Iverson v. North Dakota

347 F. Supp. 251, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12142
CourtDistrict Court, D. North Dakota
DecidedAugust 31, 1972
DocketCiv. No. 4694
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 347 F. Supp. 251 (Iverson v. North Dakota) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. North Dakota primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Iverson v. North Dakota, 347 F. Supp. 251, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12142 (D.N.D. 1972).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

RONALD N. DAVIES, District Judge.

The petitioner, James LeRoy Iverson, was tried to a jury in Grand Forks County District Court, State of North Dakota, upon charges of murder involving two young women, Diane Bill and Carol Mayers. He was found guilty of murder in the first degree in connection with the death of Miss Bill and of murder in the second degree of Miss Mayers. On May 9, 1969, the State District Judge imposed a life sentence on Iverson [253]*253on the first degree murder conviction and an indeterminate sentence of 25 to 30 years on the second degree murder conviction.

In due course Iverson’s counsel moved for a new trial in the District Court, which motion was denied and there followed an appeal to the Supreme Court of . North Dakota which affirmed both the judgment of conviction and the trial court’s order denying petitioner a new trial. State v. Iverson, N.D., 187 N.W. 2d 1.

Having exhausted his state remedies Iverson filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus in this Court on February 23, 1972, and thereafter with Iverson present a hearing was had thereon in this Court on May 25, 1972. Thereafter counsel for petitioner and for the State of North Dakota were given further opportunities to submit briefs in support of their respective positions, after which on July 7, 1972, the matter was finally submitted to this Court. Iverson’s trial counsel did not represent him on the appeal prosecuted in the Supreme Court of North Dakota, nor does he represent Iverson here. This Court appointed John G. Shaft, Esq., Grand Forks, North Dakota, to represent him in this habeas corpus proceeding.

Iverson assigns the following grounds as bases for his contention that he is unlawfully held in custody:

(a) The convictions resulted from the admission of evidence obtained as the result of statements secured from the petitioner by compelling him to be a witness against himself at the State’s Attorney’s Inquiry, contrary to Amendment V, Constitution of the United States.
(b) 'That during the trial of the case the state introduced evidence which was obtained in a search of the petitioner’s place of residence and that this search was an unreasonable search as prohibited by Amendment IV, Constitution of the United States.
(c) That the mental condition of the petitioner at the time of the preliminary hearing caused him to be denied due process, consistent with Amendment XIV, Constitution of the United States.
(d) The petitioner was denied assistance of competent counsel for his defense, consistent with Amendment VI, Constitution of the United States.
(e) The opinion of the Supreme Court, State of North Dakota, is itself a prima facie and overt denial of due process as guaranteed by Amendment XIV, Constitution of the United States, in that it was an obvious attempt to determine guilt rather than the legal sufficiency of the trial.

The facts necessary to an understanding of this case and for disposition of Iverson’s petition are summarized here:

Around 10:30 a. m., Wesnesday, November 27, 1968, in the City of Grand Forks, North Dakota, the bodies of two young women, Carol Mayers and Diane Bill, were discovered in Carol’s apartment by Diane Bill’s parents who had been informed by Diane’s employer that neither girl had shown up for work for the second consecutive morning. An autopsy performed later the same day disclosed that both girls had died from traumatic asphyxiation with findings compatible with manual strangulation.

Both the Grand Forks Police Department and the Grand Forks County State’s Attorney’s office commenced simultaneous investigations which continued throughout the day the bodies were discovered and on the same day the State’s Attorney’s office conducted an inquiry into the two deaths. As part of the investigation of Carol Mayer’s apartment a bloodhound was used. A pillowcase found there was employed to give the dog a scent. The bloodhound lost the trail in an alley outside the girls’ apartment building. Sometime after the bloodhound lost the scent both [254]*254the pillowcase and the dog were brought to the Police Station in Grand Forks about the time when Iverson may just have been finishing testifying at the State’s Attorney’s Inquiry.1 The bloodhound having again been given a scent from the pillowcase followed a trail leading to Iverson who was alone in a room at Police Headquarters with State’s Attorney John A. Alphson and City Detectives Orvis Olson and Robert Siverson, together with Court Reporter Ralph D. Krasky. Iverson was allowed to leave Police Headquarters after the inquiry, but that same night was taken into custody by the State’s Attorney and his Administrative Assistant, one Leo Novacek, at about 8:00 p. m. in a local bowling alley.

THE PETITIONER’S ARGUMENT

(a) The convictions resulted from the admission of evidence obtained as the result of statements secured from the petitioner by compelling him to be a witness against himself at the State’s Attorney’s Inquiry, contrary to Amendment V, Constitution of the United States.

Because counsel in briefs and arguments2 have frequently obscured the gut issues involved in this matter, this Court addresses itself directly to those points. The State’s Attorney’s Inquiry was begun in this fashion:

“PRESENT: Orvis Olson, Robert Siverson and Ralph Krasky.
“By Mr. Alphson :
Q Give us your name and address ?
A James Iverson, 515 First Avenue South.
Q Now, this is a states attorney’s inquiry as to the death of Carol Mayers and Dianne Patricia Bill. I must advise you that you can not refuse to answer the questions. Once the statement has been completed here and transcribed, you will be required to sign that this is your testimony. I must advise you that you have a right to have an attorney present during these questions if you so desire. What is your wish? I can tell you that the matter of the inquiry is the fact of a double murder or at least of a homicide of one nature.
A Okay.
Q Okay what ?
A Well, you said — proceed. The statement is all right with me.
Q All right.
A I don’t understand it.
[255]*255Q All right. Mr. Iverson, now we are talking about accounting for your time from approximately 3:30 Monday.” (Emphasis mine.)

It is significant that Iverson, who said, “I don’t understand it,” was found by an examining psychiatrist and senior psychologist on December 10th not competent to understand the nature of the proceedings against him.

Relying upon Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). Iverson alleges these proceedings were violative of his constitutional rights since he was not given the warnings required by that case and because the State’s Attorney clearly told him he could not refuse to answer. He was in fact compelled to testify against himself in violation of the Fifth Amendment to the Federal Constitution.

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Related

State v. Iverson
225 N.W.2d 48 (North Dakota Supreme Court, 1974)
James Leroy Iverson v. State of North Dakota
480 F.2d 414 (Eighth Circuit, 1973)

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Bluebook (online)
347 F. Supp. 251, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12142, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/iverson-v-north-dakota-ndd-1972.