Hein v. Smith

215 P.2d 403, 35 Wash. 2d 688, 1950 Wash. LEXIS 498
CourtWashington Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 16, 1950
DocketNo. 31139
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 215 P.2d 403 (Hein v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Washington Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hein v. Smith, 215 P.2d 403, 35 Wash. 2d 688, 1950 Wash. LEXIS 498 (Wash. 1950).

Opinion

Schwellenbach, J.

This is an appeal from an order denying petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

Petitioner, as the mother of Richard Hein, a minor of the age of sixteen years, filed an original application in this court for a writ of habeas corpus, alleging that Richard Hein [689]*689was restrained of his liberty at the state penitentiary at Walla Walla under a judgment and sentence of the superior court of Snohomish county. This court ordered the respondent to appear before the superior court of Snohomish county and show cause, if any, why the petition should not be granted. The hearing was held before Honorable Charles R. Denney, Judge, and the above order entered.

Richard Hein was tried and convicted in the superior court of Snohomish county of the charge of murder in the first degree of one James Moore. Upon appeal, this court affirmed the judgment and sentence. 32 Wn. (2d) 315, 201 P. (2d) 691.

The present habeas corpus action was brought under the authority of Rem. Supp. 1947, §§ 1075 and 1085-2, which sections provide that the scope of the inquiry in habeas corpus proceedings includes alleged violations of rights guaranteed a petitioner by the constitution of the state of Washington or the constitution of the United States. The constitutional grounds urged before the trial court and on this appeal are violations of Art. I, §§ 7 and 9 of our state constitution, and the fourteenth amendment of the Federal constitution.

Art. I, § 7, provides that:

“No person shall be disturbed in his private affairs, or his home invaded, without authority of law.”

Art. I, § 9, provides that:

“No person shall be compelled in any criminal case to give evidence against himself, or be twice put in jeopardy for the same offense.”

It is alleged that the trial court wrongfully admitted in evidence a so-called “confession,” in that the “confession” was unlawfully taken from the person of the defendant at a time when he was not under arrest, contrary to Art. I, § 7. It is further alleged that the admission of the “confession” in evidence required the defendant to take the stand in order to refute it, thus compelling him to give evidence against himself in violation of Art. I, § 9. As to the [690]*690invasion of rights guaranteed by the due process clause of the fourteenth amendment of the Federal constitution, it is contended that defendant was denied a fair trial, and that two witnesses, Inez Pitzer and Joe Jensen, gave perjured testimony at the original trial.

In order to properly discuss the issues in this matter, we find it necessary to review briefly some of the evidence given in the original trial. The body of James Moore was discovered November 18, 1947. Inez Pitzer, a school girl, testified at the original trial that, on the day before the murder was reported in the newspapers, Richard told her and another girl that he had “murdered a guy” for a red hat which he was wearing. She testified that they did not believe him and thought he was joking. At the present hearing, Inez testified that she thought the conversation took place the latter part of the week (which would be after the newspapers told of the murder) although she wasn’t certain. Under cross-examination, she identified a written statement which she had given, reciting that the conversation occurred on Tuesday, November 18th, and that the article appeared in the paper on Wednesday.

To get back to the story, the night the article appeared in the paper, Joe Jensen, a schoolmate of Richard, told his folks that he knew the boy who had murdered the man. The officers learned of this and contacted Joe. He was brought to the sheriff’s office and questioned, after which he made the following statement in his own handwriting:

“Nov. 24, 1947
“I Joe Jensen write this on my own free will.
“On November 17 or 18 about 12:50 we were going over to the gas station on 26th and Broadway and he told me.
“He said he went into visit this man James Moore Saturday night and he took the cane and broke the lamp that was in the room. When lamp was broking he hit the man on the back of the head and broke the cane and then went into the kitchen to get some stove wood and hit him across his eyes and the bridge of his nose and Mr. James Moore went over backwards on the floor He was afrade he would squeal and then he went into the kitchen and got a knife and cut his throat three times and took his $15.00 money [691]*691out of his bill fold and threw the knife the junk yard. Saturday night.
“[signed] Joe Jensen Witness By
[signed] E. L. Weaver
[signed] John J-. Refsnes”

On the strength of Jensen’s statement, Richard was arrested, brought to the sheriff’s office and questioned. He denied any knowledge of the crime. He then was confronted with Joe, who repeated his story, which was denied by Richard.

At the habeas corpus hearing, Joe Jensen testified that he perjured himself at the former trial; that the perjured testimony was given because of threats of the officers to send him to the reformatory if he did not so testify. He said that he talked to Richard on Thursday, rather than on Monday or Tuesday, and that Richard had the newspaper with him telling of the murder.

Joe’s sister, Virginia, was called by the state and testified that Joe was home the evening the paper came. While the folks were reading the account in the paper, Joe told them that a boy had told him about killing the man. At the conclusion of the present hearing, the court summed up the question of perjury as follows:

“Now, as to the alleged perjury. I think it undoubtedly must be shown in order to warrant the granting of a writ of habeas corpus, that the officers, particularly the prosecution officers, or at least the peace officers, were guilty of securing perjured testimony, and knowingly presenting it to a jury and the Court. That has not been established here.
“As far as the witness, Pitzer, is concerned, she does not assert that any officer or prosecuting officer of any kind ever said a word to her about it. She simply says now, almost two years later, that her recollection is that it was Thursday instead of Monday or Tuesday when this statement was made, or before the crime had been discovered. Well, common sense dictates that her recollection a week after the event is much better than it is now, almost two years after the event. So certainly there was no perjury there.
“As to the evidence submitted on behalf of Petitioner given by Joe Jensen, the overwhelming weight of the evi[692]*692dence is that Joe Jensen told these officers the details of what Richard Hein had told him, upon their first encounter at'the school house. That is the direct and positive testimony of Mr. Refsnes. By implication, at least, it is the testimony of Mr. Sheridan, because Mr. Sheridan says when he first called at the sheriff’s office about five o’clock, and before the statement had been secured off the person of Richard Hein, that he was presented with this statement and he read it. Therefore, it must have been given before the so-called ‘confession’ was found upon the person of Richard Hein.

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Bluebook (online)
215 P.2d 403, 35 Wash. 2d 688, 1950 Wash. LEXIS 498, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hein-v-smith-wash-1950.