United States ex rel. Kopetka v. Young

310 F. Supp. 1001, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12753
CourtDistrict Court, D. Minnesota
DecidedFebruary 24, 1970
DocketNo. 3-69 Civ. 231
StatusPublished

This text of 310 F. Supp. 1001 (United States ex rel. Kopetka v. Young) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Minnesota 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. Kopetka v. Young, 310 F. Supp. 1001, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12753 (mnd 1970).

Opinion

NEVILLE, District Judge.

Before the court for consideration is a petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed by a state court prisoner who at the time of its filing was serving an indeterminate sentence for third degree murder. The court, mindful of Fay v. Noia, 372 U.S. 391, 83 S.Ct. 822, 9 L.Ed. 2d 837 (1962) and Townsend v. Sain, 372 U.S. 293, 83 S.Ct. 745, 9 L.Ed.2d 770 (1962), ordered an evidentiary hearing. Shortly following the hearing petitioner was paroled and so is now at liberty. This .fact does not, however, render the petition moot since even when paroled the movement and actions of a former prisoner are restricted. He thus is entitled to test the legality of such restrictions. Jones v. Cunningham, 371 U.S. 236, 83 S.Ct. 373, 9 L.Ed.2d 285 (1963). See also Dunn v. California Dept. of Corrections, 401 F.2d 340 (9th Cir. 1968); Zaffarano v. Blackwell, 383 F.2d 719 (5th Cir. 1967).

Petitioner’s case four times has been before the Minnesota Supreme Court. [1003]*1003Originally his conviction was affirmed in 1963 in State of Minnesota v. Kopetka, 265 Minn. 371, 121 N.W.2d 783 (1963). Subsequently petitioner requested a writ of habeas corpus, alleging his conviction to be unconstitutional. The writ was discharged. Kopetka v. Tahash, 281 Minn. 52, 160 N.W.2d 399 (1968). Shortly thereafter petitioner brought a second petition for habeas corpus alleging cruel and inhuman treatment and punishment due to the medical treatment or the lack thereof received from prison officials. The Supreme Court affirmed the lower court’s dismissal of the writ without a hearing. State ex rel. Kopetka v. Young, 282 Minn. 529, 163 N.W.2d 49 (1968). The last reported case is Kopetka v. State, 283 Minn. 525, 167 N.W.2d 39 (1969). In addition petitioner has instituted at least one more petition for habeas corpus in the State court, the latter of which apparently as the court gleaned at the hearing is now on appeal to the Minnesota Supreme Court and still undecided. Two prior habeas corpus petitions have been addressed to this court and dismissed, both because similar petitions were pending in State Court at the time and the petitioner had not exhausted his state remedies.

The present petition asserts several claims including (1) that petitioner was denied due process because he was tried and convicted on one theory of third degree murder under Minn. Stat. § 619.10 and his conviction was affirmed on a second or different theory; (2) that the petitioner’s several confessions used against him were involuntary as made under the influence of intoxicants and subsequently elicited under coercion and influenced by the initial confession; (3) that illegally seized evidence introduced at trial was prejudicial and not mere harmless error; (4) that the petitioner did not have adequate or effective assistance of counsel; (5) that exaggerated and incompetent evidence was introduced at trial to the prejudice of the petitioner; (6) that petitioner’s mental state at the time of the crime was such that he could not form the requisite intent and the court erred in ruling that since he reached that state voluntarily, intoxication was not available as a defense and was evidence of a “depraved mind” ; (7) that petitioner was denied a fair trial because of adverse publicity and delay; (8) that petitioner was denied due process by the admittance into evidence of a statement which did not qualify as a dying declaration ; (9) that defendant was denied due process by the allowance of other hearsay evidence; (10) that the petitioner’s imprisonment is illegal and unconstitutional by reason of the fact that he has been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment in connection with the medical treatment he has received or failed to receive in prison.

All of the above claims, including numbers 4 and 10, concerning which petitioner devoted most of his time at the hearing have been specifically considered and rejected by the Minnesota Supreme Court in one or the other of its four opinions. This court has had the benefit of, and has read, the record of the trial had before the Honorable Robert V. Rensch with jury waived. The Federal Court is not an appellate court and its function is not to review the rulings and decisions of the State courts. The Federal Court will intervene only if there is a substanial and real denial of due process, such as lack of notice or chance to present evidence, the prejudicial use of illegally seized evidence, denial of the right to adequate counsel, an unfair trial due to excessive publicity, or other similar constitutional ground. Even were this court to feel that de novo it might have reached a different conclusion on the evidence as to numbers 1 through 10 above — which the court does not mean to imply — it would not and should not disturb a State court’s finding and decision. So for instance the Minnesota Supreme Court adopted a certain construction of the State statute defining murder in the third degree, opined on the sufficiency of the evidence, the validity of confessions, the effect of admitting certain evidence at the trial, etc. The decision on these questions in a case [1004]*1004such as is here involved is not a denial of constitutional rights. Were the rule otherwise this court would in effect be sitting as an appellate court, reviewing each and every ruling made by the trial court first and them affirmed by the Minnesota Supreme Court, under the guise and on the ground that every ruling is claimed to violate or might violate in some way or other a constitutional right. Such is not the proper posture for this court. In any event, the court is satisfied from a review of the record at the trial, the briefs and arguments of counsel, and the three Supreme Court opinions above cited that the evidence adequately supports defendant’s conviction and the errors assigned by him if they were in fact errors were not prejudicial.

As to ground No. 4 apparently and so far as this court is advised petitioner never previously took evidence in support of this contention or seriously raised the question before the Minnesota Supreme Court. In this court’s opinion petitioner was adequately represented by competent and able counsel and received a full and fair presentation of his case.

The public defender was appointed to defend petitioner and it is claimed he did not have the time nor did he have the funds available adequately to prepare for trial and to investigate all possible facets which petitioner claimed might have been used as defenses to the prosecution. Petitioner’s former counsel was subpoenaed and testified at the hearing to the effect that though he would have liked to have had more facilities available the more fully to develop and explore the defendant’s alcoholic problem and the possibility of temporary insanity, there was delay before he was appointed or saw the defendant, depreciating to some extent the value of any investigation or examination along the latter lines.

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Related

Jones v. Cunningham
371 U.S. 236 (Supreme Court, 1963)
Townsend v. Sain
372 U.S. 293 (Supreme Court, 1963)
Fay v. Noia
372 U.S. 391 (Supreme Court, 1963)
Williams v. Steele
194 F.2d 32 (Eighth Circuit, 1952)
United States Ex Rel. Darcy v. Handy, Warden
203 F.2d 407 (Third Circuit, 1953)
Anthony Cardarella v. United States
375 F.2d 222 (Eighth Circuit, 1967)
Niels R. J. Ellis v. State of New Jersey
388 F.2d 988 (Third Circuit, 1968)
Rosalio B. Montez v. Frank A. Eyman, Warden
404 F.2d 330 (Ninth Circuit, 1968)
State Ex Rel. Cole v. Tahash
129 N.W.2d 903 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1964)
Konigsberg v. Ciccone
285 F. Supp. 585 (W.D. Missouri, 1968)
State v. Kopetka
121 N.W.2d 783 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1963)
Kopetka v. State
167 N.W.2d 39 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1969)
State Ex Rel. Kopetka v. Young
163 N.W.2d 49 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1968)
State Ex Rel. Kopetka v. Tahash
160 N.W.2d 399 (Supreme Court of Minnesota, 1968)
Montez v. Eyman
275 F. Supp. 554 (D. Arizona, 1967)
Ellis v. State
282 F. Supp. 298 (D. New Jersey, 1967)

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Bluebook (online)
310 F. Supp. 1001, 1970 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12753, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-ex-rel-kopetka-v-young-mnd-1970.