Davidson v. United States

48 A.3d 194, 2012 WL 2921941, 2012 D.C. App. LEXIS 318
CourtDistrict of Columbia Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 19, 2012
DocketNo. 12-CO-472
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 48 A.3d 194 (Davidson v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District of Columbia Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davidson v. United States, 48 A.3d 194, 2012 WL 2921941, 2012 D.C. App. LEXIS 318 (D.C. 2012).

Opinion

FISHER, Associate Judge:

Invoking the constitutional protection against double jeopardy, appellant Jorida Davidson brings this interlocutory appeal seeking to preclude a second trial for voluntary manslaughter. See Abney v. United States, 431 U.S. 651, 662, 97 S.Ct. 2034, 52 L.Ed.2d 651 (1977). She also seeks to forestall trial on a new charge of involuntary manslaughter. We conclude that, under the circumstances of this case, a retrial for voluntary manslaughter is not barred. However, because appellant was convicted of negligent homicide, a lesser-included offense, the government may not prosecute appellant for the new charge of involuntary manslaughter based on the same conduct.

I. Facts

While driving under the influence of alcohol on October 7, 2010, Jorida Davidson struck and killed a pedestrian, Kiela Ryan, with her sport utility vehicle. The grand jury charged appellant with voluntary manslaughter,1 leaving the scene of a collision involving personal injury,2 and driving under the influence of alcohol.3 The indictment did not include a charge of involuntary manslaughter.4

[197]*197A jury trial began on June 7, 2011, and lasted for nine days. At its conclusion, the court instructed the jury on the elements of voluntary manslaughter, as well as the lesser-included offense of negligent homicide.5 At appellant’s request, the court advised the jury that it need only use “reasonable efforts” to reach a verdict on the greater offense of voluntary manslaughter before moving on to consider negligent homicide. See Criminal Jury Instructions for the District of Columbia, No. 2.401A (5th ed. rev.2011). On June 21, 2011, after nearly fifteen hours of deliberations, the jurors reported: “We have reached our decision on all three counts.”

At 2:16 p.m., the jury entered the courtroom. The court addressed the foreperson:

COURT: Ma’am, has the jury reached a unanimous verdict on each of the counts?
FOREPERSON: Yes.
COURT: I’m going to start with Count 1. How does the jury find the defendant on the charge of manslaughter?
FOREPERSON: We were unable to do so.
COURT: And does that mean that you have not reached any verdict either way on that count, on that charge? Let me ask you the question again. Has the jury reached any verdict on the charge of manslaughter?
FOREPERSON: No.

The jury then proceeded to deliver guilty verdicts for each of the remaining charges, including negligent homicide.6 The court conducted a poll of the jurors to determine whether they “agree[d] with the verdict as stated by your foreperson,” and each juror responded affirmatively. After the poll, the court announced:

Ladies and gentlemen, that does conclude your service in this case. And I do want to thank you for the time that you’ve put into this process.... I hope you have a very pleasant afternoon. Mr. Dillard will take the verdict form from you and the jury instructions. Thank you very much. You may be excused.

The jury exited the courtroom at 2:19 p.m. Counsel and the court then discussed scheduling matters and whether appellant should be held pending sentencing. The judge concluded by asking whether “there [was] anything further?” to which government counsel responded, “No, Your Hon- or.” Court adjourned at 2:25 p.m.

Two hours later, the trial judge’s law clerk sent an e-mail to counsel stating that “the Judge neglected to. enter a mistrial as to the Voluntary manslaughter charge this afternoon. She will do so on the court docket so that the record accurately reflects the results as to that charge, unless there is any objection by either party.” Defense counsel promptly responded: “I object to the entry of a mistrial on the Voluntary Manslaughter charge, and ob[198]*198ject to the implication that Ms. Davidson can be retried on that count.”

In the following months, the government moved for entry of a mistrial on the court docket, nunc pro tunc to June 21, 2011. It also sought a superseding indictment from the grand jury, which, on July 21, 2011, again charged appellant with voluntary manslaughter. In the superseding indictment, the government added a new count of involuntary manslaughter, arising from the death of Kiela Ryan. After hearing from the parties, the court issued a comprehensive opinion on December 12, 2011, granting the government’s motion for entry of a mistrial on the docket and denying appellant’s motion to dismiss the superseding indictment.

The trial court “conclude[d] from the entire record that the defense deliberately and for tactical reasons stood silent, calculating that the government, or the court, or both, were failing to make a record that would withstand a double jeopardy challenge to retrial on the manslaughter charge.” Under all the circumstances, “the court conclude[d] defendant consented to a mistrial on the charge of voluntary manslaughter. Double jeopardy therefore does not bar retrial on that charge.”

II. Voluntary Manslaughter

A. Rule 26.3

At the outset, we recognize that the trial court failed to abide by the provisions of Super. Ct.Crim. R. 26.3:

Before ordering a mistrial, the Court shall provide an opportunity for the government and for each defendant to comment on the propriety of the order, including whether each party consents or objects to a mistrial, and to suggest any alternatives.

The Superior Court rule is based on Fed. R.Crim.P. 26.3, which was “designed to reduce the possibility of an erroneously ordered mistrial which could produce adverse and irretrievable consequences.” Fed.R.CRIM.P. 26.3 advisory committee’s note. “The Rule [wa]s not designed to change the substantive law governing mistrials.” Id. However, “Rule 26.3 recalls to trial judges the critical importance of consultation with counsel[,j” United States v. Berroa, 374 F.3d 1053, 1058 (11th Cir.2004), and that the power to declare a mistrial “ought to be used with the greatest caution.” United States v. Perez, 9 Wheat. 579, 22 U.S. 579, 580, 6 L.Ed. 165 (1824); see United States v. Sloan, 36 F.3d 386, 394 (4th Cir.1994) (“[T]he need for careful consideration of alternatives to mistrial, and the hard lesson of retrials barred by double jeopardy when there was no such consideration, was one of the factors that led to the promulgation of Fed. R.CrimJP. 26.3[.]”).

There are a variety of circumstances in which a mistrial may be contemplated. “One end of the spectrum, which requires the strictest scrutiny, is the situation where the prosecutor has provoked a mistrial for a tactical advantage.” Coleman v. United States, 449 A.2d 327, 329 (D.C.1982) (citing Arizona v. Washington, 434 U.S. 497

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
48 A.3d 194, 2012 WL 2921941, 2012 D.C. App. LEXIS 318, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davidson-v-united-states-dc-2012.