Kenrick Maynard v. Government of the Virgin Islands, Governor Albert Bryan is his official capacity, Ariel M. Smith, Attorney General, Bureau of Corrections Director Wynnie Testamark

CourtSuperior Court of The Virgin Islands
DecidedJuly 7, 2023
DocketSX-2018-MC-66
StatusPublished

This text of Kenrick Maynard v. Government of the Virgin Islands, Governor Albert Bryan is his official capacity, Ariel M. Smith, Attorney General, Bureau of Corrections Director Wynnie Testamark (Kenrick Maynard v. Government of the Virgin Islands, Governor Albert Bryan is his official capacity, Ariel M. Smith, Attorney General, Bureau of Corrections Director Wynnie Testamark) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of The Virgin Islands primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kenrick Maynard v. Government of the Virgin Islands, Governor Albert Bryan is his official capacity, Ariel M. Smith, Attorney General, Bureau of Corrections Director Wynnie Testamark, (visuper 2023).

Opinion

IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS

DIVISION OF ST. CROIX

KENRICK MAYNARD,

Petitioner, SX-2018-MC-00066

V. PETITION FOR WRIT OF

HABEAS CORPUS GOVERNMENT OF THE VIRGIN

ISLANDS, GOVERNOR ALBERT BRYAN

in his official capacity, ARIEL M. SMITH,

ATTORNEY GENERAL in her official 1 capacity, BUREAU OF CORRECTIONS 2023 VI Super 36 DIRECTOR WYNNIE TESTAMARK in her

official capacity, CITRUS COUNTY

DETENTION CENTER WARDEN MIKE

QUINN in his official capacity,

Res ondents.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

,r I THIS MA TIER is before the Court on the Writ of Habeas Corpus issued October 29, 2020,

and Respondents' Return, filed December 1 1 , 2020. By the Writ, the Court found that Petitioner

had stated a prima facie case for relief in his Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, filed August 7,

2018, and that his claims alleging Brady violations and ineffective assistance of trial counsel were

not barred as a matter oflaw. By Order entered February 1 1 , 2021, Petitioner's opportunity to file

a traverse was extended for 21 days. To date, Petitioner has not filed a traverse. On August 9, 2022,

a hearing was held and additional evidence in the form of sworn testimony and affidavits were

presented to the Court. At the hearing, Petitioner was given 2 1 days following completion of the

hearing transcript to file a supplemental brief, Respondents were given 21 days to respond, and

Petitioner was given 7 days to reply. The hearing transcript was completed on February 1 5 , 2023.

By Order entered February 15, 2023, both parties were given 21 days to file supplemental briefing.

1 Pursuant to V.I. R. Civ. P. 25(d), when a public officer named as a party acting in an official capacity

ceases to hold office while the action is pending, the officer's successor is automatically substituted as a

party. Such is the case here and the caption is amended accordingly. f the V.I et al., SX-2018-MC-00066 Maynard v. Gov't o

Memorandum Opinion 2023 VI Super 36

Page 2 of21

Both briefs were filed on June 2 1 , 2023. Because the Court finds that Petitioner was deprived of

his constitutionally protected right to effective assistance of counsel at trial, relief will be granted.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

,r 2 "Any person who believes he or she is unlawfully imprisoned or detained in custody,

confined under unlawful conditions, or otherwise unlawfully restrained of his or her liberty, may

file a petition for a writ of habeas corpus to seek review of the legality of that imprisonment or

detention." V.I. H.C.R. 2(a). Petitioners may use a writ of habeas corpus to seek redress of

constitutional violations. Rivera-Moreno v. Gov't o f the V.l., 61 V.1. 279, 297 (V.1. 2014). The

presumption of innocence does not apply to habeas proceedings, and the burden is on the petitioner

to prove their case. Fahie v. Gov't o f the V.I., 73 V.1. 443,452 (V.I. 2020). "The court must issue

a writ of habeas corpus if the petitioner has alleged, prima facie, grounds showing entitlement to

relief and the claims are not legally barred." V.I. H.C.R. 2(d)(l).

3 The Virgin Islands Supreme Court has held that direct appeals of trial court convictions

conducted by the Appellate Division of the District Court and the Third Circuit that consider and

decide the same claim or claims subsequently raised in a habeas petition "will typically not result

in a procedural bar [of that claim in the habeas proceeding] if the claim involves a question of

law." Rodriguez v. Bureau of Corr., 70 V.I. 924, 938 n.9 (V.I. 2019); see also Rivera-Moreno, 61

V .I. at 303 (holding that a habeas petition can raise issues that were, or could have been, raised on

direct appeal to the Appellate Division or the Third Circuit, provided that the issues involve a

question of law rather than fact). However, "when a prisoner files a writ of habeas corpus in the

Virgin Islands alleging claims already reviewed by another competent court, including a federal

court, the local court may, in its discretion, consider that ruling as a basis to deny improper

successive review." Rodriguez, 70 V.I. at 938-39.

4 Important to the claims for relief currently pending before this Court, Brady violations are

questions oflaw. Mosby v. Mullgrav, 65 V.I. 2 6 1 , 2 6 8 (V.I. 2016). Further, ineffective assistance

of counsel claims "will rarely be procedurally barred in a habeas proceeding, s i n c e . . . ' a claim of

ineffective assistance of counsel is not appropriately reviewed for the first time on direct appeal."'

f the V.I., 64 V.1. 367, 381 (V.I. 2016) (quoting Codrington v. People, 57 V.I. Blyden v. Gov't o

176, 1 9 1 (VJ. 2012)). Accordingly, none of Petitioner's claims herein is procedurally barred. Maynard v. Gov 't o f the V.I. et al., SX-2018-MC-00066

Page 3 of21

5 "A petitioner may be awarded a discharge - o r another form of redress, such as a new

sentencing hearing, that remedies the violation alleged - i f any of the seven conditions set forth in

2 5 V.I.C. § 1 3 1 4 are met, or if relief is warranted to remedy a constitutional or statutory violation,

even if the right to that remedy is not expressly set forth in a statute." V.I. H.C.R. 2(b)(2).

3 BACKGROUND

I. The Underlying Case

6 On July 4, 1999, Petitioner Kenrick Maynard and his brother, Ricky Kanasha, were

involved in a violent altercation with Leslie Hyman and his cousin, Kimba George, at festival

activities during Carnival on St. John. Three weeks later, on July 26, 1999, Leslie Hyman was shot

several times in the area of Savan on St. Thomas. On the night of the shooting, Leslie informed

4 police that he did not know who had shot him. However, at Maynard's trial two years later, Leslie

testified that Maynard was responsible for the shooting.

7 Two days later, on July 28, 1999, Leslie's brother, Adolph Hyman, Jr., was walking in

5 Savan with his father, Adolph Hyman, Sr., and Hyman, Sr.'s longtime girlfriend, Maria Weeks.

Hyman, Jr. and Weeks both testified at trial that Maynard approached them and began shooting at

2 5 V.I.C. § 1 3 1 4 provides:

If it appears on the return of the writ that the prisoner is in custody by virtue of process from any

court or judge or officer thereof, such prisoner may be discharged in any of the following cases, subject to

the restriction of section 1 3 1 3 of this title:

(I) When the jurisdiction of such court or officer has been exceeded.

(2) When the imprisonment was at first lawful, yet by some act, omission, or event which has taken

place afterwards, the party has become entitled to a discharge.

(3) When the process is defective in some matter of substance required by law rendering such

process void.

(4) When the process, though proper in form, has been issued in a case not allowed by law.

(5) When the person having custody of the prisoner is not the person allowed by law to detain him.

(6) Where the process is not authorized by any order, judgment, or decree of any court, nor by any

provision of law.

(7) Where a party has been committed on a criminal charge without reasonable or probable cause. 3 Unless cited otherwise, background information is distilled from the opinions of the Appellate Division

of the District Court of the Virgin Islands in Maynard v. Gov't o f the Virgin Islands, 5 1 V.I. 744 (D.V.I.

App.

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