United States v. Quantis Hawkins

166 F.3d 349, 1998 U.S. App. LEXIS 36998
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedDecember 11, 1998
Docket97-2168
StatusPublished

This text of 166 F.3d 349 (United States v. Quantis Hawkins) 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. Quantis Hawkins, 166 F.3d 349, 1998 U.S. App. LEXIS 36998 (10th Cir. 1998).

Opinion

166 F.3d 349

98 CJ C.A.R. 6291

NOTICE: Although citation of unpublished opinions remains unfavored, unpublished opinions may now be cited if the opinion has persuasive value on a material issue, and a copy is attached to the citing document or, if cited in oral argument, copies are furnished to the Court and all parties. See General Order of November 29, 1993, suspending 10th Cir. Rule 36.3 until December 31, 1995, or further order.

UNITED STATES of America, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Quantis HAWKINS, Defendant-Appellant.

Nos. 96-2176, 97-2168.*

United States Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit.

Dec. 11, 1998.

Before BRORBY, HOLLOWAY and EBEL, Circuit Judges,

ORDER AND JUDGMENT**

HOLLOWAY.

Defendant Quantis Hawkins was convicted by a jury on one count of bank robbery. Defendant filed a motion for a new trial which was denied by the district court. Defendant was then sentenced to a term of imprisonment of 51 months. Defendant appeals his conviction and the denial of his motion for a new trial. We exercise jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1291 and affirm.

* On March 25, 1996, a lone robber, described as an African-American male in his early twenties, wearing wrap-around sunglasses and a baseball cap, and carrying a gym bag, robbed the Norwest Bank San Mateo Branch on Zuni Street in Albuquerque, New Mexico. II R. at 35. The robbery occurred at about 10:10 a.m. Id. at 110.1 The robbery lasted less than five minutes. Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the City of Albuquerque Police Department responded to the bank robbery.

Lori Figura was designated as the FBI agent. Ms. Figura received information that made defendant a suspect. She obtained a photograph of defendant, placed it in a photograph array, and showed the array to one customer and two bank tellers who had been inside the bank at the time of the robbery. Id. at 184-85. Both bank tellers identified defendant as the robber. Id. at 185. The customer did not identify any of the individuals depicted in the photo array as the robber. Id. at 45. Defendant was arrested the next day.

The trial commenced on July 30, 1996. The prosecution called eight witnesses: seven who were present at the bank at the time of the robbery and FBI Agent Figura. All seven eyewitnesses were within about three to fifteen feet of the robber during the robbery. Nearly all of the witnesses estimated the bank robber's height to be approximately between five feet seven inches and six feet. Id. at 40; 60; 76; 114. Defendant is six feet four inches tall. No witness described facial hair on the robber and several affirmatively remembered that the robber was clean shaven. Id. at 61; 87; 101; 114. At the time of the robbery, defendant had a mustache and sideburns.

Despite the inconsistencies in their description of the robber, three of the seven witnesses identified defendant as the robber. Id. at 44 (Robert Chavez); id. at 98-99 (Raphael Martin); id. at 141-42 (Holly Revelles). Only two of the three witnesses identifying defendant at trial had been presented with a pretrial identification photograph array. One teller, Holly Roybal, testified that though she could not identify defendant as the bank robber, she was "almost positive" that the tattoo on defendant's neck was the same as the tattoo on the robber. Id. at 168-69. The other three witnesses could not identify defendant as the robber. Id. at 63 (Levi Scott); id. at 77 (Donna Burkholder); id. at 116 (Susan Moore). However, when questioned by the prosecutor, each testified that defendant had physical characteristics similar to those of the robber. Id. at 64 (Levi Scott); id. at 78 (Donna Burkholder); id. at 116 (Susan Moore). Of these three, Susan Moore had previously identified defendant as the robber in a photo spread conducted one week before trial. Id. at 117-18. Defendant's counsel cross-examined each witness on the issue of defendant's identity. Id. at 51, 66, 81, 101, 121, 156, 176-77.

The defendant did not testify at trial. He did present an alibi defense by the testimony of two witnesses, Hawkins's mother and stepfather. Both testified that Hawkins was at home at the time of the robbery. His mother testified that he talked with her at approximately 10:00 a.m. that day and that he was still at home, just getting out of bed, when his parents arrived about 10:20 a.m. II R. at 243-45, 259-260.

After the verdict of guilty and entry of judgment of conviction and sentence, this appeal followed.

II

Defendant raises two issues on appeal. First, he directly appeals the district court's denial of his motion for a new trial. The basis for his request for a new trial is a claim of ineffective counsel. Second, defendant contends the district court erred in permitting the in-court identifications in violation of his due process rights.

* Defendant's Claim of Ineffective Counsel

Defendant appeals the district court's denial of his motion for a new trial based on a claim of ineffective counsel. However, such claims should be presented in collateral proceedings, not on direct appeal. United States v. Galloway, 56 F.3d 1239, 1240 (10th Cir.1995) (en banc ); United States v. Jackson, 88 F.3d 845, 846 (10th Cir.1996).2 Ineffectiveness of counsel claims that are asserted on direct appeal are presumptively dismissible, and "virtually all will be dismissed." Galloway, 56 F.3d at 1240.

In Galloway, we reasoned that the resolution of a claim of ineffective counsel requires a developed factual record. Id. The district court is the forum appropriate for such development. Id. The facts here are not so extraordinary that we find need to depart from our adherence to the Galloway rule. See Jackson, 88 F.3d at 847. The record here has not been adequately developed by the district court prior to appeal for us to determine the merits of the claim of ineffective counsel. Compare United States v. Gallegos, 108 F.3d 1272, 1280 (10th Cir.1997)(defendant asserted conflict of interest argument at trial and in post-trial motion, which the district court, upon weighing the merits of the claim, denied in its post-trial order).

We dismiss defendant's claim of ineffectiveness of counsel without prejudice.

B

Defendant's Claim That In-Court Identifications Were the

Product of Questioning So Impermissibly Suggestive

As to Violate Due Process.

Defendant does not raise sufficiency of the evidence as an issue in this case. Instead, defendant contends that all of the in-court identifications were the product of questioning so impermissibly suggestive as to violate due process.

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166 F.3d 349, 1998 U.S. App. LEXIS 36998, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-quantis-hawkins-ca10-1998.