Opinion ID: 1060565
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: habeas corpus relief

Text: We first address the trial court's conclusion that habeas corpus relief is not available to address a faulty indictment. The right to seek habeas corpus relief is guaranteed by Article I, § 15 of the Tennessee Constitution and governed by Tenn.Code Ann. §§ 29-21-101 et seq. While there is no statute of limitations to bar the filing of a habeas corpus petition, the grounds upon which relief will be granted are limited in nature and scope. Such relief is available only when it appears from the face of the judgment or the record of the proceedings that a trial court was without jurisdiction to sentence a defendant or that a defendant's sentence of imprisonment or other restraint has expired. Dykes v. Compton, 978 S.W.2d 528, 529 (Tenn.1998). The defendant has the burden to show by a preponderance of the evidence that the sentence is void or that the confinement is illegal. Generally, defenses and objections based on a defective indictment must be raised prior to trial or they are waived. Tenn.R.Crim.P. 12(b)(2), (f). However, as we have previously stated, [a] valid indictment is an essential jurisdictional element, without which there can be no prosecution. Dykes, 978 S.W.2d at 529. Thus, an indictment that is so defective as to fail to vest jurisdiction in the trial court may be challenged at any stage of the proceedings, including in a habeas corpus petition. Tenn.R.Crim.P. 12(b)(2); Dykes, 978 S.W.2d at 529 (If the face of the record shows that the court did not have jurisdiction, then the judgment is void.). In the present case, Wyatt argues that his conviction and sentence are void because his indictment failed to allege an overt act, which is a material element of attempted first-degree murder, and thus failed to clothe the trial court with jurisdiction. Specifically, he argues that the indictment's failure to allege an overt act provided inadequate notice of the charged offense because, at a preliminary hearing, the State's witness testified about numerous acts which may have constituted attempted first-degree murder. He asserts that because the criminal attempt statute contains three separate subsections pursuant to which the State may obtain a conviction, and the last of these subsections allows conviction based upon a course of conduct, there is a heightened need for factual specificity in an indictment charging the offense of criminal attempt. The State maintains that this Court has relaxed the strict pleading requirements of the common law and that the Court of Criminal Appeals correctly concluded that Wyatt's indictment is sufficient under this Court's analysis in State v. Hill, 954 S.W.2d 725 (Tenn.1997). Based upon the facts of this case, we agree.