Opinion ID: 68623
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evidence Supporting Plea Offer

Text: In light of our holding that the state court did not find that Regan made a plea offer, we ask whether the district court committed clear error by finding that a plea offer had been made. If the district court’s finding was clearly erroneous, we need not remand for the district court to make factual findings in light of our decision. A review of the record reveals no evidence that Regan made a plea offer to Murray. The testimony at the evidentiary hearing is consistent with preliminary plea negotiations: that Regan told Murray that the family had expressed interest in a twenty to thirty year deal, and that Murray’s response led Regan to believe that they were too far apart in terms of years to justify continued negotiations. The only inconsistency supported by the evidence is whether Murray told Regan his client would only plea to three to five years. This dispute has no bearing on whether Regan made an offer to Murray. The only parties present at the plea negotiations testified that neither Regan nor anyone else at the D.A.’s Office made a plea offer. On cross- 9 No. 07-30772 examination at the evidentiary hearing, counsel asked Regan “did the State of Louisiana ever offer Mr. Will a plea agreement?” Regan responded “No.” Murray wrote a letter post-trial that a plea offer had not been made, and stated at the pre-trial conference “[w]e were in touch with the District Attorney’s Office up until Thursday to determine whether or not this matter could be resolved by a plea. It was determined that it could not be.” 2 Murray also testified at the evidentiary hearing that the D.A.’s Office never made a plea offer. Because Murray and Regan were the only two people present and competent to testify as to the supposed plea offer, we need not look beyond their testimony. Both deny that a plea offer was ever made, and there is no reason to doubt the credibility of their testimony. We therefore conclude that it is not plausible, in light of the record as a whole, to find that Regan made a plea offer to Murray. See London, 568 F.3d at 561. A finding otherwise is clearly erroneous.