United States Ex Rel. Angelo John La Marca v. Wilfred L. Denno, Warden of Sing Sing Prison

257 F.2d 295, 1958 U.S. App. LEXIS 4488
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Second Circuit
DecidedJuly 2, 1958
Docket295_1
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 257 F.2d 295 (United States Ex Rel. Angelo John La Marca v. Wilfred L. Denno, Warden of Sing Sing Prison) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States Ex Rel. Angelo John La Marca v. Wilfred L. Denno, Warden of Sing Sing Prison, 257 F.2d 295, 1958 U.S. App. LEXIS 4488 (2d Cir. 1958).

Opinion

MOORE, Circuit Judge.

The petitioner, Angelo John LaMarca, moves before me during a recess of this court for a certificate of probable cause pursuant to 28 U.S.C. section 2253. That section, in part, provides: “An appeal may not be taken to the court of appeals from the final order in a habeas corpus proceeding where the detention complained of arises out of process issued by a State court, unless the justice or judge who rendered the order or a circuit justice or judge issues a certificate of probable cause. June 25, 1948, c. 646, 62 Stat. 967, amended May 24, 1949, c. 139, § 113, 63 Stat. 105.” The sole issue, therefore, is whether there exists “probable cause” for the appeal.

The proposed appeal is from an order made by Judge David N. Edelstein filed on June 13, 1958 which order denied petitioner’s application for a writ of habeas corpus. Petitioner’s application was based upon the ground that he could not have received a fair trial in Nassau County because of prejudice existing there at the time of the trial which prejudice was allegedly created in large part by newspaper and radio publicity given to the crime. Petitioner argued before Judge Edelstein, as he argues now, that this publicity and alleged prejudice, particularly in the selection of the jury, “must of necessity preclude that kind of fair trial which is guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment of the Federal Constitution.” Since protection of petitioner’s constitutional rights is of paramount importance, a thorough review of the proceedings so far as they bear upon the prejudice complained of has been made.

Petitioner was indicted on August 29, 1956 for the crimes of murder in the first degree and kidnapping. On September 5, 1956 he pleaded not guilty with the specification of insanity in the County Court of Nassau County. On September 21, 1956 he made a motion in the Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department, for a change of venue. In support of that motion petitioner submitted lengthy affidavits reciting the news coverage which the crime had had in the local press and statements as to the feelings of the local populace. This motion was denied on October 1, 1956.

The trial commenced on November 5, 1956. The first six days were devoted exclusively to the examination and selection *296 of jurors. Accepting the figures given by the petitioner in his present application, 230 jurors were examined, 44 were excused because they could not devote the time necessary to try the case, 6 were excused for illness, 13 were excused because of their own ideas on insanity, 20 were excused because they were acquainted with one or more persons involved, and 15 were excused for various other reasons. A balance of 132 jurors remained. The voir dire of the prospective jurors commenced on November 5, 1956 and was concluded at the end of the sixth court day, on November 14, 1956. The examination is set forth verbatim from pages 50 to 685 of the printed record on appeal in the State Court. Examination of jurors for the selection of alternates continues to page 740. I have reviewed the voir dire and find that petitioner’s trial counsel, who is now his counsel on this application, carefully examined every juror. Furthermore, the trial court was most protective in excusing jurors for cause. Turning to the record with respect to the jurors finally chosen, I find that in every case except the twelfth petitioner’s counsel after thorough examination said that the juror was satisfactory or acceptable to the defendant (petitioner here). This satisfaction appears on pages 94, 156, 190, 229, 239, 324, 397, 430, 467, 527, 560, and on 684-5 where after having exhausted his peremptory challenges petitioner acknowledged as to the twelfth juror that he had no challenge for cause.

After conviction petitioner appealed to the New York Court of Appeals. In the notice of appeal in addition to the appeal from the judgment of conviction petitioner stated that he intended “to bring up for review before the Court of Appeals of the State of New York the intermediate order made by the Appellate Division, Second Department, denying the defendant’s motion for a change of venue * * * ”. The record on appeal contained the motion for a change of venue and the supporting affidavits as well as the entire transcript of the voir dire in the selection of the jurors. This point, however, was expressly waived by petitioner’s appellate counsel. The conviction was affirmed (People v. LaMarca, 3 N.Y.2d 452, 165 N.Y.S.2d 753, 144 N.E. 2d 420) and the application for a writ of certiorari was denied (355 U.S. 920, 78 S.Ct. 351, 2 L.Ed.2d 279). The record before the Supreme Court, therefore contained all the facts theretofore presented concerning the alleged prejudice and the method of the jury selection.

Subsequently an application was made to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York for a writ of habeas corpus based upon the fact that alleged prejudice in Nassau County had deprived him of the right of a fair trial. The court stayed petitioner’s execution so that coram nobis proceedings could be instituted in the state court and hearings held on the prejudice question. Pursuant to that order hearings were held in the County Court of Nassau County before the Honorable Cyril J. Brown. After hearing some 35 of the rejected prospective jurors and after counsel had stipulated that the balance of the witnesses subpoenaed would testify in a similar vein the petitioner rested. Judge Brown concluded that nothing had occurred during the examination “which might have impaired the defendant’s right to a full and fair disclosure of the facts on the voir dire (People v. Winship, 309 N.Y. 311 [130 N.E.2d 634]).”

Thereafter petitioner sought to appeal to the New York Court of Appeals. 4 N.Y.2d 925,175 N.Y.S.2d 167,151 N.E.2d 353, 356. Chief Judge Conway wrote a detailed opinion particularly with reference to the examination of the twelve jurors who actually served and said in part:

“Thus, it is clear that the attorney for the defendant never said that any one of the 12 jurors was prejudiced against defendant.
“I can find no support in the evidence presented to me for defendant’s charge that he was unable to, and did not, receive a fair trial in Nassau County. His guilt was proved beyond doubt and the trial *297 was free from legal error. He, himself, was satisfied that none of the jurors was prejudiced against him and he never claimed on the trial that any one of them was prejudiced against him. Accordingly, there is no justification for a further appeal to our court and I find myself unable, in good conscience, to certify that there is. The defendant has had his day in court and has received the full protection of the law.”

On June 2, 1958 petitioner made application before Judge Edelstein for a writ of habeas corpus alleging in substance the same grounds as presented in the coram nobis proceeding before Judge Brown and in the application for leave to appeal before Chief Judge Conway.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States Ex Rel. Winfield v. Cascles
403 F. Supp. 956 (E.D. New York, 1975)
United States Ex Rel. Rivera v. Reeves
246 F. Supp. 599 (S.D. New York, 1965)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
257 F.2d 295, 1958 U.S. App. LEXIS 4488, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-ex-rel-angelo-john-la-marca-v-wilfred-l-denno-warden-of-ca2-1958.