Opinion ID: 1099739
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Severance Hearing

Text: ś 25. The severance hearing bears on the analysis for the first three issues on appeal. At a pretrial motions hearing, the record reflects the following arguments concerning the motion for severance: The Court: Okay. Well, let's do the motion for severance. I understand there's no objection by the State on Watson and Newton. So, the only one we need to take up is whether or not your three clients' [Doc, Charles and Crimm] trial should be separate. Okay The Defense: The Court care to hear from meâ The Court: Yes. The Defense:â with regard to the severance issue, Your Honor, of the co-defendants? The Court: Correct The Defense: The fact that they have a common attorney should not preclude them of their actual right to a fair and impartial trial. For the same reasons that this Court would consider granting a severance for two defendants, it should grant a severance for all defendants individually. It may be that if they're going to be treated differentlyâ and I don't submit the Court would do that, but I'll, just for the sake of argument, say that it might behoove them to get additional counsel, butâ so they can get the same treatment as somebody that does have one lawyer. The fact that I have the fortune or misfortune to be representing all three of them should be of no moment to the Court with regard to their individual rights to severances for trials on their own merits. Each case as the Court I'm sureâ as statement in this case is given, the involvement to some degree is greater than some than there is others. And I think because of thisâ and now I'm spilling over into some of my motion, Your Honor, but they're each entitled to trials in their own right. If the Court would give one that right, it should entertain giving all five of them the exact right. The Court: Okay. State. The State: Well, generally, when there's a severance, the reason for the severance is that there are conflicting defenses or conflicting statements between parties. A severance is not required where there's a unity among defendants as to their defense, and there's been no statements where one conflicts with the other. I'll say this: If that's the case, I mean, if it's based upon conflicting statements and they're entitled to a severance, then I think they're required to have different attorneys. I mean, because if [the Defense] can represent all three of them, then he's representing folk with different interests and different claims and he can't legitimately do that before this Court. I mean, if the claims are so different that they had to have separate trials in order to secure a fair trial, then they need separate attorneys to handle those claims. And he, by being here, is representing to the Court that he can represent all three of these folk. If he can represent all three of them, in the interest of judicial economy and time, then we need to go forward with that trial combined. The Court: Why is there is no objection between the severance on Watson and Newton from the other three? The State: Because Newton has clearly made a statement that inculpates himself and the other defendants, and the other defendants have a right not to be tried and bound by that statement. Watson has made a statement that inculpates himself and the other defendants, and the other four defendants have right to be tried and not bound by that statement. All right. They can assertâ the other defendants could assert claim separate and apart from what Watson and Newton have said in their confession. As to the Castons and Crimm, if that's the case, that's fine. If he's claiming that we have separate defenses and what he says incriminates me, that's fine. But it's a conflict, I think, for an attorneyâ you grantâ you grant relief from representation in those cases all the time where an attorney says I've got one client putting it on the other. That's the basis for severance. That's why cases are severed. That's why Watson is severed and that's why Newton is severed. And if that's the case, [the Defense] shouldn't be representing all three of them, I mean. Now, if he wants to get up and say they got those type conflicts and if he wants to go forward and represent all of them in separate trials, then I think there's a conflict of interest problem there. The court subsequently denied the motion for severance.