People ex rel. Shakur v. McGrath

62 Misc. 2d 484, 309 N.Y.S.2d 483, 1970 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1760
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 30, 1970
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 62 Misc. 2d 484 (People ex rel. Shakur v. McGrath) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People ex rel. Shakur v. McGrath, 62 Misc. 2d 484, 309 N.Y.S.2d 483, 1970 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1760 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 1970).

Opinion

John J. Leahy, J.

The proceeding before the court was initiated by a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, which said writ was signed by this court on the 5th day of March, 1970, and same was made returnable on March 9, 1970. On this latter date the court heard oral argument from counsel for petitioners and respondent. The court reserved decision and both sides were given time to, and have submitted memorandums of law and affidavits in support of, and in opposition to said application. The respondent also requested that all of the prior proceedings in this case be deemed part of this record, and has made available to the court the minutes of the proceedings giving rise to this application, the People’s brief used in the United States Supreme Court also in relation to this matter, and an affidavit submitted by the People to the Appellate Division, First Department, on January 23, 1970.

The court also notes that, subsequent to hearing oral argument, the court received papers on a motion for leave to file a memorandum of amicus curiae NAACP Legal Defense and [485]*485Educational Fund, Inc. Attached thereto are their memorandum and also a copy of a brief filed by them with the Supreme Court of the United States, October Term, 1969, concerning prior proceedings concerning these petitioners. Said motion to file amicus curiae is granted and said papers are considered in this proceeding.

In view of the gravity of the legal questions raised herein, the unprecedented issues of fact presented and the far-reaching results hereof, the court feels constrained to thoroughly review what has transpired heretofore in reference to these petitioners.

On April 2, 1969 the New York County Grand Jury handed up an indictment charging the petitioners and others with a number of crimes. Twenty-one defendants were named in the indictment but only 18 have been .apprehended. Of the 11 petitioners concerned herein, 2, namely William King, also known as Kinshasa, and Lee Roper, also known as Shaba-Um, fled New York and were apprehended seven months later in Columbus, Ohio.

Bail was .set in the New York County Supreme Court as follows:

Curtis Powell..............................$100,000

Robert Collier......................... 100,000

Richard Moore, a/k/a Analye Dharuba....... 100,000

Alex McKiever, a/k/a Catarra................ 100,000

Lumumba Abdul Shakur.................... 100,000

J ohn J. Casson, a/k/a Ali Bey Has san........ 100,000

Walter Johnson, a/k/a Baba Odinga......... 100,000

Clark Squire .............................. 100,000

Michael Tabor, a/k/a Cetewayo.............. 100,000

Lee Roper, a/k/a Shaba Um................No bail

William King, a/k/a Kinshasa...............No bail

On a habeas corpus proceeding subsequently brought in Supreme Court, Queens County, on behalf of petitioners Clark Squire and Michael Tabor, their bail was reduced to $50,000 each. On appeal to the Appellate Division, Second Department, from this order, the court denied any further reduction of bail as to these two defendants. The New York State Court of Appeals affirmed that ruling in June, 1969. (People ex rel. Tabor v. McGrath, 25 N Y 2d 804.)

Writs of habeas corpus brought on behalf of the other petitioners seeldng a reduction of bail were denied. These orders were appealed to the Appellate Division, First Department, which affirmed. (People ex rel. Shakur v. Commissioner of Correction, 32 A D 2d 921.)

[486]*486All of the petitioners then sought Federal habeas corpus in the United States District Court. The District Court denied habeas corpus. (United States ex rel. Shakur v. Commissioner of Correction, 303 F. Supp. 303, and 303 F. Supp. 299.)

The petitioners appealed the District Court ruling to the United States Court of Appeals and on two occasions the Court of Appeals affirmed the decision of the District Court (418 F. 2d 243).

The petitioners then sought certiorari in the Supreme Court of the United States pursuant to subdivision (1) of section 1254, of title 28 of the United States Code. This petition was denied.

The petitioners are charged with numerous counts of very grave and serious crimes, including among others: attempted murder and arson in various degrees for allegedly bombing the 44th Police Precinct and a district office of the Board of Education, and for attempting to dynamite the 24th Police Precinct; conspiracy to detonate dynamite, fire bombs or other explosive devices at Macy’s, Alexander’s, Korvette’s, Bloomingdale’s and Abercrombie and Fitch, during the Easter shopping season, and to detonate .six bombs on predeterminded sites along the New Haven Railroad’s tracks.

The afore-mentioned crimes allegedly involved three plots; one to kill police officers by bombing police stations and shooting them; a second, to bomb certain department stores during the Easter shopping season; and a third, to bomb certain railroad facilities. It is further alleged that, pursuant to the arrests of these petitioners, the police seized a number of bombs, bomb components, rifles, shotguns, automatic pistols and revolvers and one of the said rifles was found to have been utilized to shoot three police officers in Brooklyn in 1968.

The petitioners at the time of their arraignment did not request time to make pretrial motions. On May 5, 1969 the Manhattan District Attorney’s office placed the indictment on the trial calendar and requested an immediate trial. The defense requested a three-month adjournment. The case was again on the trial calendar on May 13, 1969, when Justice Murtagh granted an adjournment to June 10,1969 and directed the defendants to file their motions by the end of May.

During the succeeding months and through November 13, 1969, the petitioners filed a multitude of motions, which included 14 motions directed at the indictment, and motions requesting a stay of trial until February, 1970. During this period defendants filed an application for habeas corpus in the United [487]*487States District Court for the Southern District attacking the bail set for defendants. Judge Palmiest denied the relief sought (303 F. Supp. 303). The defendants then appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which affirmed the denial. The court notes that during this period the record is uncontradicted in that the People constantly pressed for a trial and the defendants persisted in delaying same and requested numerous adjournments, which will be gone into further by this court in this decision. On this point the United States Court of Appeals stated in their memorandum of October 24, 1969 (418 F. 2d 243, 244, supra): “It is apparent from the history of the proceedings in the State Supreme Court that defendants and their counsel have sought delay by every means available since their indictment in April, 1969. The State, on the other hand, has consistently stood ready to proceed to trial.” 0

On November 17, 1969 a superseding indictment was returned and defendants again applied to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and their application was again denied.

On December 18,1969 the case was again on the trial calendar and counsel for defendants advised Justice Murtagh that February 2, 1970 was a firm date for trial.

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65 Misc. 2d 733 (New York Supreme Court, 1971)

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Bluebook (online)
62 Misc. 2d 484, 309 N.Y.S.2d 483, 1970 N.Y. Misc. LEXIS 1760, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-ex-rel-shakur-v-mcgrath-nysupct-1970.