Price v. Slayton

347 F. Supp. 1269, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11937
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Virginia
DecidedSeptember 19, 1972
DocketCiv. A. No. 72-C-33-D
StatusPublished

This text of 347 F. Supp. 1269 (Price v. Slayton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Price v. Slayton, 347 F. Supp. 1269, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11937 (W.D. Va. 1972).

Opinion

OPINION

WIDENER, Chief Judge.

On April 20, 1970, the petitioner was indicted by the grand jury of Wythe County, Virginia, for conspiracy to commit burglary. He was tried by jury in the Circuit Court of Wythe County on November 17 and 18, 1970. On November 18, 1970, the jury returned a verdict [1270]*1270of guilty and fixed the sentence at one year. Petitioner’s counsel requested that the jury be polled and this was done by the clerk. The polling of the jury revealed that three jurors had voted not guilty, but had agreed to go along with a two-thirds majority verdict. Upon hearing this arid questioning the jurors, the trial court, sua sponte, declared a mistrial and discharged the jury. Petitioner made no objection to the court’s action. The petitioner was retried on February 11, 1971 before a different judge and jury. On February 13, 1971, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. against the petitioner and fixed his punishment at five years. The trial court, on March 10, 1971, entered judgment upon the verdict and sentenced the petitioner to serve five years in the state penitentiary.

Petitioner now seeks relief from his sentence by way of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2241. He asserts the following as his grounds for relief:

(1) That he was placed in jeopardy during his first trial and that his second trial upon the same indictment placed him twice in jeopardy in violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution.
(2) That he received a greater sentence upon conviction in his second trial than he had received from the jury in his first trial, and that this violated his constitutional rights.
(3) That the evidence was not sufficient to sustain his conviction.

The petitioner has presented the above grounds to the Supreme Court of Virginia in a petition for a writ of error and supersedeas, which was denied by order dated November 10, 1971. He has exhausted his state remedies as required'by 28 U.S.C. § 2254.

In Benton v. Maryland, 395 U.S. 784, 89 S.Ct. 2056, 23 L.Ed.2d 707 (1969), the Supreme Court held that the double jeopardy provision of the Fifth Amendment was applicable to the States through the Fourteenth Amendment. Petitioner’s frst contention, that he was put twice in jeopardy by being tried a second time on the same indictment, will be considered in light of this decision.

The court has held that jeopardy attaches in a criminal case once a defendant is placed on trial before the trier of the facts. United States v. Jorn, 400 U.S. 470, 91 S.Ct. 547, 27 L.Ed.2d 543 (1971). However, in Wade v. Hunter, 336 U.S. 684, 69 S.Ct. 834, 93 L.Ed. 974 (1949), the court said:

“The double-jeopardy provision of the Fifth Amendment, however, does not mean that every time a defendant is put to trial before a competent tribunal he is entitled to go free if the trial fails to end in a final judgment. Such a rule would create an insuperable obstacle to the administration of justice in many cases in which there is no semblance of the type of oppressive practices at which the double-jeopardy prohibition is aimed. There may be unforeseeable circumstances that arise during a trial making its completion impossible, such as the failure of the jury to agree on a verdict. In such event the purpose of law to protect society from those guilty of crimes frequently would be frustrated by denying courts power to put the defendant to trial again . . . What has been said is enough to show that a defendant’s valued right to have his trial completed by a particular tribunal must in some instances be subordinated to the public’s interest in fair trials designed to end in just judgments.” 336 U.S. at 688, 69 S.Ct. at 837.

Thus, although jeopardy attaches in a criminal ease once the jury is sworn, there are circumstances in which the trial court may abort the proceedings and the defendant then be retried without violating the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment. See United States v. Jorn, supra.

The leading case is United States v. Perez, 22 U.S. (9 Wheat.) 579, 6 L.Ed. 165 (1824), where the court held that a criminal defendant could be retried after [1271]*1271the trial court has discharged a jury which could not agree, irrespective of the fact that the defendant did not consent to such a discharge. In discussing the issue of reprosecution after the declaration of a mistrial without the defendant’s consent, the court said:

“We think, that in all cases of this nature, the law has invested courts of justice with the authority to discharge a jury from giving any verdict, whenever, in their opinion, taking all the circumstances into consideration, there is a manifest necessity for the act, or the ends of public justice would otherwise be defeated. They are to exercise a sound discretion on the subject; and it is impossible to define all the circumstances which would render it proper to interfere. To be sure, the power ought to be used with the greatest caution, under urgent circumstances, and for very plain and obvious causes; and in capital cases especially, courts should be extremely careful how they interfere with any of the chances of life, in favor of the prisoner. But, after all, they have the right to order the discharge; and the security which the public have for the faithful, sound and conscientious exercise of this discretion, rests, in this, as in other cases, upon the responsibility of the judges, under the oaths of office.” 22 U.S. (9 Wheat.) at 580, 6 L.Ed. 165.

In Brock v. North Carolina, 344 U.S. 424, 73 S.Ct. 349, 97 L.Ed. 456 (1953), the trial court declared a mistrial, without defendant’s consent, after two of the State’s witnesses refused to testify. The defendant was tried a second time and found guilty on the same criminal charge. He alleged that this action placed him twice in jeopardy and violated the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court rejected the defendant’s contention and said: “justice to either or both parties may indicate to the wise discretion of the trial judge that he declare a mistrial and require the defendant to stand trial before another jury. As in all cases involving what is or is not due process, so in this case, no hard and fast rule can be laid down. The pattern of due process is picked out in the facts and circumstances of each case.” 344 U.S. at 427, 73 S.Ct. at 351.

In Gori v. United States, 367 U.S. 364, 81 S.Ct. 1523, 6 L.Ed.2d 901 (1961), the trial court declared a mistrial sua sponte and without the defendant’s express consent. The defendant was retried and claimed former jeopardy.

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Related

United States v. Perez
22 U.S. 579 (Supreme Court, 1824)
Wade v. Hunter
336 U.S. 684 (Supreme Court, 1949)
Brock v. North Carolina
344 U.S. 424 (Supreme Court, 1953)
Gori v. United States
367 U.S. 364 (Supreme Court, 1961)
Townsend v. Sain
372 U.S. 293 (Supreme Court, 1963)
North Carolina v. Pearce
395 U.S. 711 (Supreme Court, 1969)
Benton v. Maryland
395 U.S. 784 (Supreme Court, 1969)
United States v. Jorn
400 U.S. 470 (Supreme Court, 1971)
Colten v. Kentucky
407 U.S. 104 (Supreme Court, 1972)
Eddie W. Patton v. State of North Carolina
381 F.2d 636 (Fourth Circuit, 1967)
United States v. John K. Smith
390 F.2d 420 (Fourth Circuit, 1968)
Jones v. Commonwealth
10 S.E. 1004 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1890)
Mack v. Commonwealth
15 S.E.2d 62 (Supreme Court of Virginia, 1941)

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Bluebook (online)
347 F. Supp. 1269, 1972 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11937, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/price-v-slayton-vawd-1972.