Opinion ID: 2518363
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: was dixon deprived of his right to a public trial?

Text: The trial of Ethan Griffin, who was charged with nearly all the same charges as Dixon, was scheduled to begin as soon as Dixon's trial was over. Griffin and Dixon could not be tried simultaneously because there was only one prosecution team. The jury for Griffin's trial was chosen before Dixon's trial concluded. Although it had been sworn to tell the truth during voir dire, at the time the Dixon verdicts were returned the Griffin jury had not been sworn and empaneled for the trial. In order to prevent the Griffin jury's deliberations from being tainted by information about the Dixon verdicts, the trial court closed the courtroom to media and spectators before reading the Dixon jury's verdicts. Defense counsel objected. In addition to the Dixon jury and court staff, only the defendant, counsel, and Dana Hudson's parents were allowed to remain in the courtroom while the verdicts were announced. After the verdicts were read, the trial judge told the jurors that they could not disclose their verdicts until such time as I have directed that [they] may be disclosed in order to try and prevent any undue influence on the subsequent trial that we're about to start tomorrow. And I have said that [these] verdict[s] would be released once I got the jury impaneled and sworn, which I expect to probably occur before noon tomorrow. In ruling on this issue, the trial judge announced that as soon as he had the Griffin jury subject to [his] direct control, he would release the verdicts and make available a complete transcript of the proceeding. On appeal, Dixon concedes that the trial court's concern about jury contamination in Griffin's trial was legitimate and that criminal proceedings may be closed in certain circumstances. As the United States Supreme Court stated in Waller v. Georgia, 467 U.S. 39, 45, 81 L. Ed. 2d 31, 104 S. Ct. 2210 (1984), the right to an open trial may give way in certain cases to other rights or interests, such as the defendant's right to a fair trial or the government's interest in inhibiting disclosure of sensitive information. Such circumstances will be rare, however, and the balance of interests must be struck with special care. The court's review of this question of law is unlimited. See State v. White, 275 Kan. 580, 597, 67 P.3d 138 (2003). The State does not suggest that a defendant's right to a public trial does not apply to announcement of the verdict. The question in Waller was whether a defendant's right to an open trial applied to a suppression hearing, and the Supreme Court concluded that it did. 467 U.S. at 43, 48-50. The only instance in which Waller has been cited in a Kansas case is State v. Kleypas, 272 Kan. 894, 930, 40 P.3d 139 (2001), where it was cited for another principle  that only improperly seized evidence need be suppressed. Dixon cites several New York cases in which new trials were granted because the courtroom was closed following presentation of the evidence. See, e.g., People v. Singh, 287 App. Div. 2d 748, 749, 732 N.Y.S.2d 415 (2001), in which the defendant's right to an open trial was said to apply where the courtroom was closed from the time the jury was instructed to the end of the proceedings. Dixon also cites People v. Martinez, 172 App. Div. 2d 428, 568 N.Y.S.2d 940 (1991), in which the defendant's family was removed from the courtroom before announcement of the verdict. In Waller, the Supreme Court stated that under the Sixth Amendment any closure of a suppression hearing over the objections of the accused must meet the tests set out in Press-Enterprise and its predecessors. 467 U.S. at 47. In Press-Enterprise Co. v. Superior Court of Cal., 464 U.S. 501, 509-10, 78 L. Ed. 2d 629, 104 S. Ct. 819 (1984), the Supreme Court quoted Globe Newspaper Co. v. Superior Court, 457 U.S. 596, 606-07, 73 L. Ed. 2d 248, 102 S. Ct. 2613 (1982), as follows: `[T]he circumstances under which the press and public can be barred from a criminal trial are limited; the State's justification in denying access must be a weighty one. Where . . . the State attempts to deny the right of access in order to inhibit the disclosure of sensitive information, it must be shown that the denial is necessitated by a compelling governmental interest and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest.' The Supreme Court continued: The presumption of openness may be overcome only by an overriding interest based on findings that closure is essential to preserve higher values and is narrowly tailored to serve that interest. The interest is to be articulated along with findings specific enough that a reviewing court can determine whether the closure order was properly entered. 464 U.S. at 510. Dixon contends that the decision to close announcement of the verdicts in this case did not satisfy the Waller test because the trial court failed to consider reasonable alternatives to closure. Dixon argues that the trial court could and should have gone ahead and sworn in Griffin's jury in order to subject it to the trial judge's direct control and instructed it to avoid media coverage of the verdicts in Dixon's trial. Defense counsel did not suggest this or any other alternatives to the trial judge. Dixon further argues that any exposure to information about the verdicts in Dixon's trial could have been cured for Griffin by replacement of jurors. Contrary to Dixon's contention, the trial judge did consider the possibility of selecting new jurors for Griffin's trial: Item Number 4, change of venire. Basically that means pick a different jury pool. I would challenge anyone in this courtroom to go out and find a different jury pool than what we found. That jury pool was selected as randomly as any one. The publicity would have the same effect on the jury pool. I can't go out and find a different 50,000 people to try and select a jury pool from. That's not an option available to me, and that is cold hard fact. Next issue or next option available to me is intense voir dire. We had that, and as far as I'm concerned counsel will have another opportunity to ask questions. I don't know what the result of those questions is going to be. The point is, at this point in time I cannot make a factual conclusion to the contrary that the extent of this publicity, which has been intensive and daily, has not had some effect. The next item is additional peremptory challenges. I think I have accommodated that as well in that we have provided for additional alternate jurors when we bring that second jury panel in to choose from in the event that we do have some leave. So, I have considered and adopted that standard as well. Although it does not appear that the trial court expressly considered the specific possibility of swearing in Griffin's jury before hearing the Dixon verdicts, as defendant now advocates, in the extensive findings made by the trial court it is apparent that the required consideration was given to whether the closure was necessitated by a compelling governmental interest. The outline of the trial court's analysis was drawn from the reasonable alternative means noted by this court in Kansas City Star Co. v. Fossey, 230 Kan. 240, 249, 630 P.2d 1176 (1981): `(1) continuance, (2) severance, (3) change of venue, (4) change of venire, (5) intensive voir dire, (6) additional peremptory challenges, (7) sequestration of the jury, and (8) admonitory instructions to the jury.' The court was quoting from the commentary to Fair Trial and Free Press: Standard 8-3.2, which was adopted by the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Association Standards for Criminal Justice in August 1978 and adopted by this court in July 1981. 230 Kan. at 247-48, 251. Upon concluding that closure is necessitated by a compelling interest, the Waller standard requires the trial court to narrowly tailor the closure order to serve that interest. In this case, the trial judge closed the courtroom for the reading of the verdicts, but announced his intention to disclose the information the following day when Griffin's jury was in place. There is no suggestion by the parties that his intention was not carried out. This case is readily distinguishable from the New York cases relied on by Dixon. In both, the trial court closed the courtroom without inquiring whether there was any reason to do so. In Martinez, the New York Supreme Court stated that the failure to record any purported compelling reasons justifying closure precludes a proper review by this court and mandates a reversal of defendant's conviction. [Citations omitted.] A courtroom may be closed where an overriding interest to preserve higher values is demonstrated ( see, Waller v. Georgia, 467 U.S. 39; [citation omitted]). However, this interest must be articulated along with findings that are specific enough to permit a reviewing court to determine whether closure was warranted. [Citation omitted.] 172 App. Div. 2d at 429. In the present case, in contrast, the trial court went to great lengths to articulate the interest to be served by closure as well as its findings on reasonable alternative means. Dixon also cites United States v. Canady, 126 F.3d 352 (2d Cir. 1997), cert. denied 522 U.S. 1134 (1998). The constitutional problems in Canady eclipsed that of a closed courtroom in that the defendant first learned of his conviction by reading a newspaper. Hence, the defendant's right to be present at all stages of a criminal proceeding was at the heart of his appeal along with his right to a public trial. At the close of the evidence in Canady's bench trial, the trial judge announced that he would read some cases and write an opinion. Instead of reconvening court for delivery of the verdict, the trial judge filed the opinion and mailed copies to the parties. The federal Court of Appeals found error in the failure of the district court to announce its verdict in open court in the presence of the defendant. 126 F.3d at 362-63. We conclude in the present case that it was error for the trial court to close the courtroom for announcement of the verdicts. Having so concluded, we must determine if such error was harmless. The discussion of harmless error in Canady is instructive. The federal court stated: This is a critical inquiry because, if harmless error analysis is applicable, we have little doubt that the verdict would be the same and that therefore the error would be harmless. 126 F.3d at 363. The federal court continued: While there are some errors to which harmless error analysis does not apply, `they are the exception and not the rule. Accordingly, if the defendant had counsel and was tried by an impartial adjudicator, there is a strong presumption that any other errors that may have occurred are subject to harmless-error analysis.' Rose v. Clark, 478 U.S. 570, 578-79, 106 S. Ct. 3101, 3106, 92 L. Ed. 2d 460 (1986) (citation omitted). Nonetheless, there are `some constitutional rights so basic to a fair trial that their infraction can never be treated as harmless error.' Arizona v. Fulminante, 499 U.S. 279, 308, 111 S. Ct. 1246, 1264, 113 L. Ed. 2d 302 (1991) (plurality opinion). These so-called `structural errors' are `defects in the constitution of the trial mechanism' which affect the `entire conduct of the trial from beginning to end,' and include, inter alia, `the absence of counsel for a criminal defendant,' `the presence on the bench of a judge who is not impartial,' and `the right to a public trial.' Id. at 309-10, 111 S. Ct. at 1264-65. While the Court in Fulminante listed the deprivation of the right to a public trial as a `structural error,' we have recognized that not every violation of that right is free from harmless error review. See, e.g., Rushen [ v. Spain ], 464 U.S. [114,] 118-19, [78 L. Ed. 2d 267, 104 S. Ct. 453 (1983)] (finding ex parte communication between judge and juror to be harmless); Yarborough v. Keane, 101 F.3d 894, 898 (2d Cir. 1996) (holding that defendant's exclusion from hearing to question witness was harmless because hearing was `extremely brief,' `not even a part of the trial proper,' and 'of little significance'), cert. denied, 520 U.S. 1217, 117 S. Ct. 1706, 137 L. Ed. 2d 831 (1997); cf. Peterson v. Williams, 85 F.3d 39, 44 (2d Cir.) ('trivial' and 'inadvertent' closure of trial during defendant's testimony did not violate public trial guarantee), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 878, 117 S. Ct. 202, 136 L. Ed. 2d 138 (1996). Nonetheless, the rendering of the court's decision, following a criminal bench trial, is qualitatively different from these minor violations of the public trial guarantee. The announcement of the decision to convict or acquit is neither 'of little significance' nor 'trivial;' it is the focal point of the entire criminal trial. To exclude the public, the defendant, the prosecution, and defense counsel from such a proceeding  indeed not to have a proceeding at all  affects the integrity and legitimacy of the entire judicial process. Accord Guzman v. Scully, 80 F.3d 772, 776 (2d Cir. 1996) ('It is well-settled that a defendant whose right to a public trial has been violated need not show that he suffered any prejudice, and the doctrine of harmless error does not apply.'). 'While the benefits of a public trial are frequently intangible, difficult to prove, or a matter of chance, the Framers plainly thought them nonetheless real.' Waller, 467 U.S. at 49 & n. 9, 104 S. Ct. at 2217 & n. 9 ('defendant should not be required to prove specific prejudice in order to obtain relief' for violation of public trial right). In view of our long history of public open trials, we hold that the failure to publicly announce in open court the decision following a criminal bench trial is an error of constitutional dimension that affects the framework of the trial itself and is not subject to harmless error review. But see [ United States v. ] Huntley, 535 F.2d [1400,] 1404 [(5th Cir. 1976)] (pre- Fulminante case subjecting trial court's failure to announce verdict publicly to harmless error analysis). Canady, 126 F.3d at 363-64. Here, the trial court considered the advocated interests and the alternatives. The trial court exercised care in striking a balance of those interests. But the court's decision was made in response to intervention by area newspapers, whose interests were the First Amendment interests of media freedom. Although defense counsel made a simple statement of objection to closing the courtroom, the Sixth Amendment interest in a public trial seems not to have been pressed. The trial judge's statement of the interests balanced was that it appears to me that there is a greater danger that a disclosure of the jury verdict would prejudice [Griffin's] right to a fair trial than there is a danger to the rights of the public to receive this information. However, it was Dixon's right to a public trial that is at issue here. Because the reasonable and seemingly obvious alternative of empaneling and swearing Griffin's jury was available but not utilized, the closure was not warranted and thus the trial court erred. As previously noted, an error of constitutional magnitude may not be held to be harmless unless the appellate court can declare beyond a reasonable doubt that the error had little, if any, likelihood of having changed the result of the trial. State v. Boldridge, 274 Kan. 795, 808, 57 P.3d 8 (2002), cert. denied 538 U.S. 950, 155 L. Ed. 2d 494, 123 S. Ct. 1629 (2003). As the federal court noted in Canady, there is no question that the error would not have changed the verdicts because the verdicts had already been reached. The lack of effect on the verdicts, however, should not necessitate the conclusion that the error was harmless where the trial court's closing the courtroom was inconsistent with substantial justice. We find the rationale of the court in Canady persuasive and conclude that the closure was inconsistent with the substantial right of Dixon to a public trial and not harmless error. 7. JURY INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE BURGLARY CHARGES. Dixon was charged with two counts of burglary, one for each time he entered Alicia Shaw's apartment in the early morning hours of July 29. For each count, the jury was instructed as follows: To establish this charge, each of the following claims must be proved: 1. That Mr. Dixon knowingly entered or remained in a building which is a dwelling; 2. That Mr. Dixon did so without authority; 3. That Mr. Dixon did so with the intent to commit a theft, and/or aggravated arson, a felony, and/or criminal damage to property, a felony, therein; and 4. That this act occurred on or about the 29th day of July 2001 in Lyon County, Kansas. For the instruction on the first burglary, defense counsel objected on two grounds  that there was no evidence of any intent to commit aggravated arson and that a multiple acts instruction was needed. The State responded with regard to evidence of an intent to commit aggravated arson that defendant's statements about stuff going up in flames were sufficient to show his intent to enter Alicia's apartment to commit arson. The trial judge refused to give a multiple acts instruction on the ground that the burglary presented an alternative means issue rather than a multiple acts issue. He also rejected defendant's objection to the lack of evidence: [T]he evidence of an intent to commit aggravated arson on the first burglary is extremely weak. As I recall, there was a lot of discussion as to when this gas was purchased and when these statements were made that are supposedly attributed to the defendant about things going up in flames and that type, and the jury could certainly conclude that that occurred after the first entrance but prior to the second entrance or it could conclude that it was prior to the first entrance into the apartment. But again all we're dealing with is an intent here, not the actual carrying out of the act, and so I'm going to allow it to go as charged because the State is entitled to present to the jury all theories of its case. On appeal, there are two parts to Dixon's argument. The first is his right to a unanimous verdict. Dixon argues that the jury should have been required to unanimously agree on the intent with which he entered Alicia's apartment. He concedes that jury unanimity is not required as to which of alternative means by which a crime was committed, but he argues that the rule ought to be changed. The rule has been confirmed at least as recently as March 2004 in State v. Morton, 277 Kan. 575, 86 P.3d 535 (2004). There is no merit to the first part of the argument. For the second part, Dixon argues that there is no evidence that he entered Alicia's apartment with the intent to commit aggravated arson. The State fails to address the issue of evidence of intent to commit aggravated arson. For the proposition that the trial court's including alternative means for which there is no evidence requires reversal of his burglary convictions, Dixon cites State v. Timley, 255 Kan. 286, 289, 875 P.2d 242 (1994), where the court stated: `Unanimity is not required, however, as to the means by which the crime was committed so long as substantial evidence supports each alternative means.' [Citations omitted.] (Emphasis added.) 'In reviewing an alternative means case, the court must determine whether a rational trier of fact could have found each means of committing the crime proved beyond a reasonable doubt.' [Citations omitted.] State v. Hoge, 276 Kan. 801, 813, 80 P.3d 52 (2003) (quoting Timley, 255 Kan. at 289). The trial judge seems to have believed there was a dispute about whether the bucket of gasoline was purchased before or after the first burglary, but Hall, Hayes, and Griffin all testified that it was purchased after the first burglary and before Hall and Hayes were taken to the residence of Hall's friend. The time indicated on the receipt for the gasoline was 4:23 a.m., and Hall testified that he thought the first burglary occurred an hour or two after Fatty's closed at 2 a.m. The trial judge also seems to have believed that there was evidence of defendant's making statements about things going up in flames that the jury could conclude were made before the first burglary. The evidence the trial judge had in mind, however, seems to be Griffin's testimony, which is linked to the bucket of gasoline. The pertinent questions and answers were as follows: Q. [Prosecutor:] Did the defendant ever say what his plan was with the gasoline, the defendant? A. [Griffin:] No, he didn't. Q. Okay. I want you to go to 00  get the other notebook here. On the second page, go to 00:35:42. A. 35:42? 00:35:42? Q. Yes, sir. Would you read a couple of lines past that, as well? A. (The witness complied with the request.) Q. Did the defendant tell you what his plan was with the gasoline? A. No, he didn't. I overheard Wallace Dixon say he would burn her  he would burn up the yard or burn the apartment. Q. Referring to the gasoline? A. Maybe, yes. Q. Would you read or read it to yourself and try to give us the exact quote that Wallace Dixon gave you? A. That I overheard? Q. Yes. A. He didn't  I heard  what I heard is, I'll burn it up, and that's when all the commotion had started and that's when I threw the gas out the window. Q. And what happened after that? After you got the gas and you guys threw it out the window what did you do? A. We went to Donnie Wishon's house. Wishon is Hall's friend in Emporia. As we have seen, the evidence shows that the bucket of gasoline was purchased after the first burglary and before Hall and Hayes were taken to the residence of Hall's friend. From this review of the evidence, it does not appear that a rational trier of fact could have found that Dixon had the intent to commit aggravated arson the first time he entered Alicia Shaw's apartment on July 29, 2001. Dixon also asserts that there is not sufficient evidence to support the instruction on entering the apartment with intent to commit criminal damage to property. This argument was not presented to the trial court. For the instruction on the second burglary, defense counsel objected on two groundsthat there was no evidence of intent to commit theft or criminal damage to property and that a multiple acts instruction was needed. The trial court simply stated that [t]hose objections have been noted and overruled. On appeal, Dixon argues there is no evidence that he entered Alicia's apartment the second time with the intent to commit theft. The State fails to address the issue of evidence of intent to commit theft. Nothing in the testimony of Griffin, the only person who reentered Alicia's apartment with Dixon, seems to indicate that theft was an intent. The nonexistence of direct evidence of Dixon's intent does not end the inquiry. Intent, a state of mind existing at the time the offense is committed, does not need to be and rarely can be directly proven. It may be established by acts and circumstances and inferences reasonably deducible from evidence of acts and circumstances. See State v. Wilkins, 269 Kan. 256, 264-68, 7 P.3d 252 (2000). In Wilkins, we held the evidence was sufficient to convict the defendant of burglary where the evidence was that he was found in a pawn shop, having broken in through a hole in the roof. 269 Kan. at 264. In the present case, there was a second entry into the apartment and from the evidence of his unlawful conduct in the first entry it could reasonably be inferred that Dixon intended to continue such conduct during the second entry. The remaining question is whether Dixon's burglary convictions can stand in spite of the absence of evidence sufficient to support each theory for the burglary charges. In State v. Johnson, 27 Kan. App. 2d 921, 923-26, 11 P.3d 67, rev. denied 270 Kan. 901 (2000), the Court of Appeals considered essentially the same question and concluded that the convictions should not be disturbed. Our Supreme Court in State v. Timley, 255 Kan. 286, 289, 875 P.2d 242 (1994) (quoting State v. Kitchen, 110 Wash. 2d 403, 410, 756 P.2d 105 [1988]), stated: `In an alternative means case, where a single offense may be committed in more than one way, there must be jury unanimity as to guilt for the single crime charged. Unanimity is not required, however, as to the means by which the crime was committed so long as substantial evidence supports each alternative means. [Citations omitted.] In reviewing an alternative means case, the court must determine whether a rational trier of fact could have found each means of committing the crime proved beyond a reasonable doubt. [Citations omitted.]' Under the doctrine set out in Timley, the record must contain substantial competent evidence proving all three means charged in order to uphold a conviction for kidnapping. . . . . Despite the language of Timley, courts of appeal have attained a degree of confidence in jury verdicts of guilt in cases where there is overwhelming evidence supporting the conviction under one of the alternative means. Those courts have concluded that it was harmless error in such cases for the trial court to instruct on all alternatives. Our Supreme Court dealt with such a scenario in State v. Grissom, 251 Kan. 851, 840 P.2d 1142 (1992). The Grissom court held that a general verdict of first-degree murder could be upheld if there was sufficient evidence to convict the defendant of either first-degree premeditated murder or felony murder, and the State was not required to prove both. 251 Kan. at 891.  Grissom adopted the view taken by the United States Supreme Court in Griffin v. United States, 502 U.S. 46, 59-60, 116 L. Ed. 2d 371, 112 S. Ct. 466 (1991), with the following: `Jurors are not generally equipped to determine whether a particular theory of conviction submitted to them is contrary to lawwhether, for example, the action in question is protected by the Constitution, is time barred, or fails to come within the statutory definition of the crime. When, therefore, jurors have been left the option of relying upon a legally inadequate theory, there is no reason to think that their own intelligence and expertise will save them from that error. Quite the opposite is true, however, when they have been left the option of relying upon a factually inadequate theory, since jurors are well equipped to analyze the evidence [citation omitted]. . . . `[I]f the evidence is insufficient to support an alternative legal theory of liability, it would generally be preferable for the court to give an instruction removing that theory from the jury's consideration. The refusal to do so, however, does not provide an independent basis for reversing an otherwise valid conviction.' 251 Kan. at 892. A recent 10th Circuit Court of Appeals opinion involving convictions for various conspiracy and mail fraud charges ruled that it was harmless error under the facts of that case where the trial court submitted a properly defined, although factually unsupported, legal theory to the jury along with a properly supported basis of liability. See United States v. Hanzlicek, 187 F.3d 1228, 1236 (10th Cir. 1999). This court, in State v. Ice, 27 Kan. App. 2d 1, 6, 997 P.2d 737 (2000), when pondering a rape conviction, after reviewing Griffin, concluded that, where one of the possible bases of conviction was neither unconstitutional nor illegal, but `merely unsupported by sufficient evidence,' there is no constitutional problem with upholding the conviction. The Ice court distinguished its opinion from Griffin with the following: `This case differs from those where there was strong evidence supporting one theory and none on another, such as in Griffin. In a Griffin situation, one can reasonably assume the jury did not behave capriciously and convict on a theory in which there was no evidence, when there was strong evidence supporting another theory.' 27 Kan. App. 2d at 7. The task before the jury in this case was to determine whether Johnson was guilty of kidnapping. One cannot tell from the verdict what the basis for that verdict is; however, under the cases cited above, this court can reasonably conclude the jury picked the basis of kidnapping by threat which is supported by overwhelming evidence, rather than by means of force or deception for which there is little or no evidence. K.S.A. 60-261 defines harmless error as any error by a court which is not inconsistent with substantial justice. We conclude, therefore, that including the term `deception' as a means of kidnapping in the jury instructions in this case constitutes harmless error. In light of the overwhelming evidence of Johnson's guilt on the kidnapping charge, we can see no injustice done by this verdict. Johnson, 27 Kan. App. 2d at 923-26. Here, like Grissom, there was strong evidence supporting at least one theory of each burglary and no evidence of at least one other theory. Thus, following Grissom, the erroneous burglary instructions in this case were harmless.