Opinion ID: 1403222
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Violation of Sixth Amendment Right to Speedy Trial

Text: The Appellant also asserts that his Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial was violated by the delay between his indictment on September 27, 2005, and his trial on July 8, 2008. Our inquiry into alleged speedy trial violations is guided by syllabus point two of State v. Carrico, 189 W.Va. 40, 427 S.E.2d 474 (1993), explaining that once the indictment has been returned, `[i]t is the three-term rule, W.Va.Code, 62-3-21 [1959], which constitutes the legislative pronouncement of our speedy trial standard under Article III, Section 14 of the West Virginia Constitution.' Syl. Pt. 1, Good v. Handlan, 176 W.Va. 145, 342 S.E.2d 111 (1986). West Virginia Code § 62-3-21 (1959) (Repl. Vol. 2005) essentially provides that an individual indicted for a crime must be tried within three terms of the indictment. [5] This Court recently addressed allegations of a violation of Sixth Amendment rights in State v. Jessie, 225 W.Va. 21, 689 S.E.2d 21 (2009). In Jessie, this Court reiterated that the methodology for assessing such allegations was clearly established by this Court in State v. Foddrell, 171 W.Va. 54, 297 S.E.2d 829 (1982), utilizing the guidance of the United States Supreme Court in Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972). [6] See also State v. Cox, 162 W.Va. 915, 253 S.E.2d 517 (1979) (identifying the Barker factors). In syllabus point two of Foddrell, this Court explained the applicable standard as follows: A determination of whether a defendant has been denied a trial without unreasonable delay requires consideration of four factors: (1) the length of the delay; (2) the reasons for the delay; (3) the defendant's assertion of his rights; and (4) prejudice to the defendant. The balancing of the conduct of the defendant against the conduct of the State should be made on a case-by-case basis and no one factor is either necessary or sufficient to support a finding that the defendant has been denied a speedy trial. In Foddrell, this Court utilized the standard enunciated above and concluded that a delay of almost six years between the indictment and the trial was not caused by neglect on the part of the investigating officers. The defendant in Foddrell had not demonstrated that he was prejudiced by the delay, and this Court reasoned that [t]here was no showing that the deceased witness [having died during the period of delay] would have testified or what exactly her testimony would have been had she testified. Even if we assume that her testimony would have supported the appellant's assertions at trial, there was no showing that such testimony was critical to the appellant's defense at trial. 171 W.Va. at 58, 297 S.E.2d at 833. In the case sub judice, the trial court denied the Appellant's motion to dismiss the indictment on Sixth Amendment grounds and presented an extremely thorough evaluation of the factors identified in Foddrell and Barker. The trial court also addressed the Appellant's assertion that delays by the State forced him to request continuances beyond the statutorily-required three terms. [7] The trial court observed that many motions by the Appellant were precipitated by late production of discoverable material such as delayed production of forensic testing results by the State Crime Lab and the failure of the State Police to deliver the crime report and photographs in a timely manner. However, the trial court found that the reasons for delay were not exclusively attributable to the State and that some delays were to the Appellant's benefit in the form of further forensic investigations, obtaining favorable expert testimony, and further development of exculpatory information. The trial court did not find any indication of a deliberate or intentional delay by the State. The record does not reveal any instance of wilful or calculated postponement by the State for the purpose of tactical advantage or otherwise. Nor does the record reveal any intentional retention of materials requested by the Appellant. The trial court also properly emphasized the fourth prong of the Foddrell analysis in evaluating this matter. Specifically, prejudice to the Appellant, other than the months of waiting for trial, was found to be virtually non-existent. This Court has reviewed the circumstances surrounding the multiple instances of delay, as revealed in the record and summarized above in the factual recitation. We find no error by the trial court in refusing to dismiss the indictment based upon the periods of delay. The reasons for each of the delays were addressed by the trial court, and the remedy for such delays was appropriately determined to be the granting of a continuance in each instance. Based upon our review, we find that neither a violation of West Virginia Code § 62-3-21 nor a violation of the speedy trial constitutional protection has occurred in this case.