Case Name: STATE of Louisiana v. Randolph WARREN a/k/a Randolph Mason
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 1981-06-22
Citations: 402 So. 2d 662
Docket Number: No. 80-K-2375
Parties: STATE of Louisiana v. Randolph WARREN a/k/a Randolph Mason.
Judges: MARCUS and BLANCHE, JJ., concur and assign reasons.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 402
Pages: 662–669

Head Matter:
STATE of Louisiana v. Randolph WARREN a/k/a Randolph Mason.
No. 80-K-2375.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
June 22, 1981.
Rehearing Denied Sept. 4, 1981.
William J. Guste, Jr., Atty. Gen., Barbara Rutledge, Asst. Atty. Gen., John F. Rowley, Dist. Atty., Glenn E. Diaz, Abbott J. Reeves, Asst. Dist. Attys., for plaintiff-applicant.
Ovide M. Tregle, Jr., Metairie, Walter Drake, Chalmette, for defendant-respondent.
Consolidated for argument with State v. Cusher, 400 So.2d 601 (La., 1981).

Opinion:
WATSON, Justice.
In this habeas corpus application, the issue is whether defendant, Randolph Warren, is entitled to have his guilty pleas set aside because the trial fudge did not advise him more than six years ago of the right to confront his accusers and the privilege against compulsory self-incrimination.
Randolph Warren had three indictments against him: one for armed robbery and two for aggravated rape. He pled guilty to the armed robbery charge and guilty without capital punishment to the two charges of aggravated rape. On November 13, 1974, Warren received two concurrent sentences of life imprisonment for the rapes and ten consecutive years for the armed robbery.
Currently, in every Louisiana felony case, the trial judge is required to articulate the three rights prescribed by Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274 (1969). State ex rel. Jackson v. Henderson, 260 La. 90, 255 So.2d 85 (1971); State ex rel. LeBlanc v. Henderson, 261 La. 315, 259 So.2d 557 (1972).
The question is whether, many years later, defendant should be permitted to withdraw his pleas "... and be given another choice between admitting . guilt and putting the State to its proof." McMann v. Richardson, 397 U.S. 759 at 773, 90 S.Ct. 1441 at 1450, 25 L.Ed.2d 763 at 775 (1970).
If the pleas are set aside and a new trial required, it is probable that the state's case, no matter how strong six years ago, would be impossible of proof. Victims of rape would be unable or unwilling to go through a prosecution after the lapse of six years. Because of the length of time between the pleas and the habeas corpus application, the state is entitled to prove that the pleas by defendant were intelligently and voluntarily made, the fundamental Boykin requirement. McChesney v. Henderson, 482 F.2d 1101 (5 Cir. 1973); Brown v. Jernigan, 622 F.2d 914 (5 Cir. 1980); Wright v. United States, 624 F.2d 557 (5 Cir. 1980); and Pollinzi v. Estelle, 628 F.2d 417 (5 Cir. 1980).
The court reporter lost all notes pertaining to Warren's guilty plea hearing. No record of the guilty plea colloquy with the trial judge is available. Because of this defect in the record, the trial court granted Warren's application for a writ of habeas corpus and vacated his guilty pleas.
A statement in the record by the trial court filed June 4, 1974, recites the following:
"ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RIGHTS ON ENTRY OF A PLEA OF GUILTY "I am required as Judge of the 25th Judicial District Court, Parish of St. Bernard, to ascertain from you the following information. I am also going to explain the nature of the crime of which you are charged. I will also explain the consequences of your plea of Guilty.
"I will read to you the following. If you have any questions or if you do not understand, stop me and I will give you any additional instructions which you may require.
"I have requested your attorney to also advise you of your rights.
"I will read this to you and your attorney and require both of you to sign as an acknowledgement thereto.
"(1) You are charged with the crime of aggravated rape (R.S. 14:42) which occurred on the 19th day of June, 1973. The mandatory sentence which I must impose is life imprisonment upon a plea by you of Guilty Without Capital Punishment.
"(2) Has anyone done any of the following acts against either you or any member of your family in order for you to plead guilty?
"Used force, intimidation, coercion, promise or reward, and further,
"Do you understand that the plea of guilty is your decision and no one can force you to so plead?
"That to plead guilty is your voluntary act and must be free from any vice which you render your ability to plead guilty inadequate?
"(3) You have the right to a jury trial, which jury may either find you guilty as charged, not guilty or guilty of a lessor crime.
"(4) You have the right to have an attorney to defend you. If you cannot afford an attorney, I will appoint one for you, which will be free of all cost to you. "(5) If you plead guilty, you do not have the right to appeal any defects which might have occurred in your case.
"In other words, by pleading guilty you waive any defects in either,
"a) An illegal arrest
"b) An illegal search and seizure
"c) An illegal confession
"d) An illegal lineup, and
"e) The fact that the state might not be able to prove said charge.
"By pleading guilty, you are telling the court that you have committed the crime for which you are charged, that you are the person who did commit said crime, and you are ready for sentencing. You therefore have no further legal delays. "I, as judge, have read to the defendant the above and I am satisfied that the defendant has entered a voluntary plea of guilty, that the defendant was aware of the nature of the charge against him and that I am satisfied that he did in fact commit said crime. Further, that the defendant understands the consequence of said plea of guilty.
"Chalmette, Louisiana, June 4, 1974.
/s/ August A. Nobile, Jr.
Judge" (Tr. 14-15)
One of Warren's trial attorneys signed a statement at the time of his guilty pleas:
"I, as an attorney for the defendant, was present during the questioning of defendant with regard to his plea. I have also instructed the defendant of his rights and the consequence of said plea of guilty. I am satisfied that the plea is a voluntary act of the defendant."
Warren also signed a statement, as follows:
"I, as the defendant, have been instructed by the court of the nature of the charge against me and that the act of pleading guilty is a free and voluntary act on my part; that no one can force me to plead guilty; that by pleading guilty I admit that I committed the said crime and am ready for sentencing to the penitentiary. The judge has further instructed me of the consequences of said act of pleading guilty."
These statements are relevant to the question of whether Warren's pleas were free and voluntary but do not alone establish that the pleas were valid. There were extensive pretrial proceedings prior to entry of the pleas, which indicate the pleas may have been intelligently made. Warren escaped the possibility of capital punishment, but received no other sentencing benefit. The matter is remanded for an evidentiary hearing on the question of whether the 1974 guilty pleas were voluntarily and intelligently entered by defendant. The burden of proof will be on the state. Pertinent evidence will be the testimony of trial counsel and any other testimony which might reconstruct the circumstances at the time the pleas were entered. State v. Smith, 375 So.2d 1328 (La., 1979); McChesney v. Henderson, supra; Pollinzi v. Estelle, supra.
For the foregoing reasons, the trial court ruling granting Warren's application for a writ of habeas corpus and vacating his 1974 guilty pleas is reversed and the matter is remanded for an evidentiary hearing.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
MARCUS and BLANCHE, JJ., concur and assign reasons.
DENNIS, J., dissents with reasons.
CALOGERO, J., dissents for reasons assigned by DENNIS, J., in State v. Cusher, 400 So.2d 601 (La.1981).
. Warren was told of his right to trial by jury.
. Where, as in State v. Williams, 384 So.2d 779 (La., 1980), a plea is relatively recent [1979] the colloquy with the trial judge must affirmatively establish a waiver of the three constitutional Boykin rights. State v. Martin, 379 So.2d 1092 (La., 1980) applied the State ex rel Jackson v. Henderson rule to a 1974 conviction. However, the opinion is of questionable precedential value because C. J. Summers who concurred originally later filed an opinion which indicates disagreement with the result. 379 So.2d 1094.