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Mark v. Evans, 10th Cir. (1997)
Mark v. Evans, 10th Cir. (1997)
OCT 29 1997
PATRICK FISHER
Clerk
No. 96-6419
(D.C. No. 94-CV-1170-C)
(W.D. Okla)
Respondent-Appellee.
Before PORFILIO and LUCERO, Circuit Judges, and MARTEN, ** District Judge.
After examining the brief of petitioner and the appellate record, this panel
has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially assist the
This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the
doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. The court
generally disfavors the citation of orders and judgments; nevertheless, an order
and judgment may be cited under the terms and conditions of 10th Cir. R. 36.3.
**
determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The
case is therefore ordered submitted without oral argument.
Petitioner, appearing pro se, seeks review of the district courts order
dismissing his petition for habeas relief under 28 U.S.C. 2254. He raises four
issues: (1) whether his convictions violated the Double Jeopardy Clause; (2)
whether the admission of a statement given by a nontestifying codefendant
violated the Confrontation Clause and infringed upon his right to a fair trial; (3)
whether he was denied due process when the jury observed him in the courtroom
wearing handcuffs at the close of the trials sentencing phase; and (4) whether
admission into evidence of two prior felony convictions violated Oklahoma state
law and infringed upon his right to a fair trial.
Before petitioner can proceed on appeal, he must secure a certificate of
probable cause from this court, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 2253. 1 A habeas
petitioner is entitled to a certificate of probable cause only if he makes a
Because petitioner filed his habeas petition in 1995, before enactment of
the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA), Pub. L. No.
104-132, 110 Stat.1214, AEDPAs certificate of appealability requirements do not
apply to this appeal. See United States v. Kunzman, ___ F.3d ___, No. 96-1310,
1997 WL 602507, at *1 n.2 (10th Cir. Oct. 1, 1997). Instead, the pre-AEDPA
certificate of probable cause requirements apply here. Regardless of the label we
attach to the requirements, petitioners substantive burden is the same. See
Lennox v. Evans, 87 F.3d 431, 434 (10th Cir. 1996), cert. denied, 117 S. Ct. 746
(1997), overruled in part by Kunzman, 1997 WL 602507. Therefore, we will
construe his application for a certificate of appealability as an application for a
certificate of probable cause.
1
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The jury observed petitioner in handcuffs only after it had agreed upon and
submitted the sentencing verdict forms to the court. Because there were
extraneous markings on the forms, the court ordered the jury to retire again. The
(continued...)
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FACTUAL BACKGROUND
Petitioner was convicted and sentenced for his participation in crimes
committed in the home of Mary Helen and Victor J. Turner in Stratford,
Oklahoma. Petitioner and codefendant Don Ray Wallace broke into the Turners
house and began searching for a safe and objects of value. When Mrs. Turner
arrived home from the grocery store, they tied her hands and feet, one held a knife
to her throat, and both threatened her with drowning unless she told them the
location of the safe, in which they believed the Turners kept money, gold, and
silver. Petitioner pointed a gun at Mrs. Turner and demanded diamonds, so she
gave him the rings she was wearing. The men then continued rummaging through
the house.
(...continued)
jury returned to the courtroom with the same verdicts, absent the markings. The
jurys verdict was not affected by the sight of petitioner in handcuffs and, as a
consequence, any resulting error was harmless.
2
Approximately two hours later, Mr. Turner returned home. Upon his
arrival, petitioner grabbed him, fired a shot toward him, hit and kicked him, took
his wallet, and told him that he would kill him unless he opened the safe.
Petitioner fled when Mr. Turners son and another individual arrived. He was
apprehended the next morning.
After a jury trial, petitioner was convicted on eight separate counts:
conspiracy, second-degree burglary, kidnaping, robbery with a firearm (two
counts), assault with a dangerous weapon, shooting with intent to kill, and larceny
from a house. He received consecutive sentences on each count. On direct
appeal, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the convictions for
assault with a dangerous weapon and larceny from a house on double jeopardy
grounds, but affirmed the remaining convictions and sentences.
Petitioner then sought habeas relief. The matter was referred to a
magistrate judge, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. 636(b)(1)(B), who recommended that
the petition be denied. Upon consideration of the magistrate judges thorough
report and recommendation and the petitioners objections, the district court
denied the petition.
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DISCUSSION
In reviewing the denial of petitioners federal habeas corpus petition, we
accept the district courts findings of fact unless clearly erroneous, and we review
the courts conclusions of law de novo. See Matthews v. Price, 83 F.3d 328, 331
(10th Cir. 1996). We turn first to petitioners claim that his convictions violated
the Double Jeopardy Clause.
The Double Jeopardy Clause protects against imposing multiple
punishments for the same offense. See North Carolina v. Pearce, 395 U.S. 711,
717 (1969), overruled on different grounds by Alabama v. Smith, 490 U.S. 794
(1989). [W]here the same act or transaction constitutes a violation of two
statutory provisions, the test to be applied to determine whether there are two
offenses or only one is whether each provision requires proof of an additional fact
which the other does not. Blockburger v. United States, 284 U.S. 299, 304
(1932). With respect to cumulative sentences imposed in a single trial, the
Double Jeopardy Clause does no more than prevent the sentencing court from
prescribing greater punishment than the legislature intended. Missouri v.
Hunter, 459 U.S. 359, 366 (1983). We defer to the state courts interpretation of
the relevant state statutes. See Brecheisen v. Mondragon, 833 F.2d 238, 240
(10th Cir. 1987).
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been excluded. Id. at 432. See also Brecht v. Abrahamson, 507 U.S. 619, 623
(1993) (holding that a habeas petitioner challenging a trial error is entitled to
relief only if the error had a substantial and injurious effect or influence in
determining the jurys verdict) (quotation omitted).
We have reviewed the entire record and are satisfied that Wallaces
inculpatory statement did not contribute significantly to the jury verdict.
Evidence properly admitted at trial, including petitioners own voluntary
statement, provided overwhelming evidence of guilt. We agree with the
magistrate judge that the admission of Wallaces statement did not violate
petitioners right to a fair trial.
Accordingly, the judgment of the United States District Court for the
Western District of Oklahoma is AFFIRMED. The mandate shall issue forthwith.
J. Thomas Marten
District Judge
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