Opinion ID: 1956816
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Length and Reasons for the Delay

Text: The time period in the instant case was 17 months. While we have stated that a delay of a year or more between arrest and trial is sufficient to give prima facie merit to a claimed denial of the speedy trial right, see Branch v. United States, D.C. App., 372 A.2d 998, 1000 (1977), the delay still must be evaluated in light of the other factors enunciated in Barker. Barker v. Wingo, supra, 407 U.S. at 533, 92 S.Ct. 2182; see, e. g., Rink v. United States, D.C.App., 388 A.2d 52, 58 n. 11 (1978); Bowman v. United States, D.C.App., 385 A.2d 28, 30 (1978); Strickland v. United States, D.C. App., 389 A.2d 1325, 1333-1334 (1978) (HARRIS, J., separate opinion). We note first that the delay from July 16 to August 13, 1975, resulted from a continuance sought by the government which was unopposed by appellant. Appellant's acquiescence in this delay results in minimal weight being accorded to that period. Reed v. United States, D.C.App., 383 A.2d 316, 319 (1978). The remaining 16 months resulted from the following factors: administrative delay, the taking of an interlocutory appeal by the government, and the development of expert ballistics testimony. While this entire 16-month period is chargeable to the government, it primarily constitutes neutral rather than deliberate delay and is to be weighed less heavily against the government. See Rink v. United States, supra, at 58; United States v. Perkins, D.C.App., 374 A.2d 882, 884 (1977). We do note that the five months which elapsed between the dismissal of the government's appeal and appellant's reindictment appears to have been somewhat excessive, but we are not persuaded that it constituted an unreasonable delay. The government contends that much of this time was spent in obtaining and developing ballistics testimony. Since the ballistics evidence, together with the hearsay testimony which is discussed below, constituted the crux of the government's case, we cannot say that the government devoted an unreasonable amount of time to the accumulation of this evidence. Thus, we next examine two other factors: appellant's assertion of his right and any prejudice which he may have suffered as a result of the delay.