Brodkowicz v. Swenson

357 F. Supp. 178, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14814
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedFebruary 22, 1973
DocketCiv. A. 20119-3
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 357 F. Supp. 178 (Brodkowicz v. Swenson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Brodkowicz v. Swenson, 357 F. Supp. 178, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14814 (W.D. Mo. 1973).

Opinion

FINAL JUDGMENT DENYING PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

WILLIAM H. BECKER, Chief Judge.

This is a petition for federal habeas corpus by a state convict in custody at the Missouri State Penitentiary. Petitioner is in custody under a judgment and sentence of the Circuit Court of Greene County, State of Missouri, in which he was convicted of first degree robbery. Petitioner was granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis by this Court’s order to show cause herein dated June 27,1972.

Petitioner states that he was convicted on his plea of guilty; that his sentence was imposed on the 1st day of March, 1963 for a period of 15 years; that he did not appeal from the judgment of conviction and imposition of sentence; that he filed a motion to vacate his conviction and sentence under Missouri Criminal Rule 27.26, V.A.M.R., in the Circuit Court of Greene County which was denied; that he appealed from the denial of his 27.26 motion to the Supreme Court of Missouri which affirmed the denial of his 27.26 motion on December 13, 1971 in Brodkowicz v. State, supra; and that he was represented by counsel at all stages of the proceedings against him and on his post-conviction motion.

On October 6, 1972, the Federal Public Defender was appointed to represent petitioner. A response to the order to show cause, petitioner's traverse and his offer of proof, which was ordered filed on October 6, 1972, have been filed. Also filed herein are (1) transcript on appeal from the denial of petitioner’s *181 Rule 27.26 motion to the Missouri Supreme Court in Brodkowicz v. State, Mo. 1971, 474 S.W.2d 822, and (2) a certified transcript of proceedings on petitioner’s plea of guilty and sentencing and certified judgment in State v. Brodkowicz, Criminal Action No. 43464, Circuit Court of Greene County, State of Missouri.

Petitioner seeks an adjudication that his conviction and sentence were imposed upon him illegally in violation of his federal constitutional rights.

Petitioner states the following as grounds for his contention that his conviction and sentence were imposed on him in violation of his federal constitutional rights:

“10(a) Petitioner’s plea of guilty was involuntary within meaning 'of the 14th Amendment of the U. S. Constitution ;
“10(b) The trial Court failed to discharge his duties of ascertaining at the time of petitioner’s guilty plea whether said plea was a product of coercion, threats or promises;
“10(c) Petitioner was denied effective assistance of counsel at the time of his arraignment, plea and sentencing on plea of guilty;”

As facts in support of the above grounds, petitioner states the following:

“10(a) . . . the plea of guilty by the petitioner was not entirely voluntary, but on the contrary was the product of a combination of coercion, threats, intimidation and promises. This was further complicated by a lack of understanding of petitioner’s rights and choices and also by the failure of the trial court and appointed counsel to explain his rights and choices to him.
There is no question in this case; petitioner was beaten on at least two occasions (Tr. 44-46, 53-54). The second occasion was at a time when he was subdued, not offering violence of any form to any one. It was pure and simple punishment. Administered without trial and without any pretense of right. (Tr. 53-54) (See also the concurring opinion of Judge Robert Seiler of the Missouri Supreme Court) After he was beaten, he was physically abused in that he was forced to sleep naked on an iron bed in a ‘Dry Cell’ during the dead of winter for a period of weeks (Tr. 54). The sheriff and his deputies threatened a continuation of the discomfort and threatment (sic) in the Greene County Jail (Tr. 55).
“ . . . Petitioner submits that such treatment is indeed a strong inducement to enter a plea of guilty to get out from under the hand of the sheriff and jailers of Greene County. Regardless of the claimed justification by the sheriff and his deputies, they had no right to inflict punishment by beating. They had no right to inflict physical abuse. A plea of guilty in this circumstance could hardly be said to be voluntary.
“Even though there might be charges which could legally be brought against petitioner, no one had the right to threaten him with such charges in order to coerce a plea of guilty to a separate offense. Yet the sheriff did just that (Tr. 56) and this was intimidation.
“This fear in petitioner was further aggravated by his appointed counsel speaking' to him of a possible death sentence. Petitioner was told by his appointed attorney that the offense could result in a possible death (Tr. 124) and life sentence (Tr. 57). They did not explain to him that a death sentence was highly unlikely (Tr. 124). Petitioner was being induced to forego a trial and to enter a plea of guilty out of fear of something which would never take place, and this also was intimidation.
“10(b) 1. He was not asked if he understood the charge. 2. No effort was made to determine if he had been correctly advised. 3. No inquiry was made as to petitioner’s education or *182 even whether he could read or write. 4. He was not asked if he had been induced by any threats or promises or beatings or abuse.
“10(c) It is respectfully submitted that the representation was not effective for the following reasons: 1. There was no effective inquiry into the circumstances of the treatment of petitioner in the Greene County Jail; 2. There was no effective inquiry into the effect of those circumstances on petitioner and its effect in inducing him to plead guilty; 3. There was no effective inquiry into the question of the admissability (sic) of the confession in view of the search of the locked automobile and the interrogation without warning; 4. If counsel believed the sentence was unjust or not fair, they should have moved to vacate the judgment and sentence; 5. There was no effective inquiry at the hearings in view of the trial court’s failure to comply with VAMR 25.04.”

CLAIM OF DENIAL OF FULL AND FAIR EVIDENTIARY HEARING IN STATE COURT

In his traverse, petitioner states that he was “denied the chance to give substance to his testimony in respect to the beating and threats of the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, because the State refused to have his witness brought in from Federal Prison.” Petitioner further states that because of his indigency he “could not pay to have witnesses brought to his hearing” and that it was therefore incumbent upon the State of Missouri to pay the cost of transporting petitioner’s “eye-witnesses who could testify to the facts crucial to petitioner’s cause.” Therefore, as a prerequisite to a decision on the merits of petitioner’s contentions based upon facts reported in the state court record (including transcript of testimony, Missouri Supreme Court opinion and all other pertinent documents herein), this Court must determine whether petitioner was afforded a full and fair evidentiary hearing and, if so, whether the state courts reliably found the relevant facts. 1

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367 F. Supp. 407 (D. South Carolina, 1973)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
357 F. Supp. 178, 1973 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14814, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/brodkowicz-v-swenson-mowd-1973.