Smallwood v. State

1997 OK CR 25, 937 P.2d 111, 1997 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 24, 1997 WL 180108
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 15, 1997
DocketPC-96-1513
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 1997 OK CR 25 (Smallwood v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Smallwood v. State, 1997 OK CR 25, 937 P.2d 111, 1997 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 24, 1997 WL 180108 (Okla. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinions

OPINION DENYING ORIGINAL APPLICATION FOR POST-CONVICTION RELIEF, REQUEST FOR EVIDEN-TIARY HEARING, EXTENSION OF TIME AND MOTION FOR DISCOVERY

LANE, Judge:

Petitioner Dion Athanasius Smallwood was tried by a jury and convicted of First Degree [114]*114Malice Murder and Third Degree Arson in Oklahoma County, Case No. CF-92-809. In accordance with the jury's recommendation, the Honorable Leamon Freeman, District Judge, sentenced Petitioner to death for the murder and fifteen (15) years and a $10,-000.00 fine for the arson. Petitioner’s conviction was affirmed by this Court following his original direct appeal. Smallwood v. State, 907 P.2d 217 (Okl.Cr.1995). The United States Supreme Court denied his Petition for Writ of Certiorari. Smallwood v. Oklahoma, — U.S. -, 117 S.Ct. 431, 136 L.Ed.2d 330 (1996).

In accordance with the recent amendments to the Uniform Post-Conviction Procedure Act, 22 O.S.Supp.1995, § 1089(D)(1), Petitioner filed his Original Application for Post-Conviction Relief on October 4, 1996.1 In this first application for post-conviction relief, Petitioner raises four propositions of error. Our consideration of these claims will be strictly limited by the statutory rules which establish our authority in post-conviction matters. 22 O.S.Supp.1995, § 1080, et seq.

We reiterate here the narrow scope of review available on collateral appeal. The Post-Conviction Procedure Act was neither designed nor intended to provide petitioners with another direct appeal. Fowler v. State, 896 P.2d 566, 569 (Okl.Cr.1995); Fox v. State, 880 P.2d 383, 384 (Okl.Cr.1994), cert.denied, 514 U.S. 1005, 115 S.Ct. 1318, 131 L.Ed.2d 199 (1995). The Post-Conviction statutes have never provided applicants with more than very limited grounds upon which to attack their final judgments. Accordingly, post-conviction claims which could have been raised in prior appeals but were not are generally considered waived. Moore v. State, 889 P.2d 1253, 1255-56 (Okl.Cr.), cert.denied, — U.S. -, 116 S.Ct. 215, 133 L.Ed.2d 146 (1995); Johnson v. State, 823 P.2d 370, 372 (Okl.Cr.1991), cert.denied, 504 U.S. 926, 112 S.Ct. 1984, 118 L.Ed.2d 582 (1992). Post-conviction claims which were raised and addressed in previous appeals are barred by res judicata. Moore, 889 P.2d at 1255; Walker v. State, 826 P.2d 1002, 1005 (Okl.Cr.), cert.denied, 506 U.S. 898, 113 S.Ct. 280, 121 L.Ed.2d 207 (1992). These procedural bars still apply to claims raised under amended Section 1089. However, under the amended statute, only those capital post-conviction claims that were not and could not have been raised on direct appeal will escape being waived or barred by res judicata. 22 O.S.Supp.1995, § 1089(C)(1).

The statute specifically and narrowly defines a post-conviction claim which could not have been raised on appeal as either (1) an ineffective assistance of trial or appellate counsel claim that meets the statutory definition of ineffective assistance of direct or appellate counsel,2 or where (2) the legal basis of the collaterally asserted claim

(a) was not recognized by or could not have been reasonably formulated from a final decision of the United States Supreme Court, a court of appeals of the United States, or a court of appellate jurisdiction of this state ... or (b) is a new rule of constitutional law that was given retroactive effect by the United States Supreme Court or a court of appellate jurisdiction of this state....

22 O.S.Supp.1995, § 1089(D)(9)(a) & (b). Assuming a post-conviction claim is not procedurally barred and falls within one of the above referenced categories, Petitioner’s claims will only be afforded collateral review if, in addition to meeting the initial criteria, “they support a conclusion either that the outcome of the trial would have been different but for the errors or that the Petitioner is factually innocent.” 22 O.S.Supp.1995, § 1089(C)(2). Recognizing the legislature’s intent to honor and preserve the legal principle of finality of judgment, we will narrowly construe the post-conviction amendments to reflect that intent.

Petitioner claims as his first proposition of error that extraneous and inaccurate information was used by the jury in deter[115]*115mining that death was the only appropriate sentence for Petitioner. Petitioner admits this same argument was raised on direct appeal, but claims there are newly discovered facts submitted in support of this argúment. In support of his allegation that the jury was confused, Petitioner attaches to his application two affidavits, one from a trial juror and the other signed by some unidentified individual whose connection with this ease is unclear.

Despite his claim that the information now provided is “newly discovered”, Petitioner presents no evidence to suggest that the information could not have been discovered and the claim raised on direct appeal. It appears that the facts contained in the juror interviews were available to Petitioner’s direct appeal attorney and thus could have been presented on direct appeal. There is no evidence to suggest that the jurors who were interviewed for Petitioner’s post-conviction appeal were unwilling or unavailable to provide these same interviews at the time of Petitioner’s direct appeal. As such, there is nothing indicating this claim required fact-finding outside of the record, and the claim is not properly raised in this post-conviction application. Proposition I does not meet the first prerequisite to post-conviction review and is therefore denied. Petitioner’s claim is waived.

As an aside, Petitioner claims that should we find that the error was not preserved due to trial counsel’s failure to object to the trial court’s refusal to answer the jury question, this in itself surely constitutes ineffective assistance of trial counsel. Failure to investigate and raise the issue on direct appeal, he then alleges, constitutes ineffective assistance of appellate counsel.

Under the strict terms of the new statute, an ineffective assistance of trial counsel claim could not have been raised on direct appeal if it requires “factfinding outside the direct appeal record,....” Walker v. State, 938 P.2d 327 (Okl.Cr.1997); 22 O.S.Supp.1995, § 1089(D)(4)(b)(l). Ineffective assistance of trial counsel claims are properly raised and may only be considered on post-conviction if they are based upon facts which were not available to Petitioner’s direct appeal attorney and therefore could not have been made part of the direct appeal record. Walker, 933 P.2d at 331-33. Items requiring factfinding outside the direct appeal record do not include items trial counsel had the ability to discover. Id. This Court is prohibited from considering Petitioner’s ineffective assistance of trial counsel claims if the facts supporting those claims were available to Petitioner’s direct appeal counsel, and either were or could have been used in his direct appeal. 22 O.S.Supp.1995, § 1089(D)(4)(b)(l).

Petitioner admits he raised the issue of juror confusion on direct appeal but somehow reaches the conclusion that the introduction of “newly discovered evidence” makes this claim different from the one submitted on direct appeal.

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Related

Smallwood v. Gibson
191 F.3d 1257 (Tenth Circuit, 1999)
Slaughter v. State
1998 OK CR 63 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1998)
Welch v. State
1998 OK CR 58 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1998)
Turrentine v. State
1998 OK CR 44 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1998)
Charm v. State
1998 OK CR 2 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1998)
Cargle v. State
1997 OK CR 63 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1997)
Smallwood v. State
1997 OK CR 25 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, 1997)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1997 OK CR 25, 937 P.2d 111, 1997 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 24, 1997 WL 180108, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smallwood-v-state-oklacrimapp-1997.