Hall v. Page

267 F. Supp. 520, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7620
CourtDistrict Court, N.D. Oklahoma
DecidedMay 2, 1967
DocketNo. 67-C-2
StatusPublished

This text of 267 F. Supp. 520 (Hall v. Page) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, N.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hall v. Page, 267 F. Supp. 520, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7620 (N.D. Okla. 1967).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION

DAUGHERTY, District Judge.

The petitioner Bill Hall, a state prisoner serving a life sentence for armed robbery, has brought this habeas corpus action alleging that his plea of guilty entered on August 14, 1940, was coerced. Pursuant to Hall v. Page, (Tenth Cir. 1966) 367 F.2d 352, an evidentiary hearing was conducted in this Court on the claim of coercion after the case was transferred to this District from the Eastern District of Oklahoma, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241(d). Counsel was appointed by the Court for the petitioner.

The petitioner claims herein that his “plea of guilty was involuntary, having been coerced by a county sheriff who advised Hall (petitioner herein) that he would receive no further medical attention, and would not be taken to the State Penitentiary for hospital treatment until after a plea of guilty to the pending charges.” Hall v. Page, supra.

At the evidentiary hearing the petitioner testified to the above effect and without objection an affidavit of his co-defendant in the state case, one Joe Lovelace, also now a prisoner of the State of Oklahoma, was received in evidence which stated that the County Sheriff gave such advice to the petitioner.

The evidence introduced at the hearing identified the County Sheriff, established that he was killed in a car accident in 1949, that the petitioner heard that the Sheriff was dead and learned this before he filed his first proceeding in habeas corpus in the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals in which the same alleged coercion as herein claimed was asserted. See Ex Parte Hall, 91 Okl.Cr. 11, 215 P.2d 587 at page 590. This proceeding in habaes corpus was denied in 1950. Ex Parte Hall, supra. A second proceeding seeking release by writ of habeas corpus in the same Court was denied in 1953. Ex Parte Hall, 97 Okl.Cr. 204, 261 P.2d 475. The case now before this Court was filed in 1966.

At the evidentiary hearing the petitioner also testified that the County Attorney told him that the Sheriff had exclusive authority regarding the hospitalization of the petitioner; that he told the County Attorney about the alleged coercion practiced on him by the County Sheriff and that his voice was so weak at the time he was sentenced that the County Attorney had to relay his plea of guilty to the Court by bending over and placing his ear next to the petitioner’s mouth.

This County Attorney testified in person and denied that he ever told the petitioner that the County Sheriff had exclusive authority regarding the hospitalization of the petitioner; that he definitely knew that the Court also had authority in this area. The County Attorney also denied that the petitioner ever told him about the alleged coercive statement by the County Sheriff; that [522]*522had he been so advised by the petitioner he would not have participated in the arraignment and sentencing of the petitioner. The County Attorney also denied that he relayed the petitioner’s plea of guilty to the Court at any time.

Thus, the testimony of the petitioner on these three points is directly contradicted by the County Attorney. The testimony of the County Attorney also directly contradicted the statement in the affidavit of the co-defendant of the petitioner that the County Attorney relayed the petitioner’s plea of guilty “at which time the Court did then and there pronounce the said judgment for which the said Bill Hall is at present serving a life sentence.” The testimony of the County Attorney and other evidence in the case also directly contradicted the statement in the affidavit of the said co-defendant of the petitioner that “further the said Bill Hall did wave (sic) the right of having a lawyer appointed to defned (sic) him, at which time the Court did then and there pronounce the said judgment for which the said Bill Hall is at present serving a life sentence.” The record conclusively shows that the petitioner was represented by counsel at the time of his plea of guilty before the District Judge and at the time he was sentenced with said co-defendant to life imprisonment.

The transcript of the District Court arraignment and sentencing also clearly establishes that the petitioner received medical attention by Dr. B. C. Schwab in the County Jail at Sapulpa, Oklahoma, on August 13, 1940, the day he was brought to said jail from Stillwater, Oklahoma, and again received medical attention from said Dr. Schwab on August 14, 1940, the day he was arraigned and sentenced. This transcript also shows that the petitioner gave intelligent answers to nine questions put to him by the District Judge which negates the testimony of the petitioner that he was so weak that the County Attorney had to relay to the Court his plea of guilty. The transcript does not bear out the claim of the petitioner that his plea of guilty was relayed by the County Attorney.

The County Sheriff, to whom is attributed the alleged coercive statement to the petitioner, is deceased and is not available to testify as to whether or not he made such statement to the petitioner and did so in the presence of his co-defendant as testified herein by the petitioner and as stated by the co-defendant in his affidavit. It is significant that the petitioner waited for about nine years and until after the death of said County Sheriff before asserting such coercive statement before a Court.

Under the Petition of the petitioner herein and the opinion of our Circuit (Hall v. Page, supra) the factual issue for determination by this Court is whether or not the petitioner’s plea of guilty herein was coerced by the alleged statement from the County Sheriff that he would receive no further medical attention and would not be taken to the State Penitentiary for hospital treatment until after a plea of guilty, to the pending charges. This alleged coercive statement by the County Sheriff, if made at all, was not followed by the County Sheriff for the record conclusively shows that the petitioner was, in fact, seen by Dr. Schwab on the day of his arrival at the County Jail of said Sheriff and again the next day and said doctor was in attendance at the arraignment and sentencing of the petitioner and testified therein to the effect that the petitioner was sane and alert and knew what was going on at the time.

The transcript of the proceedings had before the Justice of the Peace and the District Court regarding the petitioner is in evidence and discloses that appropriate care was exercised by the District Judge in seeing that the petitioner had counsel and also realized what was going on and what he was doing by appointing able counsel and requiring medical testimony by Dr. Schwab, the attending physician for the petitioner, as to his alertness and knowledge as to what was going on. This transcript, of course, re[523]*523veals no evidence of the alleged coercive statement by the County Sheriff. It does show that the arraignment and sentencing was accomplished at the request of the petitioner and that the petitioner and Joe Lovelace were arraigned and sentenced at the same time.

The burden of proof is upon the petitioner in this civil habeas corpus proceeding to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that he is entitled to the relief sought. Beeler v. Crouse, 332 F.2d 783 (Tenth Cir.-1964); Sanchez v.

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Related

Ex Parte Farrell
189 F.2d 540 (First Circuit, 1951)
Carlos (Charlie) Sanchez v. Harold A. Cox
357 F.2d 260 (Tenth Circuit, 1966)
Bill Hall v. Ray H. Page, Warden
367 F.2d 352 (Tenth Circuit, 1966)
Ex Parte Hall
1950 OK CR 27 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1950)
Ex parte Hall
1953 OK CR 124 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1953)
Jackson v. Sanford
79 F. Supp. 74 (N.D. Georgia, 1947)
Nash ex rel. Hashimoto v. MacArthur
342 U.S. 838 (Supreme Court, 1951)
Burns v. Criminal Court
342 U.S. 839 (Supreme Court, 1951)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
267 F. Supp. 520, 1967 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7620, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hall-v-page-oknd-1967.