Felix Martinez v. George Sullivan

881 F.2d 921, 1989 U.S. App. LEXIS 11341, 1989 WL 86171
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedAugust 4, 1989
Docket87-1534
StatusPublished
Cited by46 cases

This text of 881 F.2d 921 (Felix Martinez v. George Sullivan) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Felix Martinez v. George Sullivan, 881 F.2d 921, 1989 U.S. App. LEXIS 11341, 1989 WL 86171 (10th Cir. 1989).

Opinions

HOLLOWAY, Chief Judge.

Petitioner Felix Martinez appeals from the district court’s order dismissing his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. We affirm.

I

On the evening of August 1, 1981, Scott Thompson, a prisoner at Camp Sierra Blanca in New Mexico, was stabbed and beaten to death. Fellow prisoners Lujan, Sedillo, and petitioner Martinez were charged by the State of New Mexico with capital murder. Martinez was twice tried alone. Both trials resulted in mistrials. At his third trial, Lujan and Martinez were tried together. Sedillo, who had previously plead guilty to second degree murder, testified for the defense that he alone was responsible for Thompson’s murder. Martinez also testified. He admitted only having a minor fracas with Thompson in their dorm and pushing him out the back door; he denied having anything to do with Thompson’s death. Lujan was acquitted. Martinez was found guilty of second degree murder.

The New Mexico Court of Appeals affirmed Martinez’ conviction. State v. Martinez, 102 N.M. 94, 691 P.2d 887 (Ct.App.1984). The New Mexico Supreme Court denied certiorari. Martinez v. State, 102 N.M. 88, 691 P.2d 881 (1984). Martinez then petitioned the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico for a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. The district court adopted the magistrate’s proposed findings and recommended disposition and dismissed with prejudice Martinez’ petition. Martinez appeals.

In this appeal Martinez raises the same constitutional issues he presented in the New Mexico courts and in the federal district court by his habeas petition. He claims: (1) admission of Sam Love’s preliminary hearing testimony violated his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment right to confront witnesses against him because Love was not unavailable; (2) admission of code-fendant Lujan’s out-of-court declarations under the excited utterance and present sense impression exceptions to the hearsay rule violated his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment right to confront Lujan; (3) admission of codefendant Lujan’s out-of-court declarations under the co-conspirator exception to the hearsay rule also violated his right to confront Lujan because there was insufficient evidence of a conspiracy; [924]*924(4) a conflict of interest under which his attorney labored deprived him of his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel; (5) exclusion of jurors who under no circumstances would impose the penalty of death violated his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment right to a jury selected from a fair cross-section of the community; and (6) denial of severance of his trial from Lujan’s violated his Fourteenth Amendment right to due process of law.

II

1. Unavailability of Witness Love

Sam Love, a witness to Thompson’s murder, testified for the prosecution at Martinez’ preliminary hearing and second trial. II R. 70-209; V R. Transcript of Testimony of Sam Love, Jr. At the preliminary hearing, Love testified he saw Martinez, Lujan, and Sedillo “whipping on another dude.” II R. 75. Shortly afterwards, Love looked out his bathroom window and saw someone lying face down. Sedillo was hitting the person in the head with a pool cue and Martinez was kicking him. II R. 80-82. Later, Love saw Martinez enter the lodge with blood on his forearm. II R. 87. When Love failed to appear at Martinez’ third trial, the prosecution introduced his preliminary hearing testimony. VI R. 1366.

Martinez contends that admission of Love’s preliminary hearing testimony violated his Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment right to confront Love. The Sixth Amendment’s Confrontation Clause, made applicable to the States through the Fourteenth Amendment, Pointer v. Texas, 380 U.S. 400, 403-06, 85 S.Ct. 1065, 1067-69, 13 L.Ed.2d 923 (1965), provides: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right ... to be confronted with the witnesses against him....” If applied literally, the Confrontation Clause would require the exclusion of any statement made by a declarant not present at trial. Nevertheless, an out-of-court statement by a de-clarant who does not testify at trial is admissible against an accused if two conditions are satisfied. “[WJhen a hearsay de-clarant is not present for cross-examination at trial, the Confrontation Clause normally requires a showing that he is unavailable. Even then, his statement is admissible only if it bears adequate ‘indicia of reliability.’ Reliability can be inferred without more in a case where the evidence falls within a firmly rooted hearsay exception.” Ohio v. Roberts, 448 U.S. 56, 66, 100 S.Ct. 2531, 2539, 65 L.Ed.2d 597 (1980). As with other evidentiary proponents, the prosecution bears the burden of establishing the predicate of unavailability. Id. at 74-75, 100 S.Ct. at 2543-44.

Martinez contends the prosecution did not establish the first predicate; he asserts it failed to show Love was unavailable. “[A] witness is not ‘unavailable’ for purposes of the ... exception to the confrontation requirement unless the prosecu-torial authorities have made a good-faith effort to obtain his presence at trial.” Barber v. Page, 390 U.S. 719, 724-25, 88 S.Ct. 1318, 1322, 20 L.Ed.2d 255 (1968). “The lengths to which the prosecution must go to produce a witness ... is a question of reasonableness.” Ohio v. Roberts, 448 U.S. at 74, 100 S.Ct. at 2543 (quoting California v. Green, 399 U.S. 149, 189 n. 22, 90 S.Ct. 1930, 1951 n. 22, 26 L.Ed.2d 489 (1970) (Harlan, J., concurring)).1

[925]*925Love was to have arrived in New Mexico on September 8 when Martinez’ trial began. VI R. 1291. The state trial court held a hearing on September 15 to determine whether Love was unavailable. VI R. 1287-1348. The prosecution presented testimony that it had employed the same procedure to obtain Love’s appearance that had proved successful at Martinez’ two previous trials. VI R. 1290. First, the prosecution served Love with a witness subpoena, through his Oklahoma parole officer, approximately one month before trial. VI R. 1290-91, 1316. Although the New Mexico subpoena had no legal authority in Oklahoma, where Love resided, he had twice responded to similar subpoenas. VI R. 1290, 1313. Second, the prosecution purchased an airplane ticket to New Mexico for Love and mailed him a travel itinerary. VI R. 1291. Finally, the prosecution telephoned Love twice, once approximately eleven days before trial and again the day before trial. VI R. 1290-91. Love confirmed he would appear to testify.

Love, however, did not appear. As the New Mexico prosecution in Martinez’ trial was aware, Love had been released on bond in Oklahoma pending his trial on an unrelated criminal charge. Unknown to them, however, Love’s trial was scheduled to begin in Oklahoma on September 8, the same day he was to testify at Martinez’ trial in New Mexico. But the Oklahoma authorities were aware that Love was scheduled to testify at Martinez’ trial in New Mexico, and so had anticipated they would obtain a continuance of Love’s trial. VI R. 1292. Nevertheless, at Love’s request his trial in Oklahoma began oh September 8. VI R. 1292.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
881 F.2d 921, 1989 U.S. App. LEXIS 11341, 1989 WL 86171, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/felix-martinez-v-george-sullivan-ca10-1989.