State ex rel. Turner v. Montana Third Judicial District Court

897 P.2d 1060, 271 Mont. 392, 52 State Rptr. 498, 1995 Mont. LEXIS 114
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedJune 15, 1995
DocketNo. 95-283
StatusPublished

This text of 897 P.2d 1060 (State ex rel. Turner v. Montana Third Judicial District Court) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State ex rel. Turner v. Montana Third Judicial District Court, 897 P.2d 1060, 271 Mont. 392, 52 State Rptr. 498, 1995 Mont. LEXIS 114 (Mo. 1995).

Opinion

[393]*393OPINION AND ORDER

Douglas D. Turner, herein called Mr. Turner, through his counsel has filed an Application for Writ of Supervisory Control as well as a Memorandum of Authorities in Support. The Respondent, through the office of the Attorney General, has filed its Response to Application for Writ of Supervisory Control.

Key dates and determinations are as follows:

1. Mr. Turner was convicted of deliberate homicide by accountability on October 7,1991, and sentenced to death by the respondent court on March 18, 1992.

2. Mr. Turner’s conviction and death sentence were affirmed by this Court on October 20, 1993, in State v. Turner (1993), 262 Mont. 39, 864 P.2d 235.

3. Mr. Turner’s petition for rehearing was denied by this Court on December 10, 1993.

4. Mr. Turner’s petition for writ of certiorari was denied by the United States Supreme Court on October 3, 1994.

5. On January 17, 1995, the State moved the respondent court for a hearing to set an execution date for Mr. Turner and the court scheduled a hearing for March 24, 1995.

6. On March 24, 1995, the District Court set the date of execution for Mr. Turner for May 28, 1995. At the hearing on that date before the District Court, Mr. Turner registered objections to the State’s request for an execution date on the ground that the setting of that [394]*394date prior to the expiration of the five year period provided by statute for filing a petition for post conviction relief violated Mr. Turner’s right to due process and equal protection. The District Court orally denied those objections.

7. On May 3, 1995, Mr. Turner filed a motion with the District Court to continue execution date. The District Court granted the motion for stay of execution and by order dated May 10, 1995, continued the date of execution to June 22, 1995.

8. Mr. Gollehon, in a companion case, filed an application for writ of supervisory control. By Opinion and Order, dated May 25, 1995, this Court denied his petition for supervisory control on the merits and the petition for stay of death sentence was also denied on the merits.

9. Mr. Turner filed a motion for stay of execution and brief in support together with affidavit of counsel in the District Court on June 7, 1995. In Mr. Gollehon’s companion case, the District Court heard Gollehon’s motion asking for a stay of execution on the afternoon of June 7, 1995; and during that hearing the District Court denied Mr. Gollehon’s request. Mr. Turner’s counsel states that during the Gollehon hearing the District Court denied Mr. Gollehon’s request on the ground that the court lacked any jurisdiction or authority to grant a stay beyond the 90 day limit specified in § 46-19-103(1), MCA.

10. The execution date set by the District Court is June 22, 1995, and a death warrant has been issued.

Pursuant to the requirements of Rule 17, M.R.App.P., this Court accepts supervisory control and addresses the merits of issues raised by Mr. Turner in his petition.

In substance Mr. Turner contends that § 46-19-103(1), MCA, which requires a district court to set his execution date after a stay has been dissolved within 20 to 90 days, directly conflicts with the provisions of § 46-21-101 and following sections, MCA, which mandate a five year period within which a convicted person may file a petition seeking post conviction relief. In substance Mr. Turner contends that the setting of a date for execution deprived him of the remedies preserved under the post conviction statutes and, therefore, violated his constitutional rights under both state and federal constitutional provisions.

Without detailing such contentions, we point out that Mr. Turner contends that the setting of the date of execution before the expiration of the five year period for filing a petition for post conviction relief [395]*395violates Mr. Turner’s rights to due process under the state and federal constitutions; suspends the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in violation of state and federal constitutions; violates Mr. Turner’s right of access to the courts under the Montana Constitution; and finally violates Mr. Turner’s rights to equal protection under state and federal constitutions.

In our Opinion and Order dated May 25, 1995, in Gollehon v. District Court of the Third Judicial District (1995), [271 Mont. 363], 897 P.2d 1058, 52 St.Rep. 447, this Court pointed out that Mr. Gollehon contended that the five year time period for filing a post conviction petition controlled and overrode any time period otherwise provided; and that he contended that such statute created a liberty interest which is superior to the State’s right to carry out the death sentence during the five year period within which a post conviction petition could be filed. The key conclusions and holdings on the part of this Court in Gollehon are as follows:

We conclude that a criminal defendant does not have a constitutional right to the collateral review which is present through State post conviction procedures. See Coleman v. Thompson (1991), 501 U.S. 722, 756. When considering Mr. Gollehon’s claims, we conclude that the State does have a legitimate state interest at stake which justifies the resetting of an execution date as soon as a stay is dissolved, which of course requires capital defendants to file collateral claims, such as post conviction relief claims, without delay. ...
We conclude that § 46-21-102, MCA, which provides that a petition for post conviction relief “may be filed” at any time within five years of the date of conviction does not override the sentencing requirements of § 46-19-103, MCA, ...
We hold that the provisions of § 46-19-103, MCA, control and that the post conviction provisions of § 46-21-102, MCA, do not override § 46-19-103, MCA. As a result, we hold that the Petition for Supervisory Control is denied on the merits and the Petition for Stay of Death Sentence also is denied on the merits.

While the constitutional claims on the part of Mr. Turner are worded on somewhat different theories than the contentions of Mr. Gollehon, we find that our holding in Gollehon is controlling. We reemphasize the conclusion in Gollehon that a criminal defendant does not have a constitutional right to the collateral review which is present through Montana post conviction procedures. We further emphasize that the [396]*396Gollehon conclusion that § 46-21-102, MCA, providing for the filing of post conviction relief petitions within five years of date of conviction does not override the sentencing requirement of § 46-19-103, MCA. We reaffirm the holding of Gollehon which is as follows:

We hold that the provisions of § 46-19-103, MCA, control and that the post conviction provisions of § 46-21-102, MCA, do not override § 46-19-103, MCA.

In view of the foregoing principles, we conclude that the constitutional arguments on the part of Mr. Turner are insufficient as a matter of law. As a result, we hold that Mr. Turner’s petition for supervisory control is denied on the merits.

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Related

Coleman v. Thompson
501 U.S. 722 (Supreme Court, 1991)
State v. Turner
864 P.2d 235 (Montana Supreme Court, 1993)
Gollehon v. District Court of the Third Judicial District
897 P.2d 1058 (Montana Supreme Court, 1995)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
897 P.2d 1060, 271 Mont. 392, 52 State Rptr. 498, 1995 Mont. LEXIS 114, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-ex-rel-turner-v-montana-third-judicial-district-court-mont-1995.