United States v. LaRocca

219 F. Supp. 53, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7430
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. Missouri
DecidedJuly 19, 1963
DocketNo. 21505
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 219 F. Supp. 53 (United States v. LaRocca) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. LaRocca, 219 F. Supp. 53, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7430 (W.D. Mo. 1963).

Opinion

JOHN W. OLIVER, District Judge.

Many, if not most, of the points raised in defendant’s present motion were ruled adversely to defendant at the time of trial or when we overruled defendant’s motions for directed judgment of acquittal, which were filed at the close of the Government’s case and at the close of the entire case. No useful purpose will be served by a reiteration of our prior ruling of those points.

Additional mention will be made in regard to the following paragraphs of defendant’s pending motion which are raised for the first time in defendant's pending motion:

“6. That the Court erred in failing to require the Government to produce at defendant’s request, pursuant to Title 18, Section 3500, U.S. C.A., certain statements written in longhand which were testified to and adopted by government witness, William Elmer.
“7. That the Court erred in failing to require the Government to [54]*54produce at defendant’s request pursuant to Title 18, Section 3500, U.S. C.A., any statements signed or adopted by Government witness, Lena Costanza.
* * * * * -*
“21. That the Court erred in failing to give defendant’s requested instruction concerning the weight and effect to be given to circumstantial evidence in this case.”

Looking first at paragraph 21, we note that defendant relies upon Brown v. United States (8th Cir.1957) 245 F.2d 549, to support the argument that the Government’s evidence must exclude every other hypothesis than that of the defendant’s guilt. There is some language on page 556 of Brown to the effect that “the burden is on the government to prove the essential elements of the crime by substantial evidence excluding every other hypothesis than that of defendant’s guilt”. But that statement does not reflect a different rule of substantive law for perjury cases as distinguished from any other criminal case.

The evidence in this case, as in almost every ease, was both direct and circumstantial. The evidence was, in my judgment, both substantial and corroborated. Analysis of questions concerning the quantum of evidence necessary to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is blurred if inquiry is limited to attempts to define or to place types of evidence into convenient cubbyholes. And analysis is made more cloudy if we depart very far from instructions that clearly define that proof must be beyond a reasonable doubt.

There are several cases in the Eighth Circuit that have from time to time suggested that there is a “circumstantial evidence” rule of substantive law that requires the Government to negative every hypothesis other than that of the defendant’s guilt. I do not think such a rule was ever intended to state a rule of substantive law, but even if it were, I think the rationale of Holland v. United States, 348 U.S. 121, 139-140, 75 S.Ct. 127, 99 L.Ed. 150 (1954) would require that this Court refuse to follow such a rule. The Supreme Court there approved what Judge Learned Hand had to say in the United States v. Austin-Bagley Corp. case, (2d Cir.1929) 31 F.2d 229, cert. den. 279 U.S. 863, 49 S.Ct. 479, 73 L.Ed. 1002, and in the United States v. Becker case, (2d Cir.1933) 62 F.2d 1007. I also agree with Judge Prettyman’s analysis of the problem as stated in Curley v. United States (1947) 81 U.S.App.D.C. 389, 160 F.2d 229, cert. den. 331 U.S. 837, 67 S.Ct. 1511, 91 L.Ed. 1850. See and compare-Judge Blackmun’s recent decision in Beatrice Foods Co. v. United States (8th Cir.1963) 312 F.2d 29, 40. Because I believe my charge was consistent with Holland v. United States, supra, I rule that defendant’s point raised in defendant’s paragraph 21 is not tenable.

The points raised in paragraphs 6 and 7 relate to whether or not the Jencks Act was violated. Defendant, in paragraph 6, assumes the existence of certain longhand statements concerning witness Elmer. The portion of the transcript relating to statements given by witness William Elmer and relating to interviews given by witness Lena Costanza is filed concurrently with the filing of this Memorandum and Order so that the record shows the exact testimony of those witnesses.

Page 14 and following of that transcript reflects Elmer’s lack of independent recollection of the dates on which he signed the four statements that were received in evidence; that he did not recollect any statements or interviews prior to July of 1960; that the first time anybody called on Elmer a statement was prepared; and that he believed that the statements had been prepared in longhand.

Mr. Millin advised that he knew nothing about any handwritten statement other than the one in evidence. Elmer, on page 16-17, was quite positive that Defendant’s Exhibit 1, was the first statement he had given anyone. On page 18, however, Elmer testified his recollection was that all the statements had been taken in longhand; that they had not [55]*55been typed as they were being taken; and that the statement was “fetched back” to him, typewritten, for him to read and sign. He did not, however, recollect that he had signed any handwritten statements other than Defendant’s Exhibit 4.

As counsel know, trial in this case commenced May 15, 1963. Campbell v. United States, 373 U.S. 487, 83 S.Ct. 1356, 10 U.Ed.2d 501, on its second appeal, was not decided by the Supreme Court until May 27, 1963. That case, for the second time, involved questions under the Jencks Act. In Campbell II, on facts not similar to those here involved, the Supreme Court held that an unsigned statement could, under particular factual circumstances, be a producible written statement within the meaning of Section 3500 (e) (1).

The facts involved in Campbell established that Federal Agent Toomey had taken longhand notes which were complete with respect to the pertinent information; that the notes were in fact recited back to Government witness Staula; that Staula said that Toomey had got it straight; that Toomey’s oral presentation to Staula had not merely adhered to the substance of the notes but so far as practical adhered to the precise words used; and that Staula had in fact adopted Toomey’s presentation as being correct. Under those established facts, the Supreme Court held that the mere fact that Staula did not actually read and physically sign the longhand notes would not keep the document from being considered an “adopted * * * written statement” producible within the meaning of Section 3500(e) (1) of Title 18, United States Code.

Campbell II emphasized that when a question arose under Section 3500(e) (1) as to whether an unsigned statement should be considered as having been “othérwise adopted or approved” by the witness, such a question necessarily involved questions of fact that must be determined by the trial court. Campbell I, 365 U.S. 85, 81 S.Ct.

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Bluebook (online)
219 F. Supp. 53, 1963 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 7430, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-larocca-mowd-1963.