DuPerry v. Kirk

877 A.2d 928, 90 Conn. App. 493, 2005 Conn. App. LEXIS 333
CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
DecidedAugust 2, 2005
DocketAC 25566
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 877 A.2d 928 (DuPerry v. Kirk) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Appellate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
DuPerry v. Kirk, 877 A.2d 928, 90 Conn. App. 493, 2005 Conn. App. LEXIS 333 (Colo. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

Opinion

DRANGINIS, J.

In this appeal from the denial of a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, the petitioner, Adam DuPerry, claims that the habeas court improperly granted the motion for summary judgment filed by the respondent, Thomas A. Kirk, Jr., commissioner of mental health and addiction services. Contrary to the petitioner’s claims, we conclude that (1) he was not denied due process of law because the right to an appeal is not of constitutional magnitude and (2) he was not denied the effective assistance of counsel because there was no reason to think that rationally he would have wanted to appeal from the judgment of acquittal due to mental disease or defect that he had sought rather than go to prison or that, if informed of the right to appeal, he timely would have appealed. We therefore affirm the judgment of the habeas court.

I

PRIOR FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

The origin of this appeal dates to April, 1988, when the petitioner “was arrested and charged with arson in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-111 and manufacture of bombs in violation of General Statutes § 53-80a in connection with the explosion of apipe bomb at the Institute of Living in Hartford. Dennis O’Toole, an assistant public defender, was appointed to represent the petitioner. O’Toole engaged in plea negotiations with Kevin McMahon, then the assistant state’s attorney assigned to the case, who offered to recommend a sentence of thirty-five years incarceration suspended after twelve years in exchange for a guilty plea.

[496]*496“In light of the petitioner’s background of mental illness and the nature of the crime charged, O’Toole had the petitioner examined by Walter A. Borden, a psychiatrist, to evaluate the petitioner’s mental health and, thus, determine whether a defense of mental disease or defect was viable. After examining the petitioner, Borden concluded that at the time of the alleged offense, the petitioner had suffered from severe mental illness, which significantly impaired his ability to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions and to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law. O’Toole shared the results of Borden’s evaluation with McMahon, who requested that the petitioner be examined by another psychiatrist, Donald R. Grayson. Following his examination of the petitioner, Grayson ultimately also concluded that at the time of the alleged offense the petitioner was suffering from severe mental illness and lacked the capacity to appreciate the wrongfulness of his actions and to conform his conduct to the law. In light of these evaluations, McMahon agreed to not oppose a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, and O’Toole agreed to waive a jury trial and to not contest the state’s prima facie case regarding the underlying charges.

“On December 20, 1988, the petitioner pleaded not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and opted for a court trial, which began immediately. In accordance with their prior discussions, the parties presented their respective cases without opposition. First, the parties presented evidence with respect to the petitioner’s mental state, and, second, the state introduced evidence regarding the underlying charges. The entire proceeding was completed in less than two hours, and the trial court immediately rendered its judgment, finding the petitioner not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. Following the petitioner’s acquittal, the trial court [Corrigan, J.] ordered, pursuant to General Stat[497]*497utes § 17a-582, that the petitioner be committed to the custody of the psychiatric security review board (board) to be confined in a hospital for psychiatric disabilities for a maximum term of twenty-five years.

“In 1995, the petitioner filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus attacking his continued detention in the custody of the board. The petitioner alleged that his confinement was illegal because, first, he was no longer mentally ill, and, second, he had been denied the effective assistance of counsel when he elected to pursue the defense of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. The habeas court, Hodgson, J., found no merit in either claim and dismissed the petition. In 1998, the petitioner filed a motion to open the judgment of the habeas court to present additional claims. The motion was granted and the petitioner amended his petition to allege, inter alia, that: (1) his plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect violated his due process rights under both the federal and state constitutions because he was not made aware of and did not fully understand the consequences of his plea; and (2) his waiver of his right to a jury trial was not knowing and voluntary.

“After an evidentiary hearing, the habeas court, [Hon. Daniel F. Spallone, judge trial referee], concluded that the petitioner had proven his allegations by a fair preponderance of the evidence. The court concluded, first, that [t]he requirements governing the taking of a guilty plea also apply to the acceptance of a plea [of] not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect .... [T]he habeas court concluded that the petitioner had not, at the time of his plea, understood the consequences of pleading not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect, thereby rendering his plea involuntary. The habeas court further concluded that the petitioner did not waive his right to a jury trial knowingly and voluntarily because the record was devoid of any evi[498]*498dence demonstrating that the trial court had conducted the required canvass of the petitioner to ensure that he knowingly and voluntarily had waived that right. Accordingly, the habeas court rendered judgment granting the petition.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Duperry v. Solnit, 261 Conn. 309, 312-16, 803 A.2d 287 (2002).1 Our Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the habeas court; id., 317; because the habeas court improperly established a new constitutional rule in a collateral proceeding in contravention of the principle announced in Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288, 109 S. Ct. 1060, 103 L. Ed. 2d 334 (1989). Duperry v. Solnit, supra, 318.

Although it reversed the judgment of the habeas court, our Supreme Court continued its inquiry regarding the issue of the trial court’s canvass of a defendant who pleads not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect. “We deem it appropriate, in light of concerns of fundamental fairness, to consider the substance of this issue pursuant to our supervisory authority for the purpose of providing guidance to trial courts in future cases.” (Emphasis added.) Id., 326-27.

“It is well established that a defendant who pleads guilty waives important constitutional rights, namely the right against self-incrimination, the right to confront [499]*499one’s accusers, and the right to a jury trial. ... It is equally well established that a guilty plea and its inherent waiver of rights violates due process unless it is knowing and voluntary. . . . Although a guilty plea and a plea of not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect are not synonymous, the practical similarities between the two are significant. ... As the Second Circuit Court of Appeals noted in Miller [v. Angliker,

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

Related

Robinson v. Commissioner of Correction
21 A.3d 901 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2011)
Jones v. Commissioner of Correction
1 A.3d 1166 (Connecticut Appellate Court, 2010)
DuPerry v. Kirk
563 F. Supp. 2d 370 (D. Connecticut, 2008)
Duperry v. Kirk
895 A.2d 795 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 2006)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
877 A.2d 928, 90 Conn. App. 493, 2005 Conn. App. LEXIS 333, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/duperry-v-kirk-connappct-2005.