State Ex Rel. Rodencal v. Fitzgerald

474 N.W.2d 795, 164 Wis. 2d 411, 1991 Wisc. App. LEXIS 1209
CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedAugust 29, 1991
Docket90-2084
StatusPublished

This text of 474 N.W.2d 795 (State Ex Rel. Rodencal v. Fitzgerald) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Ex Rel. Rodencal v. Fitzgerald, 474 N.W.2d 795, 164 Wis. 2d 411, 1991 Wisc. App. LEXIS 1209 (Wis. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

SUNDBY, J.

Darrell Rodencal appeals from an order quashing his writ of habeas corpus and delivering him to the State of Georgia under the Uniform Criminal *413 Extradition Act, sec. 976.03, Stats. Rodencal makes two claims. First, he claims that the trial court erred in finding that the extradition documents submitted by Georgia's governor were properly authenticated as required by the statute. Second, Rodencal claims that the trial court prejudiced his extradition rights by refusing to permit him to introduce evidence on the issue of whether or not he was a fugitive from justice. We conclude that the extradition documents were properly authenticated. However, the trial court erred in refusing to allow Rodencal to introduce evidence that he was not a fugitive from justice. We therefore reverse and remand for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

BACKGROUND

On July 17, 1990, a Fugitive Complaint and Arrest Warrant was filed in Dodge County Circuit Court charging Darrell Rodencal with committing a murder in Whitfield County, Georgia, on or about July 6, 1990. The Georgia governor's extradition request and accompanying papers, and the governor of Wisconsin's warrant, were filed with the circuit court on August Í6.

On August 24, Rodencal filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus, which the court granted. At the September 5 hearing, Rodencal challenged the sufficiency of the extradition documents and requested that he be allowed to present testimony by telephone to establish that he was not a fugitive from justice. The court took the matter under advisement and, after a hearing on September 10, 1990, quashed Rodencal's writ of habeas corpus and ruled that he was not entitled to present evidence that he was not a fugitive from justice. The court stayed Rodencal's delivery to Georgia officials, pending this appeal.

*414 WERE THE EXTRADITION DOCUMENTS PROPERLY AUTHENTICATED?

Before a person may be extradited from Wisconsin to face criminal charges in another state, sec. 976.03(3), Stats., requires that the requesting state shall file supporting documents. Section 976.03(3) provides in relevant part:

No demand for the extradition of a person charged with crime in another state shall be recognized by the governor unless . . . accompanied by ... a copy of an affidavit made before a magistrate there, together with a copy of any warrant which was issued thereon . . .. [T]he copy of [the] . . . affidavit . . . must be authenticated by the executive authority making the demand. [Emphasis added.]

Rodencal claims that the Georgia governor's authentication of the affidavit and arrest warrant is invalid because the magistrate's signature on these documents was not certified by the clerk of court.

The requisition for Rodencal, addressed to Wisconsin's governor and signed by the governor of Georgia, states:

WHEREAS it appears by the annexed application for requisition and copies of WARRANT AND AFFIDAVIT which I certify are authentic and duly authenticated in accordance with the laws of the State of Georgia, that DARRELL RODENCAL stands charged with the crime of MURDER committed in the County of WHITFIELD in this State, and it has been represented to me that the accused was present in this State at the time of the commission of said crime and thereafter, said Fugitive from Justice *415 has fled from the justice of this State, and has taken refuge in the State aforesaid;
NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution and Laws of the United States, in such cases made and provided, I do hereby request that the said Fugitive from Justice be apprehended and delivered... to the STATE OF GEORGIA, there to be dealt with according to law. [Emphasis added.]

In State ex rel. Clayton v. Wolke, 69 Wis. 2d 363, 230 N.W.2d 869 (1975), the court concluded that a Louisiana governor's extradition request satisfied the authentication requirement of sec. 976.03(3), Stats. The court found that this requirement was "expressly supplied by the governor of Louisiana in his formal request for petitioner's extradition wherein he states that he does 'certify' the papers which are 'hereunto annexed' to be 'authentic and duly authenticated in accordance with the Laws of this State.' " Id. at 368, 230 N.W.2d at 872. The court said that the "generally accepted rule" is that in the absence of a showing that the charging documents are "spurious," the demanding governor's certification is sufficient. Id. at 369, 230 N.W.2d at 872-73 (citing Lyle v. Kieback, 337 P.2d 392 (Colo. 1959)).

We conclude that State ex rel. Clayton v. Wolke controls. Section 976.03(3), Stats., does not require cross-certification by the clerk of court. It requires that the governor authenticate the affidavit. That was done. Rodencal has not shown that the charging documents are spurious. We therefore conclude that the Georgia governor's authentication was sufficient.

*416 WAS RODENCAL IMPROPERLY DENIED THE RIGHT TO PRESENT EVIDENCE?

On September 10, the circuit court denied Rodencal's request to present telephone testimony from several witnesses in Tennessee who would allegedly testify that Rodencal was not in Georgia at the time of the alleged offense. The court's order states: " [T]he Court. . . finds that the Petitioner is not entitled to introduce testimony and other evidence on the issue of whether or not he is a fugitive from justice . . " The trial court quashed the writ of habeas corpus. The trial court's rationale for refusing Rodencal's request does not appear in the record.

Wisconsin follows the mandates of the United States Supreme Court with respect to the standards to be applied in extradition proceedings. State v. Stone, 111 Wis. 2d 470, 473, 331 N.W.2d 83, 84 (1983). The scope of the asylum state's review in extradition cases is limited as follows:

Once the [asylum state] governor has granted extradition, a court considering release on habeas corpus can do no more than decide (a) whether the extradition documents on their face are in order; (b) whether the petitioner has been charged with a crime in the demanding state; (c) whether the petitioner is the person named in the request for extradition; and (d) whether the petitioner is a fugitive. These are historic facts readily verifiable.

Id. at 473-74, 331 N.W.2d at 85 (quoting Michigan v. Doran, 439 U.S. 282, 289 (1978)).

*417 The courts of an asylum state are bound by art. IV, sec. 2 of the U.S. Constitution, by 18 U.S.C.

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Related

Illinois Ex Rel. McNichols v. Pease
207 U.S. 100 (Supreme Court, 1907)
South Carolina v. Bailey
289 U.S. 412 (Supreme Court, 1933)
Michigan v. Doran
439 U.S. 282 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Lyle v. Kieback
337 P.2d 392 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1959)
State v. Stone
331 N.W.2d 83 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1983)
State Ex Rel. Clayton v. Wolke
230 N.W.2d 869 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1975)
State Ex Rel. Kohl v. Kubiak
38 N.W.2d 499 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1949)

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Bluebook (online)
474 N.W.2d 795, 164 Wis. 2d 411, 1991 Wisc. App. LEXIS 1209, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-rodencal-v-fitzgerald-wisctapp-1991.