Kessinger v. State

1967 OK CR 18, 423 P.2d 888, 1967 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 251
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedFebruary 8, 1967
DocketNo. A-13838
StatusPublished

This text of 1967 OK CR 18 (Kessinger v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kessinger v. State, 1967 OK CR 18, 423 P.2d 888, 1967 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 251 (Okla. Ct. App. 1967).

Opinion

BRETT, Judge:

This is an appeal in which the plaintiff in error, hereinafter referred to as defendant, has appealed his conviction in the district court of Tulsa County, for the crime of second degree forgery, after former conviction of felony.

Insofar as this case is of some historical significance, it should be pointed out that the defendant was first tried by a jury, in the Tulsa County district court for the same offense, was found guilty, and on April 5, 1962 was sentenced to serve ten years in the state penitentiary. Since that time, he has been confined in the penitentiary.

For reasons over which this Court had no control, the defendant failed to perfect his appeal from the first conviction, in accordance with the requirements of the State statutes. For that reason, this Court lacked jurisdiction to consider his subsequently attempted appeal.

On August 9, 1962, after the statutory time to lodge an appeal had expired, defendant filed a petition in mandamus, requesting this Court to issue a directive ordering the trial court to prepare his case made at public expense, in order that he could perfect such appeal. For the reason stated above, the expiration of time, this Court denied the writ of mandamus prayed for. Kessinger v. State, Okl.Cr., 375 P.2d 274.

Subsequent to that action, on October 3, 1962, defendant filed his petition for writ of habeas corpus in this Court, alleging that he was being illegally held in the state penitentiary. The writ was denied for the reason that defendant’s allegations were not supported by any proof whatsoever; nor did he attach to his petition a copy of either the information or the judgment and sentence of which he was complaining. See: Kessinger v. Raines, Warden, Okl.Cr., 377 P.2d 981.

Thereafter, defendant filed in the Supreme Court of the United States a petition for writ of certiorari to this Court; which writ was denied on June 17, 1963. Kessinger v. Oklahoma, 374 U.S. 846, 83 S.Ct. 1903, 10 L.Ed.2d 1066.

On October 9, 1963, defendant filed his petition for writ of habeas corpus in this Court, alleging for the first time that he was convicted of the crime of “Forgery in the Second Degree, AFCF”; whereas the commitment sent to the state penitentiary showed his conviction to have been for the crime of “Burglary in the Second Degree, AFCF”. This Court found that error to be one of clerical nature, insofar as the [890]*890judgment and sentence properly. , recited the crime, for which defendant had been convicted; and on February 26, 1964 denied the writ. See: Kessinger v. Raines, Warden, Okl.Cr., 389 P.2d 935.

During the month of December, 1964, defendant filed y 'petition for writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Oklahoma. On December 30, 1964 defendant was granted a hearing before .that Court at McAlester, Oklahoma, before the Honorable Luther Bohanon, District Judge. .

On March 26/ 1965 the Honorable District Judge entered that Court’s order, without specifically “setting aside and vacating the judgment and sentence” of the Tulsa County district court, under which defendant was confined to the state penitentiary.

In that order, the Court’s findings were stated in part as follows:

“In felony cases, such as this, appeals must be taken to. the Court of Criminal Appeals within three months after judgment.1 This was not done in this case, but was due to failure of the Court to appoint counsel to represent petitioner, and to furnish a transcript of the record as timely requested. The Petitioner, by not having counsel to represent him on appeal and the record furnished him on appeal, since he was admittedly an indigent person, suffered a violation of his Constitutional rights as guaranteed by the Fourteenth and Sixth Amendments, United States Constitution. * * [Emphasis added]

After reciting the Court’s findings, the following order was provided:

“The Court, based upon the foregoing, concludes that the Petitioner is entitled to relief. A new trial is ordered if the State so desires. The State failing to elect to re-try the Petitioner, or to seek review of this Order, then at the expiration of sixty days from this date the said Robert C. 'Kessinger be released from custody of the State of Oklahoma^ and Ray H. Page, Warden of the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, from the sentence imposed upon Robert C. Kessinger which he is presently serving.
“DATED this 26th day of March, 1965.”' [Emphasis added]

The State of Oklahoma, being confronted with this order of the United States District Court, appeared to have little choice in the matter. Defendant was granted a new jury trial, which commenced May 17, 1965. On the following June 1, judgment and sentence was passed. Defendant was sentenced under the provisions of the Indeterminate Sentence Act to serve in the-state penitentiary for a period of from five (5) to fifteen (15) years.

Defendant was present at his second’ trial with his two court appointed attorneys, Mr. Robert G. Brown, and' Mr; Gary Sibley, who also perfected defendant’s present appeal to this Court.

Insofar as the U.S. District Court order did not specifically “set aside and vacate” the former judgment and sentence, defendant interposed his objection to the new trial, on grounds of former jeopardy. De-Tense Counsel Brown stated as follows:

“Comes now the defendant and' objects to the introduction of any evidence by the State of Oklahoma, on the ground and for the reason that this defendant has previously been tried and convicted for the offense for which he now stands1charged, * * *.”

Defendant’s objection was overruled, and the trial was commenced under the original' information filed, which properly alleged' the crime of Second Degree Forgery,. AFCF. A two-stage trial was conducted,, and on May 18, 1965 the jury returned a verdict of guilty on both charges.

In his brief, defendant first argues his1 contention of former jeopardy. He states r “It is to be noted, that nowhere, at any [891]*891time or place, does the record reflect that the original judgment and sentence herein on the Sth day of April, 1962, has been vacated, set aside or held for naught.”

Defendant’s statement is correct, as it pertains to no specific words or phrases vacating the judgment and sentence. However, there is no uncertainty whatsoever -concerning the intent expressed in the U. S. District Court order, especially as it concerns defendant’s being granted a new trial. Likewise, it clearly provides the State of 'Oklahoma with one of three choices: either •grant defendant a new trial; seek a review of the Court’s order; or, see the ■defendant discharged from the state penitentiary. Clearly, the State of Oklahoma elected to grant defendant a new trial.

With respect to a new trial, Title 22 Okl.St.Ann. § 951 provides, in part:

“A new trial is a re-examination of the issue in the same court, before another jury, after a verdict has been given. The granting of a new trial places the parties in the same position as if no trial had been had." (Emphasis added)

The ninth paragraph of the syllabus in Johnson v. State, 1 Okl.Cr. 321, 97 P. 1059, recites as follows:

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States Ex Rel. Almeida v. Baldi
195 F.2d 815 (Third Circuit, 1952)
Cornell v. State
1950 OK CR 49 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1950)
Kessinger v. State
1962 OK CR 115 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1962)
Johnson v. State
1908 OK CR 31 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1908)
Bonham v. State
1911 OK CR 291 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1911)
Duncan v. State
1928 OK CR 206 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1928)
Watson v. State
1924 OK CR 92 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1924)
Marshall v. State
166 S.W. 722 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, 1914)
Kessinger v. Raines
1963 OK CR 4 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1963)
Kessinger v. Raines
1964 OK CR 27 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1964)
Kessinger v. Oklahoma
374 U.S. 846 (Supreme Court, 1963)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1967 OK CR 18, 423 P.2d 888, 1967 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 251, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kessinger-v-state-oklacrimapp-1967.