Opinion ID: 795449
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether prejudice resulted to Bass

Text: 28 The final Barker factor favors a finding that there was no speedy trial violation because Bass fails to provide any particular evidence of prejudice. The Supreme Court has identified three defense interests that a court should consider in a speedy trial case when determining whether a defendant suffered actual prejudice: (1) oppressive pretrial incarceration; (2) anxiety and concern of the accused; and (3) the possibility that the defense was impaired. Barker, 407 U.S. at 532, 92 S.Ct. 2182. Bass has failed to make any showing regarding the first two interests. He can show no oppressive lengthy pretrial incarceration because he was in federal custody only for approximately one month before his arraignment. Moreover, Bass does not allege that he suffered anxiety or concern. Therefore, our analysis focuses on the last defense interest, the possibility that the defense was impaired. Of the three interests, the most serious is the last, because the inability of a defendant adequately to prepare his case skews the fairness of the entire system. If witnesses die or disappear during a delay, the prejudice is obvious. Id. But Bass likewise does not point to any evidence showing that his defense may have been impaired by the delay. Bass argues generally that the six-year delay resulted in prejudice because witnesses were unavailable to testify at the time of trial and because testifying witnesses' memories of the events had deteriorated. He also claims his own memory became poor due to head injuries he suffered during the pendency of his case, hampering his ability to aid in his own defense. Bass, however, does not state what testimony any missing witnesses could have provided, which witnesses' memories were affected, or how his own memory problems affected his defense. Accordingly, without a further showing, it is impossible for this court to discern prejudice from Bass's vague and unsupported assertions. 29 The four Barker factors, on balance, show that Bass has not suffered a violation of the Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial. Although the delay of six years was presumptively prejudicial, the Supreme Court has noted that presumptive prejudice cannot alone carry a Sixth Amendment claim, but rather must be considered in the context of the other factors, particularly the reason for the delay. Doggett, 505 U.S. at 656, 112 S.Ct. 2686; see also United States v. Loud Hawk, 474 U.S. 302, 315, 106 S.Ct. 648, 88 L.Ed.2d 640 (1986) (The flag all litigants seek to capture is the second factor, the reason for delay.). When delay is justified by a legitimate reason, such as complexity, a speedy trial claim will fail absent a demonstration of actual prejudice. Doggett, 505 U.S. at 656, 112 S.Ct. 2686. In this case, where the delay was primarily due to complexity and pretrial motions, and Bass suffered no prejudice for the delay, Bass did not suffer a constitutional violation.