Opinion ID: 1784514
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Ex parte Carrell and Ex parte Clopton

Text: We likewise reject Walker's argument that Ex parte Carrell and Ex parte Clopton require us to presume prejudice in her case, and we find Walker's case distinguishable from those cases. In Carrell, there was a 33-month delay between the reindictment of the accused and his plea of guilty, and this Court presumed prejudice under the fourth Barker factor. 565 So.2d at 107-09. In doing so, however, the Carrell Court emphasized five circumstances not present in Walker's case: (1) the first indictment against the accused was nolprossed, which this Court concluded gave Carrell the right to assume, under the circumstances, that he would not be charged again, 565 So.2d at 109; (2) there was clear evidence in the record rebutting the State's claim that the reason for the delay was its inability to locate Carrell, 565 So.2d at 108; (3) Carrell testified that before his second arrest  which occurred almost two years after Carrell's second indictment  he did not know he had been reindicted, 565 So.2d at 108; (4) Carrell asserted loss of memory as a result of the State's delay, 565 So.2d at 108; and (5) because the charge against Carrell  sexual misconduct involving children  was heavily dependent on victim testimony, there was a greater likelihood that the delay prejudiced Carrell, 565 So.2d at 109. In the context of these circumstances the Carrell Court concluded: Although ordinarily a mere assertion of a loss of memory is not enough of a showing of prejudice to support a finding that a defendant has been denied due process, where the delay is excessive and is the result of unexcused inaction by the State, the delay is prima facie prejudicial. 565 So.2d at 108-09 (citing Murray v. Wainwright, 450 F.2d 465 (5th Cir.1971); United States ex rel. Solomon v. Mancusi, 412 F.2d 88 (2d Cir.1969)). Thus, Carrell presumed prejudice under the fourth Barker factor not simply because of an automatic rule that any weighting of the first three factors in the accused's favor requires a presumption of prejudice but because of the excessive delay (33 months) in light of the particular circumstances stated above. [14] Likewise, Clopton involved a finding of presumed prejudice under the fourth Barker factor based on excessive delay and circumstances not present in Walker's case. In Clopton, the accused was indicted on November 4, 1988, for unlawful distribution of a controlled substance. The charge arose out of a controlled drug buy orchestrated by the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office near the Flora-Bama Lounge. It was undisputed that Clopton did not know of the indictment and that he did not evade arrest. Clopton was not arrested until October 1991, when he returned from a vacation outside the United States and customs officials discovered that he had outstanding warrants. Clopton, 656 So.2d at 1244-45, 1247. Regarding the reason for the 35-month delay from Clopton's indictment until his arrest, this Court noted that the State made no efforts whatever to locate Clopton after the indictment, and that in the time between the 1988 indictment and Clopton's arrest in 1991, Clopton encountered law-enforcement officers on at least four occasions but was not arrested. 656 So.2d at 1246. Evidence established that Baldwin County officers knew that Clopton frequented the Flora-Bama Lounge and that Clopton knew two Baldwin County officers well enough that he would speak to them when they came through the lounge. 656 So.2d at 1246. The State neither refuted nor objected to Clopton's testimony that Baldwin County law enforcement officials `could've asked anybody there [at the Flora-Bama Lounge] where to look,' and, by so asking, could have located him `without any problem.' 656 So.2d at 1246. Additionally, Clopton had been stopped twice by law-enforcement officials  once in 1989 or 1990 by Orange Beach police and once in 1991 by the Florida Highway Patrol  but on neither occasion did the officials find warrants when they ran Clopton's information. Finally, in 1990 the Baldwin County Sheriff's Department had investigated an automobile accident in which Clopton was involved but had not arrested him. Thus, this Court rejected the State's argument [t]hat Clopton could not have been found through good faith efforts by the State because evidence showed that [Clopton] was effectively `found' on several occasions. 656 So.2d at 1246. Walker argues that her case is analogous to Clopton because, she contends, using good-faith efforts the State could have located her easily during the time between her indictment and her arrest. But again Walker has presented little evidence to support her argument that her location did not change during the relevant time period. The only fact in her favor on this point is a brief phrase in the trial court's order denying Walker's motion to reconsider indicating that there is. . . no evidence that [Walker] changed addresses or otherwise avoided service. [15] This evidence is not weighted as heavily against the State as were Clopton's numerous encounters with law-enforcement officers following his indictment and before his arrest. Thus, Walker's situation is distinguishable from the accused's in Clopton and the well-developed factual record in that case. There is yet another basis upon which Walker's case is distinguishable from Clopton: Clopton alleged, as did the accused in Carrell, that the delay caused him to suffer memory loss regarding the circumstances surrounding the alleged offense. Specifically, during the trial court's hearing on his speedy-trial claim, Clopton asserted: [D]uring the delay he had had a memory loss that prejudiced his ability to defend himself at a trial of this case. He indicated that because of the delay he had no recollection as to events that might be relevant at trial or as to the identity of any potential defense witnesses as to relevant events [surrounding the alleged drug buy] in 1988. 656 So.2d at 1245. The State argued in Clopton, as it had in Carrell, that memory loss alone is inadequate to show prejudice under the fourth Barker factor. 656 So.2d at 1247; Carrell, 565 So.2d at 108. Under the general rule regarding allegations of memory loss, the State's argument was correct. See, e.g., Carrell, 565 So.2d at 108. But as it did in Carrell, this Court in Clopton found that under the circumstances  which included, among other things, allegations of memory loss  the excessive delay caused in each case by prosecutorial negligence was sufficient to justify presumed prejudice under the fourth Barker factor. Clopton, 656 So.2d at 1247; Carrell, 565 So.2d at 108-09. Neither Turner, Clopton, nor Carrell held  and we do not hold today  that any weighting of the first three factors in an accused's favor automatically establishes presumed prejudice under the fourth Barker factor. In addition, Walker's case is distinguishable from Turner, Clopton, and Carrell; therefore, those decisions do not require us to presume prejudice in Walker's case. Walker has relied solely on the length of the delay to argue that she is relieved of the burden of demonstrating how she was prejudiced by the delay. But we have concluded that the length of the delay, standing alone, does not justify a finding of presumed prejudice in this case. Further, even when the length of delay is considered with the State's negligence and Walker's assertion of her right to a speedy trial, the first three Barker factors do not weigh heavily enough in Walker's favor to establish presumed prejudice. Accordingly, we find no prejudice to Walker as a result of the delay, and this weighs heavily against Walker's speedy-trial claim. See, e.g., Mackenzie v. Portuondo, 208 F.Supp.2d 302, 315 (E.D.N.Y.2002) (Petitioner has not shown that any delay caused him prejudice, the factor that `frequently weighs heaviest in considering a speedy trial challenge' (quoting Morales v. Keane (No. CV-94-2379, April 13, 1995) (E.D.N.Y. 1995) (unpublished))).