Turley v. Swenson

314 F. Supp. 1304, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10807
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedJuly 24, 1970
DocketNo. 1424
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 314 F. Supp. 1304 (Turley v. Swenson) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Turley v. Swenson, 314 F. Supp. 1304, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10807 (W.D. Mo. 1970).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

JOHN W. OLIVER, District Judge.

I.

This ease involves petitioner’s second federal habeas corpus attack on a seven year sentence imposed on June 14, 1965 on petitioner’s plea of guilty by the Circuit Court of Jasper County, Missouri. The State trial court’s denial of petitioner’s first Rule 27.26, V.A.M.R., motion, filed January 14, 1966, was affirmed by the Supreme Court of Missouri on June 12, 1967, with Judge Seiler concurring in result and dissenting in part. See State v. Turley, (Mo.Sup.Ct., Div. 1, 1967) 416 S.W.2d 75.

Petitioner’s first federal habeas petition, Turley v. Swenson, No. 1219 (October 30, 1967 (unreported)) attempted to present two federal questions (a) denial of counsel at preliminary hearing; and (b) ineffective assistance of counsel at the time of petitioner’s arraignment, plea, and sentence.

Petitioner’s first federal habeas petition was dismissed without prejudice for the following stated reasons:

We find it unnecesary to determine at this time whether or not the denial of counsel at a preliminary hearing under Missouri procedure amounts to a denial of due process of law or equal protection of the laws. (See State v. Turley, supra, Judge Seiler’s concurring opinion.) Petitioner is in custody pursuant to a conviction based on his plea of guilty. That plea was entered with the advice of counsel, and petitioner makes no contention in this Court that it was not entered voluntarily and knowingly. A guilty plea voluntarily entered constitutes a waiver of all non-jurisdictional defects at any prior stage in the proceedings. Emmett v. Balkcom, (5th Cir., 1966) 358 F.2d 302; Engling v. Crouse, (10th Cir., 1966) 357 F.2d 267; Gallegos v. Cox, (9th Cir., 1966) 358 F.2d 703; U. S. ex rel. Pizarro v. Fay, (2nd Cir., 1965) 353 F.2d 726. We will therefore deny petitioner the relief he seeks as to the question of counsel at preliminary hearing.
As to petitioner’s second contention, the ineffective assistance of counsel, this question has clearly not been raised in the state courts. We will, therefore, dismiss that contention for failure to exhaust available state court remedies.

Thereafter, petitioner, on January 29, 1968, filed a second Rule 27.26 motion in the Circuit Court of Jasper County. The denial of that motion was affirmed by the Supreme Court of Missouri ■ on March 10, 1969, in Turley v. State, (Mo. Sup.Ct., Div. 2, 1969) 439 S.W.2d 521.

Petitioner’s second federal habeas corpus petition alleges that:

(a) Petitioner was denied effective representation of counsel during his arraignment, plea and sentencing.
(b) Petitioner was denied representation of counsel, when requested, at all proceedings from arrest throughout his preliminary examination.
(c) Petitioner’s plea of guilty was entered involuntarily, unknowingly, and was, in effect, coerced.

The parties have stipulated, and we find, that “petitioner has fully exhausted the remedies afforded him under the laws of the State of Missouri for the relief he seeks in this proceeding” (Paragraph 1 of Stipulation). After having been afforded an opportunity to adduce additional evidence, the parties also “agreed that the federal questions presented in this habeas corpus proceeding may be submitted on a stipulated record [1306]*1306[and that] no further evidence or hearing, unless ordered by the Court, need be held or introduced other than this Stipulation and the documents identified herein” (Paragraphs 2 and 5 Stipulation).

The documents identified included all the reported proceedings in the trial court and all records and briefs filed in the Supreme Court of Missouri in connection with both of petitioner’s unsuccessful Rule 27.26 appeals. In light of the fact that neither party wished to adduce any additional evidence, it is proper for this Court to rule this case on the stipulated records.

Consistent with principles enunciated in Townsend v. Sain, 372 U.S. 293 at 318, 83 S.Ct. 745, 9 L.Ed.2d 770 (1963), we defer to and accept all findings reliably found by the Supreme Court of Missouri in 439 S.W.2d 521. The following seven findings are made in exactly the same language as that used by the Supreme Court of Missouri in its opinion:

1. Turley was arrested on May 30, 1965.
2. He was given a preliminary hearing on June 9, 1965, and bound over to the Jasper County Circuit Court for trial.
3. On June 10, 1965, an information was filed charging Virgil Lewis Turley with burglary and larceny.
4. Turley was brought from Carthage to Joplin on June 14, 1965.
5. When Turley was transferred from Carthage to Joplin and appeared in Circuit Court on June 14th to enter a plea of guilty, Judge Watson refused to accept the plea until Turley had an opportunity to consult a lawyer.
6. Mr. Burress presented [himself] to Judge Watson who advised [him] that [he] was representing an indigent prisoner who was Mr. Turley.1
7. Mr. Burress’ hasty and belated appointment was not made until 15 or 30 minutes before the plea.2

The Supreme Court of Missouri properly recognized the factual base upon which petitioner’s claim of ineffective assistance of counsel was predicated. It stated that:

Turley's claim that he was “denied effective representation of counsel” is based * * * upon the allegation that the lawyer did not “question whether any of the evidence obtained by the Joplin Police Department was admissible,” particularly whether his “confession,” a written statement, was involuntary, and whether the “goods” found in his hotel room after “a waiver of search warrant” were obtained by an illegal search and seizure.3 [439 S.W.2d at 524].

[1307]*1307In regard to the crucial factual circumstances concerning what legal assistance, if any, Mr. Burress gave petitioner in regard to those questions, the Supreme Court of Missouri paraphrased but a portion of Mr. Burress’ direct examination. It stated that:

Mr. Burress says that he and Turley conferred for about thirty minutes, Turley outlined his past, including his prior felony convictions, “admitted to certain offenses in Kansas City, that the car he had was a stolen vehicle” and, on inquiry, he “stated that he had given this confession” to the Joplin police. Burress advised Turley of the maximum punishment but the outstanding thing to Mr. Burress was that “he advised me of his great desire to plead guilty and this was the only thing he was interested in doing. He didn't wish to remain in the County Jail but insisted upon being sent to the Missouri State Penitentiary at the very earliest moment. He advised me that he had just finished his preliminary hearing in the Magistrate Court and that the term of Court passed him by and that he did not want to remain in the County Jail until the next term of Court and wished to make his guilty plea at that time.” [Ibid]

Petitioner’s testimony and that given by Mr. Burress at the Rule 27.26 hearing is not in substantial conflict.

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Related

McKinnon v. State
526 P.2d 18 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1974)
Garton v. Swenson
367 F. Supp. 1355 (W.D. Missouri, 1973)
Lee v. State
460 S.W.2d 564 (Supreme Court of Missouri, 1970)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
314 F. Supp. 1304, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 10807, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/turley-v-swenson-mowd-1970.