Opinion ID: 787477
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Factfinding by the District Court

Text: 32 We thus conclude that Moore was acting as an agent of the State when he was placed in Randolph's cell after meeting with Deputy District Attorney Oppliger and Detective Chavez. But we are unable to determine whether a Massiah violation occurred because two critical factual issues have not been resolved or properly considered by the district court. The first issue relates to timing: When did Moore meet with the prosecution team, and when, in relation to that meeting or those meetings, did Moore obtain incriminating information from Randolph? The second issue relates to Moore's behavior: What, if anything, did Moore do to stimulate conversations with Randolph about the crime with which Randolph was charged? 33 We address timing first. According to Moore, he had two early meetings with Oppliger and Chavez, and the first of those two meetings took place before he obtained incriminating information from Randolph. According to Oppliger and Chavez, there was only one early meeting, and that meeting took place after Moore had obtained the incriminating information. 34 Moore testified before the magistrate judge that he first met with Deputy Oppliger and Chavez on August 17, 1989, the day he gave his letter requesting leniency to his defense attorney. Moore further testified that it was only after he was placed back in the jail cell, after that meeting, that Randolph made many of the incriminating statements to which Moore later testified at Randolph's trial. Moore testified that he relayed those statements to prosecutors at a second meeting on August 24. Oppliger and Chavez, however, testified that there was only one early meeting. According to their testimony, that meeting took place on August 24. 35 The district court did not resolve whether Moore first met with Oppliger and Chavez on August 17 or 24. The magistrate judge's report, which the district court adopted, stated that  although it is not clear, there is substantial evidence in the record to support a finding that petitioner's admission was made to Moore prior to Moore's first meeting with Oppliger and Chavez, whether that meeting occurred on August 17, 1989 or on August 24, 1989. (emphasis added). A statement that there is substantial evidence in the record to support a finding is not the same thing as a finding. That is, the magistrate judge did not recommend, and the district court did not make, a finding that Randolph's admission was made to Moore prior to Moore's first meeting with Oppliger and Chavez. 36 There is substantial evidence that would support the opposite finding — that there were two early meetings, and that the first occurred on August 17, before Randolph made damaging admissions to Moore. Moore testified consistently and repeatedly that he met with Oppliger and Chavez on both August 17 and 24. Moore testified that at the first meeting on August 17 he had little to offer Oppliger and Chavez in the way of incriminating statements and that he only told them of Randolph's incriminating statements at the second meeting. Moore also testified that Randolph did not make incriminating statements until after the trial judge declared a mistrial in the first trial. According to Moore, the mistrial was declared before Moore was placed back in the jail cell with Randolph after his first meeting with Oppliger and Chavez on August 17. 37 Moore testified that he was asked only general, introductory questions at the initial meeting on August 17 but was asked more pointed, detailed questions at the second meeting on August 24. Finally, Moore specifically described two different rooms in which each of the meetings occurred. According to Moore, the first meeting took place in an empty courtroom, and the second took place in a large conference room with a large table. 38 Chavez and Oppliger each testified that only one meeting occurred, but they described differently the room in which this meeting took place. Chavez testified that the meeting was in an empty courtroom. Oppliger testified that it was in a jury room with a large table. These two rooms, as described by Chavez and Oppliger, appear to correspond to the rooms Moore described in which his two meetings took place. Moreover, Oppliger did not have any independent recollection of whether there were one or two meetings; he relied solely on a report written by Chavez to conclude that only one meeting took place. 39 We do not recount the foregoing to usurp the factfinding role of the district court. Rather, we recount it to make clear the necessity for such factfinding. It is true, as the magistrate judge wrote, that there is substantial evidence to support a finding that there was only one early meeting, and that that meeting took place before Moore obtained incriminating information from Randolph. But it is also true that there is substantial evidence for the opposite finding, that there were two meetings and that Moore obtained incriminating evidence between the first and second meetings. Depending on which alternative is true, Randolph's Sixth Amendment rights may or may not have been violated. 40 We next address Moore's behavior. At the evidentiary hearing before the magistrate judge Moore testified that, at the first meeting with Oppliger and Chavez, I told them what I knew, but I don't think I knew that much then. Nevertheless, Moore left the meeting feeling that if they're asking me questions about this guy, then if I give him information about him, then they have to do something for me. Asked whether he was able to get any more information for Mr. Oppliger between the first and second meetings, Moore responded affirmatively. Moore testified that if [Randolph] was to be on a subject about something that was in the area [of the crime] .... if it was along the line of that, and I figured that he wasn't suspicious in me asking him about it, then I asked him about it. According to Moore's testimony, he further encouraged Randolph to provide information by being friendly and talkative. Just, I guess, act like being-I was being on his side. In response to the question, Did you lead [Randolph] on to provide you with information? Moore testified, Of course. Yes. 41 The magistrate judge wrote that there is no evidence to support a finding that ... Moore in fact took action to deliberately elicit incriminating statements from petitioner. (Emphasis added.) This statement is incorrect. Moore's testimony, just recounted, is first-person evidence supporting precisely that finding — that Moore took action ... to deliberately elicit incriminating statements from[Randolph].