced that no such duress had been present.

The trial judge therefore ruled that the confession was admissible as evidence.

While the trial judge refused to believe petitioner’s allegations of threats made against him, no direct evidence had been presented at the in camera hearing to counter these allegations. The sole testimony in opposition to Bell’s account was that of Chief Shumate, who was not present when the threats were supposedly made. Accordingly, on January 19,1968, this Court held the evidentiary hearing referred to above, to ascertain the facts occurring on September 13, 1962, during the time period between Bell’s capture at 5:55 A.M. and the beginning of Shumate’s interrogation of Bell shortly after 7:00 A.M.

Petitioner presented no additional evidence at this hearing since his testimony given at his 1963 trial was already before the Court.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Chandler v. Florida
449 U.S. 560 (Supreme Court, 1981)
United States ex rel. Sadler v. Pennsylvania
306 F. Supp. 102 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1969)
State v. Pace
456 P.2d 197 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1969)
United States Ex Rel. Berberian v. Cliff
300 F. Supp. 8 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1969)
United States v. Alvin Ray Huff
409 F.2d 1225 (Fifth Circuit, 1969)
Smith v. State
437 S.W.2d 835 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1968)
Michael John Bell v. Wayne K. Patterson
402 F.2d 394 (Tenth Circuit, 1968)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
279 F. Supp. 760, 1968 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8992, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bell-v-patterson-cod-1968.