Fitzpatrick v. State

CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 2, 1981
Docket81-074
StatusPublished

This text of Fitzpatrick v. State (Fitzpatrick v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Fitzpatrick v. State, (Mo. 1981).

Opinion

NO. 81-74

I N THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF M N A A OTN

BERNARD JAMES FITZPATRICK,

P e t i t i o n e r and R e s p o n d e n t ,

VS.

STATE O MONTANA, F

Respondent and A p p e l l a n t .

Appeal from: D i s t r i c t Court of t h e T h i r t e e n t h J u d i c i a l D i s t r i c t , I n and f o r t h e County o f B i g Horn H o n o r a b l e C h a r l e s Luedke, J u d g e p r e s i d i n g .

C o u n s e l o f Record:

For Appellant:

Hon. Mike G r e e l y , A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l , a r g u e d , H e l e n a , Montana Marc R a c i c o t , P r o s e c u t i o n C o o d i n a t o r , H e l e n a , Montana John Maynard a r g u e d , A s s i s t a n t A t t o r n e y G e n e r a l , H e l e n a , Montana James S e y k o r a a r g u e d , County A t t o r n e y , H a r d i n , Montana

F o r Respondent:

R o b e r t L. S t e p h e n s , J r . a r g u e d , B i l l i n g s , Montana Timothy K . Ford a r g u e d , S e a t t l e , Washington

Submitted: A p r i l 29, 1 9 8 1

Decided: SEP -2 1981 Filed: SEF - 2 498‘/ Mr. Chief J u s t i c e Frank I . Haswell d e l i v e r e d t h e O p i n i o n of t h e Court. S t a t e o f Montana a p p e a l s from t h e Big Horn County D i s t r i c t C o u r t ' s d e n i a l of t h e S t a t e ' s motion to d i s m i s s a p e t i -

t i o n f o r post-conviction relief. P e t i t i o n e r cross-appeals from

t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t ' s d e n i a l of h i s r e q u e s t f o r a n e v i d e n t i a r y h e a r i n g on h i s p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n petition. B e r n a r d F i t z p a t r i c k ( p e t i t i o n e r ) w a s c o n v i c t e d of

d e l i b e r a t e h o m i c i d e , a g g r a v a t e d k i d n a p p i n g , and r o b b e r y , and s e n - t e n c e d to d e a t h i n 1 9 7 5 . T h i s C o u r t r e v e r s e d and remanded f o r a

new t r i a l . S t a t e v. F i t z p a t r i c k ( 1 9 7 7 ) , 1 7 4 Mont. 1 7 4 , 5 6 9 P.2d 383. A f t e r a s e c o n d t r i a l , p e t i t i o n e r was c o n v i c t e d of t h e same o f f e n s e s and a g a i n s e n t e n c e d t o d e a t h . T h i s Court affirmed.

S t a t e v. F i t z p a t r i c k ( 1 9 8 0 ) , Mont . , 6 0 6 P,2d 1 3 4 3 , 37

St.Rep. 194, cert. d e n i e d , U.S. , 1 0 1 S e c t . 252, 6 6 L . Ed. 2d 1 1 8 . F i t z p a t r i c k p e t i t i o n e d t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Supreme

C o u r t and was d e n i e d c e r t i o r a r i o n t h e a b o v e c a s e and o n F i t z p a t r i c k v. S e n t e n c e Review D i v i s i o n of t h e Supreme C o u r t of Montana ( 1 9 8 0 ) , U.S. , 1 0 1 S.Ct. 252, 66 L.Ed.2d 119. On November 6 , 1 9 8 0 , p e t i t i o n e r f i l e d a p o s t -

c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f p e t i t i o n i n D i s t r i c t C o u r t , Big Horn County. The S t a t e moved t o d i s m i s s , a l l e g i n g t h a t p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n relief,

p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n 46-21-101 e t seq., MCA, i s n o t a v a i l a b l e to a d e f e n d a n t who h a s b e e n s e n t e n c e d t o d e a t h . The d i s t r i c t j u d g e d e n i e d t h e S t a t e ' s m o t i o n to d i s m i s s o n t h a t g r o u n d , b u t d i d

d i s m i s s t h e p e t i t i o n o n a l l claims o f p e t i t i o n e r e x c e p t a s t o h i s c l a i m i n " p a r a g r a p h 8 ( c ) I 1 of t h e p e t i t i o n , which a l l e g e d i n e f f e c - t i v e a s s i s t a n c e of c o u n s e l . The d i s t r i c t j u d g e g r a n t e d peti- t i o n e r l e a v e t o amend "8 ( c ) " i n o r d e r to s e t o u t h i s claim more specifically. On F e b r u a r y 4 , 1 9 8 1 , t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t d e n i e d p e t i t i o n e r ' s r e q u e s t f o r a n e v i d e n t i a r y h e a r i n g on t h e q u e s t i o n of ineffective assistance, ruling t h a t the allegations i n the

p r o p o s e d amended p e t i t i o n were c o n j e c t u r a l and s p e c u l a t i v e . The S t a t e a p p e a l s from t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t ' s r u l i n g which i n e f f e c t a l l o w s p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n r e l i e f to p e r s o n s u n d e r s e n t e n c e of d e a t h . P e t i t i o n e r cross-appeals from t h e d e n i a l o f

a n e v i d e n t i a r y h e a r i n g and t h e d e n i a l o f r e l i e f from h i s c o n v i c - t i o n and s e n t e n c e .

The S t a t e r a i s e s o n e i s s u e o n a p p e a l :

1) To w h a t e x t e n t may a p e r s o n s e n t e n c e d t o d e a t h

c h a l l e n g e h i s c o n v i c t i o n and s e n t e n c e u n d e r M o n t a n a ' s P o s t -

c o n v i c t i o n R e l i e f A c t when h e h a s p r e v i o u s l y b e e n a f f o r d e d a d i r e c t a p p e a l of h i s c o n v i c t i o n under t h e a u t o m a t i c r e v i e w p r o v i - s i o n s o f s e c t i o n s 46-18-307 t h r o u g h 46-18-310, MCA? P e t i t i o n e r r a i s e s 14 i s s u e s i n h i s cross-appeal, which

w e w i l l a d d r e s s as f o l l o w s : 1) Does t h e d o c t r i n e o f res j u d i c a t a b a r r e c o n -

s i d e r a t i o n o f c o n s t i t u t i o n a l claims r a i s e d b y p e t i t i o n e r o n

d i r e c t appeal to t h i s Court? 2 ) Did t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t e r r i n d i s m i s s i n g 7 claims

o n t h e i r merits ( d i s c u s s e d b e l o w ) w i t h o u t r e q u i r i n g a n e v i d e n -

t i a r y hearing? 3 ) Did t h e D i s t r i c t C o u r t e r r i n r u l i n g t h a t 6 claims

( d i s c u s s e d b e l o w ) s h o u l d b e d i s m i s s e d as a m a t t e r o f l a w ?

The d i s t r i c t j u d g e r u l e d as a m a t t e r of law t h a t d e a t h row p r i s o n e r s are n o t p r e c l u d e d from b r i n g i n g a p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n p e t i t i o n p u r s u a n t t o s e c t i o n s 46-21-101 e t seq., MCA. The S t a t e a r g u e s t h a t t h e a u t o m a t i c r e v i e w p r o v i s i o n s o f s e c t i o n 46-18-307 t h r o u g h 46-18-310, MCA, t a k e t h e p l a c e of t h e p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n

s t a t u t e s and l e n d t h e f i n a l i t y t o r e v i e w w h i c h m u s t e x i s t i f a

d e f e n d a n t s e n t e n c e d t o d e a t h is e v e r t o h a v e h i s s t a t u t o r y s e n - t e n c e imposed. P e t i t i o n e r p o i n t s o u t t h a t t h e s t a t u t e , on its f a c e , d e c l a r e s t h a t post-conviction r e l i e f is a v a i l a b l e to anyone "adjudged g u i l t y of an o f f e n s e ." H e also a r g u e s t h a t

t o h o l d o t h e r w i s e would d e n y p e t i t i o n e r t h e e q u a l p r o t e c t i o n o f t h e laws. W find p e t i t i o n e r ' s arguments persuasive. e

T h i s p r e c i s e i s s u e was r a i s e d by Dewey Coleman i n h i s a p p e a l t o t h i s C o u r t f r o m a Rosebud C o u n t y D i s t r i c t C o u r t ' s

d i s m i s s a l of h i s p e t i t i o n f o r p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n relief. In t h a t

a p p e a l , d e c i d e d by t h i s C o u r t A u g u s t 28, 1 9 8 1 , w e h e l d t h a t t h e

s t a t u t e is c l e a r o n i t s f a c e i n p r o v i d i n g t h i s remedy t o any " p e r s o n adjudged g u i l t y of a n o f f e n s e ." We discussed there the

i n t e r e s t t h a t t h e S t a t e h a s i n t h e f i n a l i t y of a s e n t e n c e , b u t w e a l s o r e c o g n i z e d t h a t had t h e l e g i s l a t u r e i n t e n d e d t h a t t h e p o s t - c o n v i c t i o n s t a t u t e s a p p l y o n l y to d e f e n d a n t s c o n v i c t e d of non-

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Fitzpatrick v. State, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/fitzpatrick-v-state-mont-1981.