Court Opinion

ID: 9652336
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 17:22:28.899135+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:12:50.405680
License: Public Domain

NEBEKER, Associate Judge,
concurring:
While I concur in the court's disposition of this case, I believe that two matters should be clarified for the benefit of the trial judge in this and future cases.
First. The court cites Poteat v. United States, D.C.App., 363 A.2d 295 (1976), as an example of a situation in which a new trial motion did not require a hearing. That case should be more fully distinguished from the instant circumstances.
In Poteat, we approved the denial of a new trial without a hearing where the motion was based upon affidavits of newly discovered evidence. It was clear from those affidavits and the record of the trial that the proffered evidence was neither newly discovered nor likely to have produced an acquittal had it been admitted. 363 A.2d at 297. The circumstances of the instant case, however, present the possibility that appellant was prejudiced in his right to a fair trial. The affidavits in this case allege a factor extraneous to the issues at appellant’s trial which may have diluted the presumption of innocence. See Estelle v. Williams, 425 U.S. 501, 96 S.Ct. 1691, 48 L.Ed.2d 126 (1976) (forcing accused to stand trial in prison clothes); In re Winship, 397 U.S. 358, 90 S.Ct. 1068, 25 L.Ed.2d 368 (1970) (presumption of innocence may not be affected by age of accused). Cf. Illinois v. Allen, 397 U.S. 337, 344, 90 S.Ct. 1057, 25 L.Ed.2d 353 (1970) (accused’s contumacious behavior justified shackling and gagging *1005during trial). Since, unlike Poteat, we are unable to determine from the record the likelihood of prejudice, there must be a hearing to develop the facts upon which the trial court will rely for its conclusions. Only then will we be able to review those conclusions.
Second. The court, in its remand instructions, assumes that the trial court, should it find that any juror witnessed the. incident, must immediately take juror testimony to determine whether the incident acted as an “extraneous influence” upon jury deliberations. By doing so the court implies — but does not hold — that the circumstances, if viewed by jurors, could not constitute per se prejudice to appellant’s presumption of innocence. An evaluation of the likely effects of an extraneous influence may proceed from the individual facts of a case. See Hall v. Cox, 324 F.Supp. 786 (W.D.Va. 1971) (trial in prison clothing; showing of actual prejudice required). But, if in reason or principle or in light of common experience a court may conclude that an extraneous influence is inherently prejudicial, it may so hold without a showing of actual prejudice. See Brooks v. Texas, 381 F.2d 619, 624 (5th Cir. 1967) (trial in prison clothing renders trial inherently unfair). Neither procedure was expressly approved or disapproved in Estelle. I would not be prepared to hold, on this record, that the incident alleged would necessarily render the trial unfair. I would not, however, foreclose such a conclusion. But the trial court must make the initial judgment after it has had an opportunity to become fully acquainted with the circumstances resulting from the incident against the backdrop of the facts establishing guilt.
Only if the trial court finds no inherent prejudice must it determine whether the incident actually prejudiced appellant in respect to the presumption of innocence. Such a determination would, of course, be best accomplished with the knowledge of the operation of the minds of the jurors. Strong and cogent policy reasons, as well as precedent, however, preclude such polling of the jury once a verdict has been rendered. Mattox v. United States, 146 U.S. 140, 149, 13 S.Ct. 50, 36 L.Ed. 917 (1892). Compare United States v. Crosby, 294 F.2d 928, 949-50 (2d Cir. 1961), and United States v. McKinney, 429 F.2d 1019, 1030-31 (5th Cir. 1970) (polling after verdict), with United States v. Torres, 519 F.2d 723, 727-28 (2d Cir. 1975), and United States v. Chipman, 513 F.2d 1262, 1263 (6th Cir. 1975) (polling before verdict). Should the court find, therefore, that any of the jurors saw the incident, the trial court is limited in its further questioning to whether the incident was discussed in the course of jury deliberations and, if so, what was said. See McKinney, supra at 1030-31. The court may not question as to the effect of these discussions upon the jury verdict, but must, in light of what was said, determine for itself whether such discussions would affect the deliberations of “a hypothetical average jury,” United States v. Crosby, supra at 950, hearing the evidence in the case. See D.C.Code 1973, § ll-721(e).