Opinion ID: 3030011
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State’s Alleged Reliance on False Testimony

Text: Allen claims that the State’s reliance on false testimony to establish and maintain his conviction entitles him to relief. ‘[A] conviction obtained by the knowing use of perjured testimony is fundamentally unfair, and must be set aside if there is any reasonable likelihood that the false testimony could have [a]ffected the judgment of the jury.’ United States v. Young, 17 F.3d 1201, 1203 (9th Cir. 1994) (quoting United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 103 (1976)). Premised upon Kenneth Allen’s recantation after judgment and Gary Brady’s alleged perjury, this claim falls of its own weight.
[2] Kenneth Allen’s later recantation of his trial testimony does not render his earlier testimony false. See Dobbert v. Wainwright, 468 U.S. 1231, 1233 (1984) (Brennan, J., dissenting from denial of certiorari) (“Recantation testimony is ALLEN v. WOODFORD 965 properly viewed with great suspicion.”); see also Carriger v. Stewart, 132 F.3d 463, 483 (9th Cir. 1997) (en banc) (Kozinski, J., dissenting) (“Appellate courts . . . look upon recantations with extreme suspicion.”); 58 Am. Jur., New Trial § 345 (“recantation testimony is generally considered exceedingly unreliable”). Here, Kenneth’s recantation testimony is even more unreliable because his trial testimony implicating Allen is consistent with the other evidence, while his recantation is not. For example, Kenneth now denies that he discussed killing witnesses with Allen during their visit at Folsom Prison on August 15, 1980. At Allen’s trial, however, Kenneth’s estranged wife Kathy, who testified on Allen’s behalf and admitted trying to fabricate evidence to exculpate Allen, testified that she overheard Kenneth and Allen discussing “getting guns for witnesses” at that Folsom Prison meeting. Kenneth now also claims that Allen only sent Hamilton to Kenneth’s house to give Hamilton an opportunity to look for a job. Allen testified at trial, however, that Allen sent Hamilton to Fresno to help Kenneth dispose of a “hot” gun and that Hamilton was only stopping in Fresno on his way to San Diego. Kenneth’s recantation also conflicts with all the other evidence pointing to Allen’s involvement in planning the murders. For example, there are contradictions between Kenneth’s recantation and: (1) Allen’s numerous letters to Kenneth reminding him of Hamilton’s visit to Fresno; (2) the list of witnesses from Allen’s first trial found on Hamilton when he was arrested; and (3) Kenneth’s possession of a mug shot of Hamilton. No reasonable juror could find the current story credible when it is only Kenneth’s trial testimony that makes sense in light of all the other evidence. Moreover, Allen asserts no evidence, even assuming that Kenneth’s trial testimony was false, that the State “knew, or should have known” that it was false. United States v. Geston, 299 F.3d 1130, 1135 (9th Cir. 2002) (“It is a prosecutor’s duty to refrain from knowingly presenting perjured testimony . . . .”) (internal quotation marks omitted). 966 ALLEN v. WOODFORD
Although Allen points out minor inconsistencies in Brady’s testimony at pretrial proceedings, at Allen’s trial, at another trial, and at Brady’s deposition, Allen fails to establish that Brady’s testimony at Allen’s trial was untruthful. Indeed, Brady has testified consistently as to the material facts. In People v. Marshall, for example, Brady testified that Allen asked Brady and Hamilton to kill some people who had testified against him. 13 Cal. 4th 799 (1996). Then in his deposition, Brady again confirmed that Allen offered to pay Brady and Hamilton for killing the witnesses to the former proceeding. Brady’s trial testimony was also subjected to substantial impeaching evidence, such as Brady’s substance abuse problem, prior felony convictions, blackouts, agreements with prosecutors by which charges were dropped against Brady and his wife in exchange for Brady’s testimony, and his admission to the witness protection program. Inconsistencies between Brady’s direct testimony at trial and his preliminary hearing testimony were also pointed out to the jury. Allen fails to establish either that Brady’s testimony was false or that the State had any reason to believe it was false.