McFarland v. State

501 N.E.2d 1047, 1986 Ind. LEXIS 1431
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 22, 1986
DocketNo. 184S26
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 501 N.E.2d 1047 (McFarland v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McFarland v. State, 501 N.E.2d 1047, 1986 Ind. LEXIS 1431 (Ind. 1986).

Opinion

DeBRULER, Justice.

This is an appeal from a denial of petitions for post-conviction relief. On June 9, 1980, appellant pled guilty as he was obliged to do in a plea agreement to robbery, a class B felony, 1.C. § 85-42-5-1. In order to gain this plea, the State dismissed a class C battery charge, and it reduced the robbery charge from class A to class B. He received a fifteen year sentence. On April 24, 1981, appellant pled guilty as he was obliged to do in yet another plea agreement to criminal deviate conduct, a class B felony, 1.C. § 35-42-4-2, In order to gain this plea, the State dismissed a habitual offender charge, and it recommended a twenty year sentence to run concurrently with the fifteen year robbery sentence.

This appeal is actually two appeals consolidated into one. In relation to the robbery plea, he raises the following issues: (1) whether the trial court erred in not advising him that his guilty plea constituted a waiver of his rights to compulsory process, to require proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and against self-incrimination; (2) whether the trial court erred in not advising him that it was not a party to the plea agreement and not bound by it; and (8) whether the trial court erred in not advising him that his sentence could be increased beyond the presumptive due to prior convictions.

In relation to the criminal deviate conduct plea, he raises the following issues: (1) whether the trial court erred in not advising him of his right to a public and speedy trial; and (2) whether the trial court erred in not advising him that it was not a [1049]*1049party to the plea agreement and not bound by it.

In post-conviction proceedings Defendant bears the burden of proving his contentions by a preponderance of the evidence. Lamb v. State, (1975) 263 Ind. 137, 143, 325 N.E.2d. 180, 183. The trial judge, as trier of the facts, is the sole judge of the weight of the evidence and the credibility of the witnesses. Rufer v. State, (1980), [274] Ind. [648], 413 N.E.2d 880, 882. Defendant stands in the position of one appealing from a negative judgment. In such cases, it is only where the evidence is without conflict and leads to but one conclusion, and the trial court has reached an opposite conclusion, that the decision will be disturbed as being contrary to law. Walker v. State, (1978), 267 Ind. 649, 651, 872 N.E.2d 739, 740.

I-A

Appellant argues that the trial court erred in not advising him that his guilty plea constituted a waiver of certain constitutional rights.

"A plea of guilty is more than a confession which admits that the accused did various acts; it is itself a conviction; nothing remains but to give judgment and determine punishment. See Kerckeval v United States, 274, US 220, 223, 71 L Ed 1009, 1012, 47 S Ct 582[583]. Admissibility of a confession must be based on a 'reliable determination on the voluntariness issue which satisfies the constitutional rights of the defendant.' Jackson v. Denno, 878 US 368, 387, 12 LEd 2d 908, 922, 84 S Ct 1774[1786], 1 ALR3d 1205. The requirement that the prosecution spread on the record the prerequisites of a valid waiver is not constitutional innovation. In Carnley v Cockran, 869 US 506, 516, 8 L Ed 2d 70, 77 82 S Ct 884[890], we dealt with a problem of waiver of the right to counsel, a Sixth Amendment right. We hold: (Presuming waiver from a silent record is impermissible, The record must show, or there must be an allegation and evidence which show, that an accused was offered counsel but intelligently and understandingly rejected the offer. Anything less is not waiver.. We think that the same standard must be applied to determining whether a guilty plea is voluntarily made. For, as we have said, a plea of guilty is more than an admission of conduct; it is a conviction. Ignorance, incomprehension, coercion, terror, inducements subtle or blatant threats might be a perfect cover-up of unconstitutionality. The question of an effective waiver of a federal constitutional right in a proceeding is of course governed by federal standards. Douglas v. Alabama, 380 US 415, 422, 18 L Ed 984, 938, 85 S Ct 1074 [1078].
Several federal constitutional rights are involved in a waiver that takes place when a plea of guilty is entered in a state criminal trial. First, is the privilege against compulsory self-incrimination guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment and applicable to the States by reason of the Fourteenth. Malloy v. Hogan, 378 US 1, 12 L Ed 2d 658, 84 S Ct 1489. Second, is the right to trial by jury. Duncan v. Louisiana, 891 US 145, 20 L Ed 2d 491, 88 S Ct 1444. Third, is the right to confront one's accusers. Pointer v. Texas, 380 US 400, 13 L Ed 2d 923, 85 S Ct 1065. We cannot presume a waiver of these three important federal rights from a silent record.
What is at stake for an accused facing death or imprisonment demands that ut most solicitude of which courts are capable in canvassing the matter with the accused to make sure he has a full understanding of what the plea connotes and of its consequence. When the judge discharges that function, he leaves a record adequate for any review that may be later sought (Garner v. Louisiana, 368 US 157, 173, 7 L Ed 2d 207, 219, 82 S Ct 248[256]; Specht v. Patterson, 386 US 605, 610, 18 L Ed 2d 326, 330, 87 S Ct 1209(1212]), and forestalls the spin-off of collateral proceedings that seek to probe murky memories."

Boykin v. Alabama (1969), 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 28 L.Ed.2d 274.

[1050]*1050The pertinent part of the record is set forth here:

Q. You wish now to waive your right to trial by jury....,
A. Yes .
Q. Do you also understand you have a right to confront the witnesses against you here in open Court and have an opportunity to cross examine them of their testimony; is that clear to you?
A. Yes.
Q. ..., you also have the right to call witnesses in your own behalf. If those witnesses do not appear voluntarily, you may use the subpoena powers of the Court to compel them to come in, we'd subpoena them at no cost to you; is that clear to you? A. Yes.
Q. ..., you also have the right to testify or not as you choose. And if you choose not to testify in the trial of this case, that would not be considered as any evidence of guilt against you; do you fully understand that:
A. Yes sir ...
Q. Do you understand by entering a plea of guilty, you waive your rights to trial and the confrontation of witnesses as I have explained to you just a moment ago.
A. Yes?

This record indicates that the trial court adequately advised appellant that by his guilty plea he was waiving the constitutional rights enumerated in Boykin, supra.

I-B

Appellant argues with respect to the 1980 plea that the trial court erred in not advising him: (1) that it was not a party to the plea agreement and not bound by it, and (2) that his sentence could be increased beyond the presumptive due to prior convictions.

The record clearly demonstrates that the trial court did not give these advisements as I.C. § 85-4.1-1-8 requires.

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Related

Bell v. State
695 N.E.2d 997 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1998)
Sage v. State
501 N.E.2d 427 (Indiana Supreme Court, 1986)

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Bluebook (online)
501 N.E.2d 1047, 1986 Ind. LEXIS 1431, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mcfarland-v-state-ind-1986.