Cano v. Arizona

300 F. Supp. 549, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8436
CourtDistrict Court, D. Arizona
DecidedJune 17, 1969
DocketNo. Civ-69-154 Phx
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 300 F. Supp. 549 (Cano v. Arizona) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cano v. Arizona, 300 F. Supp. 549, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8436 (D. Ariz. 1969).

Opinion

ORDER

CRAIG, District Judge.

Frank Vega Cano, in state custody, seeks relief in this Court by way of a petition for writ of habeas corpus, pursuant to Title 28 U.S.C. § 2241(c) and Title 28 U.S.C. § 2254.

Cano was charged in the Superior Court of Arizona in and for the County of Maricopa with murder in the first degree. In January, 1966, Cano and a codefendant, Armando Luis Lopez, were tried before a jury, each being represented by appointed counsel. The trial resulted in the conviction of both defendants of the crime of murder in the first degree, each defendant receiving a life sentence. On appeal, Cano’s conviction was affirmed; the conviction of Lopez was reversed. State v. Cano, 103 Ariz. 37, 436 P.2d 586. Cano then sought habeas corpus relief in this Court, acting pro se. This application for relief was denied, the Court finding that Cano had not exhausted remedies available in the state courts. Cano v. Eyman, No. Civ-6781-Phx., (October 2, 1968). Cano then filed an application for post-conviction relief in the Arizona Supreme Court, which was denied without written opinion. Cano v. Eyman, No. H-342 (February 18, 1969). Cano reapplied for habeas corpus relief in this Court on April 16, 1969, and this Court ordered respondent to file the complete record of state court proceedings in this matter. This material having been received, and the Court having reviewed the entire record, Cano’s application for a writ of habeas corpus is denied for the reason that the record shows conclusively that Cano is not incarcerated in violation of the Constitution or laws of the United States.

In ruling on this application for relief, the Court has liberally construed the applicant’s petition, assuming that Cano seeks to raise all grounds for relief that he claims, or appears to claim are due him. Furthermore, this Court concludes that no state court remedies remain open to Cano with respect to these asserted grounds for relief.

(1) Cano contends that two law enforcement officers knowingly gave false testimony at his trial. In support of this allegation, Cano relies solely upon the trial transcript, asserting that the officers “admitted” giving perjured testimony. The testimony of these officers reveals no such admissions. Rather, their testimony reflects the normal clarification of language and the crystallization of memory that accompanies vigorous direct and cross-examination. This contention is frivolous.

(2) Cano contends that he was denied the right to a fair and impartial trial due to prejudicial publicity. The record reflects a motion for a mistrial by counsel for Lopez because of the publication of a newspaper article misquoting the opening argument of Cano’s counsel in a manner prejudicial to Lopez. No such motion was made by Cano’s counsel. It is apparent from the record that such a motion would have been frivolous, the newspaper article in question being in no way prejudicial to Cano. (T. pp. 75-81.) Assuming the article contained statements prejudicial to Cano, the trial court would have committed no error of constitutional dimension in denying a motion for a mistrial, being entitled to rely upon the careful admonitions previously given to the jury to avoid all contact with the news media throughout the trial. See Hilliard v. Arizona, 9 Cir., 362 F.2d 908. This contention is without merit.

(3) Cano asserts that he was not tried by an impartial jury. In support [551]*551of this assertion he notes that information had been brought to the attention of the trial court that at least one juror had determined the guilt of the defendants prior to the submission of all the evidence. This matter was the subject of a meeting in chambers, all counsel being present. (T. pp. 903-17.) The trial court stated that he had received information that a juror might have formed an opinion as to the guilt of the defendants; that upon receipt of this information, which he termed trivial, he had discussed the matter with both the juror and her husband; and that after careful inquiry of both individuals he was “thoroughly convinced” that the juror was not biased and had not violated her oath as a juror. The trial court concluded that the information received “was just a rumor that had no bearing whatever on the case.” (T. p. 912.) Cano’s counsel stated that “[t]here is no question about the juror,” and that he had “no question at all that the juror has not been influenced or biased.” (T. p. 908.) Neither defense counsel requested the trial court to further interrogate the suspected juror, or any other juror, nor did they request that the suspected juror be replaced by one of the alternate jurors. Neither defense counsel filed a motion for a mistrial on the grounds of a suspectedly biased juror. Neither defense counsel challenged the jury panel either by way of post-trial motions or on appeal. In view of the careful inquiry made by the trial court into the juror’s alleged bias, and in light of the acquiescence of both defense counsel in the trial court’s determination that the juror suspected of bias had not violated her oath, Cano’s contention that he was denied a fair and impartial trial in the state court is without merit. See Hilliard v. Arizona, supra.

(4) Cano contends that the County Attorney made improper remarks to the jury in closing argument. The record shows nothing in closing argument that would entitle Cano to relief in this Court.

(5) Cano asserts that he was absent from the proceedings during part of his trial, and that his absence was not a voluntary waiver of his presence. The transcript and the minute entries, while not in complete accord, reflect that Cano was not present during at least a portion of a hearing conducted on January 26-27, 1966, outside the presence of the jury, on the admissibility of certain out-of-court statements made by codefendant Lopez. (T. pp. 229-38.) Both the transcript and the minute entries show that Cano’s counsel was present throughout the hearing.

Assuming Cano’s absence on either or both days, his claim for relief on this ground is not well taken. In Stegall v. United States, 6 Cir., 259 F.2d 83, cert. den., 358 U.S. 886, 79 S.Ct. 128, 3 L.Ed. 2d 114, the Court assumed that the appellant was absent from a hearing held to determine whether the confession of a codefendant was admissible in evidence. The Court found that such absence would not entitle appellant to relief, both because his attorney was present throughout the hearing and because he suffered no prejudice by the subsequent admission into evidence of the codefendant’s confession, the trial court instructing the jury that the confession could not be considered against appellant.

In the present case, Cano’s counsel was present throughout the hearing on the admissibility of the confession of Lopez. In addition, the admission of that confession into evidence violated no right of Cano’s. The jury was instructed that the confessions of each defendant could be considered only against the confessing defendant (T. p.

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Bluebook (online)
300 F. Supp. 549, 1969 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8436, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cano-v-arizona-azd-1969.