Kenneth Eaglin v. George C. Welborn and Roland W. Burris

41 F.3d 268, 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 1369
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedJanuary 23, 1995
Docket93-1561
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 41 F.3d 268 (Kenneth Eaglin v. George C. Welborn and Roland W. Burris) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kenneth Eaglin v. George C. Welborn and Roland W. Burris, 41 F.3d 268, 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 1369 (7th Cir. 1995).

Opinion

OPINION

WILL, District Judge.

This is an appeal from the District Court’s grant of Eaglin’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The facts are largely undisputed.

FACTS

Petitioner, Kenneth Eaglin, was convicted in 1990 by a jury of solicitation of murder for hire and sentenced to 34 years imprisonment. At trial, he sought both to deny that he had knowingly committed the crime and also to assert the defense that his actions were the product of entrapment by a police informant and a police officer.

The state court trial judge, relying on the Illinois Supreme Court’s decision in People v. Gillespie, 136 Ill.2d 496, 145 Ill.Dec. 915, 557 N.E.2d 894 (1990), refused to instruct the jury on the entrapment defense because Eaglin was also denying that he had any intent to kill, one of the essential elements of the crime charged, and, therefore, was denying that he had committed the crime.

The IUinois Appellate Court affirmed the conviction holding that Eaglin was not entitled to the entrapment instruction, again on the basis of the Illinois Supreme Court’s holding in Gillespie. People v. Eaglin, 224 Ill.App.3d 668, 167 Ill.Dec. 8, 586 N.E.2d 1280 (3d Dist.1992). Rehearing was denied on March 6, 1992. A petition for leave to appeal to the IUinois Supreme Court was denied on June 3, 1992. The petition for a writ of habeas corpus was granted by the District Court on February 24, 1993, 815 F.Supp. 1181. For the reasons stated herein, we affirm the grant of the writ.

The facts with respect to the events leading up to EagUn’s being charged are also largely undisputed. Much of the state’s evidence was the testimony of the informant, Joseph Roberts, who had started working part time at EagUn’s construction company in April 1990. Roberts, then age 21, had previously been at least twice convicted of felonies, had served time in jaü and, at the time of the events here involved, faced two Petitions to Revoke Probation with respect to prior convictions.

During this time, Roberts and Eaglin had several conversations regarding their mutual custody problems involving their children and the authorities, the Fulton County State’s Attorney, Joan Scott, and the IUinois Department of Children and FamUy Services. Roberts testified that on or about June 27, 1990, he told Eaglin’s wife that there was a hit man who had been hired to kiU her. Mrs. Eaghn separately testified to this conversation stating, “[Roberts] said that someone was going to pay a hit man $10,000 to gun me down.... And Joe told me that it was as a warning to my husband to back off, because he knew too much about someone at the courthouse here in Fulton County.” R. 1010. Roberts also conveyed these threats to Eaghn.

On the foUowing day, June 28, Roberts met Eaghn and told him that he had contacted the hit man involved, a man named Paul Long. According to Eaghn, Roberts stated that he had learned that the Fulton County State’s Attorney, Joan Scott, was the person responsible for the threats to Eaghn’s wife and family.

Roberts also allegedly told Eaghn that State’s Attorney Scott had hired Long to kiU *270 his wife. Long was purportedly a former cellmate of Roberts, but there is no evidence that Roberts ever talked to him about, or that he was actually aware of, any of the circumstances described here.

Eaglin testified that, when Roberts identified Scott as the person who had hired a hit man to kill Mrs. Eaglin, he asked:

Why would Joan Scott, a State’s Attorney who is supposed to uphold the law, want to kill my wife?

R. 1068. Roberts, Eaglin testified, said that Scott wanted “to get even” and to make Eaglin “worm and squirm,” that he had been a travesty to justice in the county and she had not been able to convict him. Eaglin testified that out of fear for his family’s safety, he told Roberts to contact Long to keep him from harming his wife.

The next day, on June 29, 1990, Roberts told Eaglin that he had made a deal with Long. The deal was that Long would kill Scott instead of Mrs. Eaglin. Eaglin told Roberts he did not want Scott killed, he simply wanted Roberts to “arrange for my family not being killed, not to kill Joan Scott.” Roberts then responded:

What are you trying to do, get us both killed.... Once you make a deal with these people, ... there is no backing out.... If he thinks you’re going to back out, he will kill you and me, not a hesitation.

R. 1072. Roberts then informed Eaglin that Long wanted $5,000. Eaglin testified:

[Roberts] wanted $5,000. I told him I did not have $5,000. He said, “Isn’t your wife’s life and yours worth it. Can’t you sell some stuff or borrow the money or get it in some way.... You know, if he doesn’t get to you, your wife eventually or you,” he says, “Then he would come back and kill your kids.”

R. 1073.

Between the meeting on June 29, 1990 and July 12,1990, Roberts persistently attempted to get the $5,000 from Eaglin, in order ostensibly to pay Long. Crystal Wilson King testified that she had lived with Joe Roberts and that Roberts telephoned Eaglin daily. She stated that during one of the phone conversations, Roberts “told Kenny that if he tried to back out of the deal with this hit man, that him, his wife and kids would be killed.” R. 948.

Having received no money from Eaglin, on July 12, Roberts telephoned Officer Daniel Daly of the Fulton County Sheriffs Department. He told Daly that Eaglin was planning to have State’s Attorney Scott killed. He further stated that Eaglin had inquired whether Roberts knew of anyone who could commit the crime. Roberts stated that he had volunteered Long’s name and that Eag-lin had reportedly discussed payment and inquired about the length of time Long would need to prepare.

On July 26, 1990, at the request of law enforcement officials, Roberts went to Eag-lin’s house and told Eaglin that the hit man was ready to proceed. At Roberts’ request, Eaglin provided Roberts with a photo of State’s Attorney Scott which had been clipped from a newspaper and which Roberts knew Eaglin had. This conversation was recorded via an eavesdropping device which was hidden on Roberts.

The next day, again at the request of the police, Roberts telephoned Eaglin. He told Eaglin that the hit man Long wanted to talk to him. Roberts then handed the phone to Gerald Kempf, a deputy sheriff who purported to be Long. Eaglin never stated in the conversation that he wanted Scott dead but kept saying “Do what you want. I don’t care.” R. 1091. He also agreed to pay Kempf alias Long $2,000 in the hope, he testified, that Long would refuse to kill Scott for only $2,000 which would end the matter. He also testified, “I can’t imagine anyone taking a life for $2,000, sir,” R. 1092, an understandable belief since, if apprehended, the hit man would certainly face the death penalty. He further testified that he was surprised when the pseudo hit man agreed. Kempf described Eaglin in the conversation as “confused.” This conversation, which was also recorded, was the basis for the solicitation charge.

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41 F.3d 268, 1995 U.S. App. LEXIS 1369, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kenneth-eaglin-v-george-c-welborn-and-roland-w-burris-ca7-1995.