Hilton v. Kerry

754 F.3d 79, 2014 WL 2611146, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 11056
Court of Appeals for the First Circuit·Decided June 12, 2014·No. 13-2444·Published·Cited by 10 cases

Opinion

LYNCH, Chief Judge.

This is an appeal from a denial of a habeas corpus petition asking the court to block extradition.

Upon receiving an official request from the United Kingdom, the United States sought extradition of Alexander Hilton, a United States citizen, to face an attempted murder charge in Scotland. Hilton argued that, because of his mental health problems, he may not be extradited because extradition would cause him an increased risk of suicide, and so violate his Fifth Amendment right to due process under the United States Constitution. In addition, Hilton argued that he may not be extradited because trial under the Scottish jury system requires only a simple majority for conviction and that would violate his U.S. constitutional rights. 1 After a hearing, a magistrate judge found Hilton extraditable and issued a Certificate of Extraditability. See 18 U.S.C. § 3184.

Hilton then filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, seeking to block extradition. See 28 U.S.C. § 2241; see also In re Extradition of Howard, 996 F.2d 1320, 1325 (1st Cir.1993) (explaining that “neither party to an extradition proceeding may challenge a decision rendered therein by direct appeal”). The district court denied the petition. See Hilton v. Kerry, No. 13-11710-TSH, 2013 WL 5755485 (D.Mass. Oct. 22, 2013). We affirm the district court.

I.

A. Allegations

Hilton attended the University of St. Andrews in Scotland from September 2009 through March 2011. United Kingdom authorities allege that on or about March 5, 2011, Hilton attempted to murder a fellow student, Robert Forbes, by spiking a bottle of wine with methanol, giving the bottle to Forbes, and encouraging him to drink the contents. Because of Hilton’s continuous encouragement, the allegations continue, Forbes drank most of the contents of the bottle. Forbes was later hospitalized. According to the request for extradition, a treating neurologist “is of the opinion that if [Forbes] had not received medical treatment then he may have sustained kidney failure or other neurological deficit. Due to the high levels of acid in his blood this would have resulted in his death.” Forbes *82 is alleged to have lost initially his eyesight as a result of the incident, though it has since improved. Forbes continues to require and receive medical treatment.

Following the incident, police recovered evidence that Hilton had purchased a plastic funnel and glass measuring jug from a local store. In addition, police recovered Hilton’s laptop, analysis of which showed that a user had on March 7, 2011—two days after the poisoning but two days before Forbes’ condition was diagnosed—accessed web pages containing information regarding methanol poisoning and the long term effects thereof. In addition, analysis showed that, on an unknown date, a user had conducted Google search for “methanol mixed with ethanol.”

Scottish authorities interrogated Hilton for five hours on March 11, 2011 but did not charge him at that time. On March 15, 2011, Hilton sought and received a leave of absence from St. Andrews, citing, among other things, his personal and medical circumstances (see infra). Hilton left Scotland and returned to his home in Massachusetts on March 22, 2011. On October 11, 2012, the British Embassy submitted a diplomatic note formally requesting that Hilton be extradited. Hilton was charged with attempted murder in Scotland, and a warrant for his arrest was issued on December 2, 2012. On February 12, 2013, the United States filed a complaint seeking an arrest warrant and the extradition of Hilton. Hilton was arrested on February 13, 2013.

B. Hilton’s Mental Health Problems

Hilton, now age 22, has a long history of mental illness including suicidal thoughts and ideation. According to Dr. Judith G. Edersheim, a psychiatrist retained by Hilton’s counsel to evaluate Hilton, Hilton suffers from' “a primary psychotic disorder, a primary disorder of thought,” with diagnostic considerations pointing to schizophrenia, delusional disorder, or generalized psychotic disorder.

After his arrest, Hilton was transferred to Wyatt Detention Facility. Immediately, Hilton began to engage in suicidal behaviors. Officials placed Hilton on suicide watch. His attorneys report that Hilton became increasingly despondent, refusing nutrition. While detained, Hilton also expressed overt psychotic thoughts, including auditory, visual, and tactile hallucinations.

In Dr. Edersheim’s opinion, Hilton’s suicidal thoughts and ideations worsen whenever he is away from his home and the set of supports his family has put in place. She opines further that extradition to Scotland would greatly increase Hilton’s risk of suicide.

C. Extradition Proceedings and Bail

Ten days after his arrest, Hilton filed a motion to permit visits from his treating psychologists. The Government assented, and, based upon a showing of medical necessity, the magistrate judge granted the motion the same day. Around the same time, Hilton filed a motion for release from custody on bail pending extradition proceedings, .arguing, among other things, that his psychiatric illness was severely exacerbated as soon as he was placed in custody. After a hearing, the magistrate judge found that special circumstances existed overriding the presumption against granting bail in extradition proceedings and that Hilton did not pose a serious risk of flight or danger to the community. She ordered him released on conditions on March 4, 2013. 2

*83 The magistrate judge held an extradition hearing on March 7, 2013. On May 3, 2013, she issued a decision finding Hilton extraditable to Scotland and, soon after, a Certificate of Extraditability. The decision found that Hilton conceded that a valid treaty exists between the United States and the United Kingdom, that the charged crime of attempted murder is covered by the treaty, and that probable cause exists for the charged crime. Relying upon the rule of non-inquiry, the decision rejected Hilton’s argument that, by subjecting him to Scottish criminal procedure, extradition would violate his constitutional rights and, as a consequence, certain provisions of the extradition treaty. The decision also rejected Hilton’s argument that extradition should be barred on humanitarian grounds, reasoning that, under the federal extradition statute, such considerations were properly addressed to the Secretary of State. The magistrate judge ordered a stay of the Certificate of Extraditability so that Hilton could diligently pursue a habeas petition.

D. Habeas Proceedings

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Hilton v. Kerry, 754 F.3d 79, 2014 WL 2611146, 2014 U.S. App. LEXIS 11056 (1st Cir. 2014).

754 F.3d 79 (Hilton v. Kerry) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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