Nunley v. State.

722 So. 2d 802, 1998 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 114, 1998 WL 228193
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedMay 8, 1998
DocketCR-97-0837
StatusPublished

This text of 722 So. 2d 802 (Nunley v. State.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Nunley v. State., 722 So. 2d 802, 1998 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 114, 1998 WL 228193 (Ala. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

McMillan, judge.

The appellant, Corey L. Nunley, appeals from the summary denial of his Rule 32, Ala.R.Crim.P., petition. The appellant was found guilty of murder, see § 13A-6-2, Ala. Code 1975, and was sentenced to life imprisonment. This Court affirmed his conviction on August 23, 1996. Nunley v. State, 686 So.2d 522 (Ala.Cr.App.1996). He then filed a petition for certiorari review in the Alabama Supreme Court; that petition was denied on December 13, 1996. Acting pro se, he filed a Rule 32 petition making eight allegations of ineffectiveness of his trial counsel.

The circuit judge who denied the appellant’s petition was not the same judge who presided over his trial; he denied the petition pursuant to Rule 32.7(d), Ala.R.Crim.P., without holding an evidentiary hearing. The circuit judge listed Rules 32.6(b), 32.2(a)(3), and 32.2(a)(5), as grounds for dismissing the petition. According to Rule 32.6(b), the petition must contain a specific statement of the grounds upon which relief is sought and that statement must contain more than bare allegations. Rule 32.2(a)(3) precludes from review those issues that could have, but were not, raised during the trial. Rule 32.2(a)(5) precludes from review those issues that could have, but were not, raised on direct appeal.

The State concedes in its brief that the grounds stated by the circuit judge are not sufficient to support the dismissal of the appellant’s petition and further concedes that this case is due to be remanded to the circuit court for an evidentiary hearing. Initially, we note that Rule 32.6(b) is not applicable in this case. The appellant filed with his Rule 32 petition a “Memorandum of Law,” which details his allegations. The State concedes that at least some of the appellant’s allegations appear to be meritorious on their face. This Court has allowed a circuit court to dismiss a Rule 32 petition raising allegations meritorious on their face only in two circumstances: (1) when facts supporting each party’s position are fully set out in affidavits, and (2) when the judge ruling on the petition was also the judge who presided over the trial or other proceedings in which ineffectiveness of counsel is claimed, and that judge states that based upon his personal observations of the proceedings, counsel was not ineffective. Harper v. State, 676 So.2d 949, 950 (Ala.Cr.App.1995). Neither situation applies in this case.

[804]*804The appellant’s allegations are also not precluded by either Rule 32.2(a)(3) or Rule 32.2(a)(5). Because his allegations concern the ineffectiveness of his trial counsel, they could not have been raised at trial. Furthermore, because the same law firm represented the appellant on appeal, he was foreclosed from raising these issues on direct appeal.

Therefore, this cause is remanded to the circuit court for that court to hold an eviden-tiary hearing, allowing the appellant to present evidence in support of each of his claims. The circuit court is directed to make specific findings of fact and conclusions of law as to each material allegation raised by the appellant. A return should be filed with this Court within 45 days of the release of this opinion.

REMANDED WITH INSTRUCTIONS.

All judges concur.

On Return to Remand

On May 8, 1998, we remanded this cause to the trial court with instructions to hold an evidentiary hearing and to decide the appellant’s Rule 32, Ala.R.Crim.P., petition' on the merits. In his petition, the appellant raised eight issues concerning ineffective assistance of counsel. We found that the trial court’s summary dismissal of these claims based upon Rules 32.6(b), 32.2(a)(3), and 32.2(a)(5), Ala.R.Crim.P., was improper because the appellant’s claims were meritorious on their face and because the appellant was represented by the same law firm at trial and on appeal.

The trial court, in compliance with this Court’s instructions, issued the following order:

“This matter having come to be heard pursuant to an order of the Court of Criminal Appeals, on a motion by the State for [an] evidentiary hearing and order of this Court setting the matter for hearing on June 5,1998.
“The Court finds that the petitioner filed a motion for appointed counsel which was not well taken by this Court, and the same was denied. The petitioner appeared in Court and testified to each of the issues raised in his Rule 32 petition concerning ineffective assistance of counsel as follows:
“(A) Counsel failed to challenge/strike the trial venire after petitioner’s [trial was] consolidated[d] with a codefend-ant[’s] trial; thereby causing petitioner to be denied an additional twelve (12) names for additional defendant;
“(B) Counsel failed to reserve for appellate review the issue whether the trial court err[ed] in instructing the jury on Section 13A-6-2(a)(3) ... where the indictment only specifically charges that defendant acted intentionally in causing the victim’s death, under subdivision (a)(1);
“(C) Counsel failed to suppress the in-court identification of witness, Willie James Bethune, rendering the identification process impermissibly suggestive and tainted;
“(D) Counsel rendered ineffective assistance when he entered into a stipu-lative [sic] agreement with the State [concerning] the cause of the victim’s death that Doctor Aqular [sic] would not have to testify;
“(E) Counsel failed to file proper motion and/or [to] carefully explain to the trial court his reasons [for] wanting to withdraw from petitioner’s ease;
“(F) Counsel failed to object to hearsay in reference to a .380 handgun of witness Gary F. Washington testimony at trial [sic];
“(G) Counsel failed to object to witness Willie James Bethune rendering a medical opinion in affirmation of the cause of death of the victim; witness stating that victim dies as the result of the gunshot wound, thus an act that petitioner [was] on trial for; [and]
“(H) Counsel failed to inform the petitioner of the discussion that took place at a bench conference, out of his presence, between prosecution and [his] attorney.
“The Court finds that the allegation contained in paragraph A’ is accurate and 12 additional jurors were not included in the [805]*805venire. The Court further finds from the testimony at the evidentiary hearing based on the testimony of Attorney Lynn Jinks that based on his experience in striking juries in Bullock County that he was satisfied with the strike list presented that day, and did not think that adding jurors would place the petitioner in any better position. The Court further finds that petitioner’s attorney has been striking juries for more than 15 years and made a judgment call based on the strike list and his knowledge of the jurors. The strike list contained thirty-six (36) names, of which three people were excluded, leaving thirty-three (33). The petitioner fails to show that he was prejudiced by a strike list of thirty-three (33).
“ ‘In order to prove that counsel was ineffective, petitioner in postconviction proceeding must show that his or her counsel’s conduct was deficient and that he or she was prejudiced by that conduct. Rules of Crim.Prdc., Rule 32.9(a); U.S.C.A. Const. Amend. 6. Humphrey v. State,

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Related

Harper v. State
676 So. 2d 949 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1995)
Humphrey v. State
605 So. 2d 848 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1992)
Stone v. State
579 So. 2d 702 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1991)
Robinson v. State
686 So. 2d 522 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
722 So. 2d 802, 1998 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 114, 1998 WL 228193, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/nunley-v-state-alacrimapp-1998.