Faulkner v. Makel

839 F. Supp. 1242, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17712, 1993 WL 522872
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedDecember 15, 1993
DocketCiv. A. No. 92-CV-77142-DT
StatusPublished

This text of 839 F. Supp. 1242 (Faulkner v. Makel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Faulkner v. Makel, 839 F. Supp. 1242, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17712, 1993 WL 522872 (E.D. Mich. 1993).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER

GADOLA, District Judge.

I. Introduction and Procedural History

Petitioner Delbert Faulkner is a state inmate at the Kinross Correctional 'Facility in Kincheloe, Michigan. This matter is before the Court on petitioner’s pro se application for the writ of habeas corpus under 28 U.S.C. § 2254.

On January 28, 1983, a jury in Macomb County Circuit Court found petitioner guilty of first-degree felony murder. In the words of the Michigan Court of Appeals, the State’s

theory at trial was that [petitioner] and Ron Taylor conspired to steal deeedenVvietim Larry Hooper’s motorcycle, that the robbery went awry, and that [petitioner] shot and killed Hooper during the course of the attempted robbery. Before trial, Ron Taylor was shot to death. Consequently, [the State] called Taylor’s fiancee, Deborah Ruman, as a witness to testify regarding Taylor’s role in the incident.

See People v. Faulkner, Michigan Court of Appeals No. 70229 (March 27, 1985) at 1. The trial judge sentenced'petitioner to life in prison for the crime.

In a claim of appeal before the Michigan Court of Appeals, petitioner raised questions about (1) the admissioh into evidence of testimony by Deborah Ruman and a physician, (2) the trial court’s denials of his motions for new trial, and (3) photographic show-ups. The Court of Appeals affirmed petitioner’s conviction. See People v. Faulkner, Michigan Court of Appeals No. 70229 (March 27, 1985).

In the Michigan Supreme Court, petitioner subsequently challenged (1) the prosecutor’s alleged failure to provide a laboratory report, (2) the assistance of counsel concerning pretrial identification procedures, (3) evidentiary errors regarding the alleged conspiracy, and (4) the prosecutor’s reference to his (petitioner’s) post-arrest silence. The Michigan Supreme Court denied petitioner’s delayed application for leave to appeal because it was not persuadéd that it should review petitioner’s questions. See People v. Faulkner, Michigan Supreme Court No. 76831 (December 17, 1985).

Next, petitioner filed a delayed motion for new trial. On March 30,1987, the trial court held an evidentiary hearing on the issues, and on May,5, 1987, the trial court denied petitioner’s delayed motion for new trial. See Answer to Habeas Petition, attachment 4:

Petitioner then applied for leave to appeal in the Michigan Court of Appeals. He challenged (1) the prosecutor’s alleged misrepresentation of a laboratory report, use of false testimony, and reference to post-arrest silence, (2) the photographic show-ups, (3) the trial court’s interpretation of the law on conspiracy and failure to instruct on voluntary manslaughter, and (4) the assistance of trial and appellate counsel.

In a standard order, the Michigan Court of Appeals denied petitioner’s application for leave to appeal after concluding that petitioner’s claims' lacked merit. See People v. Faulkner, Michigan Court of Appeals No. 108758 (October 26, 1988). Petitioner raised the same issues in a delayed application for [1245]*1245leave to appeal in the Michigan Supreme Court, which also denied leave to appeal in a standard order. See People v. Faulkner, Michigan Supreme Court No. 84892 (August 28, 1989).

In 1989, petitioner filed a second delayed motion for new trial. His sole issue was:

WHETHER [HE] WAS DENIED HIS FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL WHERE THE PROSECUTOR MISREPRESENTED A LABORATORY REPORT WHICH FOUND BLOOD EMBEDDED BY A BULLET FIRED INTO A TELEPHONE DIRECTORY, ALTHOUGH NEITHER THE VICTIM NOR DEFENDANT (THE ONLY PARTIES PRESENT) HAD THAT TYPE OF BLOOD?

The trial court denied petitioner’s second delayed motion for new trial. See Answer to Habeas' Petition, attachment 7. In a third round of appeals, the state courts denied petitioner’s applications for leave to appeal the trial court’s decision. See People v. Faulkner, Michigan Court of Appeals No. 124790 (March 16, 1990); People v. Faulkner, Michigan Supreme Court No. 88729 (September 28, 1990).

On December 16, 1992, petitioner filed the pending habeas petition. He raises the following grounds for relief:

I. WAS PETITIONER DENIED HIS FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL WHERE THE PROSECUTOR MISREPRESENTED THE RESULTS’OF AN EXCULPATORY LABORATORY REPORT TO TRAIL (sic) COUNSEL?
II. WAS PETITIONER DENIED HIS . SIXTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO THE EFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF TRIAL COUNSEL WHERE:
A. COUNSEL FAILED TO INQUIRE FROM SOURCES OTHER THAN THE PROSECUTOR’S EXPERT WITH REGARD TQ THE EXCULPATORY LABORATORY REPORT?
B. COUNSEL FAILED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT A PHOTOGRAPHIC DISPLAY TOOK PLACE WHERE COUNSEL SHOULD HAVE BEEN PRESENT?
C.COUNSEL FAILED TO DEMONSTRATE THAT THE TAINTED PHOTO DISPLAY, COUPLED WITH A SUGGESTIVE PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION, IMPROPERLY INFLUENCED THE WITNESS’S (sic) IDENTIFICATION?
III. WAS PETITIONER DENIED HIS FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL WHERE THE PROSECUTOR PERMITTED DEBORAH RUMAN, ITS KEY WITNESS, TO GIVE FALSE TESTIMONY WITH REGARD TO:
A. THE CONSIDERATION SHE RECEIVED IN EXCHANGE FOR HER TESTIMONY?
B. HER NON-INVOLVEMENT WITH HEROIN USE WHEN, IN FACT, SHE WAS A MAJOR HEROIN DISTRIBUTOR?
IV. WAS PETITIONER DENIED HIS FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL BECAUSE THE LAW USED TO ESTABLISH THE CONSPIRACY BETWEEN HIMSELF AND RONALD TAYLOR WAS MISINTERPRETED?
V. WAS PETITIONER DENIED HIS FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL WHERE THE EVIDENCE SUPPORTED AN INSTRUCTION ON VOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER BUT, BECAUSE TRIAL COUNSEL. REQUESTED THAT ONLY VOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER BE GIVEN, THE COURT FAILED TO GIVE THAT CHARGE?■

See petitioner’s Brief in Support at ii. Petitioner has exhausted his state court remedies on these claims. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(b) and (c); Picard v. Connor, 404 U.S. 270, 92 S.Ct. 509, 30 L.Ed.2d 438 (1971).

On August 9, 1993, respondent filed his answer to the petition. He argues that (1) petitioner’s claims concerning the prosecutor and the assistance of counsel are without merit, (2) petitioner’s conspiracy claim is not cognizable on habeas review, and (3) proce[1246]*1246■dural rules bar the Court’s review of petitioner’s claim about the jury instructions.

II. Discussion

A. Alleged Prosecutorial Misconduct

Petitioner’s first claim is that the prosecutor misrepresented evidence and thereby denied him a fair trial.

1. Alleged misrepresentation of results of laboratory report

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Bluebook (online)
839 F. Supp. 1242, 1993 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17712, 1993 WL 522872, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/faulkner-v-makel-mied-1993.