Okie v. State of Maine

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedNovember 21, 2013
DocketKENcr-11-20
StatusUnpublished

This text of Okie v. State of Maine (Okie v. State of Maine) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Okie v. State of Maine, (Me. Super. Ct. 2013).

Opinion

STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT KENNEBEC, ss CR-11-20 M ;11 lV't - ,. ,. -~ 1\)

JOHNOKIE,

Petitioner

v. ORDER ON PETITION FOR POST -CONVICTION REVIEW

STATE OF MAINE,

Respondent

Introduction

Before the Court is John Okie's Petition for Post-Conviction Review filed

January 4, 2011. Mr. Okie was found guilty on December 19, 2008 oftwo counts of

Intentional or Knowing Murder after trial by jury in the Kennebec County Superior

Court. 1 He was sentenced on January 30, 2009 to two consecutive 30-year prison terms.

His direct appeal of the Judgment of Conviction as well as the sentence imposed by

Justice Joseph Jabar was affirmed by the Maine Supreme Court on February 2, 2010. Mr.

Okie was represented throughout the criminal trial and appellate processes by Attorney

Peter DeTroy. The State of Maine was represented at trial by Assistant Attorneys General

Andrew Benson and Lisa Marchese. Mr. Okie is represented in this proceeding by

1 Mr. Okie was originally indicted by both the Kennebec County Grand Jury as well as the Lincoln County Grand Jury, but on November 14, 2008 the Lincoln County case was consolidated with the Kennebec County case, and transferred on December 3, 2008 to Kennebec County for trial proceedings.

1 Attorney George Hess, and the State is represented by Assistant Attorney General Donald

Macomber. This matter was heard on July 23, 2013 and the parties filed post-hearing

memoranda, the last of which was received on October 31, 2013.

While Mr. Okie originally alleged 14 separate grounds for post-conviction relief

in his prose Petition filed January 4, 2011, that Petition was amended by Attorney Hess

on January 11, 2013 to add a fifteenth ground, and again on March 10, 2013 to add a

sixteenth ground. After hearing on the amended Petitions, Attorney Hess argued and

briefed only four grounds for relief, those enumerated as grounds 2,6,9 and 16. The Court

therefore deems all other grounds asserted as having been waived by the Petitioner. State

v. Haskell, 2001 ME 154, 784 A.2d 4 fn. 3; State v. Barlow, 320 A.2d 895 (Me. 1974).

The Court will address the remaining four grounds separately.

I Trial Counsel's failure to object to Opening Statements o[Prosecutor

In his opening statement, Assistant Attorney General Andrew Benson described

for the jury the killings of Petitioner's friend, Aleigh Mills and the Petitioner's father,

John Okie. The prosecutor's comments, which could fairly be characterized as dramatic

and graphic, drew no objection from Trial Counsel (hereinafter "TC"), and on appeal TC

did not raise an argument about their propriety. While the trial Justice did not intervene

on his own about the opening statement, he did give the standard "Alexander" instruction

that the opening statements of the attorneys were not evidence. (Trial Transcript,

hereinafter "TT" Vol. 1, pgs-14-15).

The parties agree that in order to make out a claim for ineffective assistance of

counsel, a convicted person must prove that trial counsel's performance fell below what

2 might be expected from an "ordinary, fallible" attorney; and that this failing likely

deprived the convicted person of an otherwise available, substantial ground of relief.

Brewer v. State, 1997 ME 177; Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984).

The Court has reviewed the trial transcript referred to above, and has considered

the attorneys' arguments in regard to TC's failure to object both during and after trial to

these statements. The Court would note at the outset that different trial Justices might

reasonably disagree about when an opening statement becomes argumentative or even

unethical, but the Court declines to make a finding as to whether that occurred in this

instance. Certainly, the presiding Justice, who had the opportunity to not only hear the

words spoken by the prosecutor, but also observe the tone and the perceived affect on the

jury, did not on his own raise concerns about this. It is also not lost on the Court that any

rendition of the uncontested facts of what occurred in this case would have had a

profound impact on any juror. However, even if Petitioner were to prove the statements

made crossed a line, the Court concludes that the Petitioner has failed to prove that he

was deprived of an available, substantial ground of relief. Had TC objected, it is clear to

the Court that the remedy would have been an instruction emphasizing to the jury that the

statements were not evidence, which was the instruction that the trial Justice provided.

The Court therefore denies relief to the Petitioner based upon the prosecutor's opening

statement.

II. Trial Counsel's failure to object to Trial Justice's instruction in allocating the burden o(proo(on the defense o(intoxication

3 At trial TC failed to note or object to an instruction from the Trial Justice which

the parties agree was erroneous. The Trial Justice stated in his oral instructions, "Again,

the ultimate question is not whether the defendant was intoxicated, but whether the

defendant has proven the required state of mind beyond a reasonable doubt." (Trial

Transcript, pg. 1564). TC conceded at hearing on this Petition that he missed this error,

and also conceded that he did not catch it when he appealed the Defendant's conviction.

However, as the State points out, the Trial Justice provided written jury

instructions that properly allocated the burden of proof on this issue to the State, and the

instructions went into the jury room for their use during deliberations. In addition, in pre-

trial jury instructions, the Trial Justice properly allocated the burden on this issue (Trial

Transcript, Vol. 1 pg. 26). The State points to a number of other places in the trial record

where the Trial Justice correctly referred to the State's burden to prove the elements

regarding the Defendant's state of mind, except on the issue of criminal responsibility.

Finally, as the State points out neither the State nor defense counsel addressed the issue

of intoxication in their lengthy closing statements. While this failure to argue the issue

might not constitute a waiver by the Defendant on this issue, it is clear to the Court that

by the conclusion of the case the evidence submitted by both parties (and reviewed by

this Court) focused almost entirely on the issue of the Petitioner's criminal responsibility

or lack of it.

Tlte Court therefore concludes that the Petitioner has failed to prove that TC's

error in not noticing or objecting to this one-time error by the Trial Justice did not deprive

him of a substantial ground of defense.

4 III. Failure to seek suppression ofPetitioner's statements to lavv enforcement

Although the Petitioner was interviewed on two occasions by law enforcement, he

was not provided Miranda warnings, and TC did not challenge the admissibility of these

statements. Petitioner claims that TC's failure to do so constituted ineffective assistance

of counsel.

In order to prove a claim of this nature the Petitioner would have to do more than

establish that a "motion hearing Judge could have concluded that John was in custody,"

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Related

Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
State v. Brewer
1997 ME 177 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1997)
State v. Barlow
320 A.2d 895 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1974)
State v. Michaud
1998 ME 251 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1998)
State v. Haskell
2001 ME 154 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2001)

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