Court Opinion

ID: 9844794
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 03:09:01.096121+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:15:43.222865
License: Public Domain

PRATHER, District Judge
(concurring specially).
Petitioner contends his plea of guilty was obtained by coercion when the prosecutor offered to accept a plea to second degree murder and dismiss other charges. It should be noted that petitioner’s allegations are that the day before trial his own attorney told him it was his last chance to plead guilty to a lesser charge; that if he would plead guilty to second degree murder (he was charged with first), the prosecutor would dismiss two charges of grand larceny and that if he did not so plead the prosecutor would seek the death penalty and the two other charges and also charge defendant as a persistent violator.
Assuming the truth of such allegations, the petitioner is not entitled to relief. Such communication from a prosecuting attorney to a defense attorney, relayed by the defendant attorney to a defendant does not constitute coercion that will vitiate a plea of guilty. If the situation were reversed and the prosecutor had made such an offer to the defendant’s attorney and he had not communicated it to the defendant and the defendant was thereafter convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to-hang, I have no doubt that the conviction would be reversed because of incompetency of defendant counsel in failing to relay the offer to him. Thus, if we hold that such communication can be coercion, all defense counsel are faced with an impossible dilemma. If they communicate the prosecutor’s offer, any following plea of guilty is tainted by coercion. If they do not communicate the offer and their client is convicted of a crime greater than that to which the *94prosecutor offered to accept a plea, then defense counsel have exposed themselves to charges of incompetency for failing to relay the offer. Likewise, the prosecutor would face an impossible situation. He could then never make any offer to a defendant’s attorney to accept a plea to a lesser charge than that in the information ■or indictment because to do so would make him guilty of coercing a plea from the defendant.
I hold therefore that when a defendant is solely represented by competent counsel, ■offers to accept a plea to a lesser offense than that charged or to pursue the prosecution for a greater penalty or upon other charges, which are communicated by a prosecuting attorney to the defendant’s attorney and are in turn related by defendant’s attorney to defendant, do not constitute coercion which taints a plea of guilty.
This case, upon the question of coercion, should be clearly distinguished from those ■cases where a defendant, alone and unrepresented, is approached directly by the prosecuting attorney or other law enforcement official such as in the Austin and Goff cases, supra.
The most serious question presented Tierein is the representation of four co-defendants charged with commission of the •same acts charged against petitioner.
As the majority states, the understanding ■or ignorance of an individual defendant of the true nature and full consequences of his plea of guilty is very critical and when ■one accused person is represented by counsel who also represents co-defendants on the same charge, it is less likely that the individual accused will receive the kind of •assistance from counsel to which he is entitled.
There is a third very cogent reason for ■condemning multiple representation. That is because of the inevitable conflict that .arises in cases of this type. Without fail, when numerous defendants are arrested for involvement in the same crime, they invariably each point at someone else as being the major culprit. Each is anxious to minimize his own role in the crime and maximize the activity of others. Thus, one attorney trying to represent all of these defendants is inevitably faced with an irreconcilable conflict of interest between his clients. He can not advocate the position of one client without detriment to the position of another of his clients. In the situation such as herein, if the attorney had advised three of his clients to plead guilty and the fourth not to, and the fourth was acquitted, the attorney would be immediately accused of malpractice by his other three clients. Such conflict between clients would leave the defense attorney no choice to do other than was done in this case and that is to outline the bare facts of the situation and then say “Gentlemen, it’s up to you. What do you want to do?” This is not the counsel and advice that a defendant is entitled to expect from his attorney. He is entitled to expect more than that. He is entitled to expect his attorney to evaluate his chances and prospects and to advise and recommend to him a course of action.
I am convinced that multiple representation by court appointed counsel is so inherently wrong that it must be presumed as a matter of law that any plea of guilty obtained from a defendant so represented can not be said to have been made voluntarily and understandingly. Therefore, because of such multiple representation, I would remand the case to the district court of Ada County with instruction to that court to set aside petitioners conviction and order the petitioner returned to Bannock County for further proceedings upon the indictment.
I think it should also be noted that the majority in remanding for proceedings under the Uniform Post-Conviction Procedure Act, in effect holds without deciding that habeas corpus can be replaced by such procedure.
In the first place that was never an issue herein and was never briefed. I do not think the court should change procedural avenues for petitioner without notice and opportunity for him to be heard thereon.
*95Furthermore, habeas corpus is constitutional and affords a constitutional right for the body of the petitioner to be produced in court. There is a question as to whether that constitutional right can be abrogated by the Uniform Post-Conviction Procedure Act which does not afford such absolute right.
Also, there is a question of whether petitioner’s rights to habeas corpus under the United States Constitution would be denied by the majority’s summary change to post-conviction relief procedure.
I do not think the foregoing questions should be resolved as herein done without analysis and consideration.