Kenneth R. Marsh and Marion W. Martinez v. United States

344 F.2d 317, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 6126
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
DecidedMarch 25, 1965
Docket21124
StatusPublished
Cited by71 cases

This text of 344 F.2d 317 (Kenneth R. Marsh and Marion W. Martinez v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kenneth R. Marsh and Marion W. Martinez v. United States, 344 F.2d 317, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 6126 (5th Cir. 1965).

Opinion

RIVES, Circuit Judge:

Marsh and Martinez were convicted under a one-count indictment which charged in part:

“That within the five years last past, in the Laredo Division of the Southern District of Texas, and elsewhere, within the jurisdiction of this Court, one KENNETH R. MARSH, and one MARION W. MARTINEZ, also known as ‘Tony,’ both being herein indicted, and one John Taylor Malone, not herein indicted, hereinafter sometimes called the conspirators, did unlawfully, wilfully, and knowingly combine, conspire, confederate, and agree together, with one another, and each with the other, and with other persons to the Grand Jurors unknown, to commit the following and other offenses against the laws of the United States:
“To knowingly conceal and facilitate the transportation and concealment of heroin hydrochloride after it had been brought into the United States contrary to law, knowing the same to have been brought into the United *319 States contrary to law, in violation of Section 174, Title 21, United States Code.
“The said conspiracy was in process of operation and in execution from on and prior to March 25,1963, to on or about April 20, 1963, and was substantially as follows:
“From time to time, one or more of the conspirators would acquire quantities of heroin hydrochloride in the Republic of Mexico; one or more of the conspirators would then smuggle and bring into the United States such heroin hydrochloride; one or more of the conspirators would then conceal, transport and facilitate the transportation and concealment of such heroin hydrochloride to various places within the United States.
“Pursuant to the said unlawful combination, confederation and conspiracy, the following and other overt acts were committed: [Eight overt acts were listed.]” (Emphasis supplied.)

Marsh was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment and Martinez to thirteen years’. Their contentions on appeal focus on two rulings of the district court: 1, in striking from the indictment the words “and other” emphasized in the part just quoted where those words appeared before “offenses” and also before “overt acts”; and 2, in admitting evidence obtained by an arrest and search of the defendants claimed to be illegal.

Striking Words from The Indictment.

On August 30, 1963, a month and a half before trial, the defendants’ attorney called to the attention of the court his motion for a bill of particulars describing the “other offenses” and the “other overt acts” alleged in the indictment. The court stated, “I should be inclined simply to strike out ‘and other’ offenses,” and said to defendants’ attorney:

“And I suspect that if you and Mr. Morrill [the Asst. U. S. Attorney] will sit down and talk about this, you can work it out, and that I can perhaps correct it by an agreed amendment to the indictment. I think we can make minor changes that don’t change the substance of it without resubmitting it, particularly if there is no subjection (sic).”

On September 6, 1963, some ten or more days before the trial began, the following colloquy occurred between court and counsel:

“THE COURT: Now, . one more thing, Mr. Woody [defendants’ attorney], in connection with the indictment. In one of the paragraphs of your motion, you complain of the fact that the indictment charges that the defendants conspired ‘to commit the following and other offenses against the laws of the United States’ — I am reading from lines 10 and 11 on the first page — and make the [22] point that other statutes, that is, statutes other than Section. 174 of Title 21 may be referred to.
“I am inclined to the view that that’s well taken, and I am inclined just to strike out the words ‘and other.’ That is agreeable with you, and will meet that point, will it not ?
“MR. MORRILL: Your Honor, we are relying only on Title 21, Section 174, and we were planning to voluntarily supply particulars to that effect.
“THE COURT: Well, suppose I just strike out ‘and other,’ and there will be no need.
“MR. MORRILL: Yes, sir.
“THE COURT: Let’s see: And I think the same thing is essentially true on the next page. Line 9, you set (sic), ‘and other overt acts/ where you apparently refer to — you enumerate some eight and then say ‘and others/
“MR. MORRILL: We may have other overt acts in the proof, Your Honor.
*320 “THE COURT: You can prove them, but you have to prove one you allege, do you not?
“MR. MORRILL: Yes, sir. * -x- *
“THE COURT: Hence, how does it help matters any to have ‘and other overt acts’ in there?
“MR. MORRILL: I agree with the Court, it doesn’t help anything, but I don’t believe it is prejudicial, either.
“THE COURT: I believe I will strike it out. Is that agreeable to you, Mr. Woody?
“MR. WOODY: Yes, Your Honor, it is.”

Thereafter those words were considered as stricken and the court denied the defendants’ motion for bill of particulars. It is not denied that striking the words “and other” obviated any need for a bill of particulars. The contention is that, even with the consent of the United States and of defendants’ attorney, the court cannot legally so amend the indictment.

Rule 7(b), Fed.R.Crim.P., imposes the safeguards that, for a defendant to waive prosecution by indictment, he must do so “in open court,” and “after he has been advised of the nature of the charge and of his rights.” 1 Except as permitted by that rule, it is clear that one cannot be tried for an infamous crime unless on indictment. See U.S. Const. amend. V. Nothing can be added to an indictment, and its charges cannot be broadened even by consent. As said in United States v. Norris, 1930, 281 U. S. 619, 622, 50 S.Ct. 424, 425, 74 L.Ed. 1076:

“If the stipulation be regarded as adding particulars to the indictment, it must fall before the rule that nothing can be added to an indictment without the concurrence of the grand jury by which the bill was found. Ex parte Bain, 121 U.S. 1 [7 S.Ct. 781, 30 L.Ed. 849].”

The rule was accurately stated in Sti-rone v. United States, 1960, 361 U.S. 212, 215-217, 80 S.Ct. 270, 272-273, 4 L.Ed. 2d 252.

“Ever since Ex parte Bain, 121 U.S. 1 [7 S.Ct. 781, 30 L.Ed. 849], was decided in 1887, it has been the rule that after an indictment has been returned its charges may not be broadened through amendment except by the grand jury itself.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
344 F.2d 317, 1965 U.S. App. LEXIS 6126, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kenneth-r-marsh-and-marion-w-martinez-v-united-states-ca5-1965.