Opinion ID: 2581123
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: appropriate analysis for habeas relief based on recanted testimony

Text: {5} When a witness recants his or her trial testimony, the recantation may constitute newly-discovered evidence warranting a new trial under Rule 5-614 NMRA. In evaluating the recantation testimony, the court must consider whether: (1) the original verdict was based upon uncorroborated testimony; (2) the recantation occurred under circumstances free from suspicion of undue influence or pressure from any source; (3) the record fails to disclose any possibility of collusion between the defendant and the witness between the time of the trial and the retraction; and (4) the witness admitted [the] perjury on the witness stand and thereby subjected [himself or] herself to prosecution. Montoya v. Ulibarri, 2007-NMSC-035, ¶ 31, 142 N.M. 89, 163 P.3d 476 (quoted authority omitted) (alterations in original). The grant of a new trial is not automatic; rather, the defendant must prove that the newly-discovered evidence meets each of the following requirements: 1) it will probably change the result if a new trial is granted; 2) it must have been discovered since the trial; 3) it could not have been discovered before the trial by the exercise of due diligence; 4) it must be material; 5) it must not be merely cumulative; and 6) it must not be merely impeaching or contradictory. State v. Garcia, 2005-NMSC-038, ¶ 8, 138 N.M. 659, 125 P.3d 638 (quoting State v. Volpato, 102 N.M. 383, 384-85, 696 P.2d 471, 472-73 (1985)). However, a motion for a new trial based on newly-discovered evidence must be brought within two years of the date of final judgment. Rule 5-614(C). {6} When a witness recants testimony more than two years after final judgment, a defendant may still be entitled to relief. It has been held that the only relief available is executive clemency under NMSA 1953, Section 31-21-17 (1955) and Article V, Section 6 of the New Mexico Constitution. See State v. Minns, 81 N.M. 428, 429, 467 P.2d 1000, 1001 (Ct.App.1970). However, executive clemency as an exclusive remedy has been called into question by at least two of this Court's opinions where recanted testimony was at issue. This Court recently recognized that a free-standing claim of actual innocence entitled a defendant to habeas corpus relief under Rule 5-802 NMRA, if the petitioner proved by clear and convincing evidence that no reasonable juror would have convicted him in light of the new evidence. Montoya, 2007-NMSC-035, ¶ 30, 142 N.M. 89, 163 P.3d 476. We also held in 1963 that a defendant could seek relief under Rule 5-802 when a deprivation of constitutional rights amounts to a denial of due process. Johnson v. Cox, 72 N.M. 55, 57, 380 P.2d 199, 201 (1963). The latter relief is available because the right to substantive due process embodies principles of fundamental fairness and entitles every individual to be free from arbitrary or oppressive government conduct. State v. Vallejos, 1997-NMSC-040, ¶ 31, 123 N.M. 739, 945 P.2d 957. In determining whether that right has been violated, the inquiry on habeas corpus is directed to a review of the entire proceedings, and if the total result was the granting to [the] accused of a fair and deliberate trial, then no constitutional right has been invaded, and the proceedings will not be disturbed. Johnson, 72 N.M. at 57, 380 P.2d at 201. {7} In reviewing a writ of habeas corpus based on recanted testimony, we must distinguish between a knowing prosecutorial use of perjured testimony, Sanders v. Sullivan, 863 F.2d 218, 221 (2nd Cir.1988), and a mere repudiation of former testimony or admission of perjury. Johnson, 72 N.M. at 58, 380 P.2d at 201 (being convinced after reviewing all of the proceedings that the recanting witness did not commit perjury at trial or, in any event, that perjured testimony was wilfully and intentionally used by the prosecution). {8} The knowing prosecutorial use of perjured testimony clearly implicates the necessary state action for a violation of due process. Mooney v. Holohan, 294 U.S. 103, 112-13, 55 S.Ct. 340, 79 L.Ed. 791 (1935) ([T]he action of prosecuting officers on behalf of the state . . . may constitute state action within the purview of the Fourteenth Amendment.); see also Duran v. N.M. Monitored Treatment Program, 2000-NMCA-023, ¶ 21, 128 N.M. 659, 996 P.2d 922 (citing Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co., 500 U.S. 614, 619, 111 S.Ct. 2077, 114 L.Ed.2d 660 (1991)) (recognizing the requirement for state action in due process claims). When the petitioner alleges that the prosecution deliberately participated in the falsification, we require the petitioner to show: (1) that the original testimony was, in fact, false; and (2) that it was knowingly, wilfully and intentionally used by the prosecution to procure the conviction. Johnson, 72 N.M. at 58, 380 P.2d at 201. The same test applies when the prosecution does not actually solicit false testimony, but instead learns it is false during the course of the trial and `allows it to go uncorrected when it appears.' State v. Hogervorst, 87 N.M. 458, 459, 535 P.2d 1084, 1085 (Ct.App.1975) (quoting Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264, 269, 79 S.Ct. 1173, 3 L.Ed.2d 1217 (1959)). {9} Case is not making a free-standing claim of actual innocence. We also do not interpret his petition as contending that the prosecution deliberately participated in the presentation of false testimony. Case initially contended in his petition that the prosecution purposefully withheld knowledge that the witnesses were fabricating their testimony from the defense. However, in his reply he specifically cited Johnson indicating he was not contending that the prosecution deliberately falsified the testimony. In any event, we agree with the trial court finding that the State did not knowingly or recklessly use false testimony at Case's trial. {10} The issue of whether a petitioner is entitled to habeas corpus relief when the petitioner raises due process implications from the alleged unknowing use of perjured testimony by the prosecution is unsettled. The United States Supreme Court has not addressed the issue. Evenstad v. Carlson, 470 F.3d 777, 783 (8th Cir.2006). In Durley v. Mayo, however, four Justices would have held that [d]eprivation of a [habeas corpus] hearing under these circumstances amounts . . . to a denial of due process of law. 351 U.S. 277, 291, 76 S.Ct. 806, 100 L.Ed. 1178 (1956) (Douglas, J., dissenting). The majority never reached the question, instead dismissing for lack of jurisdiction. Id. at 285, 76 S.Ct. at 806 (majority opinion). More recently, Justices Stevens and Ginsburg made the same argument in their opposition to a denial of certiorari. Jacobs v. Scott, 513 U.S. 1067, 1067, 115 S.Ct. 711, 130 L.Ed.2d 618 (1995) (Stevens & Ginsburg, JJ., dissenting). {11} A majority of the federal circuit courts require a knowing use of perjured testimony by the prosecution to find a violation of due process. Sanders, 863 F.2d at 222 (citing cases from the Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeals). The Second Circuit in Sanders found that due process rights may be implicated when a credible recantation of the testimony in question would most likely change the outcome of the trial and a state leaves the conviction in place. Id. (footnote omitted). In New Mexico, we have expressed a particular interest in ensuring accuracy in criminal convictions in order to maintain credibility within the judiciary. Montoya, 2007-NMSC-035, ¶ 21, 142 N.M. 89, 163 P.3d 476. As such, we are loath to deny a petitioner any chance at relief when it is proven that he or she remains incarcerated solely on the basis of lies. To do so would make truth subordinate to process and undermine the [f]undamental fairness [that] is intrinsic within the concept of due process that is provided by the New Mexico Constitution. Montoya, 2007-NMSC-035, ¶ 23, 142 N.M. 89, 163 P.3d 476; see also Sanders, 863 F.2d at 224. {12} That leaves us with the question of the appropriate analysis required to grant or deny habeas corpus relief. Aside from the passage of time, we see little difference between a motion for new trial and a petition for writ of habeas corpus based on the newly-discovered evidence of a recantation. Cf. United States v. Duke, 50 F.3d 571, 576 (8th Cir.1995) (We apply the same standards of review in a § 2255 proceeding as in a habeas corpus proceeding.) (citation omitted). In a motion for a new trial, we evaluate the credibility of the recantation under the four factors described in Montoya and the significance of the new evidence to the verdict under the six factors described in Garcia. Both the credibility of the recantation and the significance of the evidence are also important in a habeas corpus proceeding. {13} We cannot, however, ignore the dimension of time. A motion for new trial must necessarily be brought within a relatively short time after the original trial. This minimizes the risk that witnesses will disappear, evidence will be lost, and memories will fade. See Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 521, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972) (As the time between the commission of the crime and trial lengthens, witnesses may become unavailable or their memories may fade.). The new trial following a timely motion for new trial should proceed very similarly to the original trial, with the exception of the new evidence. As a result, the trial court can look ahead to the probable outcome of a new trial in order to gauge the significance of the new evidence. {14} In contrast, a habeas corpus petition can be brought many years  or even decades  after the original trial. This remoteness practically guarantees missing witnesses, lost evidence, or faded memories. A new trial at this late date would most likely take a very different course than the original trial, even without the new evidence. The probable outcome of a new trial therefore says little, if anything, about the significance of the new evidence: We cannot look into the seeds of time/And say which grain will grow and which will not. William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 1, scene 3. {15} To insure that the analysis is made with the freshest possible evidence, we replace the first factor of Garcia with a rearward look at the original trial. Looking at the record as a whole, including both the original and the new evidence, the reviewing court must determine whether it is left with a firm belief that but for the perjured testimony, the defendant would most likely not have been convicted. See Sanders, 863 F.2d at 226 (footnote omitted). We recognize that most circuits in this situation, and our own Rule 5-614, would grant a new trial if the petitioner can show that the jury would have `probably' or `likely' reached a different verdict had the perjury not occurred. Evenstad, 470 F.3d at 783 n. 6. We believe, however, that the firm belief standard requires more and will avoid new trials when the perjured testimony is of an extraordinary nature. See Sanders, 863 F.2d at 226. {16} In Montoya, we listed four factors that must be considered when evaluating whether the recantation is credible, that is, whether the trial testimony was perjured. Id., 2007-NMSC-035, ¶ 31, 142 N.M. 89, 163 P.3d 476. One additional factor that must be considered is whether the new testimony is corroborated by additional new evidence. This is not a new factor, but one that we have considered in the past. In State v. Chavez, 87 N.M. 38, 528 P.2d 897 (Ct.App. 1974), the Court of Appeals granted a new trial after a key prosecution witness recanted and another person confessed to the crime. We noted later, in State v. Stephens, 99 N.M. 32, 37, 653 P.2d 863, 868 (1982), that the confession in Chavez was persuasive in part because it was corroborated by other eyewitnesses. {17} In summary, a petitioner seeking a new trial through a writ of habeas corpus because of recanted testimony must prove, based upon the entire record, including the original trial proceedings at issue, that the recantation is credible and was significant to the original verdict. In assessing the recantation's credibility, the trial court, in addition to weighing the credibility of the witnesses, must consider the following factors, none of which is dispositive by itself: (1) the original verdict was based upon uncorroborated testimony; (2) the recantation is corroborated by additional new evidence; (3) the recantation occurred under circumstances free from suspicion of undue influence or pressure from any source; (4) the record fails to disclose any possibility of collusion between the defendant and the witness between the time of the trial and the retraction; and (5) the witness admitted the perjury on the witness stand and thereby subjected himself or herself to prosecution. To show that a credible recantation was significant, the petitioner must prove that the evidence meets each of the following requirements: (1) it must have been discovered since the trial; (2) it could not have been discovered before the trial by the exercise of due diligence; (3) it must be material; (4) it must not be merely cumulative; (5) it must not be merely impeaching or contradictory; and (6) the court is left with a firm belief that but for the perjured testimony, the defendant would most likely not have been convicted. With the exception of the firm belief standard which we announce today, the remaining factors are already a part of New Mexico habeas corpus jurisprudence. On appeal we will review the district court's determination for an abuse of discretion. State v. Sena, 105 N.M. 686, 687, 736 P.2d 491, 492 (1987).