Case: UNITED STATES of America v. Linda AGURS, Appellant; UNITED STATES of America v. Linda V. AGURS, Appellant
Abbreviation: United States v. Agurs
Decision Date: 1975-08-06
Docket Number: Nos. 72-2072, 74-1542
Citation: 171 U.S. App. D.C. 350
Volume: 171
Reporter: United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Court: United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Jurisdiction: District of Columbia
Parties: UNITED STATES of America v. Linda AGURS, Appellant. UNITED STATES of America v. Linda V. AGURS, Appellant.
Judges: Before BAZELON, Chief Judge, and WRIGHT, McGOWAN, TAMM, LEVEN-THAL, ROBINSON, MacKINNON, ROBB and WILKEY, Circuit Judges.
Pages: 350–352

Head Matter:
520 F.2d 82
UNITED STATES of America v. Linda AGURS, Appellant. UNITED STATES of America v. Linda V. AGURS, Appellant.
Nos. 72-2072, 74-1542.
United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit.
Aug. 6, 1975.
Before BAZELON, Chief Judge, and WRIGHT, McGOWAN, TAMM, LEVEN-THAL, ROBINSON, MacKINNON, ROBB and WILKEY, Circuit Judges.

Opinion:
ORDER
PER CURIAM.
Appellee's suggestion for rehearing en bane, following prior opinion of the court, 510 F.2d 1249, having been transmitted to the full Court and there not being a majority of the Judges in regular active service in favor of having this case reheard en banc, it is
Ordered by the Court en banc that the aforesaid suggestion for rehearing en banc is denied.
Statement of Circuit Judge LEVEN-THAL as to why he voted against rehearing en banc attached.
Statement of Circuit Judges TAMM, MacKINNON, ROBB and WILKEY, joined by Senior Circuit Judge DANA-HER, as to why they voted to grant the suggestion for rehearing en banc attached.
Statement of Circuit Judges TAMM, MacKINNON, ROBB and WILKEY as to why they voted to grant the suggestion for rehearing en banc, and now joined by Senior Circuit Judge DANA-HER, who as one of the original panel had voted that the panel decision be reheard.
We are of the opinion that this case should have been reheard by the full court, inasmuch as the two principal underpinnings of the panel opinion are of extremely doubtful validity.
First, in spite of the fact that defense counsel was "aware . of the possibility that Sewell [the decedent] might have been arrested or convicted in the past for a violent crime," defense counsel never requested the Government to produce decedent's record. The panel's holding that the Government was still required under Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963), to disclose to the defense a decedent's prior convictions for simple assault and carrying a dangerous weapon, three and twelve years prior to the offense, is of dubious validity in light of the Supreme Court's more recent statement in Moore v. Illinois, 408 U.S. 786, 92 S.Ct. 2562, 33 L.Ed.2d 706 (1972), that "[t]he heart of the holding in Brady is the prosecution's suppression of evidence, in the face of a defense production request, where the evidence is favorable to the accused and is material either to guilt or punishment." 408 U.S. 794, 92 S.Ct. at 2568 (emphasis added). Both the prosecutor and the defense counsel here believed that the prior convictions of the decedent were inadmissible, so even if the Government had spontaneously informed defense counsel of them, defense counsel would not have sought to have introduced them at trial.
Second, both counsel were probably correct; the panel's ruling that "evidence of past violent acts by a deceased is admissible in a homicide case in which the issue of self-defense is raised" (emphasis supplied) is erroneous and a substantial departure from the accepted rule. "The general rule is that the general reputation of a decedent may be shown, but that specific acts against other persons than the defendant, which are remote m point of time, are not admissible when they are not known by the defendant." Hayes v. United States, 367 F.2d 216, 223 (10th Cir. 1966) (emphasis supplied). The fact situation, as described in the panel opinion, indicates that the decedent and the accused had the sparsest of acquaintanceship prior to their rendezvous in the motel room. There was never a claim by the accused that she knew of any violent character or acts of the decedent, for, in spite of the inference to be drawn from the language in the panel opinion, the appellant at no time took the stand. The whole theory of self-defense was conjured by her trial attorney in argument.
This Circuit has not adopted the two principles of law relied on in the panel opinion to reverse this conviction for second degree murder. If we are to adopt such principles, which we believe are in contrast to long-standing rules in this- and other Circuits, it should be on a hearing en banc.