Davis v. United States

316 F. Supp. 913, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11175
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Tennessee
DecidedJune 26, 1970
DocketCiv. A. No. 5860
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 316 F. Supp. 913 (Davis v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. United States, 316 F. Supp. 913, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11175 (E.D. Tenn. 1970).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

ROBERT L. TAYLOR, District Judge.

James Pickens Davis, Jr. is presently serving a fifteen year sentence following a conviction for bank robbery and kidnapping committed in March, 1965. Shortly after his arrest, a hearing was held to determine if Davis was mentally capable of assisting in his defense. The Court found Davis not capable and committed him for treatment. After other competency hearings, the case came on for trial in September, 1966 (United States v. Davis, 365 F.2d 251, C.A.6, reviews the psychiatric proceedings). Petitioner’s defense was insanity, and the jury resolved that issue adversely to him. A ruling on the new trial motion pursuant to that verdict is reported at 260 F.Supp. 1009. On appeal, petitioner’s court-appointed attorneys were discharged and petitioner was returned to the Southern Division of this District to assist his new counsel on February 26, 1967. While that appeal was pending, petitioner filed a motion to vacate under 28 U.S.C. § 2255. An oral hearing was held and the Court rendered an opinion on March 28, 1967, denying on the merits all of petitioner’s claims. No appeal was taken from that order. By order, the Court of Appeals affirmed the convictions on direct appeal. (No. 17,706). On February 15, 1968 a second motion to vacate was denied by a memorandum and order.

Petitioner then filed letters with the Honorable C. G. Neese of this District charging the trial judge with personal bias and prejudice. That Judge treated the letters as a motion to vacate and determined from the pleadings that there was no merit in the allegations and denied relief in a memorandum filed August 21, 1968.

On March 31, 1970, petitioner filed a motion to vacate in 43 pages with an accompanying 97 page memorandum. [915]*915Among his 25 allegations he charged the trial judge with personal bias in his cause whereupon that judge transferred the case to this Court.

Before examining the petition, it is observed that res ad judicata in habeas corpus cases is not governed by the same concepts as between private litigants. Sanders v. United States, 373 U.S. 1, 83 S.Ct. 1068, 10 L.Ed.2d 148 (1963). However, “* * * [t]he sentencing court shall not be required to entertain a second or successive motion for similar relief on behalf of the same prisoner. * * * ” 28 U.S.C. § 2255.

This principle determines many of petitioner’s claims. For instance, the charge of personal prejudice by the trial judge has been decided adversely to petitioner. In addition to that reason, a close examination of the records before this Court reveals no prejudice on the part of the trial judge.

Many of petitioner’s claims are based upon the failure of the trial judge to discharge appointed counsel and allow him to proceed pro se. A closely related charge deals with the alleged incompetency of these appointed counsel. Among other things, Davis alleges that counsel did not use process properly or call the proper witnesses to corroborate his testimony. He alleges that the trial court did not allow him to personally examine witnesses. He charges his attorney with sabotaging his insanity defense through a line of questioning to a medical witness. It is further charged that one attorney turned over his entire witness list with a summary of the facts to be proven from the witnesses’ testimony to the prosecution. All counsel are charged with improper preparation of the case. These matters have been decided adversely to the petitioner in other phases of this litigation and cannot be raised in this proceeding.

Davis alleges that the trial court erred in not allowing a continuance for the purpose of securing other counsel. On the other hand, he alleges that the delay in bringing him to trial amounted to a denial of the right to a speedy trial. This Court finds no breach of the trial court’s discretion in denying the motion for continuance and that the speedy trial aspect has been previously determined against petitioner.

Davis charges that the Government used perjured testimony to secure his conviction. In the March, 1967 memorandum the trial court ruled that alleged perjury about double parking Davis’ auto at the bank and the use of excessive force in arresting Davis were not relative to the insanity defense and would not serve as a basis for vacating judgment. In a very similar vein, Davis charges that Dr. Demos, the kidnap victim, perjured his testimony concerning the arrest. This Court finds that the use of perjured testimony which is known by the defense to be perjured at the time of trial is not a basis for setting aside a verdict. Evans v. United States, 408 F. 2d 369 (C.A.7, 1969) following Decker v. United States, 378 F.2d 245 (C.A.6, 1967).

The Court further finds that the use of excessive force at the time of arrest, as determined in 1967, is not a reason to vacate judgment and did not deny petitioner a fair trial.

Petitioner makes the bare allegation that the Government suppressed evidence. In a related claim, he contends that the discovery provisions of F.R.Cr. P. 16 were violated. In his brief under the topic “suppression of evidence,” he narrates how some 16 pages of “reflections” he had written before the bank robbery and kidnapping were not produced at trial. After reopening the 1967 hearing for additional evidence on the reflections, the trial judge noted that “[no] motion to produce the document was ever made on behalf of the defendant at the time of the criminal trial.” Rule 16 requires a motion for discovery. The adverse determination in 1967 is binding on petitioner’s claims.

Petitioner alleges that following an outburst by the kidnap victim, the trial court incorrectly instructed the [916]*916jury. This Court finds no error in the instruction quoted at 260 F.Supp. 1009, 1012.

Petitioner makes the bald accusation that wholesale hearsay evidence was admitted in violation of his rights. Such conclusory statements in petitions to vacate are not given credence. Tucker v. United States, 423 F.2d 655 (C.A.6, 1970).

Petitioner alleges in a conclusive statement that he was in jeopardy on January 10,1966 and his subsequent conviction was the result of double jeopardy. From the facts stated at 365 F.2d 251, 253, this Court does not agree with petitioner. Those appearances were before the Court without a jury to determine petitioner's competency. Davis was not in jeopardy at that time. Cf. Downum v. United States, 372 U.S. 734, 83 S.Ct. 1033, 10 L.Ed.2d 100 (1963).

Petitioner has asserted that only 211 pages of the trial proceedings were before the Court of Appeals on his direct appeal and that these excerpts of the transcript were incomplete and fraudulent. The “record on appeal,” F. R.App.P. 10, then F.R.C.P. 75 and 76, is the responsibility of the appellant.

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

Related

Jones v. State
548 S.W.2d 329 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 1976)
King v. South Jersey National Bank
330 A.2d 1 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1974)
United States v. Crowell
359 F. Supp. 489 (M.D. Florida, 1973)
People v. Washington
38 A.D.2d 189 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 1972)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
316 F. Supp. 913, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11175, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-united-states-tned-1970.