United States v. Dickey

41 M.J. 637, 1994 CCA LEXIS 11, 1994 WL 700923
CourtNavy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedNovember 4, 1994
DocketNMCM 93 01448
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 41 M.J. 637 (United States v. Dickey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Dickey, 41 M.J. 637, 1994 CCA LEXIS 11, 1994 WL 700923 (N.M. 1994).

Opinion

McLaughlin, judge:

The appellant was tried on 29 April 1993 by a general court-martial composed of military judge alone. Pursuant to his pleas, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit rape, rape, sodomy, and kidnapping, in violation of Articles 81, 120, 125, and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice [UCMJ], 10 U.S.C. §§ 881, 920, 925, and 934. The adjudged sentence consisted of confinement for 10 years, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, reduction to pay grade E-l, and a dishonorable discharge. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged. A pretrial agreement had no effect on the sentence.

The offenses arose from an evening birthday party out “on the town,” involving five shipmates — the appellant, Newbold, Hayes, Moreno, and Holtzclaw — who, after much drinking, brought a prostitute to an apartment. Misunderstandings between the prostitute and the five men ensued, and the misconduct of the five Sailors quickly followed. All five Sailors pled guilty to charges arising from the events of 25 February 1993 at individual general courts-martial.

The appellant assigns five errors to his case.1 For the reasons set forth below, we find these assigned errors to be without merit.

The factual events of this case, as explained by the appellant in the providence inquiry, began with one of his co-actors feeling unsatisfied with the sexual performance of the victim, a pre-paid prostitute. After hearing a co-actor arguing with the victim about getting money back, appellant went into the bedroom to mediate. He was unsuccessful in his efforts to calm the victim and she went downstairs to leave. The appellant and Newbold blocked the apartment’s exit door. The appellant had a gun in his possession and pulled it from his waistband. The appellant admits to wanting to frighten the victim as he brandished the gun. When the victim called the bluff, the appellant unloaded the weapon and put it down. At that point, Newbold knocked the victim down onto the couch, kicked her, and the appellant went over to help. Record at 23-25. The victim was disrobed. The appellant took the victim’s panties off while Hayes was trying to have sex with her. The appellant tried to have sex with her, and he did penetrate her. Id. at 26. The intent of the co-actors at the beginning of this detention was to “basically get the $20 back or get, I guess get something out of it, sir. Basically, ended up rape.” Record at 27. The victim was stripped, taken from the floor over to a couch, a distance of about 6 or 7 feet, and attacked by her tormentors for an appreciable period of time. Id. at 28 and 35.

INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL

In claiming his or her defense counsel was ineffective in representation, an appellant bears the heavy burden of establishing both serious deficiency in performance and prejudice arising from that deficiency. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. [640]*640668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984); United States v. Sanders, 37 M.J. 116, 118 (C.M.A.), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 114 S.Ct. 600, 126 L.Ed.2d 565 (1993); United States v. Scott, 24 M.J. 186, 188 (C.M.A.1987). The errors made must be so serious that they deprive the accused of “a fair trial, a trial whose result is reliable.” Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687, 104 S.Ct. at 2064. The test for prejudice when a conviction is challenged on the basis of established ineffectiveness of counsel “is whether there is a reasonable probability that, absent the errors, the fact finder would have had a reasonable doubt respecting guilt.” United States v. Dumas, 36 M.J. 941, 942 (A.C.M.R.1993) (quoting Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. at 695, 104 S.Ct. at 2068-69).2

What are we to do when faced with this serious allegation from an accused against his trial defense counsel? That very question was asked and ably answered by the Coast Guard Court of Military Review in United States v. Martin, 39 M.J. 1124 (C.G.C.M.R.1994) (alleged ineffective assistance of counsel in failing to pursue leads, counsel’s attitude, and counsel’s insistence on accused pleading guilty to offenses he did not commit). Just as the Coast Guard Court did, we also find the necessary guidance in United States v. Lonetree, 35 M.J. 396 (C.M.A. 1992)3, and seek “a colorable scenario consistent with relief-worthy ineffective assistance and a record consistent with the claim.” Id. at 414.

The thrust of appellant’s first assignment of error, alleging ineffective assistance of counsel, involves the “lightning quick rush to trial” without the defense having interviewed the victim. Appellant’s Brief at 6; Appellant’s Clemency Letter dated 1 June 1993.4 We have admitted the trial defense counsel’s affidavit of 13 June 1994, and he verifies that he did not interview the victim. Affidavit of Captain I dated 13 June 1994. On appeal, the appellant avers that this Court “may find that the hasty trial and failure to interview the prosecutrix alone are cause to reverse this case.” Appellant’s Brief at 7. Apparently, the victim could not be readily located by the prosecution or defense. Affidavit of Captain I dated 13 June 1994.

The appellant pled guilty. The factual sufficiency, amounting to a judicial confession, was established through the inquiry made by the military judge under United States v. Care, 18 U.S.C.M.A. 535, 40 C.M.R. 247, 1969 WL 6059 (1969) and Rule for Courts-Martial [R.C.M.] 910, Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, 1984 [M.C.M.]. An unconditional guilty plea waives any objection relating to the factual issue of guilt. R.C.M. 910(j). Evidence from outside the record will not normally be considered on review to determine the providence of a guilty plea. United States v. Rooks, 29 M.J. 291 (C.M.A.1989); United States v. Davenport, 9 M.J. 364, 367 (C.M.A. [641]*6411980). After a full providence inquiry, under oath, the appellant stated on the record that he believed he was guilty and demonstrated that he was in fact guilty. The appellant’s case is quite unlike the case of United States v. Kelly, 32 M.J. 813 (N.M.C.M.R.1991). In Kelly, the trial defense counsel twice admitted to being an ineffective defense counsel in advising Kelly to plead guilty for a pretrial agreement to charges for which there was no other evidence except the accused’s uncorroborated confession. This Court found ineffective assistance of counsel with regard to the guilty pleas to charges that were thereby improvable for lack of corroboration. Id. at 827; see Military Rule of Evidence 304(g). In Kelly, we said:

As recognized in Brady v. United States, 397 U.S. 742, 756-757, 90 S.Ct. 1463, 1473, 25 L.Ed.2d 747, 761 (1970), a defendant’s appraisal of the Government’s case against him and the likelihood of leniency should he plead guilty and have his plea accepted heavily influences his decision to plead guilty.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
41 M.J. 637, 1994 CCA LEXIS 11, 1994 WL 700923, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-dickey-nmcca-1994.