Court Opinion

ID: 9847573
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 04:02:30.597226+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:17:20.786420
License: Public Domain

Judge Wells
dissenting.
I agree with the majority opinion in all but one respect: the defendants were tried before the wrong judge.
Prior to trial, defendants filed written motions requesting that Judge Burroughs recuse himself. The motions were as follows:
By this Motion the Defendant moves the Honorable Robert M. Burroughs, Judge of the Superior Court of Mecklen-burg County, to recuse or disqualify himself and shows the following:
1. That subsequent to the trial of Donna Rowe (79CRS711), a co-defendant to the defendant herein, a letter was written from the presiding judge, Robert M. Burroughs, to Marcellus Buchanan, the District Attorney for the Thirtieth Judicial District (a copy of said letter attached hereto as Exhibit “A”, and incorporated herein by reference) requesting that seven (7) charges be brought before the grand jury against this defendant based upon testimony presented during the trial of Donna Rowe. That the bulk of the State’s case against Donna Rowe was testimony elicited from a third co-defendant, David Hugh Chambers, who was granted immunity from prosecution in these matters in exchange for his testimony. That the presiding judge’s request for the charges to be brought against this defendant would be sufficient evidence for a reasonable man to determine that the presiding judge had (1) predetermined the guilt of this defendant, and (2) granted more right to testimony of David Hugh Chambers and the other State’s witnesses than to the testimony of various defense witnesses, all of which would show evidence *586of partiality and the absence of objectivity by the trial court to this defendant. That upon information and belief the defendant believes that the witnesses for the State and defense in the Rowe matter will be the same witnesses called in the various cases of the defendant indicated above. That by virtue of the above, Judge Burroughs has shown himself to be prejudiced against the moving party or in favor of the adverse party and/or prejudiced in favor of the State’s witnesses or against the defense witnesses in this action.
That the conduct complained of in Paragraph 1 above has caused or would give an appearance of partiality in favor of the State contrary to the case law now existing in this state. That judges should disqualify themselves not only when their impartiality may be questioned but even when their conduct only gives an appearance of impropriety or partiality.
Wherefore, the Defendant herein respectfully prays that Judge Burroughs will recuse or disqualify himself or that in the alternative that an evidentuary [sic] hearing be had to determine the facts alleged herein and that the said Judge then recuse or disqualify himself.
The letter referred to in defendants’ motions was as follows:
To: Marcellus Buchanan
From: Judge Robert M. Burroughs
Subject: Floyd Fie and Steve Harverson
Based upon the evidence, in the case of State vs Donna Rowe 79CRS711, I would request that the Grand Jury be asked to consider the following charges arising out of the death of Willard Setzer and the breaking or entering and larceny of Dr. Abbatt’s office on or about 17 September 1978.
Floyd Fie
1. Murder
2. Accessory before the fact of murder
3. Accessory after the fact of murder
*5874. Conspiracy to commit murder
5. Accessory before the fact to commit breaking or entering and larceny
6. Accessory after the fact to commit breaking or entering and larceny
7. Conspiracy to commit breaking or entering and larceny
8. Possession (NOT receiving) of stolen property
Steve Harverson
1. Murder
2. Accessory before the fact of murder
3. Accessory after the fact of murder
4. Conspiracy to commit murder
5. Accessory before the fact to commit breaking or entering and larceny
6. Accessory after the fact to commit breaking or entering and larceny
7. Conspiracy to commit breaking or entering and larceny
I hope these matters can be presented to the Grand Jury when they meet in Haywood County on May 8, 1984 or as soon thereafter as possible.
s/R. Burroughs
Judge Burroughs referred the motion to Judge Downs for decision. Following a hearing, Judge Downs entered an order denying defendants’ motions in which he entered the following conclusion of law:
In making a request of the District Attorney to have the grand jury consider charges against an individual the then presiding trial judge has not taken such direct action against such individual so as to warrant a recusal or disqualification of the said judge from presiding at the eventual trial of the *588said defendant for the same said charges, because the Court is required to instruct the then trial jury that the defendant is innocent until his guilt has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt and further, that the charges against the defendant is no evidence of guilt.
In my opinion, Judge Downs (1) used the wrong standard in disposing of defendants’ motions and (2) was in error in denying defendants’ motions. The appropriate standard in these matters is whether Judge Burroughs by actively seeking the indictment of these defendants had cast a reasonably founded doubt in the minds of the defendants as to whether he could give them a fair and impartial trial. See Ponder v. Davis, 233 N.C. 699, 65 S.E. 2d 356 (1951). In my opinion, Judge Burroughs’ action in seeking indictments against them would rationally and reasonably give defendants the impression that Judge Burroughs had formed an opinion as to their guilt before their day in court came to pass. For these reasons, I vote to award defendants a new trial.
Although defendant Harverson assigned error to Judge Downs’ ruling, his appellate counsel, the appellate defender, did not bring forward that assignment in his brief. Nevertheless, in my opinion, it would be fundamentally unfair not to award Har-verson a new trial for the same reason.