Freeman v. Director of Kansas State Penitentiary

535 F. Supp. 325, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11499
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedApril 2, 1982
Docket80-3001
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 535 F. Supp. 325 (Freeman v. Director of Kansas State Penitentiary) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Freeman v. Director of Kansas State Penitentiary, 535 F. Supp. 325, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11499 (D. Kan. 1982).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM & ORDER

SAFFELS, District Judge.

On March 14, 1980, this Court entered an order dismissing the above-encaptioned petition for writ of habeas corpus filed pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. In dismissing the action, this Court had construed petitioner’s application as raising two claims, that of insufficient evidence to sustain the jury verdict of guilty and illegal sentence, but based upon the single theory that the two verdicts entered in his state criminal case were inconsistent. In its order of dismissal, *326 this Court rejected petitioner’s theory that the verdict of guilty against him for aggravated or armed robbery was inconsistent under Kansas law with a verdict of not guilty of possession of a firearm during the robbery.

On appeal, the order of dismissal was vacated and the cause remanded with instructions to make a finding as to whether petitioner has fully exhausted his state remedies and to proceed with a consideration of the merits, if appropriate.

The Court of Appeals found that petitioner raised two claims: “that there was insufficient evidence presented at trial to substantiate the jury verdict of guilty and that the sentencing court increased his sentence in violation of due process and double jeopardy.” Before the merits of any of petitioner’s claims may be considered, this Court is required to make specific findings as to whether petitioner has exhausted his state court remedies. See Martinez v. Romero, 640 F.2d 1151 (10th Cir. 1981). This Court issued an Order to Show Cause and has reviewed the Answer and Return, the Traverse thereto, and the relevant state court records in making the following determination.

The records demonstrate that on defendant’s motion for new trial before sentencing, defense counsel for petitioner unsuccessfully argued that the jury verdict entered against petitioner of guilty of armed robbery, in violation of K.S.A. 21-3427, was inconsistent with the jury’s verdict of not guilty of unlawful possession of a firearm, K.S.A. 21-4204(1)(d). Two points were raised by defense counsel on petitioner’s direct appeal. Quoted from the appellate brief, they were:

“I. The trial court committed prejudicial error in its failure to grant a new trial based on the fact that the verdict was not substantiated by the evidence.
“II. The court committed prejudicial error in sentencing the appellant pursuant to K.S.A.1976 Supp. 21-4618.”

In support of the first point, defense counsel argued: “In light of the testimony given, it is inconsistent to find that a firearm was present for purposes of satisfying the aggravated robbery charge and find that no such weapon was present for purposes of the unlawful possession of a firearm.” Relevant portions of the transcript of trial show that the victim of the robbery had testified that the robber did have a gun and that she thought it was less than a foot long. In support of the second point, defense counsel stated, “Appellant submits this point on the basis of the argument and authorities raised in point I of this brief.” Thus, it is clear to this Court that petitioner’s two points on direct appeal were based only upon his theory that the verdicts were inconsistent. Included in the state court records reviewed by this Court is petitioner’s post-conviction motion filed in the trial court. The two claims raised there are identical to the two points on appeal except that the word “constitutional” is substituted for “prejudicial.” Grounds one and two set forth in petitioner’s application to this Court are identical to his points raised on appeal, except that petitioner has substituted “prejudicial constitutional” for “prejudicial,” and in point II has substituted “petitioner” for “appellant,” as well as added “[i]n violation of 5th, 6th, 8th and 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

From its review of the state court records and written opinions of the state judges who considered petitioner’s claims, this Court finds that petitioner has exhausted his claim that the verdict of guilty was not substantiated by the evidence only insofar as the claim is based upon his theory that the two verdicts were inconsistent. Any other factual basis petitioner may have for this claim must be presented to the state courts at the trial and appellate levels before it may be considered on federal habeas corpus.

The Court further finds that petitioner has exhausted his claim of unlawful sentencing under K.S.A.1976 Supp. 21-4618 only insofar as this claim is based upon his theory of inconsistent verdicts. Nowhere in the state court records do we find the claim *327 raised or discussed that the sentencing judge enhanced petitioner’s sentence sixteen months subsequent to the sentencing proceeding in violation of the double jeopardy clause and due process.

In support of his claim of unlawful sentence in the application before this Court petitioner repeatedly alleges that the trial court’s “Order Correcting Record,” filed April 14,1978, to reflect that a finding was made that defendant used a firearm in the commission of the robbery so that sentence was imposed pursuant to the Mandatory Sentencing Act, K.S.A. 21-4618, was contrary to the jury verdict of not guilty of possession of a firearm. Among these allegations, which had been presented on direct appeal and by post-conviction motion as the basis for petitioner’s general claim of unlawful sentence, petitioner includes allegations made for the first time in his application to this Court that the trial court’s order correcting the journal entry to reflect sentencing under the Mandatory Sentencing Act delayed the date of his eligibility for parole by seven years. These factual allegations are construed by the Court of Appeals as presenting a claim of an unconstitutional increase in petitioner’s sentence without the benefit of procedural due process safeguards and in violation of double jeopardy.

The Court finds that the legal claim of an unconstitutional enhancement of petitioner’s sentence and the factual allegations in support thereof first raised in this petition for federal habeas corpus relief have not been fairly presented to the courts of the state of Kansas. Petitioner must present this claim, together with the supporting facts, to the trial and appellate courts before it may be considered on federal habeas corpus.

In sum, although petitioner has challenged the sufficiency of the evidence and the legality of his sentence in the courts of the state, the only factual basis he presented for such claims pertained to the alleged inconsistency of the two verdicts. Any different factual basis for these claims have not been presented to the state courts.

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Related

Woodard v. BD. OF COUNTY COM'RS OF JEFFERSON COUNTY
108 F. Supp. 2d 1184 (D. Kansas, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
535 F. Supp. 325, 1982 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11499, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/freeman-v-director-of-kansas-state-penitentiary-ksd-1982.