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Warren Eugene BRIDGE

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
Classification: Murderer
Characteristics: Robbery
Number of victims: 1
Date of murder: February 10, 1980
Date of arrest: 10 days after
Date of birth: July 3, 1960
Victim profile: Walter Rose, 62 (convenience store clerk)
Method of murder: Shooting (.38 caliber pistol)
Location: Galveston County, Texas, USA
Status: Executed by lethal injection in Texas on November 22, 1994
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Date of Execution:
November 22, 1994
Offender:
Bridge, Warren #668
Last Statement:
I'll see you.

 

Warren Eugene Bridge was born in Fauquier County, Virginia and after his mother passed away, him and his sister, Jennifer Rigsby were reared by their step-father Bill Mathis in Albany, Georgia. With an educational level of 11 years, Bridge grew up in a racist environment and though he did work as a cashier at a local restaurant, his drug problems and run-ins with the law on several accounts, brought Bridge to his ultimate fate.

“I remember reading over his records,” said attorney, Anthony Griffin, ”and there were several burglary charges and quite a few drug possessions as well.”

Bridge lived his life robbing and stealing from convenience stores and individual people to support his drug addictions. In 1978, before he came to Texas, Bridge was given a 15-year prison sentence in Georgia for burglary. However, he was released from prison and placed on probation in 1979.

Bridge was convicted for the Feb. 10, 1980 robbery and shooting of Walter Rose, a 62-year old convenience store clerk in Galveston. Rose was shot four times with a .38 caliber pistol as Bridge and co-defendant Robert Joseph Costa robbed the Stop & Go store at 710 Fourth Street for $24. Rose died of his wounds on Feb. 24, 1980, four days following the arrest of Bridge and Costa during a drug raid on their motel room.

While on death row, Bridge was implicated in the bombing of another inmate’s cell, September 1984, and stabbing of a fellow inmate in March 1985.

“I do not know how Bridge got the weapon,” said Assistant Warden Mickey Liles, “because he had just been released from solitary confinement.”

Both inmates were black. Bridge is white.

In January 1985, Bridge was convicted of aggravated assault in Walker County and given a concurrent 10-year prison sentence.

Bridge, during his time in prison, had received a tattoo of the Confederate flag and had been known for associating with the Arian Brotherhood, a white fascist prison gang. Bridge was filled with hate, and whether he learned it from his family or friends, he found in prison a new family that practiced hatred and murdered others because of their skin color.

Attorney Anthony Griffin took over the case after Bridge’s lawyer, Richard Thorton died. He filed numerous stays of execution on behalf of Bridge, many of which were successful keeping Bridge alive for some time.

“I am very against the death penalty, which is why I took over the case, “ said Griffin. “ Life in prison without parole, let the convicts live and die in prison.”

Griffin could remember how frightened Bridge was and how they talked about life and death. “I would rather be shot,” Bridge said, “ I would rather die standing up – with my shoes on – than laying down. The way they do it now is a druggie way to die. I wouldn’t want to be hanged or ride old Sparky (the electric chair). I’m not very fond of electricity. Just a plain bullet is cleaner somehow.”

On Nov. 22, 1994, early in the morning, with a stomach full of fish sticks, peaches, and a double-meat cheeseburger, Bridge said goodbye to his family, nodded to his stepfather, said, “See ya” and died.

 
 

838 F.2d 770

Warren Eugene BRIDGE, Petitioner-Appellant,
v.
James A. LYNAUGH, Director, Texas Department of Corrections,
Respondent- Appellee.

No. 87-6069.

United States Court of Appeals,
Fifth Circuit.

Feb. 18, 1988.
Rehearing and Rehearing En Banc Denied March 17, 1988.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Before POLITZ, WILLIAMS and JONES, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:

Appellant, Warren Eugene Bridge, seeks habeas corpus relief pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Sec. 2254 from his conviction for capital murder. Appellant is an inmate on death row in the Texas Department of Corrections. Bridge was tried and convicted in the 212th Judicial District Court, Galveston County, for the murder of Walter Rose, on February 10, 1980, while robbing the Stop'N Go convenience store where Rose was employed. The evidence showed that Bridge shot Rose four times with a .38 caliber revolver. Bridge and an accomplice, Robert Costa, took $24.00 out of the cash register. Bridge pled not guilty to the capital murder charge. His primary defense was the claim that accomplice Costa was the actual killer of Rose.

At the separate punishment hearing after Bridge was convicted, the jury answered affirmatively the special capital punishment issues, and Bridge was sentenced, on September 10, 1980, to death by lethal injection pursuant to Tex.Crim.Proc. Code Ann. Sec. 37.071. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed his conviction and sentence. Bridge v. State, 726 S.W.2d 558 (Tex.Crim.App.1986). A fuller description of the factual background of this case is contained in the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas opinion. Bridge's accomplice, Robert Costa, was convicted of aggravated robbery and sentenced to 13 years in prison in a separate trial.

Bridge did not seek certiorari review of his conviction from the United States Supreme Court. Bridge, however, filed a writ of habeas corpus, on June 25, 1987, in state district court in Galveston pursuant to Tex.Crim.Proc. Code Ann. Sec. 11.07. On August 24, 1987, the state district court recommended the writ application be denied without a hearing. On September 4, 1987, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denied the writ application. On September 21, 1987, Bridge filed a habeas corpus petition with the federal district court in Galveston and asked the court to stay his execution scheduled for October 1, 1987. On September 24, 1987, the federal district court entered its order denying the stay of execution and the requested writ of habeas corpus. The next day the district court also denied Bridge's Certificate of Probable Cause but granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis. We granted Bridge's motion to proceed in forma pauperis, granted his certificate of probable cause, and granted him a stay of execution until further order of this Court. The habeas corpus petition which we review is appellant's first petition in the federal courts.

I.

Appellant's first argument in his petition alleges he was deprived of his due process rights to a fundamentally fair trial under the Fourteenth Amendment by the trial court's refusal to allow into evidence at the guilt/innocence phase of his trial testimony regarding Robert Costa's indictment, conviction, and sentence for aggravated robbery. The trial court also granted the state's oral motion in limine preventing defense counsel from even mentioning at any time during trial that Costa had been indicted, tried, and convicted of aggravated robbery and sentenced to only 13 years. Bridge claims this exclusion was unfair because it prevented the jury from understanding the "relative posture" of appellant and the testimony of one of the state's witnesses. This is an obscure contention because the testimony of the state's witness was only in a vague and general way related to the crime.

It is well settled law in this Circuit that in reviewing state evidentiary rulings in habeas corpus petitions "[w]e do not sit as a super state supreme court to review error under state law." Bailey v. Procunier, 744 F.2d 1166, 1168 (5th Cir.1984); Skillern v. Estelle, 720 F.2d 839, 852 (5th Cir.1983), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 873, 105 S.Ct. 224, 83 L.Ed.2d 153 (1984). An evidentiary error in a state trial justifies federal habeas corpus relief only if the error is "so extreme that it constitutes a denial of fundamental fairness under the Due Process Clause." Bailey v. Procunier, 744 F.2d at 1168. See also Skillern v. Estelle, 720 F.2d at 852. The challenged evidence must be "a crucial, critical, or highly significant factor in the context of the entire trial." Thomas v. Lynaugh, 812 F.2d 225, 230 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 132, 98 L.Ed.2d 89 (1987). See also, Bailey v. Procunier, 744 F.2d at 1168-69; Skillern v. Estelle, 720 F.2d at 852.

Such was not the situation in the case at bar. Costa's conviction and sentence were not even probative evidence in Bridge's trial. This information was not necessary for an understanding of the state witness' testimony, which was in general that Bridge was easily influenced by others and was a drug user. Nor does it relate to the issue of appellant's culpability. At most, it might have swayed the jury to go a little easier on Bridge because Costa got such a light sentence. These circumstances are not a legitimate basis for admission of evidence.

A co-defendant's conviction and sentence for an offense arising out of the same course of events is irrelevant to the question of the defendant's guilt and thus not admissible. United States v. Miranda, 593 F.2d 590, 594 (5th Cir.1979); United States v. Irvin, 787 F.2d 1506, 1516 (11th Cir.1986); Rodriquez v. State, 552 S.W.2d 451, 456 (Tex.Crim.App.1977); Antwine v. State, 486 S.W.2d 578, 581 (Tex.Crim.App.1972); Martin v. State, 206 S.W.2d 254, 255 (Tex.Crim.App.1947). The Texas trial court made no error in refusing to admit this evidence or allow defense counsel to make reference to it. As a result there is no basis for habeas relief.

II.

Appellant's remaining habeas challenges to his conviction are in the form of ineffective counsel claims.

Claims of ineffective counsel are reviewed under the two prong standard of Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). See also Darden v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 187, 106 S.Ct. 2464, 91 L.Ed.2d 144 (1986); Hill v. Lockhart, 474 U.S. 52, 106 S.Ct. 366, 88 L.Ed.2d 203 (1985). First petitioner must show that "counsel's representation fell below an objective standard of reasonableness." Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. at 688, 104 S.Ct. at 2064. "This requires showing that counsel made errors so serious that counsel was not functioning as the 'counsel' guaranteed the defendant by the Sixth Amendment." Id. Second petitioner must show that "there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would be different." 466 U.S. at 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2068. "This requires showing that counsel's errors were so serious as to deprive the defendant of a fair trial, a trial whose result is reliable." 466 U.S. at 687, 104 S.Ct. at 2064. Appellant must make both these showings in order to have habeas relief based on an ineffective counsel claim. Id

In applying the first Strickland criterion, a court must indulge a strong presumption that counsel's conduct falls within the wide range of reasonable professional competence, or that, under the circumstances, the challenged action "might be considered sound trial strategy." Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. at 689, 104 S.Ct. at 2065, quoting Michel v. Louisiana, 350 U.S. 91, 101, 76 S.Ct. 158, 164, 100 L.Ed. 83 (1955). Every effort must be made to eliminate the distorting effects of hindsight--judicial scrutiny of counsel's performance must be highly deferential. Id

Furthermore, it is not sufficient that a habeas petitioner merely alleges a deficiency on the part of counsel. He must affirmatively plead the resulting prejudice in his habeas petition. Hill v. Lockhart, 474 U.S. at 59-61, 106 S.Ct. at 371; Manning v. Warden, Louisiana State Penitentiary, 786 F.2d 710, 712 (5th Cir.1986).

We will apply this two part Strickland standard to each of appellant's ineffective counsel claims.

A.

Appellant's first claim as to ineffective counsel relates to his trial counsel's failure to object to testimony introduced by the state during the guilt/innocence stage of his trial concerning his escape from jail. Bridge escaped from the Galveston county jail on the night of July 9, 1980, while in custody on this capital murder charge. He was recaptured the following morning in Texas City. Bridge claims this evidence of his escape was used to try him for being a bad person generally in contravention of the rules of evidence concerning character evidence. Bridge claims his trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective in failing to object to this evidence.

Appellant is incorrect about this evidence being inadmissible. Under Texas law, evidence of escape from custody or flight to avoid arrest is generally held admissible on the issue of guilt. Rumbaugh v. State, 629 S.W.2d 747, 752 (Tex.Crim.App.1982); McWherter v. State, 607 S.W.2d 531 (Tex. Crim.App.1980). "[T]o support admission of evidence of escape from custody and flight, it must appear that the escape and flight has some legal relevance to the offense under prosecution." Hodge v. State, 506 S.W.2d 870, 873 (Tex.Crim.App.1973). The state established the relevance by showing that appellant was in custody pending his trial for capital murder. He was not awaiting trial for any other crimes at the time.

Once escape and flight is established, "the burden then shifts to the defendant to show affirmatively that the escape and flight is directly connected to some other transaction and further show that it is not connected with the offense on trial." Id. See also Wockenfuss v. State, 521 S.W.2d 630 (Tex.Crim.App.1975). Since appellant did not offer any affirmative proof showing the escape was motivated by other factors, he failed to carry this burden of proof. The evidence concerning his escape was therefore admissible under Texas law and there was no basis for objection. Appellant's counsel can not be held ineffective for failing to object to this evidence. This ineffective counsel claim fails to satisfy either of the Strickland requirements.

B.

Appellant also claims his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to object to improper jury arguments made by the state. Appellant asserts that the prosecutor told the jury to disregard the court's charge and the relevant law concerning burden of proof, presumption of innocence, and appellant's right not to testify. Since appellant's trial counsel did not make objections to these statements, the alleged error was waived on appeal unless it was fundamental error. Appellant's counsel on his appeal to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, however, did not raise the claim as fundamental error. Bridge is saying both his trial counsel and his counsel on appeal were ineffective for their failure to object to or challenge the state's jury argument.

Upon review of the record, we find no basis in appellant's ineffective counsel claim on this issue. "In federal habeas actions, improper jury argument by the state does not present a claim of constitutional magnitude unless it is so prejudicial that the petitioner's state court trial was rendered fundamentally unfair within the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process clause." Felde v. Blackburn, 795 F.2d 400, 403 (5th Cir.1986), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 210, 98 L.Ed.2d 161 (1987). See also Whittington v. Estelle, 704 F.2d 1418, 1422 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 464 U.S. 983, 104 S.Ct. 428, 78 L.Ed.2d 361 (1983). "To establish that a prosecutor's remarks are so inflammatory as to prejudice the substantial rights of a defendant, the petitioner must demonstrate either persistent and pronounced misconduct or that the evidence was so insubstantial that (in probability) but for the remarks no conviction would have occurred." Felde v. Blackburn, 795 F.2d at 403.

The requisite showing is a difficult one for a criminal defendant to establish on appeal. The burden is even more difficult in this case because Bridge must not only show improper jury argument rising to the level of a constitutional impairment of a fundamentally fair trial, but he must also show that his trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective in failing to object to the argument and that his counsel on appeal was constitutionally ineffective in not challenging this argument as fundamental error on appeal. Appellant falls far short of such a showing. The prosecutor did state that the court in instructing as to the various possibilities of the verdict was "overly protecting" the rights of Bridge, but this really was no more than prosecutorial comment on the weight of the evidence. Also, the prosecutor's comment concerning burden of proof might have been slightly misleading to the jury only if taken out of context.1

We find no violation that impinges on the appellant's constitutional right to a fundamentally fair trial. See Ortega v. McCotter, 808 F.2d 406 (5th Cir.1987). We cannot hold that appellant's trial counsel was constitutionally ineffective in failing to object to the jury argument or that his appellate counsel was ineffective in not raising this issue on appeal. Appellant's ineffective counsel challenge on this theory must necessarily fail. Ricalday v. Procunier, 736 F.2d 203 (5th Cir.1984); Taylor v. Maggio, 727 F.2d 341 (5th Cir.1984).

C.

Appellant also has several complaints about his trial counsel's performance during voir dire. One of his complaints is based on his belief that his trial counsel wasted three peremptory challenges on venire members that appellant now feels could have been challenged for cause had his trial counsel been effective. Appellant also claims his trial counsel was ineffective in not requesting additional peremptory challenges.

Appellant asserts that venire members Gallaway and Gamble said during their voir dire examination that they would require the defendant to disprove one of the special issues concerning capital punishment instead of requiring the state to carry the burden of proving it.2 Appellant now claims that his trial counsel failed to get Gallaway and Gamble removed for cause on the correct ground based on these statements3, thereby having to waste peremptory strikes on them. The refusal to grant challenge for cause "is within the discretion of the trial court, and it does not provide a basis for habeas corpus relief unless the disqualifying fact was so prejudicial that the refusal deprived the petitioner of a fundamentally fair trial." Sudds v. Maggio, 696 F.2d 415, 416 (5th Cir.1983); Passman v. Blackburn, 652 F.2d 559, 567 (5th Cir.1981), cert. denied, 455 U.S. 1022, 102 S.Ct. 1722, 72 L.Ed.2d 141 (1982).

The state correctly points out that the totality of Gallaway's and Gamble's responses, including those made during rehabilitation, indicate that they would place the burden on this issue properly on the state. The responses from these two venire members stating otherwise appear to have resulted in part from the confusing nature of some of defense counsel's questioning on this issue. In summary, the record shows that there probably could not have been justification for challenge for cause based on these two venire members improperly placing the burden of disproving future dangerousness on the defendant. The ultimate outcome of their answers was to the contrary. Appellant's trial counsel cannot be faulted for failing to make these challenges for cause.

Appellant has a similar complaint concerning venire member Whitmore and his conflicting responses regarding the placement of the burden of proof on the issue of future dangerousness. Appellant's trial counsel properly moved to have Whitmore removed for cause and objected when the court denied the motion. Appellant, however, alleges his counsel on appeal was ineffective in failing to raise this alleged error on appeal to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Wicker v. McCotter, 783 F.2d 487, 497 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 106 S.Ct. 3310, 92 L.Ed.2d 723 (1986).

Once again on the record the state appears to be correct in saying that venire member Whitmore's conflicting answers concerning the imposition of the death penalty without the state proving future dangerousness resulted primarily from confusion and not bias. If a defendant challenges a venire member for cause and the trial court denies the challenge, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals will review the propriety of the decision in light of all the responses of the venire member. Clark v. State, 717 S.W.2d 910 (Tex.Crim.App.1986), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 107 S.Ct. 2202, 95 L.Ed.2d 857 (1987). A review of the record convinces us that the trial court's decision is sufficiently supported by the record and would have been upheld on appeal had appellant's counsel raised it as a ground of error. There is no showing that Whitmore was biased against the law, as a matter of law, thus necessitating his removal when challenged for cause. Cf. Anderson v. State, 633 S.W.2d 851, 854 (Tex.Crim.App.1982) (explaining when bias exists as a matter of law). We conclude that appellant's counsel on appeal was not ineffective in failing to raise this issue as a point of error.

D.

Finally, appellant alleges in passing that his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to attempt to rehabilitate four venire members who expressed personal convictions against the death penalty. All four of these venire members were removed for cause. A review of the record convinces us that all four of these venire members were unequivocal in their feelings against the death penalty and would not be able to function properly as jurists in a capital case. Adams v. Texas, 448 U.S. 38, 100 S.Ct. 2521, 65 L.Ed.2d 581 (1980). A trial counsel's decision not to attempt to rehabilitate a venire member under such circumstances does not constitute ineffective assistance of counsel. Moore v. Maggio, 740 F.2d 308, 317 (5th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1032, 105 S.Ct. 3514, 87 L.Ed.2d 643 (1985).

III.

As an alternative to this Court granting habeas corpus relief on any of the grounds discussed above, appellant asks that the case be remanded to the district court for further evidentiary development on his claims. "In order to be entitled to an evidentiary hearing before the district court, a habeas petitioner must allege facts which, if proved, would entitle him to relief." Taylor v. Maggio, 727 F.2d at 347. Appellant has failed to carry this burden. The issues upon which Bridge asks to have an evidentiary hearing are essentially the same ineffective counsel issues he has urged on this appeal. And we have held these issues to be meritless. A further evidentiary hearing would serve no useful purpose since the record before us is fully adequate for us to resolve these issues.

There is only one issue which we have not already addressed but as to which appellant asks for an evidentiary hearing. It concerns the overall criminal defense counsel expertise of his trial attorneys. Appellant claims his counsel had little or no criminal trial experience prior to representing him in this capital case and that one of his counsel has subsequently been disbarred for a felony conviction involving cocaine. A review of the record, however, convinces us that appellant's trial attorneys provided effective assistance. Appellant has failed to point out any specific examples how his trial counsel were ineffective beyond those contentions previously discussed and found not to establish grounds for habeas relief.

IV.

Having reviewed appellant's petition for habeas corpus, we find no basis upon which to grant petitioner any relief. Appellant's petition for habeas corpus is denied, and the stay of execution is dissolved.

DENIAL OF HABEAS CORPUS AFFIRMED.

STAY OF EXECUTION VACATED.

*****

1

Read in context, the prosecutor's argument was that the evidence presented by the state was sufficient to overcome defendant's presumption of innocence, but that in order to convict defendant, the government would have to prove all the necessary elements beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecutor merely argued that the government had carried that burden

2

This was the future dangerousness issue. A finding that defendant will pose a future threat to society is required by Texas law before the death penalty can be imposed. The state must carry the burden of proving this issue

3

Evidently appellant's trial counsel attempted to get Gamble removed for cause based on her knowledge of criminology and her belief that criminals generally are freed too soon. Gallaway was challenged by appellant's trial counsel on the basis of her conflicting answers regarding burden of proof

 
 

856 F.2d 712

Warren Eugene Bridge, Petitioner-Appellant,
v.
James A. Lynaugh, Director, Texas Department of Corrections, Respondent-Appellee.

No. 88-2855

Federal Circuits, 5th Cir.

September 14, 1988

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Before POLITZ, WILLIAMS and JONES, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:

Warren Bridge is scheduled to be executed after midnight on September 15, 1988. On September 8 he moved in state district court for post conviction relief, 28 U.S.C. § 2254, and a stay of execution. Mr. Bridge in his habeas corpus petition basically argues that the law under which he was sentenced to death, Tex.Crim.Proc.Code Ann. Art. 37.071, (Vernon 1981), violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments because it allows a Texas jury no mechanism for considering individual mitigating circumstances during the punishment phase of a capital murder trial. Bridge's current petition for habeas corpus has been denied in the state courts and the United States District Court. The District Court refused to grant a certificate of probable cause to appeal.

I. Procedural Default at State Court

The State argues that this habeas corpus appeal is now procedurally barred, because the objection raised was not made by Bridge's counsel during his trial. Certainly that argument is correct under Texas state law - see Ex parte Williams, Application No. 15,826-05 (Tex.Crim.App. 1988); Ex parte Streetman, Application No. 15,682,02 (Tex.Crim.App. 1988). There are two reasons why we do not accept the procedural bar in this case. The first is that the state courts used the procedural bar only as an alternative justification for the denial of habeas corpus. The courts also evaluated the merits of the claim. Thus, there is ample authority justifying a denial of controlling weight to the procedural bar when the state courts themselves, while referring to the bar, also consider and decide the habeas corpus case on the merits of the claims made. Miller v. Estelle, 677 F.2d 1080, 1084 (5th Cir. 1982), cert. denied, 459 U.S. 1072, 103 S.Ct. 494, 74 L.Ed.2d 636.

The second reason not to accept the procedural bar in this case is that the issue of mitigation under the Texas statute seemed to have been settled favorably to the state in the case upholding the constitutionality of the Texas capital punishment statute. Jurek v. Texas, 428 U.S. 262 , 96 S.Ct. 2950, 49 L.Ed.2d 929 (1976). But the issue of the constitutionality of the Texas plan was revived by the Supreme Court grant of certiorari in Franklin v. Lynaugh, cert. granted, ___ U.S. ___, 108 S.Ct. 221, 98 L.Ed.2d 180 (1987), aff'd in ___ U.S. ___, 108 S.Ct. 2320, 101 L.Ed.2d 155 (1988) and Penry v. Lynaugh, 832 F.2d 915 (5th Cir. 1987), cert. granted, ___ U.S. ___, 108 S.Ct. 2896, 101 L.Ed.2d 930 (1988). To deny Bridge the right to raise this revived issue in this capital case would be highly prejudicial. Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 U.S. 72, 86-87, 97 S.Ct. 2497, 2506, 53 L.Ed.2d 594 (1977).

This case, therefore, falls within the established exception to the procedural bar through the failure of the state courts to rely fully upon it and by the extreme prejudice resulting from a later revival of what was considered to be a settled question. Thus, we can decide this appeal on the merits of the motion for a certificate of probable cause to appeal the denial by the Federal District Court of his petition for habeas corpus.

II. The Merits of the Claim

Under the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, after finding Bridge guilty of murder, the court presented in aggravation two special issues to the jury in the sentencing portion of his capital murder trial:

  (1) whether the conduct of the defendant that caused the death of the deceased was committed deliberately and with the reasonable expectation that the death of the deceased or another would result;

  (2) whether there is a probability that the defendant would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society.

Tex.Crim.Proc.Code Ann., Art. 37.071(b) (Vernon, 1981). The jury answered both questions affirmatively, which, under the law compelled the court to sentence the defendant to death. There is also a third question under the statutory scheme which is not at issue in this case. It concerns provocation by the victim. Bridge argues that the Texas method of presenting aggravating circumstances to the jury which results in death sentences is unconstitutional under the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. The assertion is that it does not allow the jury adequately to consider potential mitigating circumstances.

The recent Supreme Court case of Franklin v. Lynaugh, ___ U.S. ___, 108 S.Ct. 2320, 101 L.Ed.2d 155 (1988) deals with these issues under the Texas law. The four justice plurality opinion by Justice White pointed out that the Texas procedure does not bar the defendant from presenting all possible mitigating circumstances. The state law simply directs the juror's consideration of mitigating circumstances into two inquiries: whether the defendant's actions were deliberate and whether he personally would constitute a continuing threat to society. In the Franklin case, the only mitigating circumstance offered was that the defendant's prison record from 1971-1974 (under a prior conviction and sentence) and from 1976-1980 (after arrest for the present offense) were without incident. The concurring opinion of Justice O'Connor joined by Justice Blackmun agreed that the "continuing threat" question allowed the jury adequate room to consider the defendant's previous prison record.

This case is somewhat more complex than Franklin because the defendant offered more alleged mitigating circumstances at trial, including the following:

1. That no physical evidence linked him to the murder, but that his accomplice may have actually shot and killed the victim.

2. That he was intoxicated at the time of the crime.

3. That he had not been connected with any violent crime before this incident.

4. That he was immature and young (19 years old) at the time of his offense.

5. That he is easily led by others.

The first two factors could adequately be considered under the rubric of the first special question concerning whether the crime was deliberate. Both the first and second assertions actually amounted to no more than a reopening of the issue of guilt. But in any event they were clearly covered by the first issue. The remaining three mitigating circumstances properly could be considered by the jury under the "future dangerousness" question submitted to the jury. They are far less formidable mitigation than Bridge would have had the jury believe. Thus, while he urged he had no record of participation in violent crimes, he had in fact been convicted of three prior burglaries and had escaped from custody in Georgia. As to youth and immaturity, he was a 19 year old adult at the time the murder was committed. The final assertion, that he is easily led, is the kind of vague and general assertion that any jury could accept or reject as it felt inclined to do.

As pointed out by Justice White in the Franklin opinion, there are two lines of cases in the Supreme Court's death penalty jurisprudence which seem to be in contention with each other - Lockett v. Ohio, 438 U.S. 586, 604-08, 98 S.Ct. 2954, 2964-67, 57 L.Ed.2d 973 (1978), and Eddings v. Oklahoma, 455 U.S. 104, 102 S.Ct. 869, 71 L.Ed.2d 1 (1982) which require that the juries be allowed discretion during sentencing to consider individual mitigating circumstances and Greg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153, 96 S.Ct. 2909, 49 L.Ed.2d 859 (1976); Jurek v. Texas, 428 U.S. 262 , 96 S.Ct. 2950, 49 L.Ed.2d 929 (1976); and Proffitt v. Florida, 428 U.S. 242 , 96 S.Ct. 2960, 49 L.Ed.2d 913 (1976), which require a limitation on juror discretion so that the death penalty not be imposed arbitrarily. Justice White notes that the Court has upheld the Texas capital sentencing system "precisely" because "its method for providing for the consideration of mitigating evidence ... accommodates both of these concerns." Franklin 108 S.Ct. at 2331.

The Supreme Court, after deciding the Franklin case granted certiorari in the case of Penry v. Lynaugh, ___ U.S. ___, 108 S.Ct. 2896, 101 L.Ed.2d 930 (1988). According to United Law Week, 57 U.S.L.W. 3027 (U.S. July 1, 1988) (No. 87-6177), the questions presented for certiorari are

  (1) At punishment phase of Texas murder trial, must trial court upon proper request (a) instruct jury that they are to take into consideration all evidence that mitigates against sentence of death and (b) define terms in three statutory questions in such way that in answering these questions all mitigating evidence can be taken into account?

  (2) Is it cruel and unusual punishment to execute an individual with reasoning capacity of a seven-year-old?

Penry v. Lynaugh, 832 F.2d 915 (5th Cir. 1987), petition for cert. granted, ___ U.S. ___, 108 S.Ct. 2896, 101 L.Ed.2d 930 (1988). The issue posed by the facts in the Penry case, however, involves the mitigating circumstance of serious mental retardation and whether or not it can adequately be taken into account under Texas' two aggravation issues. See Penry v. Lynaugh, 832 F.2d 915 (5th Cir. 1987). Regardless of whether the Supreme Court finds such to be the case in Penry, all the mitigating circumstances which Bridge offered clearly could properly be addressed under the Texas law. Thus, in accordance with the Franklin decision, we find no justification for granting a certificate of probable cause to appeal. Nor do we find any justification for a stay of execution.

III. Delay in Filing

This Court notes that it affirmed the U.S. district court's denial of relief on February 18, 1988. The state district court waited until May 1988 to set a date for execution. That date was July 27, 1988. On July 5, 1988 the state district court granted an extension on the execution date until September 15, 1988. Franklin was decided on June 22, 1988, and certiorari was granted in Penry on June 30, 1988. No new development occurred after those two dates. Yet this habeas corpus petition was not filed in state court until over two months later, on September 8, just one week before the scheduled execution. This filing date required decision on the merits by three courts before the case reached us at about noon on Wednesday, September 14, 1988.

In a panel concurring opinion in Brogdon v. Butler, 824 F.2d 338, 344 (5th Cir. 1987), we said "this Court would be blind if it did not see that counsel for defendant deliberately withheld their challenges ... until the very last possible (date) ..." The time schedule in the case before us raises at least the suspicion of delay in filing in the hope that the Court will again stay the execution to enable full consideration on the merits.

By waiting until the last possible minute to make the appeal, counsel does not adequately discharge his responsibility in this Court. We have, nevertheless, given Bridge's contentions full consideration in spite of the shortness of time. We have had before us the contentions of both parties in both state courts and the federal district court before any pleadings were filed in this Court. We are fully acquainted with the facts of this case through our own prior decision. Bridges v. Lynaugh, 838 F.2d 770 (5th Cir. 1988), reh'g en banc denied, 843 F.2d 499. A certificate of probable cause is necessary before this Court can hear Bridge's appeal. Fed.R.App.P. 22(b), 28 U.S.C. § 2253. As detailed above, Bridge has made no substantial showing of denial of a federal right. Barefoot v. Estelle, 463 U.S. 880, 893, 103 S.Ct. 3383, 3394, 77 L.Ed.2d 1090 (1983). Bridge's motion for a certificate of probable cause to appeal is lacking in merit. Fabian v. Reed, 714 F.2d 39, 40 (5th Cir. 1983). It is denied, and we deny his motion for a stay of execution.

MOTION FOR CERTIFICATE OF PROBABLE CAUSE TO APPEAL IS DENIED. STAY OF EXECUTION DENIED.

*****

[fn*] Opinion on Rehearing, 860 F.2d 162.

 
 

860 F.2d 162

Warren Eugene Bridge, Petitioner-Appellant,
v.
James A. Lynaugh, Director, Texas Department of Corrections, Respondent- Appellee.

No. 88-2855

Federal Circuits, 5th Cir.

November 1, 1988

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

ON PETITION FOR REHEARING AND SUGGESTION FOR REHEARING EN BANC

(Opinion Sept. 14, 1988, 5th Cir.1988 856 F.2d 712)

Before POLITZ, WILLIAMS and JONES, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:

In Bridge v. Lynaugh, 856 F.2d 712 (5th Cir.1988), we denied a motion for certificate of probable cause to appeal and a stay of execution on the ground that under the Texas Criminal Procedure Code, Ann art. 37.071 (Vernon 1981), adequate consideration of evidence in mitigation at the punishment phase of the trial is occasioned by allowing the mitigating evidence to be admitted. There is no additional statutory nor constitutional requirement that the jury be instructed specifically to consider the evidence in mitigation. The State of Texas has moved for a rehearing in the case on the ground that we should have relied upon the principle of procedural default in that no objection had been raised by Bridge's counsel during the punishment phase of trial as to the lack of instruction to the jury about consideration of the mitigating evidence. We refused to accept the procedural bar and went to the merits of the case.

We grant the State's motion for rehearing only to the extent of correcting one of the two grounds which we offered for not recognizing a procedural bar. Under the law of this Circuit, we were incorrect in concluding that because the state courts used the procedural bar only as an alternative justification for the denial of habeas corpus, we were free also to consider the case on the same basis. The Eleventh Circuit has so held, Darden v. Wainwright, 699 F.2d 1031, 1034 & n. 4, aff'd, 708 F.2d 646 (11th Cir.1983) (en banc), rev'd on other grounds, 725 F.2d 1526 (11th Cir.1984) (en banc), rev'd on other grounds, 469 U.S. 1202 , 105 S.Ct. 1158, 84 L.Ed.2d 311 (1985).

This is not the law of the Fifth Circuit, however. We have made clear in our holdings that even though the state courts have relied upon the procedural default only as an alternative, we are not free to approach the issue the same way. In Cook v. Lynaugh, 821 F.2d 1072, 1077 (5th Cir.1987), we made a thorough review of the holdings. We concluded: "[W]hen a state court bases its decision upon the alternative grounds of procedural default and a rejection of the merits, a federal court must, in the absence of good 'cause' and 'prejudice', deny habeas corpus relief because of the procedural default." We therefore withdraw as one of the justifications for failing to find a procedural bar in this case the fact that the state courts although finding the procedural bar also reviewed the case on the merits.

This leaves the issue of our justification for reaching the merits because we found the procedural bar not applicable for another reason. The rule of Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 U.S. 72, 86-87, 97 S.Ct. 2497, 2506, 53 L.Ed.2d 594 (1977), is that in a state habeas corpus case we do not consider on the merits an error at trial to which no objection was made. The failure to object creates a procedural bar if it is so recognized by the state courts. A showing of "good cause" and "prejudice" for failure to object is the stated exception to the rule.

As we concluded in the original opinion, we find that there was good cause for failure to object at the time of the trial of this case. In the original case holding the Texas Capital Punishment Statute constitutional, Jurek v. Texas, 428 U.S. 262 , 276, 96 S.Ct. 2950, 2958, 49 L.Ed.2d 929 (1976), the Court had approved the Texas law allowing all mitigating evidence to be admitted in the punishment phase of the trial but without requiring that the jury be instructed specifically to take the mitigating evidence into account. Eight months before the trial of this case, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had considered and rejected again the claim that the jury had to be instructed as to mitigation. Quinones v. State, 592 S.W.2d 933 (Tex.Crim.App.), cert. denied, 449 U.S. 893 , 101 S.Ct. 256, 66 L.Ed.2d 121 (1980). The petition for certiorari in that case was pending at the time of the trial in this case.

Thus, at the trial, the law appeared to be settled by the original Supreme Court decision and by a more recent consideration of the issue by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. Indeed, it is fair to say that it appeared to be so settled that this Court may have been caught by surprise when certiorari was granted in Franklin v. Lynaugh by the Supreme Court, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 221, 98 L.Ed.2d 180 (1987). The Court granted review solely on the issue of whether the jury at the punishment phase of the trial had to be instructed on the use and application of the evidence in mitigation. This issue was not even referred to in our panel decision in which we affirmed the denial of habeas corpus and denied a stay of execution, Franklin v. Lynaugh, 823 F.2d 98 (5th Cir.1987).

It is proper to hold, therefore, as we did in our original opinion in this case that "the issue of the constitutionality of the Texas plan was revived by the Supreme Court's grant of certiorari in Franklin v. Lynaugh,...."

The additional requirement of prejudice also was met. The Supreme Court granted certiorari and critically considered the issue of whether the Constitution requires that the jury be instructed as to the application of the evidence introduced in mitigation to the three required findings of the Texas statute. It would have been prejudicial not to allow petitioner to raise this serious question for consideration. Thus, we properly found that the case fell within the established exception to the procedural bar by the showing of good cause for failure to raise the procedural issue at the trial and by noting the prejudice which would have resulted from invoking the bar when a later revival had occurred as to what had been considered a settled question.

Part II of our prior opinion remains unchanged. In it, we considered the merits of the claim and denied a certificate of probable cause to appeal and a stay of execution. Our decision was based largely upon the Supreme Court's closely divided decision in Franklin. No member of this panel nor Judge in regular active service on the Court having requested that the Court be polled on rehearing en banc, Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure and Local Rule 35, the Suggestion for Rehearing En Banc is DENIED.

*****

EDITH H. JONES, Circuit Judge, dissenting on petition for rehearing and suggestion for rehearing en banc:

Our panel has noted the error of our ways in departing from this Court's precedent in Cook v. Lynaugh, 821 F.2d 1072, 1076-77 (5th Cir.1987), which held that if a state court denies a habeas petitioner's claim on alternate grounds of procedural default and the merits, we are barred by the procedural default doctrine from considering that claim. This is obviously a correct result, although I acknowledge complicity in the earlier opinion.

Having reconsidered the issue of procedural bar, however, and found this first aspect of our previous decision wanting, I also now differ from my colleagues and reject their conclusion that we may proceed to the merits of Bridge's claim on the basis of cause and prejudice.

Under Wainwright v. Sykes, a habeas corpus petitioner can avoid imposition of procedural bar by showing cause for the noncompliance with state procedures and actual prejudice resulting from the alleged constitutional violation. Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 U.S. 72, 84-87, 97 S.Ct. 2497, 2505-06, 53 L.Ed.2d 594 (1977). Both cause and prejudice must be shown by the petitioner. 433 U.S. at 87, 97 S.Ct. at 2506. The majority have here decided that Bridge had "cause" not to raise the necessity for an instruction on mitigating circumstances because in 1980, when he was tried, the constitutionality of the Texas death penalty scheme seemed in this regard to have been settled. Jurek v. Texas, 428 U.S. 262 , 96 S.Ct. 2950, 49 L.Ed.2d 929 (1976). The majority then determine that "the issue of the constitutionality of the Texas plan was revived by the Supreme Court's grant of certiorari in Franklin v. Lynaugh." --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 221, 98 L.Ed.2d 180 (1987); subsequent Supreme Court opinion found at --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 2320, 101 L.Ed.2d 155 (1988). When certiorari was granted in Franklin, and presumably only thereafter, would the majority conclude that capital defendants have had "cause" to raise new challenges to the Texas death penalty scheme. I disagree.

Only about six months ago, our Court held in Selvage v. Lynaugh, 842 F.2d 89 (5th Cir.1988), that a capital defendant's attempt to raise the Franklin issue of mitigating circumstances was procedurally barred, holding that "the [Franklin ] issue is not a recently found legal theory not knowable by competent trial counsel." Id. at 94, citing Reed v. Ross, 468 U.S. 1, 104 S.Ct. 2901, 82 L.Ed.2d 1 (1984). Our Circuit precedent thus contradicts the panel majority's holding today. Moreover, I would observe that the petitioner in Franklin and in the yet-to-be decided Penry v. Lynaugh, 832 F.2d 915 (5th Cir.1987), cert. granted, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 2896, 101 L.Ed.2d 930 (1988), were tried in 1982 and 1980, respectively. If the issue was known to their counsel at that time, it should also have been known to Bridge's counsel.

As for prejudice, the majority seem to imply that because Bridge is a capital defendant, this constitutes "prejudice" under Wainwright that permits us to review his late-found claim. I agree that there is little mercy in declining to review a capital defendant's habeas claims on the ground of procedural bar. In some instances, our court conducts review on the merits of such claims, pretermitting the issue of procedural bar so that we can demonstrate the claims are not justified on their merits. See, e.g., Williams v. Lynaugh, 837 F.2d 1294 (5th Cir.1988). Both the Supreme Court and our Court have, however, held that the death sentence alone does not constitute prejudice that permits us to overlook a procedural bar. See Smith v. Murray, 477 U.S. 527, 538, 106 S.Ct. 2661, 2668, 91 L.Ed.2d 434 (1986); Evans v. McCotter, 790 F.2d 1232, 1239 n. 7 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 479 U.S. 922 , 107 S.Ct. 327, 93 L.Ed.2d 300 (1986). Prejudice consists, instead, in a demonstration that the claimed constitutional violation substantially "undermined the accuracy of the guilt or sentencing determination." Smith v. Murray, 477 U.S. at 539, 106 S.Ct. at 2668. See also United States v. Frady, 456 U.S. 152, 169, 102 S.Ct. 1584, 1595, 71 L.Ed.2d 816 (1982). For the reasons stated by the majority when addressing the merits of Bridge's Franklin claim, I would find Bridge was not prejudiced according to the Supreme Court's standard.

For these reasons, I respectfully, dissent in part from the order on Petition for Rehearing.

 
 

863 F.2d 370

Warren Eugene Bridge, Petitioner-Appellant,
v.
James A. Lynaugh, Director, Texas Department of Corrections, Respondent- Appellee.

No. 88-2855

Federal Circuits, 5th Cir.

January 4, 1989

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Hugh Gibson, District Judge Presiding.

Before POLITZ, WILLIAMS and JONES, Circuit Judges.

ON SUGGESTION FOR REHEARING AND REHEARING EN BANC

(Opinion September 14, 1988, 856 F.2d 712 (5th Cir.1988))

(On Reh'g November 1, 1988, 860 F.2d 162 (5th Cir.1988))

PER CURIAM:

We have rejected Bridge's claims for a writ of habeas corpus. We were persuaded in the late hour that in fairness we ought to rest our decision there. We remain convinced that we were correct in our original decision, but with the fullness of time, we are now persuaded that our denial should rest on the absence of legal cause for Bridge's failure to raise the "Franklin" issue at trial. See Franklin v. Lynaugh, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 221, 98 L.Ed.2d 180 (1987); Wainwright v. Sykes, 433 U.S. 72, 97 S.Ct. 2497, 53 L.Ed.2d 594 (1977). Selvage v. Lynaugh, 842 F.2d 89 (5th Cir.1988). To the extent they are contrary, our earlier writings are withdrawn.

 
 

963 F.2d 767

Warren Eugene Bridge, Petitioner-Appellee,
v.
James A. Collins, Director Texas Department of Criminal Justice,
Institutional Division, Respondent-Appellant.

No. 88-2855

Federal Circuits, 5th Cir.

June 11, 1992

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Before POLITZ, Chief Judge, JOLLY, and JONES, Circuit Judges.

ON REMAND FROM THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES

E. GRADY JOLLY, Circuit Judge:

The Supreme Court vacated our judgment denying Warren Bridge's motion for certificate of probable cause and instructed us to reconsider the case in the light of Selvage v. Collins, 494 U.S. 108, 110 S.Ct. 974, 108 L.Ed.2d 93 (1990), and Penry v. Lynaugh, 492 U.S. 302, 109 S.Ct. 2934, 106 L.Ed.2d 256 (1989). Bridge v. Collins, 494 U.S. 1013 , 110 S.Ct. 1313, 108 L.Ed.2d 489 (1990). Addressing Bridge's claim on the merits and in the light of Penry, we hold that his claim has no merit. Bridge argues that his death sentence was imposed in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments because, under the Texas death penalty statute, the jury was unable to consider mitigating evidence during the sentencing phase of his trial. We hold that no major thrust of Bridge's mitigating evidence was substantially beyond the scope of the two special questions asked during the sentencing phase of trial. We therefore deny his motion for certificate of probable cause and dismiss his appeal. We also vacate the stay of execution entered by the Supreme Court.

I

* Warren Eugene Bridge was convicted of felony-murder and sentenced to death in Texas in 1986. After Bridge's first state and federal petitions for habeas corpus relief were denied, his execution was scheduled for September 15, 1988. On September 8, 1988, having again exhausted state remedies, Bridge filed his second petition for federal habeas corpus relief, arguing that the Texas death penalty statute violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments because it allows a jury no mechanism for considering individual mitigating circumstances during the punishment phase of a capital trial. The state courts and the federal district court denied the petition.

On appeal, we initially held that Bridge's claim was not procedurally barred even though his counsel made no objection to the sentencing statute at trial. Bridge v. Lynaugh, 856 F.2d 712, 714 (5th Cir.1988). We then addressed Bridge's claim on the merits. Finding that Bridge made no substantial showing of a denial of a federal right, we denied his motion for certificate of probable cause and we denied his motion for a stay of execution. On September 14, 1988, the Supreme Court granted certiorari and entered a stay of execution, pending its judgment in this case.

In a revised opinion, we clarified our holding that Bridge's claim was not procedurally barred. We held that Bridge's claim was not procedurally barred because Bridge had good cause for his failure to object at trial and because he would be prejudiced if we did not review his claim. Bridge v. Lynaugh, 860 F.2d 162 (5th Cir.1988). In a later opinion, however, we withdrew our earlier writings on the case, stating that our denial of Bridge's claim rested only on the absence of "legal cause" for his failure to raise his objection at trial. Bridge v. Lynaugh, 863 F.2d 370 (5th Cir.1989). In May of 1990, the Supreme Court vacated our judgment and remanded the case back to this court for further consideration in the light of Selvage and Penry.1

II

In Selvage v. Collins, 816 S.W.2d 390, 392 (Tex.Crim.App.1991), the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals held that a petitioner's failure to bring a Penry type claim at trial is not a procedural bar to his later raising that issue.2 We must therefore address Bridge's motion for certificate of probable cause and his appeal of the district court's denial of his petition for habeas corpus relief in the light of the Supreme Court's decision in Penry.

Bridge argues that the Texas death penalty statute violates the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments because a jury is unable to give consideration to mitigating evidence during the punishment phase of the trial. Under the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, the jury must answer "yes" to the following two questions before the defendant may be sentenced to death:

  (1) whether the conduct of the defendant that caused the death of the deceased was committed deliberately and with the reasonable expectation that the death of the deceased or another would result;

  (2) whether there is a probability that the defendant would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society.

Tex.Crim.Proc.Code Ann., Art. 37.071(b) (Vernon 1981).3 Bridge argues that he offered the following mitigating circumstances at trial:

  (1) That no physical evidence linked him to the crime and that his accomplice may have actually shot the victim;

  (2) That he was intoxicated at the time of the incident;

  (3) That there was no talk about robbing the store beforehand;

  (4) That he was easily led by others and was under the influence of a tough guy ten years older than he was;

  (5) That afterward, he was in tears on his bed while his accomplice was waving the gun around;

  (6) That he was immature and young (19 years old) at the time; and

  (7) That he had not been connected with any violent crime before this incident.

Bridge argues that the jury was unable to give consideration to this mitigating evidence because the jury was only instructed to answer the questions "yes" or "no."

The petitioner in Penry made a similar argument. He argued that absent a special instruction, the jury was unable to consider his mitigating evidence that he suffered from brain damage, was mentally retarded and had a troubled childhood. The Court held that Penry's sentence was imposed in violation of the Eighth Amendment because the jury was unable to consider the effect of Penry's evidence without a special instruction. Penry, 109 S.Ct. at 2952. The Court found that neither of the special questions allowed the jury to give effect to Penry's evidence. The Court stated that although his evidence was relevant to the first question (deliberateness), it was also relevant beyond the scope of the finding the jury was required to make when answering that question. Id. at 2949.

As for the second question (future dangerousness), the Court stated that Penry's evidence was likely to have caused the jury to consider Penry a future threat, while at the same time reducing his moral culpability for the crime. Id. In our recent en banc case, Graham v. Collins, 950 F.2d 1009, 1027 (5th Cir.1992), cert. granted, --- U.S. ----, 112 S.Ct. 2937, 119 L.Ed.2d 563 (1992) (No. 91-7580), we held that Penry does not invalidate the Texas sentencing scheme and that Jurek v. Texas, 428 U.S. 262 , 96 S.Ct. 2950, 49 L.Ed.2d 929 (1976),4 continues to apply in instances where no major mitigating thrust of evidence is substantially beyond the scope of the special issues.5 We hold that no major thrust of Bridge's mitigating evidence is substantially beyond the scope of the special questions.

The first four mitigating circumstances could have been considered and given effect when answering the first special question concerning Bridge's deliberateness. If the jury members believed that Bridge's accomplice killed the victim, then they could have answered "no" to the first question.6 Bridge's intoxication could also have been adequately taken into account when answering the first special question. Cordova v. Collins, 953 F.2d 167, 170 (5th Cir.1992). Furthermore, if the jury members believed that Bridge did not plan to rob the store, then they could have concluded that he did not deliberately kill the victim. Finally, if the jury members thought that Bridge was influenced or led by his accomplice, then they could have found that Bridge did not deliberately kill the victim.

The first mitigating circumstance and the last five could have been taken into consideration and given effect when answering the second question concerning Bridge's future dangerousness. If the jury members believed that Bridge did not shoot the victim, then they could have concluded that Bridge would not be a future threat. If the jury members believed that Bridge did not plan to rob the store and that he was remorseful after the incident, then they could have concluded that he would be less likely to rob or commit other crimes in the future. If the jury members believed Bridge's youth and impressionability to be mitigating circumstances, then they could have concluded that Bridge would be less likely to be dangerous when no longer young. Graham, 950 F.2d at 1031. Finally, the jury clearly could have taken into consideration Bridge's past criminal record when determining whether Bridge was a future threat. Thus, no major mitigating thrust of Bridge's evidence is beyond the scope of the two special questions.

A certificate of probable cause is necessary before this Court can hear Bridge's appeal. Fed.R.App.P. 22(b); 28 U.S.C. 2253. Bridge has made no substantial showing of a denial of a federal right. Barefoot v. Estelle, 463 U.S. 880, 893, 103 S.Ct. 3383, 3394, 77 L.Ed.2d 1090 (1983). Thus, Bridge's motion for certificate of probable cause is DENIED, his appeal is DISMISSED, and the stay of execution is VACATED.

*****

1 Although Bridge failed to raise his Penry claims until his second federal habeas corpus petition, this case differs fundamentally from Romero v. Collins, 961 F.2d 1181 (5th Cir.1992). In Romero, we recently reaffirmed our holding that the Rule 9(b) abuse of writ doctrine bars a petitioner from raising the Penry issue in a second federal habeas petition unless he can satisfy the cause and prejudice standard enunciated in McCleskey v. Zant, 111 S.Ct. 1454, 113 L.Ed.2d 517 (1991). See also Cuevas v. Collins, 932 F.2d 1078 (5th Cir.1991). Because Bridge's second federal habeas petition was filed and has been pending in our court since May 1990, well before McCleskey was decided, Bridge has never received the notice that is a prerequisite to dismissing a successive habeas petition for abuse. Matthews v. Butler, 833 F.2d 1165, 1170 (5th Cir.1987). Rule 9(b) does not apply in this unusual instance

2 In Penry, the petitioner argued that absent a special instruction, the jury was not allowed to give consideration to mitigating evidence. The Supreme Court held that in Penry's case, the jury had no vehicle to express the view that his brain damage, mental retardation and troubled childhood reduced his culpability for the crime. Penry, 109 S.Ct. at 2949

3 There is a third question under the statutory scheme that is not at issue here. It concerns provocation by the victim

4 The Supreme Court, in Jurek, sustained the constitutionality of the Texas capital sentencing procedure

5 We are cognizant of the Supreme Court's grant of certiorari in Graham. This court, however, is bound by the law of this Circuit. Johnson v. McCotter, 804 F.2d 300, 301 (5th Cir.1986), cert. denied, Johnson v. Lynaugh, 481 U.S. 1042 , 107 S.Ct. 1988, 95 L.Ed.2d 827 (1987). Consequently, a stay must come from the Supreme Court

6 Arguably, the jury could have also considered and given weight to this evidence during the guilt phase of the trial

 

 

 
 
 
 
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