Hinds v. Commissioner of Correction

CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
DecidedAugust 5, 2014
DocketAC35043, AC35081
StatusPublished

This text of Hinds v. Commissioner of Correction (Hinds v. Commissioner of Correction) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Appellate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hinds v. Commissioner of Correction, (Colo. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

****************************************************** The ‘‘officially released’’ date that appears near the beginning of each opinion is the date the opinion will be published in the Connecticut Law Journal or the date it was released as a slip opinion. The operative date for the beginning of all time periods for filing postopinion motions and petitions for certification is the ‘‘officially released’’ date appearing in the opinion. In no event will any such motions be accepted before the ‘‘officially released’’ date. All opinions are subject to modification and technical correction prior to official publication in the Connecti- cut Reports and Connecticut Appellate Reports. In the event of discrepancies between the electronic version of an opinion and the print version appearing in the Connecticut Law Journal and subsequently in the Con- necticut Reports or Connecticut Appellate Reports, the latest print version is to be considered authoritative. The syllabus and procedural history accompanying the opinion as it appears on the Commission on Official Legal Publications Electronic Bulletin Board Service and in the Connecticut Law Journal and bound volumes of official reports are copyrighted by the Secretary of the State, State of Connecticut, and may not be repro- duced and distributed without the express written per- mission of the Commission on Official Legal Publications, Judicial Branch, State of Connecticut. ****************************************************** WALTER HINDS v. COMMISSIONER OF CORRECTION (AC 35043) (AC 35081) Lavine, Alvord and Bishop, Js. Argued March 11—officially released August 5, 2014

(Appeal from Superior Court, judicial district of Tolland, Cobb, J.) Erika L. Brookman, assistant state’s attorney, with whom, on the brief, were Kevin D. Lawlor, state’s attor- ney, Mary M. Galvin, former state’s attorney, and Michael E. O’Hare, former senior assistant state’s attor- ney, for the appellant-appellee (respondent). Adele V. Patterson, senior assistant public defender, for the appellee-appellant (petitioner). Opinion

BISHOP, J. In this habeas corpus action, the peti- tioner, Walter Hinds, appeals from the judgment dis- missing the second count of his petition. In support, the petitioner claims that the habeas court incorrectly determined that the cumulative effect of the trial court’s alleged errors in his underlying criminal trial did not deprive him of a fair trial. The respondent, the Commis- sioner of Correction (commissioner), in turn, appeals from the judgment granting the petitioner a new trial on the first count of the petition. The commissioner claims that the habeas court incorrectly concluded that the petitioner was not procedurally defaulted from asserting his habeas claims and that the court, on the merits, incorrectly determined that the petitioner was denied a fair trial on the count in question. We affirm the judgment of the habeas court.1 The following undisputed facts and procedural his- tory are relevant to our consideration of the issues on appeal. Following a trial to the jury, the petitioner was found guilty of kidnapping in the first degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a-92 (a) (2) (A) and sexual assault in the first degree in violation of General Stat- utes § 53a-70 (a) (1). The petitioner was thereafter given consecutive sentences of twenty years and twenty-five years imprisonment for a total effective sentence of forty-five years incarceration. The petitioner remains in the custody of the commissioner. Following the judgment of conviction and sentencing, the petitioner appealed to this court, which, in turn, affirmed the judgment. State v. Hinds, 86 Conn. App. 557, 861 A.2d 1219 (2004), cert. denied, 273 Conn. 915, 871 A.2d 372 (2005).2 In its opinion, this court recited the following legally relevant factual history: ‘‘On August 28, 2000, sixteen year old high school student K was working as a cashier at the Super Stop & Shop super- market in Milford. After finishing work at approxi- mately 9 p.m., K left the store and started on foot to a friend’s apartment that was approximately five minutes away. The route K followed required her to walk past buildings adjacent to Super Stop & Shop, to cross See- man’s Lane and to cut through the property of In-Line Plastics Tool Company (In-Line Plastics). As she crossed Seeman’s Lane, K noticed a pickup truck exit the driveway of In-Line Plastics, reenter the parking area and come to a stop. As she walked past the truck, she turned around and observed that the driver had exited the vehicle and was walking behind her. She continued walking and, upon turning around again, she saw that the driver was right behind her and wearing only underwear and a sleeveless shirt. Although it was nighttime, the area was lit by lights on the surrounding buildings, enabling her to see the driver’s face. ‘‘At that point, K started to run. The [petitioner] ran after K, grabbed her and put one of his hands around her waist and his other hand over her mouth. He instructed her not to scream or he would kill her. The [petitioner] then threw K to the pavement and dragged her by the legs into the bushes behind the In-Line Plas- tics building. The [petitioner] sat on her chest with his feet on the outside of her arms and instructed K to open her mouth. He inserted his penis into her mouth and forced her to perform fellatio on him, ejaculating into her mouth. The [petitioner] then patted her on the cheek and told her she could leave. Too afraid to move, K remained where she was and, as the [petitioner] walked back toward his truck, pleaded with him not to kill her, telling him that she would not tell anybody what had happened. The [petitioner] turned around and looked at K, enabling her to see his face again. He then entered his truck and drove away.’’ (Footnote omitted.) Id., 559–60. In 2008, following his conviction and unsuccessful direct appeal, the petitioner brought a habeas corpus petition in four counts. Hinds v. Warden, Superior Court, judicial district of Tolland, Docket No. CV-03- 0823519-S (July 22, 2009). In the first count, the peti- tioner set forth various allegations of trial counsel’s purported ineffectiveness. Id. In count two, the peti- tioner alleged that the trial judge made prejudicial com- ments and erred in ordering that the petitioner remain shackled during trial. Id. In count three, he alleged that the cumulative errors of the trial court and his trial counsel deprived him of a fair trial. Id. And, in count four, he alleged that he was actually innocent of the crimes for which he was convicted. Id. Following a habeas trial, the court denied the petition. Id. On review, this court dismissed the appeal. Hinds v. Commis- sioner of Correction, 126 Conn. App. 905, 12 A.3d 1099, cert. denied, 301 Conn. 901, 17 A.3d 1043 (2011). On October 20, 2009, the petitioner brought this peti- tion. In a two count amended petition, filed April 5, 2012, the petitioner alleged that (1) his conviction of kidnapping in the first degree should be reversed due to constitutional errors in the jury charge; and (2) multiple errors by the trial court, deemed harmless on direct review, had the cumulative effect of violating his rights to due process of law and a fair trial. In response to the amended petition, the commissioner filed a return alleging, inter alia, that the petitioner’s claim regarding the trial court’s jury instruction was procedurally defaulted on the basis of the petitioner’s failure to raise the jury instruction issue at trial and on direct appeal.

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