Court Opinion

ID: 9526709
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 03:22:31.304886+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:21:12.188777
License: Public Domain

Mr. PRESIDING JUSTICE TRAPP, dissenting: The trial court found that a delay of approximately one year between the dates of the offenses and of the indictment was prejudicial, both per se and as a matter of fact. This court properly rejected the determination of per se prejudice. The record does not support the conclusion of the trial court that the defendant has shown actual prejudice stated in the finding: “That the defendant has established by his sworn testimony in open court a plausible claim of inability to recall or reconstruct the events of the day of the offense, and has by his testimony shown that he has been prejudiced by the delay in prosecution.” It does not appear that a “plausible claim” establishes the actual prejudice which is the measure of due process. The record shows, however, that prior to the hearing on the motion to dismiss the indictment defendant filed his response to the prosecution’s motion for discovery, and in such response stated the name and address of a witness whom he intended to call “Who was a witness to the alleged transaction out of which the indictment arose.” In Robinson v. United States (D.C. Cir. 1972), 459 F.2d 847, and United States v. Washington (D.C. Cir. 1972), 463 F.2d 904, it was said that any inference of prejudice is negated where the defendant is able to present witnesses. Defendant’s testimony shows he was acquainted with the named informant to the extent that he had called at the informant’s home on a number of occasions, assertedly for a discussion of other business. Such home was the place of the offense charged. It is interesting that while defendant testified that he could never do business with the informant in such other matters, he, nevertheless, called at the home an unrecalled number of times. Defendant’s testimony showed that he had read reports of the investigating agents concerning the sale. While not in this record, one may reasonably infer that such reports would show the precise date and time and identify the persons present. Upon cross-examination, defendant was asked whether he would say that he has never seen the agent to whom he delivered the cocaine. He did not deny that he had seen her, but stated, “I don’t recall her,” and proceeded to explain that on some occasions he knew the people at the informant’s home, and that on other occasions there were people whom he did not know. There is no specific denial. The opinion speaks approvingly of the procedure followed in United States v. Wilford (D. Del. 1973), 364 F. Supp. 738, which concluded that the determination of prejudice is more accurately made in the context of trial and noted that defendant has little incentive to recollect events or marshall his resources for defense at a pretrial motion..... The issue of prejudice was thus determined in the appeal of the conviction in Woody v. United States (D.C. Cir. 1966), 370 F.2d 214; Ross v. United States (D.C. Cir. 1965), 349 F.2d 210; United States v. Briggs (2d Cir. 1972), 457 F.2d 908; Bey v. United States (D.C. 1965), 350 F.2d 467; Robinson v. United States (D.C. Cir. 1972), 459 F.2d 84; United States v. Washington (D.C. Cir. 1972), 463 F.2d 904, and United States v. Jones (D.C. Cir. 1975), 524 F.2d 834. Many cases held that no prejudice was shown, but in Woody the reviewing court determined that the identification was doubtful, that the informant subpoenaed by defendant claimed privilege and that a witness had died, while in Ross the identification of defendant was doubtful and there was no corroboration so that the convictions were reversed. That procedure is appropriate for adoption here. As the opinion noted, the critical point for determination is the validity of identification of the defendant as the offender. Upon the record made in the procedure followed in this case, such point is never reached. The trial court’s judgment should be reversed and the cause remanded for further proceedings.