Pelletier v. Warden

627 A.2d 1363, 32 Conn. App. 38, 1993 Conn. App. LEXIS 335
CourtConnecticut Appellate Court
DecidedJuly 13, 1993
Docket11479
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 627 A.2d 1363 (Pelletier v. Warden) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Appellate Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pelletier v. Warden, 627 A.2d 1363, 32 Conn. App. 38, 1993 Conn. App. LEXIS 335 (Colo. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

Freedman, J.

The petitioner appeals from the judgment of the trial court dismissing his amended petition for a writ of habeas corpus. On appeal, the petitioner claims that the record supports his claim that the [40]*40ineffective assistance of trial and appellate counsel deprived him of his constitutional right to a speedy trial.1 We affirm the judgment of the trial court.

On April 16, 1979, three security guards were shot to death at the Purolator Armored Car garage in Waterbury. More than $1.7 million in cash, jewelry, food stamps and checks was missing. The following day, the petitioner and others, including Donald Couture, were arrested. The petitioner was arraigned on an information charging three counts of capital felony in violation of General Statutes § 53a-54b and one count of robbery in the first degree;in violation of General Statutes § 53a-134. Pretrial bond was set at $750,000. The petitioner has remained incarcerated since his April 17, 1979 arrest.

On June 4, 1979, a grand jury was convened. On June 6,1979, the grand jury returned a true bill against the petitioner on three counts of felony murder in violation of General Statutes § 53a-54c.

On June 25,1980, the petitioner filed a pro se motion for appointment of new counsel based, in part, on his concern that trial counsel had not filed speedy trial motions as the petitioner had requested. The petitioner withdrew his motion on July 24, 1980, after counsel promised, among other things, that he would pursue the petitioner’s right to a speedy trial. No motion was ever filed by trial counsel regarding the petitioner’s constitutional right to a speedy trial.

On February 18,1981, the petitioner was sentenced to a ninety day term of imprisonment in a different judi[41]*41cial district for an unrelated offense. By letter dated February 23,1981, the petitioner’s trial counsel informed the petitioner that “[w]e filed speedy trial motions in all your cases2 which were granted by the court and the trial to be reached in the normal course.”3 No such motion, however, had been filed in the Purolator case.

On March 5,1981, the petitioner filed a pro se notice and request for final disposition pursuant to General Statutes § 54-82c.4 At an April 7,1981 hearing, the trial [42]*42court brought up the subject of the petitioner’s statutory speedy trial request. Noting “lengthy motions that have been filed” and arguing that the petitioner should not “have his cake and eat it too,” the state’s attorney requested that the trial court extend the 120 day period set forth in the statute. The petitioner’s counsel objected to the state’s request. After observing that nearly 100 motions had been filed in the petitioner’s case and over 100 had been filed in the case involving his codefendant Couture, and noting that “voluminous work . . . remains to be done before the cases are ready for trial,” the court found “good cause to grant an urgently necessary and reasonable continuance” until October 1, 1981.5

Jury selection for the joint trial of the petitioner and Couture began on September 29,1981. Jury selection continued on sixteen separate dates thereafter, concluding on November 5,1981. The presentation of evidence began on November 12, 1981, and ended on January 8,1982. On January 19,1982, the jury found the petitioner and Couture guilty as charged in the [43]*43indictment, of all three counts of felony murder. The court subsequently sentenced the petitioner to three consecutive terms of imprisonment of twenty-five years to life, for a total effective sentence of not less than seventy-five years and not more than life.

On April 23,1985, our Supreme Court, relying on its decision in the companion case of State v. Couture, 194 Conn. 530, 482 A.2d 300 (1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1192, 105 S. Ct. 967, 83 L. Ed. 2d 971 (1985), set aside the judgment and ordered a new trial because “the summation by the prosecutor . . . violated the defendant’s right to due process of law under the fourteenth amendment to the United States constitution and under article first, § 8 of the Connecticut constitution.” State v. Pelletier, 196 Conn. 32, 34, 490 A.2d 515 (1985).6

After remand by our Supreme Court, the petitioner filed a motion to dismiss the indictment on double jeopardy grounds. After the court denied the motion, the petitioner appealed. On October 1,1985, our Supreme Court dismissed the petitioner’s interlocutory appeal.

On June 16,1986, the petitioner’s case was severed from that of his codefendant, Couture. On June 30, 1986, the petitioner filed a pro se motion for appointment of new counsel based, in part, on his concern that trial counsel had not pursued matters in a speedy fashion. On July 14, 1986, the court granted the motion, appointed new counsel to represent the petitioner and informed the petitioner that “[mjaybe the day after Labor Day we will begin picking the jury.” The petitioner indicated that he was satisfied with this proposed schedule.

[44]*44On July 25,1986, a trial schedule was set. The Couture trial was to commence on September 3,1986, with the petitioner’s trial to commence thereafter. On August 4, and again on September 4, 1986, the petitioner’s new trial counsel was granted an extension until September 19, 1986, to file pretrial motions. On September 19, the petitioner’s counsel filed six motions.

On September 8,1986, Couture’s second trial began. On November 10,1986, a mistrial was declared in Couture’s case.

On November 12, 1986, jury selection began in the petitioner’s second trial after the court denied the petitioner’s oral motion for an indefinite continuance or, alternatively, a change of venue due to publicity from the Couture case. Jury selection continued until January 8, 1987. The presentation of evidence began on January 13,1987, and concluded on January 30,1987. On February 2, 1987, the jury found the petitioner guilty of all three counts of felony murder. The court subsequently sentenced the petitioner to a total effective term of imprisonment of seventy-five years to life. This second conviction was affirmed by our Supreme Court. State v. Pelletier, 209 Conn. 564, 552 A.2d 805 (1989).

The petitioner subsequently challenged his conviction in this habeas corpus proceeding. In his petition for a writ of habeas corpus, the petitioner claimed that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel.7 The petitioner claimed that trial and appellate counsel in proceedings related to his first trial failed to protect [45]*45adequately his right to a speedy trial guaranteed by the sixth amendment to the United States constitution8 and article first, § 8, of the Connecticut constitution.9 The petitioner also claimed that trial and appellate counsel in proceedings related to his second trial failed to protect adequately his speedy trial rights. The petitioner elected to submit these claims to the habeas court on stipulated facts and exhibits. No testimony was elicited.

“[Ojur Supreme Court has adopted the two-pronged test for ineffectiveness of counsel set forth by the United States Supreme Court in Strickland v. Washington,

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Bluebook (online)
627 A.2d 1363, 32 Conn. App. 38, 1993 Conn. App. LEXIS 335, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pelletier-v-warden-connappct-1993.