Ex Parte Engle

418 S.W.2d 671, 1967 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 858
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 12, 1967
Docket40551
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 418 S.W.2d 671 (Ex Parte Engle) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ex Parte Engle, 418 S.W.2d 671, 1967 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 858 (Tex. 1967).

Opinion

OPINION

ONION, Judge.

Relator made an application for writ of habeas corpus under the provisions of Article 11.07, Vernon’s Ann.C.C.P. to the 89th District Court, Wichita County, Texas. After a hearing, Judge Floyd Jones granted the issuance of the writ and made it returnable to this Court. In connection with such order, Judge Jones also filed his findings of fact and conclusions of law.

The record reflects that relator was indicted in January, 1962, by the Wichita County grand jury for the offense of Burglary with Intent to Commit Theft with four (4) previous convictions for felonies less than capital alleged for the purpose of enhancement under the provisions of Article 63, V.A.P.C. After trial on May 28 and 29, 1962, the relator was convicted of the Burglary alleged and was assessed a life sentence as a habitual criminal. Sentence was pronounced on June 7, 1962, from which no appeal was taken.

In his collateral attack upon this conviction, relator now urges that his court appointed counsel at the trial had not been out of law school for a sufficient period of time to have been assigned such a serious case, and further that he and such attorney were denied the statutory ten (10) day period of preparation after counsel’s appointment. See Article 494, V.A.C.C.P., in effect at the .time of relator’s trial.

We shall discuss these two contentions together. The record reveals that Charles D. Butts, an attorney then practicing in Wichita County was appointed to represent relator. The date of such appointment is not clear from the record, but it does appear that he was relieved of such assignment on March 19, 1962, as a result of a political campaign in which he was engaged. On this same date, Ray Gene Smith was appointed to represent the relator. The record reflects that at the time Mr. Smith had graduated from law school in January, 1962, had taken the State Bar Examination, and was employed in a law office in the City of Wichita Falls, but had not yet been licensed to practice law by the Supreme Court of Texas. As Mr. Smith recalled at the habeas corpus hearing, he made known to the Court his status at the time of appointment and subsequently secured a postponement of the trial because of it. On May 7, 1962, some three (3) weeks prior to relator’s trial, Mr. Smith received his license to practice law and became a member of the State Bar in good standing.

There can be no question but the trial judge then presiding had no authority to appoint an unlicensed individual to represent relator. Article 320a-l, V.A.C.S. Neither is the practice of appointing newly licensed attorneys to defend habitual criminal cases without assistance of experienced counsel to be commended. We conclude, however, that while the appointment was legally ineffective on March 19, 1962, that it became effective on May 7, 1962, the date Mr. Smith received his license to practice. We do not understand that relator seriously urges that he was deprived of the effective assistance of counsel. The record supports a contrary conclusion. Judge Jones in his findings stated that relator’s “court appointed counsel vigorously, ably, and diligently represent” him. Without going into great detail, this finding is amply supported by the record attesting to the zeal, interest, and dedication of our younger lawyers to their assignments as counsel for the indigent criminal defendant.

The record does not show at the time of trial that appellant or his counsel moved for a continuance or requested any further time for preparation. Counsel’s appointment being effective from May. 7, 1962, *674 there was no necessity to comply with the provisions of Article 494, V.A.C.C.P. (then in effect) before proceeding to trial.

Appellant next contends that his written confession was not voluntarily made because he was not given the warnings required by Miranda v. State of Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694. Miranda, of course, has application to trials commencing after June 13, 1966, and has no application here. Johnson v. State of New Jersey, 384 U.S. 719, 86 S.Ct. 1772, 16 L.Ed. 2d 882. Recognizing this possibility, relator’s able counsel contends that while Miranda may not be directly applicable it may be relevant on the issue of voluntariness, citing Clewis v. State of Texas, 386 U.S. 707, 87 S.Ct. 1338, 18 L.Ed.2d 423.

The facts in Clewis and the case at bar are easily distinguishable and many of the factors which caused the United States Supreme Court to conclude Clewis’s third confession was not voluntary are not presented here. By his own admission, shortly after arrest, relator gave his only confession following interrogation of “approximately one hour”. He was warned, as he admits, that he did not have to make any statement at all and that any statement made could be used against him at his trial. After making the confession, he was .taken to the District Attorney’s office, and then before a magistrate before being transferred to the County jail.

No question is raised concerning the legality of his arrest prior to the confession. The record does not reflect that relator’s faculties were impaired by inadequate sleep and food, sickness or long subjection to police custody with little or no contact with anyone other than police.

Relator claims that he had been drinking prior to his arrest, but denied he was drunk at the time of confession. The officer’s testimony showed that he was sober at such time.

The relator does not claim that he was struck by the officer taking confession, but that such officer knocked a package of cigarettes out of his hands and “threatened” him and he observed the officer’s clenched fist. No claim of abuse appears to have been made to the person who witnessed the signing of the confession, the Assistant District Attorney, or the magistrate before whom he .was taken.

One officer testified it was the policy of Wichita Falls City Police to allow a suspect to call his attorney if he so requested, but that in 1961 they were not advising suspects as to their right of counsel as now required by the 1966 opinion of Miranda v. State of Arizona, supra.

We cannot conclude that Clewis, supra, would control as to this relator who was thirty-four years old at the time of the confession, who was able to read and write and had previously been convicted four times of felonies in as many states.

Relator further urges that his conviction must be set aside because his written confession was introduced at the trial and passed on as to voluntariness only by the jury in violation of the dictates of Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368, 84 S.Ct. 1774, 12 L.Ed.2d 908, which must be applied retroactively. Johnson v. State of New Jersey, 384 U.S. 719, 86 S.Ct. 1772, 16 L.Ed.2d 882.

The record establishes the fact that a separate hearing on the voluntariness of the confession was conducted by the Court in absence of the jury upon defense counsel’s objection to the introduction of the statement.

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Bluebook (online)
418 S.W.2d 671, 1967 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 858, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ex-parte-engle-texcrimapp-1967.