Opinion ID: 421183
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: 2 The Federal Grand Jury of the Northern District of Ohio returned a four count indictment in February, 1980, charging six different people in connection with four robberies committed in Cleveland between September 25, 1979 and January 22, 1980. Appellant Williams was originally charged in Counts I and II, and his co-defendant, Henry Towns, was charged in Counts II through IV. One of the other indictees, James Brooks, pled guilty to two of the four counts and received concurrent sentences in return for his agreement to testify at trial. 3 In March, 1980, Williams filed a motion to suppress, and on July 1, 1980 filed a motion under Fed.R.Crim.P. 14 requesting severance and a separate trial. Both motions were denied. However, immediately prior to the commencement of the joint trial of Williams and co-defendant Towns on July 8, 1980, the government dismissed Count I of the indictment against Williams based on evidence that he had been in the custody of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office on the date of the first robbery. The trial proceeded on Counts II through IV of the indictment, with Williams charged only in Count II and co-defendant Towns charged in all three counts. 4 During the course of the trial, the government called Kirk Gardner as a witness. When Gardner began to testify in a manner different than his grand jury testimony, counsel for the government sought to have him declared a hostile witness and to introduce his grand jury testimony into evidence against Towns. The transcript was edited to eliminate any reference to Williams, but during the reading of the transcript the name Marvin was mentioned. Later in the transcript, when asked Marvin's last name, Gardner responded Marvin Brooks. 5 At the close of the trial, counsel for Williams renewed his motion for severance which was again denied. Both defendants were convicted. Williams was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Count II. Towns received sentences of 15, 16 and 18 years, to run consecutively, on Counts II through IV respectively.