Opinion ID: 1390030
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: A-Troop Allegations

Text: Petitioner alleges the prosecution withheld material exculpatory evidence provided by a former inmate at CIM that a Hispanic gang called A-Troop committed the Ryen/Hughes murders. (Pet. at 45.) In order to address this allegation, the Court held an evidentiary hearing on August 6, 2004, where former CIM Correctional Officer Donnie Eddings testified. (8/6/04 HRT 3.) Officer Eddings was a correctional counselor in the Reception Center who conducted intake interviews to determine what level of custody was appropriate for an inmate. She was unaware of the outstanding warrant in the CIM files for Petitioner's rape, aggravated assault, kidnaping, mayhem, and making a terrorist threat arising out of Petitioner's rape and threat to kill victim Lori S. in Pennsylvania. (8/6/04 HRT 4.) The warrant for the rape charges was in the CIM files with the name, David Trautman aka Kevin Cooper, clearly listed, but CIM egregiously erred by not linking its own records of Petitioner's rape to the false name of David Trautman. ( See NOL filed 4/15/05 CIM Vault, Notebook 9 at 2385-2417.) The Court concludes that Officer Eddings had a substantial motive to deflect guilt from Petitioner due to CIM's institutional error in placing a known rapist in minimum security. Officer Eddings testified that in 1983, inmate Luparello told her that Doug Ryens's chiropractic office in Santa Ana had been burglarized by a gang called A-Troop. (8/6/04 HRT 8-9.) Officer Eddings was told by this inmate that he thought that Mr. Ryen either pressed charges or testified against the members of the gang following the burglary. (8/6/04 HRT 8-9.) Officer Eddings prepared a written report and submitted it to her supervisor. (8/6/04 HRT 7.) The prosecution provided defense trial counsel with a memorandum written by Officer Eddings detailing the information from inmate Luparello, as well as handwritten notes regarding Luparello. ( See 04-CV-656, NOL filed 7/27/04.) Moreover, the Santa Ana Police Department reports regarding the burglary of the Ryen chiropractic office and other businesses in the same commercial complex were also provided to defense trial counsel by the prosecution. ( See 04-CV-656, NOL filed 07/27/04.) The burglary of the Ryen chiropractic office was being reported in newspaper articles discussing the Ryen/Hughes murders. A copy of a Los Angeles Times article dated June 7, 1983, which includes information on the burglary, was included in the defense trial file turned over on discovery in 1997 in connection with Petitioner's first federal habeas petition. ( See Answer, Ex. 56 (copy LA Times article re burglary, from defense trial file).) Given the discovery provided by the prosecution, there was no Brady violation. [46] Additionally, defense investigator Ingels testified that in 2002 he checked out the information regarding Eddings' allegation and found no merit to the claim. (8/13/04 HRT 141-143.) Therefore, the Court concludes there was no Brady violation regarding the Luparello or A-Troop information.
Petitioner further alleges that the prosecution withheld material exculpatory evidence from an unidentified inmate at CIM who allegedly told a correctional counsel named Richard C. Krupp that he had overheard a conversation about the murders. (Pet. at 46.) In order to address this allegation, the Court held an evidentiary hearing on August 6, 24 and 26, 2004, where Officer Krupp, correctional counselor Ted Fahey, and Lieutenant Watch Commander Cornelius Shepherd testified. (8/6/04 HRT 51; 8/24/04 HRT 42-55; 8/26/04 HRT 19-30.) After hearing the testimony of the witnesses and evaluating their credibility, the Court concludes that there was no Brady violation. In 1984, Officer Krupp was a correctional counsel. He conducted intake interviews at CIM Chino. (8/6/04 HRT 51-52.) An inmate relayed to him that three Mexicans in the San Bernardino County jail had claimed to have committed the Ryen/Hughes murders. (8/6/04 HRT 51-52.) Because the incident occurred so long ago, Officer Krupp could not remember the inmate's name. (8/6/04 HRT 68.) Officer Krupp testified that he placed this information regarding the Hispanic males in the inmate's evaluation form and then passed it on to his supervisor, Officer Fahey, and the gang coordinator supervisor, Officer Shepherd. (8/6/04 HRT 53.) Officer Krupp further testified that he discussed a phone call that was placed to the San Bernardino Sheriff's Office by either Officer Fahey or Officer Shepherd with them. (8/6/04 HRT 54-57.) [47] In contrast to Officer Krupp's recollection, Officer Shepherd credibly testified before this Court that he did not speak to Officer Krupp regarding information of an inmate claiming to have committed the Ryen/Hughes murders and that he had not passed information along to the San Bernardino Sheriff's Office: I was employed at California Institution for Men as a correctional lieutenant at the time of Kevin Cooper's escape. I testified at Cooper's trial regarding his escape from CIM. I have never spoken with Richard Krupp regarding information he obtained from an inmate about the Ryen murders. I did not provide any information to San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department from an inmate at CIM regarding the Ryen murders. (04-CV-656, Resp't Ex Parte Request filed Aug. 18, 2004, Shepherd Decl.; see also 8/24/04 HRT 42.) Mr. Shepherd further testified that he was a lieutenant watch commander for the east facility at CIM Chino from 1983-84 and that although he may have spoken to Mr. Krupp on occasions, it was not within his duties to discuss the substance of prisoner interviews with correctional counselors such as Mr. Krupp. (8/24/04 HRT 42, 44, 51-52, 55.) Mr. Shepherd then testified that he does not recall any meetings with Mr. Krupp or Mr. Fahey regarding the murders. (8/24/04 HRT 50, 64.) He also stated unequivocally that he did not place any phone calls to the San Bernardino Sheriff's Office because such a phone call would be against procedure. (8/24/04 HRT 59.) The normal procedure would be to contact the institutional investigators at CIM Chino, who would then contact the Sheriff's Office if warranted. (8/24/04 HRT 62-63.) Consistent with Officer Shepherd's testimony, Officer Fahey, correctional counselor at CIM, also credibly testified before this Court that he does not recall any conversations or information received from any of the correctional counselors, including Officer Krupp, or with Officer Shepherd regarding the Ryen/Hughes murders. (8/26/04 HRT 19, 29-30.) Officer Fahey also testified, consistent with Officer Shepherd's testimony, that as a watch commander in the east facility, Officer Shepherd would have had no job related interaction with correctional counselors in the central facility such as Officer Krupp and Officer Fahey. (8/26/04 HRT 29-30.) He also verified that institutional procedure did not permit correctional counselors to call the Sheriff's Office. (8/26/04 HRT 22-23.) Mr. Fahey testified that in the sixteen years he was at CIM Chino, he did not once call the Sheriff's Office. (8/26/04 HRT 22-23.) The procedure would be to inform the institutional investigators of the information and then they would contact the Sheriff's, if necessary. (8/26/04 HRT 22-24.) The Court concludes that Mr. Krupp's recollection is contradicted by the credible testimony of Officers Fahey and Shepherd. As Officer Fahey and Officer Shepherd testified, they do not recall receiving any information from Mr. Krupp regarding the Ryen/Hughes murders. Officer Shepherd, as a watch commander in a separate facility would not have been in a professional position to have such information passed on to him from Officer Krupp. Moreover, the alleged phone call placed to the Sheriff's office is not credible given that both Officer Fahey and Officer Shepherd testified that the phone call would never have occurred because it was against procedure for such a phone call to take place, and they did not make the phone call. Officer Shepherd and Officer Fahey credibly testified that Officer Krupp did not speak to him regarding the hearsay statements of the three Hispanics. Officers Shepherd, Fahey and Krupp did not speak to the San Bernardino Sheriff's Office regarding those hearsay statements. As with any prominent murder investigation, there were numerous rumors and false claims made in connection with the Ryen/Hughes murders, and a belated report of a multiple hearsay account by an unknown inmate does not constitute a Brady violation.