Cowan v. State

1973 OK CR 132, 507 P.2d 1256, 1973 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 757
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedMarch 12, 1973
DocketA-17866
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 1973 OK CR 132 (Cowan v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cowan v. State, 1973 OK CR 132, 507 P.2d 1256, 1973 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 757 (Okla. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

OPINION

BUSSEY, Judge:

The appellants, hereinafter referred to as defendants, were charged, tried and convicted by a jury in Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Case No. CRF-72-308 for the crime of Robbery with Firearms. Their punishments were fixed at thirty (30) years imprisonment and from said judgments and sentences defendants have perfected a timely appeal to this Court.

The record reflects that Richard Allen Shaffer testified that at about 12:15 A.M. on the 15th of February two individuals, whom he identified in open court as the defendants browsed around his store for awhile and after all other customers had departed the premises, the defendants, at gunpoint, told Shaffer to lie on the floor and not to move. One of the defendants then went through the cash register taking the money and also took Mr. Shaffer’s wallet. Then Mr. Shaffer was forced outside of the door and commanded to run from the store at gunpoint. Officer Gary Keupfert, of the St. Louis Police Department, St. Louis, Missouri, testified he was on duty in that city on the 16th day of February 1972 between the hours of 7:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. and that at approximately 12:55 P.M. on that date he received a call to go to the Richman Clothiers on Washington Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. Upon arrival he was told by the manager the defendants were in possession of a Master Charge Card bearing the name of “Richard Shaffer” which he had been informed was stolen. The defendants were arrested at the scene and according to their testimony pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor relating to Unauthorized Use of a Credit Card and served sentences in St. Louis before being transported to Oklahoma for trial. Officer Thomas Wilkerson, also of the St. Louis Police Department, testified that he was with Officer Keupfert and that he took a wallet identified as belonging to Richard Shaffer from the pocket of the defendant Clark at the Richman Clothiers Store. Defendant Cow-an did not testify but defendant Clark testified both were residents of Lawrence, Kansas, and further testified that at the time of the robbery he was in Lawrence, Kansas, along with defendant Cowan and, specifically denied ever having been in the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Defendant Clark further testified that early on the 15th day of February both defendants started on a motor trip to Chicago, Illinois, but had engine trouble in St. Louis; that on the 16th of February, defendant Cowan went to make a phone call at a phone booth in the city of St. Louis and came back carrying a brown paper sack containing Mr. Shaffer’s wallet which he had found in the phone booth. Defendant Clark further stated that upon discovering the wallet containing the credit card, he and defendant Cowan attempted to purchase clothing with the credit card at Richman Clothiers.

John H. Brown, III, testified that he was a resident of Lawrence, Kansas, and operated a pool hall by the name of Brothers Inc. and that the Green Gable Cafe was nearby. He testified he played cards with the defendants at his establishment on *1258 the 14th of February 1972 until about 9 :30 or 10:00 P.M. Further, he testified that the mileage from Lawrence, Kansas, to Tulsa, Oklahoma, was approximately 275 miles and that the drive would take between three and a half to four hours to complete.

Willie Oatis testified he saw the defendants in the Green Gables approximately 10:30 P.M. on the 14th of February.

Willie Shorter testified that he was acquainted with Clark and that he was a resident of St. Louis, Missouri. He further testified he had a conversation with the defendants at 10:00 or 11:00 A.M. on the 15th of February 1972.

Harvey Lewis Barham testified he lived in Alton, Illinois, which was a little over thirty minutes outside of St. Louis. Bar-ham testified he talked to the defendants on Tuesday, February 15, 1972, at about 4:00 or 4:30 P.M. at the home of Ollie Smith.

Joann E. Edwards testified she was a resident of Alton, Illinois, and testified that she observed the defendants at the home of Ollie Smith in St. Louis on the 15th day of February between 6:30 and 7:00 P.M.

Defendants’ first proposition of error alleges that the trial court erred in not allowing co-defendant James H. Cowan to represent himself at trial. After a review of the transcript, record and brief of counsel on appeal, we do not consider the handwritten “Request of Court” submitted by co-defendant Cowan as a motion for a pro se action. Due to its content it is more properly a request for a continuance. Further, it appears from the record that the defendants “Request” was not tendered to the court until the first day of trial while defendant for two weeks prior to the trial had accepted the counsel of court-appointed attorneys. In the case of Thompson v. State, Okl.Cr., 462 P.2d 299 (1969), the defendant was represented by court-appointed counsel or privately retained counsel at different stages of the preliminary procedures. On the date trial was to commence, the defendant requested that he be permitted time in which to secure private counsel of his own selection. The trial judge denied the defendant’s request stating that the defendant had had sufficient time in which to secure counsel of his own choice. This Court stated at page 302:

“From a review of the facts, we find that the defendant was represented during the proceedings either by counsel of his own selection or by court-appointed counsel. We concur with the ruling of the trial court that the accused cannot be allowed to indefinitely delay his trial through a series of changes in the counsel. Defendant had sufficient time and opportunity to secure counsel of his own choice if he were able to do so, and we are of the opinion, from a review of the record herein, that his interests were adequately protected by competent counsel at all times. Accordingly, we hold that petitioner was not denied his right to representation by adequate counsel and dismiss this assignment of error as being without merit.”

The only objections to “counsel” appearing in the “Request of Court” are defendant’s (Cowan) objections to a specific court-appointed attorney. The right to effective and adequate counsel does not encompass the right to have a specific attorney appointed. It is the general rule that relief from conviction on the ground of incompetent or ineffective counsel will be granted only when the trial was a farce or a mockery of justice, or was shocking to the conscience of the court. See Parks v. State, Okl.Cr., 457 P.2d 818 (1969); Barnett v. State, Okl.Cr., 446 P.2d 89 (1968) ; and Ellis v. State of Oklahoma, 430 F.2d 1352 (10th Cir. 1970). It is the opinion of this Court that representation at trial was competent and that court-appointed counsel "was able to adequately and effectively defend both co-defendants. Further, co-defendant Cowan fails to show *1259 that his representation by court-appointed counsel resulted in prejudice or that his counsel did not fully protect his rights and interests. On the basis of this determination we find the defendants’ first proposition of error to be without merit.

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Related

Felts v. State
1978 OK CR 132 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1978)
Glazier v. State
1976 OK CR 84 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1976)
Williamson v. State
1975 OK CR 35 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1975)
Holt v. State
1975 OK CR 9 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1975)
Cowan v. State
1974 OK CR 196 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1974)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1973 OK CR 132, 507 P.2d 1256, 1973 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 757, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cowan-v-state-oklacrimapp-1973.