United States v. Terry

61 M.J. 721, 2005 CCA LEXIS 270, 2005 WL 2098270
CourtNavy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedAugust 30, 2005
DocketNMCCA 9701393
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 61 M.J. 721 (United States v. Terry) 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. Terry, 61 M.J. 721, 2005 CCA LEXIS 270, 2005 WL 2098270 (N.M. 2005).

Opinion

HARRIS, Judge:

The appellant was convicted, contrary to his pleas, by a general court-martial in 1997 of conspiracy to commit rape and indecent assault, conspiracy to obstruct justice, making a false official statement, rape, and indecent assault, in violation of Articles 81, 107, 120, and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. §§ 881, 907, 920, and 934. He was sentenced to confinement for 9 years, total forfeiture of pay and allowances, reduction to pay grade E-l, and a dishonorable discharge. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged.

On appeal before this court, the appellant raised eleven assignments of error.1 This [723]*723court agreed with the appellant’s second assignment of error, holding that he was denied his Constitutional Sixth Amendment right to a public trial. We set aside the findings and sentence without prejudice, and found the remaining ten assignments of error moot. United States v. Terry, 52 M.J. 574, 578 (N.M.Ct.Crim.App.1999).

In December 1999, a general court-martial composed of both officer and enlisted members convicted the appellant, contrary to his pleas, of conspiracy to commit rape and indecent assault, conspiracy to obstruct justice, making a false official statement, rape, and indecent assault, in violation of Articles 81, 107, 120, and 134, UCMJ. The members sentenced the appellant to confinement for 16 years, reduction to pay grade E-l, total forfeiture of pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge. The convening authority approved confinement for 9 years2 and the remaining sentence as adjudged and, except for the dishonorable discharge, ordered the punishment executed. See United States v. Mitchell, 58 M.J. 446, 447 (C.A.A.F.2003)(citing Rule for Courts-Martial 810(d), Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (1998 ed.)3).

Having carefully considered the record of trial and the pleadings, which include nine new assignments of error,4 and the Govern[724]*724ment’s answer, we conclude that the findings and the sentence are correct in law and fact and that no error materially prejudicial to the substantial rights of the appellant was committed. Arts. 59(a) and 66(c), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 859(a) and 866(c). Accordingly, we affirm the findings and the sentence, as approved by the convening authority.

Background

The offenses of which the appellant was found guilty arose out of a single incident involving three other Marines. While assigned to temporary duty at Keflavik, Iceland, the Marines assaulted and raped Seaman Apprentice (SA) “P,” United States Navy. At separate general courts-martial, the other Marines pled guilty to charges arising out of the incident pursuant to pretrial agreements with the convening authority. During the appellant’s contested court-martial, the trial counsel offered evidence that each co-conspirator was testifying pursuant to a pretrial agreement. The trial counsel also elicited from each of the other Marines the fact that they each had pled guilty to charges similar to those the appellant was facing. Each of the other Marines testified that they pled guilty to conspiracy to commit rape and that they had specifically conspired with the appellant.

Double Jeopardy

Prior to arraignment in the appellant’s second trial, his civilian trial defense counsel raised the issue of double jeopardy with the military judge. Record at 10-11. The military judge indicated that he believed the trial court was not the proper forum to litigate the issue. Declining to rule on the issue, the military judge stated that the proper procedure to litigate the issue was through an extraordinary writ to the appellate courts. The civilian trial defense counsel concurred with the military judge’s position on the issue, but never sought an extraordinary writ on the appellant’s behalf. Id. at 11.

In his first AOE, the appellant asserts that he was retried in violation of the double jeopardy clause of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.5 He points out that prior to authorizing a rehearing on findings and sentence in its first review of this case, this court failed to decide whether evidence presented by the Government at the appellant’s first court-martial was factually and legally sufficient to establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt to the offenses of rape, indecent assault, and conspiracy to commit rape and indecent assault. The appellant avers that “while the decision to remand due to a constitutional error was appropriate, th[is] [ejourt’s failure to consider and rule [725]*725upon those remaining issues dealing with the sufficiency of the [Government's evidence constituted error.” Appellant’s Brief of 29 May 2002 at 5-6. The appellant also notes Article 66(d), UCMJ, which states that “[i]f the [military] Court of Criminal Appeals sets aside the findings and sentence, it may, except where the setting aside is based on lack of sufficient evidence in the record to support the findings, order a rehearing.” The appellant asks that this court set aside the findings of guilty as to Specification 1 of Charge I, Charge III, and Specification 1 of Charge IV, and return his case to an appropriate convening authority for a rehearing on sentence. We disagree.

Under the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, “[n]o person shall be ... subject, for the same offence, to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb[.]” See also Art. 44(a), UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 844(a) (stating “[n]o person may, without his [or her] consent, be tried a second time for the same offense.”). Both “[t]he Double Jeopardy Clause [of the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution] and the [UCMJ] are designed to protect the accused against repeated attempts to try an individual for the same offense, including subjecting the accused to the embarrassment, expense, and ordeal of a second trial.” United States v. Harris, 51 M.J 191, 196 (C.A.A.F.1999). In cases where a conviction is reversed due to a finding of insufficient evidence at trial, retrial is prohibited. Burks v. United States, 437 U.S. 1, 11, 98 S.Ct. 2141, 57 L.Ed.2d 1 (1978)(reversing due to the appellate court’s finding of insufficient evidence to sustain a guilty verdict as the equivalent of an acquittal prohibiting retrial).

The appellant is correct in his assertion that on his original appeal this court should not have found moot original AOEs I, IV, V, and VII to the extent that they alleged the evidence was insufficient. See United States v. Quintanilla, 60 M.J. 852, 855 (N.M.Ct.Crim.App.2005); see also United States v. Bibbero, 749 F.2d 581

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Bluebook (online)
61 M.J. 721, 2005 CCA LEXIS 270, 2005 WL 2098270, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-terry-nmcca-2005.