Hopson v. State

352 So. 2d 506
CourtSupreme Court of Alabama
DecidedSeptember 16, 1977
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 352 So. 2d 506 (Hopson v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hopson v. State, 352 So. 2d 506 (Ala. 1977).

Opinion

352 So.2d 506 (1977)

In re LaFrench HOPSON
v.
STATE.
Ex Parte LaFrench Hopson.

SC 2309.

Supreme Court of Alabama.

September 16, 1977.
Rehearing Denied December 9, 1977.

*507 H. Wayne Love, Anniston, for petitioner.

William J. Baxley, Atty. Gen., and Eric A. Bowen, Asst. Atty. Gen., for the State, opposed.

PER CURIAM.

We granted certiorari to review the decision of the Court of Criminal Appeals, 352 So.2d 500 which affirmed petitioner's conviction for second degree murder and sentence of twenty years' imprisonment in the penitentiary. We affirm.

Petitioner contended at his trial that he had been denied his constitutional right to speedy trial. The trial court denied his motion to dismiss the indictment because of deprivation of his right to speedy trial and the Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction.

Facts, sufficient for our decision, are contained in the Court of Criminal Appeals' opinion.

It is, of course, fundamental that the right to speedy trial is guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972) is the yardstick by which the court determines whether there was a denial of speedy trial. In applying the Barker v. Wingo standards to this case: (1) length of delay; (2) reason for delay; (3) defendant's assertion of his right and, (4) prejudice to defendant; we reach the same conclusions as those reached by the majority of the Court of Criminal Appeals.

(1) Here the length of delay from indictment to trial was five years. In Barker, it was five years. In Prince v. Alabama, 507 F.2d 693 (5 Cir. 1975), it was nine years. In Sellers v. Alabama, No. 74-55-5 (M.D.Ala., filed December 4, 1974), it was two years. This delay does not, of itself and in comparison with other cases, appear to be inordinate, particularly in view of the reasons for the delay.

(2) The reasons for the delay are because defendant fled the State of Alabama going to New York State where he committed another homicide. He was convicted and served his sentence there. At first, Alabama had difficulty locating him. Alabama made a "good faith effort" to extradite defendant but was refused by the Governor of New York. No such effort was made in Prince, supra, where the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals held that attempts at extradition, or issuance of a writ of habeas corpus ad prosequendum would have constituted "good faith efforts." This is in the disjunctive not conjunctive. To reach the result petitioner contends for, we would have to hold that both attempts must be pursued. We know of no Alabama or Supreme Court case so holding. The instant case is more nearly like Sellers than Prince. In Sellers the Governor of Georgia refused extradition. Chief Judge Frank M. Johnson found this to be a significant factor in finding no deprivation of speedy trial. In Prince, no extradition was attempted.

(3) Defendant's assertion of his right was made three years before trial. This is not significantly longer than the two years found in Sellers.

(4) Finally, the prejudice to defendant must be considered. As Judge Johnson wrote in Sellers, "At no point . . . has petitioner made any effort to prove or allege in detail any prejudice resulting from the pretrial delay." In the opinion of the Court of Criminal Appeals, Judge Harris found that petitioner "did not show that he was prejudiced in any manner" either by "murky memories of witnesses" or "witnesses. . . whose addresses had become *508 unknown . . . ." Petitioner fails to challenge this finding as required by Rule 39(k), ARAP. Under our rules of review, we cannot consider whether petitioner's "claim" that denial of parole and denial of access to minimum security facilities (because of the Alabama detainer) constituted "prejudice." There is no finding of fact as to these matters in the opinion. Rule 39(k) states specifically that our review by certiorari of the Courts of Appeal is "limited to the facts stated in the opinion . . ." and that if petitioner is not satisfied with the opinion's statement of the facts, he may ". . . present any additional or corrected statement of facts . . ." etc. Petitioner did not do so.

With reference to our scope of review, even as to the application of the law to the facts, we are limited to the facts as stated in the Court of Appeals' opinion.

"It is well settled under our decisions that on certiorari this court will not enter into a redetermination of facts as found by the Court of Appeals, and such findings are not subject to review by this court. Ex parte Pesnell, 240 Ala. 457, 199 So. 726; Broadway v. Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co., 246 Ala. 201, 20 So.2d 41."

State Dept. of Industrial Relations v. Ford, 278 Ala. 352, 178 So.2d 190 (1965) (per Harwood, J.).

"On certiorari this court will ordinarily review the Court of Civil Appeals only on questions of law and not upon the findings of fact, other than as to the application of the law to the facts as found by the Court of Civil Appeals. Russellville Gas Co., Inc. v. Duggar, 288 Ala. 309, 260 So.2d 395."

Union Camp Corporation v. Blackmon, 289 Ala. 635, 270 So.2d 108 (1972) (per Harwood, J.).

"On certiorari, this Court will review the Court of Civil Appeals only on questions of law and not upon the finding of facts or application of the law to the facts except as to the facts as are stated in the Opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals so that a review may be effected without an examination of the record filed in the Court of Civil Appeals. Ex parte Steverson, 211 Ala. 597, 100 So.2d 912; Parham v. State, 217 Ala. 398, 116 So. 418; Tuscaloosa Motor Co., Inc. v. Cockrell, 272 Ala. 387, 132 So.2d 745." Russellville Gas Co. v. Duggar, 288 Ala. 309, 260 So.2d 395 (1972) (per Heflin, C. J.).

Weighing all the factors together, we find no deprivation of the constitutional right to speedy trial in this case. We are cognizant of the extreme remedy for such deprivation—dismissal as mandated by Strunk v. United States, 412 U.S. 434, 93 S.Ct. 2260, 37 L.Ed.2d 56 (1973).

AFFIRMED.

TORBERT, C. J., and BLOODWORTH, MADDOX, FAULKNER and ALMON, JJ., concur.

JONES, SHORES, EMBRY and BEATTY, JJ., dissent.

SHORES, Justice (Dissenting):

The following constitutes a chronology of events as established by the record:

August 28, 1970: LaFrench Huguley was shot to death in his home;

September 8, 1970: A warrant for the arrest of LaFrench Hopson on the charge of first degree murder was issued out of the Calhoun County Court;

September 10, 1970: The District Attorney of Calhoun County requested the issuance of a warrant against the defendant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution from the U. S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama;

February 9, 1971: Hopson was indicted by the grand jury for first degree murder;

August 3, 1971

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