United States v. Frank Richard Coppola

479 F.2d 1153, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 9625
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedJune 4, 1973
Docket72-1735
StatusPublished
Cited by63 cases

This text of 479 F.2d 1153 (United States v. Frank Richard Coppola) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Frank Richard Coppola, 479 F.2d 1153, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 9625 (10th Cir. 1973).

Opinion

WILLIAM E. DOYLE, Circuit Judge.

The appellant was charged in an indictment with Joe Cordova, Fred John Molina and Natividad Baca 1 with having conspired to murder one Willard Hardaway in connection with a dispute growing out of the alleged failure of Hardaway to deliver a quantity of heroin to appellant in the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas (in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371). In a second count he was charged with aiding and abetting Cordova, Molina and Baca in the murder of Hardaway, contrary to 18 U.S.C. §§ 2 and 1111. Defendant was tried and was found guilty on March 27, 1972, and was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment on count 2 and to five years in prison on count 1 (conspiracy). The life sentence was ordered to run consecutively to any sentence which appellant was then serving. The five-year sentence was ordered to run concurrently with the life sentence. 2

The government’s theory was that appellant, an inmate at the United States Penitentiary at Leavenworth, was the major supplier of heroin within the institution. The homicide in question resulted from a dispute, again according to the government’s theory, between appellant and Willard Hardaway, the victim, concerning the delivery of the supply of heroin. Coppola had agreed to pay Hardaway $500.00 to smuggle a shipment of heroin into the prison. Hardaway instructed his wife that she would receive a package in the mail and that she should bring the heroin with her to a graduation exercise on August 23, 1968. 3

Hardaway’s wife carried out his instructions. She received the package in the mail and secreted it into the prison. She then divided it into two packages. One package was transferred to Harda-way. The other was delivered to Fred Deering, another inmate, for delivery to Coppola. It was this division of the package which resulted in the homicide. When Deering took the package to Coppola, the latter recognized that half of it was missing and then stated to Deering that Hardaway had “beat him for half of it” but that he “would take care of it.” Later Coppola told Deering that he was paying two Chícanos $500.00 and some narcotics to take care of Harda-way. On September 11, 1968, Hardaway was killed in his cell. The murder weapon was a heavy piece of pipe which was discovered shortly thereafter in a trash bag not far from Hardaway’s cell.

*1156 The evidence was amply sufficient to support the convictions and apparently appellant’s attorneys recognize this, for the issues posed here involve the trial court’s evidentiary rulings together with the conduct of the prosecutors. It is unnecessary therefore to detail the testimony of the various inmates and others inasmuch as there will be occasion for mentioning much of this testimony in relation to the evidentiary and other problems which will be hereinafter discussed.

The alleged errors relied on are, first, the introduction of prior statements of the witness William Triplett under the guise of impeachment. Secondly, the calling of the witness John Marshall Caifano, notwithstanding that the government knew that he was not going to give testimony and was going to claim his privilege against self-incrimination. Error is predicated upon his claiming the privilege in response to 18 questions. Third, the alleged error in allowing the witness Herman to testify as to conversations with codefendants of appellant allegedly long after any conspiracy had terminated. Fourth, the failure of the court to issue process for witnesses to testify as to a confession made by an inmate who has since died. Fifth, the alleged failure of the prosecution to disclose at the pretrial omnibus hearing the nature of the testimony of the informers. Sixth, the failure of the court to include lesser included offenses. Seventh, failure to grant a continuance. It is unnecessary to take up points fifth, sixth and seventh in view of our rulings on the other points and our view of the comments of the prosecutors.

I.

THE GOVERNMENT’S ATTEMPT TO IMPEACH THE WITNESS TRIPLETT

One of the main witnesses on behalf of the government was William Triplett who, like the defendant, was an inmate at Leavenworth prison. This witness had been interviewed by the FBI soon after the incident in question and his statements had been reduced to writing and incorporated into the investigative report but were not, of course, signed. On the eve of the trial Triplett signed an affidavit in which he formally repudiated the statements which he had theretofore made. However, some six months before that he had also repudiated his statements. Therefore, the government attorneys were fully aware that he did not intend to testify in accordance with his prior statements. They may have had some hope that he might relent once he took the stand, but as it turned out this was unfounded and Triplett furnished nothing. Nevertheless, the government managed to bring his prior statements to the attention of the jury by asking questions which in toto included a reading of the entire statement. 4 It was not therefore *1157 a case in which Triplett was called as a witness and gave positive testimony damaging to.the government and did so contrary to the reasonable expectations of the government. Rather, he had given prior notice to the government attorneys that his statements to the FBI were not true and that he was not going to testify in accordance with them. Nevertheless, the government started out by asking him about his prior statement. 5 At the outset the trial court showed concern about this procedure, noting the necessity for showing surprise and also questioning whether surprise could in fact be shown.

The trial court instructed government counsel to proceed in the usual way, meaning to ask questions seeking to get the desired information before attempting to impeach. The government counsel started to comply with this. The next question to Triplett was as to his knowledge of the homicide; but after this first question he again reverted to his original method of asking Triplett whether he had made a prior statement and then reading the entire statement to him.

At common law a party was not allowed to impeach his own witness. 6 The party who called the witness vouched for him, and if he should refuse to testify as expected the testimony given was binding. See Crago v. State, 28 Wyo. 223, 202 P. 1099 (1922) (Blume, J.). The first breakthrough, according to Justice Blume, occurred about the middle of the Nineteenth Century and this exception allowed an examiner in some instances to propound leading questions for the purpose of refreshing the witness’ recollection.

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Bluebook (online)
479 F.2d 1153, 1973 U.S. App. LEXIS 9625, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-frank-richard-coppola-ca10-1973.