Monroe v. Smith

197 F. Supp. 2d 753, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18781, 2001 WL 1840794
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedNovember 15, 2001
Docket2:00-cv-73606
StatusPublished
Cited by30 cases

This text of 197 F. Supp. 2d 753 (Monroe v. Smith) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Monroe v. Smith, 197 F. Supp. 2d 753, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18781, 2001 WL 1840794 (E.D. Mich. 2001).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER DENYING THE PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS 1

TARNOW, District Judge.

Paul Anthony Monroe, (“petitioner”), presently confined at the Ryan Correctional Facility in Detroit, Michigan, seeks the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254. In his pro se application, petitioner challenges his conviction and sentence on one count of bank robbery, M.C.L.A. 750.531; M.S.A 28.799. *758 For the reasons stated below, the petition for writ of habeas corpus is DENIED.

I.Background

Petitioner was convicted of the above offense following a jury trial in the Detroit Recorder’s Court. Petitioner’s conviction was affirmed on appeal. People v. Monroe, 204719 (Mich.Ct.App. November 23, 1999); lv. den. 462 Mich. 897, 642 N.W.2d 676 (2000). This Court recites verbatim the relevant facts regarding petitioner’s conviction from the Michigan Court of Appeals’ opinion affirming his conviction, which are presumed correct on habeas review. See United States ex. rel. McDonald v. Page, 108 F.Supp.2d 993, 996 (N.D.Ill.2000); Briggs v. Makowski, 2000 WL 1279168, * 1 (E.D.Mich.2000)(Borman,J.):

On March 14, 1996, at approximately 2:15 p.m., the National Bank of Detroit (NBD), located at 7340 Grand River in the city of Detroit, was robbed. The perpetrator handed a teller a deposit slip which included the words, “Give me the money. Don’t move. All out the cash drawer.” The teller gave the man approximately $ 800 along with an exploding dye pack. Bank surveillance photographs depicted the perpetrator at the teller’s window and leaving the bank after receiving the money. On March 15, 1996, at approximately 4:30 a.m., two Detroit police officers received a police run instructing them to go to the corner of West Warren and Lawton to meet a man named Paul Monroe who wanted to turn himself in for robbing a bank. When the officers arrived at the corner, defendant approached them and stated that he wanted to turn himself in for robbing a bank on Grand River and West Grand Boulevard. The officers observed red dye on the defendant’s clothing and hands. Defendant was arrested after the officers confirmed that the robbery had occurred. After being advised of his constitutional rights, defendant gave the arresting officers detailed information regarding the robbery and gave a detailed, signed statement to a Detroit police investigator.

People v. Monroe, Slip. Op. at * 1.

In addition to these facts, the Court notes that the teller in question, Barbara Davis, positively identified petitioner at trial as being the person who robbed her at the bank on March 14, 1996. Additional facts will be discussed when addressing petitioner’s claims. Petitioner now seeks the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus on the following grounds:

I. Denial [of] effective assistance of counsel.
II. Double Jeopardy clause [violation].
III. Newly discovered evidence.
IV. Unconstitutional search and seizure.
II. Standard of Review
An application for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of a person in custody pursuant to the judgment of a State court shall not be granted with respect to any claim that was adjudicated on the merits in State court proceedings unless the adjudication of the claim-
(1) resulted in a decision that was contrary to, or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined by the Supreme Court of the United States; or
(2) resulted in a decision that was based on an unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State court proceeding.

28 U.S.C. § 2254(d); Harpster v. State of Ohio, 128 F.3d 322, 326 (6th Cir.1997).

A decision of a state court is “contrary to” clearly established federal law if the state court arrives at a conclusion opposite to that reached by the Su *759 preme Court on a question of law or if the state court decides a case differently than the Supreme Court has on a set of materially indistinguishable facts. An “unreasonable application” occurs when the state court identifies the correct legal principle from a Supreme Court’s decision but unreasonably applies that principle to the facts of the prisoner’s case. Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362, 412-413, 120 S.Ct. 1495, 146 L.Ed.2d 389 (2000). A federal habeas court may not find a state adjudication to be “unreasonable” “simply because that court concludes in its independent judgment that the relevant state-court decision applied clearly established federal law erroneously or incorrectly.” Id. at 411, 120 S.Ct. 1495.

III. Discussion

A. Claim # 1. The ineffective assistance of counsel claim.

In his first claim, petitioner alleges that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel.

1. Standard of Review.

To show that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel under federal constitutional standards, a defendant must satisfy a two prong test. First, the defendant must demonstrate that, considering all of the circumstances, counsel’s performance was so deficient that the attorney was not functioning as the “counsel” guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). In so doing, the defendant must overcome a strong presumption that counsel’s behavior lies within the wide range of reasonable professional assistance. Id.; O’Hara v. Wigginton, 24 F.3d 823, 828 (6th Cir.1994). In other words, petitioner must overcome the presumption that, under the circumstances, the challenged action might be sound trial strategy. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689, 104 S.Ct. 2052. Second, the defendant must show that such performance prejudiced his defense. Id. To demonstrate prejudice, the defendant must show that “there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694, 104 S.Ct. 2052.

2. The individual claims

A. Failure to object to the in-court identification of petitioner by Barbara Davis.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
197 F. Supp. 2d 753, 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18781, 2001 WL 1840794, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/monroe-v-smith-mied-2001.