State v. Colton, No. Cr6-289646 (Jul. 17, 1998)

1998 Conn. Super. Ct. 8519
CourtConnecticut Superior Court
DecidedJuly 17, 1998
DocketNo. CR6-289646
StatusUnpublished

This text of 1998 Conn. Super. Ct. 8519 (State v. Colton, No. Cr6-289646 (Jul. 17, 1998)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Connecticut Superior Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Colton, No. Cr6-289646 (Jul. 17, 1998), 1998 Conn. Super. Ct. 8519 (Colo. Ct. App. 1998).

Opinion

[EDITOR'S NOTE: This case is unpublished as indicated by the issuing court.]

MEMORANDUM OF DECISION ON DEFENDANT'S MOTION TO DISMISS ON DOUBLE JEOPARDY GROUNDS
I. INTRODUCTION
Over a decade ago, on January 13, 1987, the body of Patricia Konesky was discovered in the third base dugout of the Kimberly Avenue baseball field in New Haven. In addition to severe blunt trauma to her head, Konesky had been stabbed 248 times. Several dimes were found near the body; an apparent message from her killer to the police that she was murdered for being an informant.

The initial police investigation did not lead to an arrest. As a result, on February 5, 1988, the state announced a $20,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person or persons responsible. A few weeks later Janice Tourangeau ("Tourangeau") told the police that she witnessed Konesky's murder and implicated the defendant, Murray Colton ("Colton") and another person as being responsible. The second person was never identified or located. In June 1988, Colton was arrested and charged with murder.

Colton's first trial in 1989 and second trial in 1990 resulted in hung juries. The jury in his third trial convicted him of murder and he was sentenced to fifty years imprisonment. In August 1993, the Connecticut Supreme Court reversed Colton's conviction and ordered a new trial. State v. Colton,227 Conn. 231 (1993) ("Colton I")

Colton I held that the trial court erred when it ruled that lines of cross examination that the defense wanted to pursue with Tourangeau were collateral and that the defense would not be permitted to offer extrinsic evidence in those areas. Colton I, supra, 242. The proposed cross examination related to Tourangeau's claim that, at the time of the third trial, she was CT Page 8520 no longer addicted to drugs and no longer engaging in prostitution. The Supreme Court observed that Tourangeau's motivation for testifying was of paramount importance. Colton I, supra, 250. In particular, whether the reward money prompted her statements to the police was highly relevant. Id. In this regard, Tourangeau had acknowledged that she was a drug abuser and prostitute at the time of the murder and that the continued need to get drugs influenced her not to come forward initially to the police. Id. The proposed cross examination challenged Tourangeau's claim that she had changed her lifestyle. The proferred testimony was offered to prove that she continued to be addicted to drugs and to engage in prostitution to support her drug habit. Colton I, supra, 251. The Supreme Court found that the areas of continued drug use and prostitution were not collateral matters but relevant to Tourangeau's motive for testifying. Colton I, supra, 252. The court observed that such testimony might have suggested to the jury that Tourangeau's testimony was motivated by a need for drug money and not to make a "new start" in life as she claimed. Colton I, supra, 250-252. The Supreme Court further observed that, in addition to bearing on her motive, the proffered testimony might have persuaded the jury that Tourangeau's "new start" claim was untrue, thereby undermining her entire testimony. Id. For these reasons, the case was remanded for a new trial.

After the remand to the trial court, Colton moved to dismiss claiming (1) double jeopardy principles barred a fourth trial; (2) there was insufficient evidence to proceed to trial because Tourangeau had died; (3) a fourth trial would undermine the integrity of the court; and (4) a fourth trial would undermine interests of justice. The trial court (Ronan, J.), after a hearing, denied the motion to dismiss. Colton then immediately appealed the courts denial of his motion to dismiss on double jeopardy grounds. State v. Colton, 234 Conn. 683, 686 n 5 (1995),1 ("Colton II"). On appeal, Colton claimed (1) that the trial court erred in ruling that the double jeopardy claim was barred as a matter of law and (2) that the trial court improperly prevented him from questioning the prosecutor in order to prove his claim of double jeopardy based on prosecutorial misconduct. Colton II, supra, 686.

In Colton II, the Supreme Court considered the issue of whether a claim of double jeopardy could be raised in a motion to dismiss in the absence of a previous mistrial or reversal because of prosecutorial misconduct. Colton II, supra, 696. The court CT Page 8521 reviewed the law in this area including Oregon v. Kennedy,456 U.S. 667, 192 S.Ct. 2083, 72 L.Ed.2d 416 (1982). Kennedy held that double jeopardy bars a subsequent prosecution if there was prosecutorial misconduct in the first trial that "goaded" the defendant into seeking a mistrial. Oregon v. Kennedy, supra, 676. After Kennedy a split developed between the federal circuit courts as to whether a motion for mistrial was a prerequisite to a claim of double jeopardy based on prosecutorial misconduct. Compare Beringer v. Sheahan, 934 F.2d 110 (7th Cir.) cert. denied, 502 U.S. 1006 (1991) (motion for mistrial is a prerequisite) with United States v. Wallach, 878 F.2d 912 (2d Cir. 1992) (Wallach II), cert. denied, 508 U.S. 939 (1993) (motion for mistrial not required). Colton II acknowledged this conflicting authority and also observed mat me issue was one of first impression in Connecticut. Colton II, supra 696.

The Supreme Court in Colton II agreed with the reasoning of the Second Circuit that Kennedy logically should be extended to bar a new trial, even in the absence of a mistrial or reversal because of prosecutorial misconduct, if the prosecutor at the earlier trial engaged in misconduct with the intent to prevent an acquittal that the prosecutor believed at the time was likely to occur in the absence of his misconduct. Colton II, supra, 696 (citing Wallach II, supra 979 F.2d 916). On the basis of this holding, the Supreme Court remanded the case to consider the defendant's double jeopardy motion on its merits. Colton II, supra 700.

II. THE REMAND HEARING
The remand hearing was extensive. The matter was heard over twenty eight scheduled days from July 22, 1996 to October 31, 1997. Colton entered 109 exhibits and thirteen pleadings were filed with the court. In addition, the trial prosecutor testified for over thirty hours.

III. FINDINGS OF FACT
From the evidence presented at the remand hearing, the court finds the following facts:

Preparation of case for third trial.

At the time of his assignment to the Colton case, Assistant States Attorney James G. Clark (ASA Clark) was an experienced CT Page 8522 prosecutor. Prior to joining the New Haven State's Attorney's Office in 1988, he had spent two and one half years as supervisor of the Appellate unit of the Chief State's Attorney's Office. Once in New Haven, he was assigned to Part A and had tried about fifteen felony cases prior to the Colton case.

The prosecutors for Colton's earlier trials were not available to do trial three.

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Related

United States v. Scott
437 U.S. 82 (Supreme Court, 1978)
Oregon v. Kennedy
456 U.S. 667 (Supreme Court, 1982)
United States v. Eugene Robert Wallach
979 F.2d 912 (Second Circuit, 1992)
United States v. James Catton
130 F.3d 805 (Seventh Circuit, 1997)
State v. Hammond
604 A.2d 793 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1992)
State v. Colton
630 A.2d 577 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1993)
State v. Colton
663 A.2d 339 (Supreme Court of Connecticut, 1995)

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Bluebook (online)
1998 Conn. Super. Ct. 8519, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-colton-no-cr6-289646-jul-17-1998-connsuperct-1998.