United States of America Ex Rel. William W. Crossman v. Frank J. Pate, Warden

440 F.2d 535, 1971 U.S. App. LEXIS 11411
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
DecidedMarch 11, 1971
Docket16757
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 440 F.2d 535 (United States of America Ex Rel. William W. Crossman v. Frank J. Pate, Warden) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States of America Ex Rel. William W. Crossman v. Frank J. Pate, Warden, 440 F.2d 535, 1971 U.S. App. LEXIS 11411 (7th Cir. 1971).

Opinion

STEVENS, Circuit Judge.

In 1960 petitioner pleaded guilty to two acts of forcible rape and received consecutive sentences of 30 years from the Circuit Court of Kendall County, Illinois. In his federal habeas corpus petition he alleged that the failure to hold a sanity hearing before accepting his plea was constitutional error. 1 The district court denied the petition on the basis of the state record.

This court granted a certificate of probable cause, appointed counsel to represent petitioner, and ordered that the record be expanded to include all medical and psychiatric reports in the custody of the state criminologist. In addition, respondent also supplemented the record by filing a complete copy of the stenographic transcript of the proceedings at the arraignment and the hearing on mitigation and aggravation. Based on our review of the entire record, we have concluded that the district court properly denied the petition without a hearing.

Neither the severity of the sentence nor petitioner’s guilt is placed in issue. We summarize only that portion of the record which pertains to petitioner’s competence to plead and his claim that a sanity hearing should have been conducted.

I.

The crimes were committed on successive evenings. On December 28, 1959, brandishing a knife, petitioner forced his way into the victim’s car in a shopping plaza in Will County and forced her to drive into Kendall County where the assault occurred. On December 29, 1959, again using a knife, petitioner forced his second victim, who was walking along the road near the same shopping center, to enter his car; he then drove into Kendall County and committed the second assault. Both victims promptly reported the incidents to the police, describing various details, including routes the cars had taken, petitioner’s appearance, and, in the second case, the fact that the clock in petitioner’s car was stopped at 4:45.

On January 19, 1960, Joliet police recognized petitioner’s car from the second victim’s description, noted the clock stopped at 4:45, and placed him under arrest. He was taken to the Joliet police station where he was questioned by the State’s Attorney of Will County in the presence of his secretary and the Joliet Chief of Police. The secretary transcribed a detailed confession of each crime. The transcript indicates that the prisoner was treated with respect. 2 His *537 answers were coherent, consistent with the facts related by the victims, corroborated by circumstantial evidence, and freely given. After the statements were transcribed, he signed them in the presence of the witnesses. Three days later he was questioned in the Kendall County jail by the state’s attorney and the sheriff of that county. His oral confession at that time was consistent with his prior statement and also with the independent evidence. At the hearing on mitigation he acknowledged the accuracy of the state’s attorney’s description of the ora] confession. 3

On February 2, 1960, two separate in-formations charging him with forcible rape were filed in the Circuit Court of Kendall County. Petitioner executed a waiver of indictment, which was witnessed by his wife, and requested that counsel be appointed to represent him. The court appointed Ealph Lowe, of the Aurora Bar, and continued the matter.

The arraignment was held on February 26, 1960. On that day Mr. Lowe’s partner, G. William Eiehards, entered his appearance as additional counsel for petitioner and represented him during the court proceedings. The state’s attorney filed a receipt for various documents executed by petitioner and Mr. Eiehards. The court then stated his recollection that the defendant had waived indictment, which petitioner confirmed. 4 The court then explained plaintiff’s right to a jury trial, described the sentence that might be imposed, and asked petitioner if he was ready to plead. 5 Petitioner responded personally and pleaded “Guilty.”

Before accepting the plea, the court engaged in further colloquy with the accused :

“The Court: * * * I now ask you if you understand your rights, the nature of the charge against you and the punishment that may be fixed by the Court.
“Mr. Crossman: Yes sir.
“The Court: You still want to plead guilty?
“Mr. Crossman: Yes sir.
“The Court: Has any one made you any promises to get you to enter a plea of guilty, including the State’s Attorney, the Sheriff, your own Attorney, or any police Officer or Deputy Sheriff?
“Mr. Crossman: No.
“The Court: The Court finds the Defendant understands the nature of the charge against him, the penalty that could be imposed and is making his plea of guilty voluntarily and without any promises of any kind having been made to him. The Court accepts your plea of guilty to the charge of rape and enters Judgment on the plea of guilty, judging you, William Wesley Crossman, guilty of the crime of rape as charged in the information.

*538 The Court will hear evidence in aggravation and mitigation and recommendation of counsel. I think 10 o’clock on March 8th would be a date if no one has any objection.”

The arraignment on the second information then took place; it was substantially identical to the first.

On March 8, 1960, counsel for petitioner requested a continuance of the hearing on mitigation for the purpose of having petitioner examined by a psychiatrist. Counsel stated that “there is serious doubt in my mind on the defendant’s ability to cooperate with counsel.” The state opposed the continuance because no question of petitioner’s sanity had been raised previously. The court, after noting that everyone is considered sane until found otherwise, asked petitioner if he felt that he needed a medical examination. After petitioner replied in the affirmative, the court granted the continuance. 6

The hearing on mitigation and aggravation was held on March 14, 1960. The state offered detailed descriptions of the two crimes, including the written and oral confessions by petitioner and certain corroborative evidence. The state’s attorney then advised the court that petitioner had submitted to two psychiatric examinations, one arranged by the state and the other by defense counsel. Both psychiatrists were consultants for the Department of Safety, and both prepared written reports which were read into the record.

The report of Dr. Meyer Kruglik, dated March 8, 1960, included the following information: Petitioner had no prior record of difficulty with the law and no significant medical history. His formal education was terminated at the age of 17 in the tenth grade (he had repeated the first and seventh grades). At 18 he joined the Navy and was honorably discharged at 21 with a rating of Builder Third Class. While in service he passed the high school qualifying test.

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Bluebook (online)
440 F.2d 535, 1971 U.S. App. LEXIS 11411, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-of-america-ex-rel-william-w-crossman-v-frank-j-pate-ca7-1971.