Jones v. Montana

232 F. Supp. 771, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6568
District Court, D. Montana·Decided July 6, 1964·No. No. 1161·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

MURRAY, Chief Judge.

On March 22, 1957, in the District Court of the Second Judicial District of the State of Montana, in and for the County of Silver Bow, the petitioner was convicted on his plea of guilty of the offense of second degree murder, and sentenced to the Montana State Prison for a term of 25 years, where he is presently confined. He seeks leave to file in this court in forma pauperis a petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus charging that his plea of guilty in the state court was brought about by coercion and duress, and he requests the appointment of counsel.

Leave to proceed in forma pauperis is granted and said petition is ordered filed without prepayment of costs.

The petition makes the following allegations concerning his plea of guilty in the State Court:

“1. That the petitioner at the time of his trial and prior to sentencing the petitioner was under coercion and duress.
“2. That court appointed counsel was not effective!' (sic), proper qualified or mindful of there (sic) duties.
“Petitioner prior to sentenceing (sic) and dureing (sic) the time of petitioners incarceration in the Silver Bow county jail the petitioner was under coercion and duress. This is the main factor that the defendant at that time pleaded guilty to the crime.
“Court appointed counsel along with a member of the sheriffs office or from the county attorneys office came to the said jail bringing with them a rope which they showed said petitioner, stateing (sic): ‘That if he didn’t cop a plea of guilty the State would try him for first degree murder and hang him. That the rope was newly bought for that purpose. And that they would help hang him.’
“Thus being threatened petition (sic) also did not fully understand the charges against him for he can [773] niether (sic) read nor write1. So plead guilty to the crime.
* * * -» *
“The above shows that court appointed counsel were not mindful of there (sic) duties which is to say the least. It also shows that counsel did not care if the defendant was guilty or not, and seemed more interested in getting a conviction for the county attorney’s office.”

These allegations, if proved, establish a denial to petitioner of his right to due process under the Fourteenth Amendment, because a conviction on a coerced plea of guilty is no more consistent with due process than a conviction supported by a coerced confession, and would require a hearing by this court if Petitioner has exhausted his state court remedies as required by 28 U.S.C.A. § 2254. Waley v. Johnston, 316 U.S. 101, 104, 62 S.Ct. 964, 86 L.Ed. 1302; Behrens v. Hironimus, 166 F.2d 245, 247 (C.A. 4-1948); Fullen v. State of Wyoming, 274 F.2d 840 (C.A. 10-1960). See also United States ex rel. Wissenfeld v. Wilkins, 281 F.2d 707 (C.A. 2-1960).

EXHAUSTION OF STATE COURT REMEDIES

By order dated October 17, 1963, in Cause No. 1076 in this court, the court denied a similar petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus by petitioner on the ground that he had not exhausted his state court remedies as required by 28 U.S.C.A. § 2254. At that time it appeared there was still a state remedy available to petitioner in the form of a petition to the State District Court for leave to withdraw his plea of guilty and upon the denial of such petition by the District Court an appeal to the Montana Supreme Court would lie from such denial. In re Amors Petition, Mont., 388 P.2d 270; In re Petition of Ebeling, Mont., 387 P.2d 302; In re Petition of Brown, 142 Mont. 620, 386 P.2d 73, all Montana cases.

In his present petition petitioner alleges :

“Appeal in coram nobis, in forma pauperis along with motion of appointment of counsel to the Montana Supreme Court.
“Coram Nobis denied, Appointment of Counsel denied.
* * * * *
“The petitioners (sic) asked the district court, of Silver Bow County for a withdrawl (sic) of his guilty plea. He was giveing (sic) a hearing that was a farce in which to say the least. Court appointed counsel for the petitioner would not call witnesses to dispute the testimony of the State witnesses. The honorable Jurist who presided at the hearing stated that the petitioner could not possibly know what was in said petition for he can neither read nor write.
“Without witnesses to support the petitioner it was a one sided hearing.”

An examination of the record in the District Court of the Second Judicial District of the State of Montana in and for the County of Silver Bow, and inquiry of the Clerk of the Supreme Court of the State of Montana reveals the following proceedings in petitioner’s case subsequent to his conviction:

On November 5, 1963, there was filed in the State District Court a handwritten “Petition of George Jones for Withdrawal of Plea,” reciting substantially the same grounds for withdrawal of plea, as are recited in his present petition.. Apparently no action was taken on such petition.

On December 11, 1963, there was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of Montana a handwritten “Petition of George Jones for Writ of Mandamus,” in which petitioner sought to compel a ruling by the State District Court on his petition for withdrawal of plea. The Montana Supreme Court responded to [774] this petition by its order of December 20, 1963, by directing that “the petition be forwarded to the Clerk of the District Court of Silver Bow County, Montana, where the record is, with directions that he call the same to the attention of the judge presiding at the time of hearing this matter for such appropriate action as appears to that court to be appropriate under the law.”

Thereafter, the State District Court apparently appointed counsel for petitioner and on January 22, 1964, there was filed in that court a typewritten “Motion to Vacate and Set Aside Judgment and Motion to Withdraw Plea of Guilty and substitute Plea of Not Guilty”, signed by the court-appointed counsel. These motions to vacate and to withdraw plea were set for hearing and heard on February 4, 1964, and were denied by a minute entry order on the same day.

No appeal from the denial of the motions to vacate and to withdraw plea has been taken to the Montana Supreme Court. Section 94-8105, R.C.M.1947, provides that in criminal cases “An appeal from a judgment may be taken within six months after its rendition, and from an order within sixty days after it is made.” Thus, the time within which an appeal could have been taken from the order denying the motions has expired.

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Jones v. Montana, 232 F. Supp. 771, 1964 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 6568 (D. Mont. 1964).

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