Murderpedia has thousands of hours of work behind it. To keep creating
new content, we kindly appreciate any donation you can give to help
the Murderpedia project stay alive. We have many
plans and enthusiasm
to keep expanding and making Murderpedia a better site, but we really
need your help for this. Thank you very much in advance.
John Eldon
SMITH
To
collect insurance money
ProDeathPenalty.com
The New York Times
August 20, 1983
Describing John Eldon Smith's crime as ''an affront to humanity,'' a
Federal district judge today refused to halt the convicted
murderer's execution, set for Thursday.
Judge Wilbur D. Owens upheld a state court
decision denying a new trial for Mr. Smith.
He refused to grant a stay of execution, a
decision that could be appealed to the United States Court of
Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Mr. Smith, 52, years old, also known as Anthony
Machetti, is scheduled to be put to death Thursday at the Georgia
Diagnostic and Classification Center in Jackson, Ga.
He was convicted of murder and sentenced to death
for the August 1974 shotgun slayings of Ronald and Juanita Akins in
an an attempt to collect on a life-insurance policy.
U.S. Court Clears Way For a Georgia Execution
The New York Times
September 10, 1983
A Federal appeals court
today lifted a stay of the execution of John
Eldon Smith, clearing the way for the state
to set a date for him to die in the electric
chair.
The United States Court
of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in a 2-to-1
ruling, vacated the stay it awarded Mr.
Smith on Aug. 23, saying Mr. Smith had shown
no reason why his case should get further
consideration.
Attorney General Michael
Bowers of Georgia said the ruling raised ''a
significant likelihood'' that Mr. Smith
would die this month or next.
The Federal appeals court,
in its ruling, noted that Mr. Smith's appeal
had been before ''a total of 28 jurists on
seven separate state and Federal courts,
some on several occasions.''
Mr. Smith, also known as
Anthony Machetti, was convicted along with
his wife, Rebecca Machetti, of the slayings
of her first husband, Ronald Akins, and his
new wife, Juanita Akins, in 1974.
Prosecutors contended they were killed in an
attempt to collect insurance money.
715 F.2d 1459
JohnEldonSmith,
Petitioner-appellant,
v.
Ralph M. Kemp,
Superintendent,
Georgia
Diagnostic & Classification
Center,
Respondent-appellee
United
States Court of Appeals,
Eleventh Circuit.
Sept. 9,
1983.
Rehearing
and Rehearing En Banc Denied
Sept. 29, 1983.
Certiorari Denied Nov. 28,
1983.
Appeal from the United
States District Court
for the Middle District
of
Georgia.
Before RONEY, HILL and
HATCHETT, Circuit Judges.
RONEY
and JAMES C. HILL,
Circuit Judges:
Joseph Ronald Akins
and his wife of
twenty days, Juanita
Knight Akins, were
killed in a secluded
area of a new
housing development
in Bibb County,
Georgia, on
August 31, 1974, by
shotgun blasts fired
at close range.
Petitioner,
John
Eldon
Smith, also
known as Tony
Machetti, charged
with firing the
shotgun, was
convicted of murder
and sentenced to
death.
Briefly, the
evidence was that
petitioner and his
wife, Rebecca Akins
Smith
Machetti, together
with
John Maree,
plotted to kill
Akins, a former
husband of Rebecca's
and the father of
her three children,
in order to collect
his life insurance
proceeds.
John Maree
testified that he
and petitioner lured
Akins to the area of
the crime on the
pretense of
installing a
television antenna.
When Akins appeared
with his wife,
petitioner shot them
both.
Before this Court is
the appeal from a
denial of a second
federal habeas
corpus petition that
asserted three
grounds for relief:
first,
John Maree
had a pretrial
agreement or
understanding not
revealed to the jury
so that the trial
was unconstitutional
under Giglio v.
United States, 405
U.S. 150, 92 S.Ct.
763, 31 L.Ed.2d 104
(1972); second, the
Georgia death
statute is applied
in an
unconstitutional,
arbitrary, and
discriminatory way;
and third, the
underrepresentation
of women made the
jury that convicted
him unconstitutional
under Taylor v.
Louisiana, 419 U.S.
522, 95 S.Ct. 692,
42 L.Ed.2d 690
(1975).
We affirm the denial
of habeas corpus
relief holding first,
the Giglio claim,
although not
asserted in the
prior federal habeas
corpus proceeding,
was resolved by a
state court's
findings of fact
that there was no
understanding or
agreement that
should have been
revealed to the jury;
second, that
defendant had a full
opportunity to
litigate and did
litigate in his
prior habeas corpus
proceeding the issue
concerning the
arbitrary and
discriminatory
application of
Georgia's
death penalty to
petitioner, so that
the attempt to
relitigate here is a
clear abuse of the
writ; and third, the
defendant waived his
right to object to
the jury by failing
to assert the issue
at trial, on appeal,
or on his first
habeas corpus
proceeding.
Petitioner's
execution was
scheduled for August
25, 1983. A notice
of appeal was filed
in this Court on
Monday, August 22,
from a denial of the
relief by the
district court
entered on Friday,
August 19. A motion
for stay of
execution was
simultaneously filed,
along with a motion
for certificate of
probable cause,
denied by the
district court.
Following the
procedures indicated
by Barefoot v.
Estelle, --- U.S.
----, 103 S.Ct.
3383, 77 L.Ed.2d
1090 (1983), this
Court gave proper
notice that the
Court would consider
the merits as well
as the pending
motion and heard two
and one-half hours
of oral argument on
Tuesday, August 23.
The parties
cooperated by filing
excellent briefs and
thoroughly arguing
all issues raised in
this appeal.
The Court entered a
stay, in order to
more thoroughly
examine the issues
presented, and
called for
additional briefs to
be filed by August
29. Supreme Court
Justice Powell
refused to vacate
the stay. Our
decision here
reflects the full
consideration of the
merits of the case
based on the record
from the trial and
both habeas corpus
proceedings,
voluminous briefing
at the trial and
appellate stage,
extensive oral
argument, and the
Court's independent
research on the
legal issues
involved.
To understand our
decision, insofar as
it relates to the
abuse of the writ
and the waiver
issues, it is
helpful to review a
chronology of the
prior proceedings in
this case:
Jan. 30, 1975 -
Petitioner
convicted.
Feb. 1975 -
Rebecca
Smith
Machetti
convicted.
Jan. 6, 1976 -
Conviction &
sentences aff'd
-
Smith v.
State, 236 Ga.
12, 222 S.E.2d
308 (1976).1
July 6, 1976 -
Cert. denied,
Smith v.
Georgia,
428 U.S. 910, 96
S.Ct. 3224, 49
L.Ed.2d 1219
(1976).
Oct. 4, 1976 -
Petition for
rehearing denied,
Smith v.
Georgia,
429 U.S. 874, 96
S.Ct. 3224, 49
L.Ed.2d 1219
(1976).
Oct. 22, 1976 -
Petition for
Writ of Habeas
Corpus
Georgia
Superior Court.
Mar. 16, 1977 -
Petition
dismissed (unpublished
order).
Oct. 18, 1977 -
Order dismissing
petition
affirmed,
Smith v.
Hopper, 240 Ga.
93, 239 S.E. 2d
510 (1977).2
June
5, 1978
Cert. denied,
Smith v.
Hopper, 436 U.S.
950, 98 S.Ct.
2859, 56 L.Ed.2d
793 (1978).
Oct. 2, 1978 -
Petition for
rehearing denied,
Smith v.
Hopper, 439 U.S.
884, 99 S.Ct.
229, 58 L.Ed.2d
199 (1978).
Feb. 21, 1979 -
Petition for
Writ of Habeas
Corpus filed in
U.S. District
Court, M.D. Ga.
Sept. 9, 1980 -
U.S. Magistrate
recommended
denial of all
relief.
Nov. 26, 1980 -
District court
denied relief (unreported
order and
judgment).
Nov. 2, 1981 -
This Court
affirmed,
Smith v.
Balkcom, 660
F.2d 573 (5th
Cir. Unit
B 1981).3
Mar. 29, 1982 -
Opinion modified
on rehearing,
671 F.2d 858
(5th Cir.
Unit B 1982).
Oct. 5, 1982 -
Cert. denied,
Smith v.
Balkcom, ---
U.S. ----, 103
S.Ct. 181, 74
L.Ed.2d 148
(1982).
June 25, 1982 -
Second Petition
for Writ of
Habeas Corpus
filed in
Georgia
Superior Court.
Georgia
Superior Court
dismissed
immediately
without
consideration of
the merits.
Sept. 16, 1982 -
Georgia
Supreme Court
remanded appeal
"for an
evidentiary
hearing on the
issues raised in
the Petition."
Nov. 15, 1982 -
Superior Court
on remand (after
brief hearing on
waiver issues)
denied
evidentiary
hearing on
merits and
dismissed.
Mar. 1, 1983 -
Georgia
Supreme Court
reversed and
remanded case
again for
evidentiary
hearing on
prosecutorial
claim of
misconduct.
Smith v.
Zant, 250 Ga.
645, 301 S.E.2d
32 (1983).
May 10, 1983 -
Evidentiary
hearings before
Superior Court.
Aug. 5, 1983 -
Superior Court's
order denying
relief.
Aug. 16, 1983 -
Georgia
Supreme Court
denied
application for
CPC.
Aug. 17, 1983 -
Petition for
Writ of Habeas
Corpus filed in
U.S. District
Court, M.D. Ga.
Aug. 17, 1983 -
Oral Argument
before District
Court.
Aug. 18, 1983 -
Petitioner's
motion for an
evidentiary
hearing.
Aug. 19, 1983 -
Order denying
motion. Order
dismissing
petition,
denying CPC,
denying IFP and
denying stay of
execution
pending appeal.
Aug. 19, 1983 -
Notice of Appeal
(11th Cir.).
Aug. 22, 1983 -
Application for
CPC, IFP and
certificate of
good faith and
application for
stay of
execution.
Aug. 23, 1983 -
Oral Argument
and Order
granting CPC,
IFP, and stay of
execution.
Aug. 24, 1983 -
Motion to Vacate
Stay filed with
Justice Powell.
Aug. 24, 1983 -
Justice Powell's
Order declining
to vacate stay.
Aug. 25, 1983 -
This Court's
letter to
counsel to file
other material
by August 29.
In these appeals and
petitions, a total
of 28 jurists on
seven separate state
and federal courts,
some on several
occasions (the
Supreme Court of the
United States has
been petitioned four
times, the
Georgia
Supreme Court five),
have considered
Smith's
claims. He has
sought procedural
devices (stays of
execution and full
hearings) to insure
that his claims be
fully developed and
considered as well
as relief on their
merits. He has been
provided most of the
procedural
protections sought.
No court has found
merit in any of his
claims.
I. Alleged Giglio
Violation.
The petitioner did
not raise the
claimed Giglio
violation until his
second state habeas
corpus petition. At
the insistence of
the Supreme Court of
Georgia on
its second remand of
that petition to the
state habeas corpus
judge, a hearing was
held on petitioner's
claim that the
prosecution failed
to correct the false
testimony of
John Maree,
an accomplice and
eyewitness who
testified against
Smith at the
latter's trial, that
Maree had no plea
agreement with the
state.
Smith v. Zant,
250 Ga. 645, 301
S.E.2d 32 (1983).
Prosecutorial
suppression of an
agreement with or
promise to a
material witness in
exchange for that
witness' testimony
violates a criminal
defendant's due
process rights.
Giglio v. United
States, 405 U.S.
150, 92 S.Ct. 763,
31 L.Ed.2d 104
(1972); Napue v.
Illinois, 360 U.S.
264, 79 S.Ct. 1173,
3 L.Ed.2d 1217
(1959). The state
must affirmatively
correct testimony of
a witness who
fraudulently
testifies that he
has not received a
promise of leniency
in exchange for his
testimony.
Maree testified on
cross examination
that he had never
received any
promises in exchange
for his testimony
other than "protection
for my family and
myself."
Smith alleges
that Maree had
received a promise
of a life sentence
in exchange for
testimony against
petitioner and that
the prosecutor
concealed this
promise from the
jury.
On remand, the issue
before the state
habeas court
centered upon the
existence, vel non,
of such a promise to,
or agreement with,
witness Maree. After
what we find to have
been a full and fair
hearing, the state
judge found, as a
fact, that there had
been no such promise
or agreement.
The hearing was
extensive. While the
issue was first
joined upon exhibits
of sworn statements
of Fred Hasty, the
District Attorney
who had prosecuted
petitioner and a
contradictory
affidavit of witness
Maree, it was not
confined to that.
Hasty was called and
testified, in person,
before the court.
Indeed, every person
in life who was
suggested as having
knowledge of the
alleged deal
appeared, in person,
and gave testimony
on direct and cross
examination.
Hasty denied that he
had extended any
promise to, or made
any agreement with,
witness Maree. He
acknowledged that he
had given prior
contradictory sworn
statements. In
explaining the
contradiction
between his live
testimony at the
state habeas hearing
and both the sworn
statement in a
deposition he gave
in Becky Machetti's
case and an
affidavit he gave to
Millard Farmer on
behalf of
appellant's counsel,
Hasty testified that
he thought the
latter statements
were true when he
gave those
statements, but
after reviewing his
file and the
transcript of
appellant's trial,
Hasty realized that
these statements
were not true.
Transcript of May
10, 1983 hearing at
88-89, 93.
Hasty explained that
when he gave those
statements, he had
not reviewed his
file or the
transcript.
Transcript of May
10, 1983 hearing at
100-101. Hasty
testified that at
the time of
Smith's trial,
he knew what he was
going to do with
reference to the
case pending against
John Maree,
if Maree testified,
but did not discuss
this with Mr.
Sparks. Transcript
of May 10, 1983
hearing at 77.
The sworn testimony
of every live
witness who
testified at the
state habeas hearing
contradicts Hasty's
two affidavits.
Willis Sparks, who
represented Maree on
the murder charge in
1974, testified that
he had asked then
District Attorney
Hasty "point-blank"
what Maree would
receive from the
prosecution in
return for his
testimony. Sparks
swore that Hasty had
steadfastly replied
that the prosecutor
would make no
agreement with a co-defendant
before trial because
that was not his
practice.
Sparks further
testified that
Assistant District
Attorney Thompson
had never made any
promise to Maree and
that no one from
either the Bibb
County district
attorney's office or
sheriff's department
had ever made any
promises to Sparks
as Maree's attorney.
Sparks testified
that he had
recommended to Maree
that the latter
testify because
Maree had already
made a valid
confession. Sparks
had also noted that
the confession had
been corroborated by
Maree's palm print
found in the
victim's car and
that the state could
and might well seek
the death penalty
against Maree.4
Bibb County Sheriff
Ray Wilkes stated
that he was Chief
Deputy of Bibb
County when
petitioner was tried
and that no member
of the sheriff's
office made any
promises to Maree.
Although the state
habeas judge had
before him the
affidavit of Maree,
then serving a life
sentence, petitioner
urged that Maree
should appear and
testify under cross
examination. The
state offered to
produce Maree and
the hearing was
adjourned to a date
for his appearance.
On June 13, 1983,
one month after the
initial hearing, he
was produced, sworn,
and testified. His
testimony was
unequivocal. Maree
testified that "at
the first trial,
there was no
question about
testifying. I didn't
have any real
conversation
regarding any kind
of a deal whatsoever."
Transcript of June
13, 1983 hearing at
10.
Maree unequivocally
stated that he had
had no discussions
with Hasty
concerning a life
sentence in exchange
for his testimony at
Smith's
murder trial. Id.
Maree also stated at
the state habeas
hearing that he had
testified at
Smith's trial
on advice of his
counsel Sparks who
had concluded that
it was in Maree's
best interest, under
all the
circumstances, to
give full truthful
testimony.
If the state habeas
court afforded
petitioner a full
and fair hearing, we,
as a federal habeas
court, must apply a
presumption of
correctness to the
state court's
written factual
findings. Sumner v.
Mata, 449 U.S. 539,
101 S.Ct. 764, 66
L.Ed.2d 722 (1981);
28 U.S.C. § 2254(d).
Petitioner must
rebut this
presumption by
establishing by
convincing evidence
that the state
court's findings are
erroneous. Sumner v.
Mata, 449 U.S. at
546, 101 S.Ct. at
768-69; Hance v.
Zant, 696 F.2d 940,
946 (11th Cir.1983).
The state court's
findings of fact are
amply supported by
the evidence.
Although Hasty's
testimony was
subject to the
impeachment inherent
in his prior sworn
statements (which as
sworn affidavits,
constituted evidence
of the facts stated
in them), the state
habeas judge found
that there had been
no promise made to,
or agreement made
with, witness Maree.
In so finding, the
judge found in
accordance with all
the sworn testimony
taken from all the
witnesses who
appeared before him.
To have found to the
contrary would have
required a finding
that each and every
witness who knew the
facts had lied in
their testimony
given at the hearing.
Resolution of
conflicts in
evidence and
credibility issues
rests within the
province of the
state habeas court,
provided petitioner
has been afforded
the opportunity to a
full and fair
hearing. 28 U.S.C. §
2254(d) does not
give federal habeas
courts "license to
redetermine
credibility of
witnesses whose
demeanor has been
observed by the
state ... court, but
not by them."
Marshall v.
Lonberger, --- U.S.
----, 103 S.Ct. 843,
851, 74 L.Ed.2d 646
(1983). The state
court's finding that
there was no
agreement between
Maree and the
prosecution is "fairly
supported by the
record." See 28
U.S.C. § 2254(d)(8).
Petitioner has not
satisfied his burden
of proving by
convincing evidence
that this finding
was erroneous.
Petitioner asserts
that the state
habeas hearing was
not full and fair.
He first asserts
that the hearing was
flawed because, at
that hearing, Hasty
was represented by
private counsel and
representatives of
the State Bar of
Georgia were
present.
Petitioner's
assertions that
Hasty had made a "deal"
with witness Maree
and had abided its
concealment at
petitioner's trial
had attracted the
bar's attention.
Such conduct might
well constitute
unethical conduct.
Petitioner does not
contend that the
presence of the bar
investigators or
Hasty's counsel
prevented petitioner
from presenting any
evidence or argument
or otherwise fully
developing his claim.
As we view the
record, the impact,
if any, of the
pendency of state
bar proceedings
against Hasty aided
petitioner. The
state habeas court
was certainly aware
of the presence of
the bar
investigators. The
fact that Hasty was
subject to such
proceedings would
tend to impeach his
testimony at the
hearing, to
petitioner's benefit.
The presence of his
private counsel,
retained in
connection with the
disciplinary matter,
and the presence of
the bar
representatives
presented motivation
to Hasty to
exonerate himself
most dramatically.
It would have been
material to
petitioner's attack
upon Hasty's
testimony to have
proven the
coincident
disciplinary
proceedings. They
were shown to the
state court more
effectively than
petitioner could
have been expected
to prove.
Attorney Millard
Farmer, said to have
been doing "leg work"
for petitioner's
attorneys, had taken
the affidavit from
Hasty offered in
support of
petitioner's claim.
After concluding the
second hearing, at
which Hasty had
denied the
correctness of the
affidavit and had
sworn that he had
been assured by
Farmer that he would
have an opportunity
to correct it, the
state judge allowed
petitioner
additional time to
produce Farmer as a
witness, live or by
deposition.
Transcript of June
13, 1983 hearing at
144-45. Petitioner
chose, instead, to
file Farmer's
affidavit.
Petitioner argues
that the state
habeas hearing was
faulty in that he
was not allowed to
subpoena and inspect
the confidential
record of the
Georgia State
Pardon and Parole
Board concerning
witness Maree.
Georgia law
provides that these
files remain
confidential.
O.C.G.A. § 42-9-53.
It is suggested that
such a record might
contain some support
for the contention
that, before
petitioner's trial,
a promise had been
made to Maree. At
the district court's
direction this file,
sealed, was provided
to the district
judge who examined
it in camera. It is
a part of the record
before us. We have
examined it. It
offers no support
for that proposition.
Petitioner asserts
that the state
hearing was less
than full and fair
in that the state
court refused to
admit testimony from
proffered witness
Reverend Murphy
Davis. This witness
offered to state
that long after
petitioner's trial,
Davis had
participated in a
debate with former
Assistant Bibb
County District
Attorney Donald
Thompson as to the
propriety, vel non,
of the death penalty
and that at that
debate, Thompson had
stated that it was
necessary for Maree
to be let off with a
life sentence in
order to obtain
evidence against
petitioner and
Rebecca Machetti.
Petitioner offered
Davis' testimony to
prove the truth of
Thompson's statement.
Thompson pre-deceased
these proceedings.
Aside from the
insufficiency of
what Thompson is
alleged to have said
to prove the
existence of a
pretrial deal with
witness Maree, this
evidence was offered
to prove the truth
of the matter
therein and
constituted
inadmissible hearsay.
The state judge
permitted petitioner
to proffer the
testimony of Rev.
Davis in the form of
a direct examination
of Davis.
We conclude that the
state habeas court
afforded petitioner
a full and fair
hearing on this
contention. All
witnesses desired by
petitioner were
produced even where
adjournment was
required for their
production. No
admissible evidence
offered by
petitioner was
excluded. The
finding that there
was not a pretrial
agreement or promise
to Maree was
supported by all the
sworn testimony and
it was substantial.
Absent a deal or
promise, there was
no Giglio violation
arising from the
failure of the
prosecution to
reveal one.
Petitioner
alternatively
asserts that the
prosecution
presented a threat
against witness
Maree and that
failure to reveal
this threat to the
jury violated Giglio
v. United States,
supra. In pretrial
discussions with
Maree and his
counsel, Sparks, the
prosecutor had
outlined Maree's
position. Maree had
confessed to the
murders. His
confession gave the
prosecutor a better
case against Maree
than the state
possessed against
Maree's co-indictees.
The nature of the
crime made the death
penalty available.
Nothing stated to
Maree was concealed
from the jury.
Maree's testimony at
trial made it
abundantly clear
that he was subject
to prosecution. The
jury knew that. No
one concealed from
the jury that Maree
hoped, by testifying,
that he might escape
the death penalty.
If that was not
apparent from
Maree's testimony,
the prosecutor made
it clear to the jury
when he said, in
closing argument
I
want to tell you one
other thing.... This
indictment charges
John
Eldon
Smith, a/k/a
Machetti, Rebecca
Smith a/k/a
Machetti, and
John Maree,
Jr. with the offense
of Murder in two
counts, and this
case has been
severed and Tony
Machetti is being
tried. You are not
to pass on the guilt
of the other two
defendants. As
District Attorney of
this Circuit, I tell
you that those two
other defendants
will be tried and I
tell you if I have
anything to do with
it those two
defendants will be
convicted of Murder
and you will hear, I
am sure, the defense
attorney has the
closing argument and
will talk to you
about
John Maree,
what he is going to
get out of this
trial. I can tell
you right now what
he is going to get
out of it. He is
going to be
convicted of Murder,
two counts of Murder,
if I have anything
to do with it. You
heard his testimony
that he was promised
protection for his
family. Of course,
you have to
understand in his
testimony that he is
hoping he is going
to save himself from
the electric chair.
It is the human
reaction. It is
natural for him to
hope that but he
told you, and I can
tell you, there has
been no promise.
The threatened
position of Maree
was clear to the
jury. He was subject
to prosecution on
two counts of murder
(He was so
prosecuted); the
district attorney
intended to obtain
convictions on both
counts (He did);
Maree was hoping to
avoid the death
penalty (He did);
but no promise had
been made to him.
The thrust of Giglio
and its progeny has
been to ensure that
the jury know the
facts that might
motivate a witness
in giving testimony,
and that the
prosecutor not
fraudulently conceal
such facts from the
jury. We must focus
on "the impact on
the jury." United
States v. Anderson,
574 F.2d 1347, 1356
(5th Cir.1978); see
United States v.
Meinster, 619 F.2d
1041, 1044-45 (4th
Cir.1980) (Intent of
Giglio "is not to
punish the
prosecutor; rather
the primary concern
is that the jury not
be misled by the
prosecution's
knowing use of
perjured testimony.");
United States v.
Barham, 595 F.2d
231, 243 (5th
Cir.1979).
In this case Maree's
fears and
aspirations were
clear. The jury was
made aware of
Maree's situation
and could test his
credibility taking
his threatened
posture into
consideration. Under
the facts of this
case, no Giglio
violation occurred.
II. Appellant's
Contention that
Georgia Death
Penalty Statute Is
Arbitrarily And
Discriminatorily
Imposed.
In this successive
habeas corpus
petition, petitioner
asserts that the
death penalty in
Georgia is
arbitrarily and
discriminatorily
imposed.
Smith
unsuccessfully
raised this same
claim in his first
federal habeas
corpus petition.
Smith v.
Balkcom, 660 F.2d
573 (5th Cir. Unit B
1981), modified, 671
F.2d 858 (5th Cir.
Unit B), cert.
denied, --- U.S.
----, 103 S.Ct. 181,
74 L.Ed.2d 148
(1982).
Appellant admits
that the issue
raised in this
petition is the same
claim which was
previously decided
adversely to him but
asserts that he now
has additional
evidence which he
could not have
presented the first
time this court
adjudicated this
issue. Alternatively,
petitioner contends
that this court
altered the standard
by which we
adjudicate claims of
discriminatory
application of the
death penalty in
Georgia.
Rule 9(b) of the
Rules governing §
2254 cases provides:
A second or
successive petition
may be dismissed if
the judge finds that
it fails to allege
new or different
grounds for relief
or, if new and
different grounds
are alleged, the
judge finds that the
failure of the
petitioner to assert
these grounds in a
prior petition
constituted an abuse
of the writ.
Appellant correctly
notes that a denial
of an application
for habeas corpus is
not res judicata
with respect to
subsequent
applications.
Sanders v. United
States, 373 U.S. 1,
7, 83 S.Ct. 1068,
1072-73, 10 L.Ed.2d
148 (1963). Rule
9(b) codifies the
seminal case of
Sanders and
preserves existing
case law with
respect to abuse of
the writ. Advisory
Committee Note, Rule
9, Rules Governing
Section 2254 cases
in the United States
District Courts (28
U.S.C.A. Foll. §
2254); Potts v. Zant,
638 F.2d 727, 739
(5th Cir. Unit B),
cert. denied, 454
U.S. 877, 102 S.Ct.
357, 70 L.Ed.2d 187
(1981).
In order to curb the
opportunity for
prisoners to file
nuisance or
vexatious petitions,
and to ease the
burden on the courts
arising from such
petitions,
guidelines have
evolved as to when a
district court, in
the exercise of its
sound judicial
discretion, may
decline to entertain
on the merits a
successive or
repetitious petition.
These guidelines
reflect a concern
that in the absence
of abuse, a federal
habeas court will
adjudicate at least
once the claims of a
petitioner.
Potts v. Zant, 638
F.2d at 738.
In Sanders v. United
States, 373 U.S. 1,
83 S.Ct. 1068, 10
L.Ed.2d 148 (1963),
the Supreme Court
held that a federal
court may give
controlling weight
... to denial of a
prior application
for federal habeas
... relief only if
(1) the same ground
presented in the
subsequent
application was
determined adversely
to the applicant to
the prior
application, (2) the
prior determination
was on the merits,
and (3) the ends of
justice would not be
served by reaching
the merits of the
subsequent
application.
Id. at 15, 83 S.Ct.
at 1077. In
determining whether
the "ends of justice"
would be served by
readdressing the
merits of the same
contention as raised
in the prior
petition, we must
look at objective
factors, such as
whether this was a
full and fair
hearing with respect
to the first
petition and whether
there has been an
intervening change
in the law. Id. at
16-17, 83 S.Ct. at
1077-1078; Potts v.
Zant, 638 F.2d at
739.
In the case at bar,
Smith
concedes that his
argument regarding
the alleged
discriminatory
application of
Georgia's
death penalty
statute presents the
same claim that was
determined adversely
to the applicant in
the prior
adjudication. No
party disputes that
the prior
determination was on
the merits. See
Smith v.
Balkcom, 660 F.2d
573 (5th Cir. Unit B
1981), modified, 671
F.2d 858 (5th Cir.
Unit B), cert.
denied, --- U.S.
----, 103 S.Ct. 181,
74 L.Ed.2d 148
(1982). We must
therefore determine
whether a new
adjudication of the
merits of
petitioner's
argument would serve
the ends of justice.
We conclude that it
would not.
Petitioner bears the
burden of showing
that the ends of
justice would be
served by a
redetermination.
Sanders v. United
States, 373 U.S. at
17, 83 S.Ct. at
1078. Appellant has
not alleged that the
initial hearing on
this issue was not
full and fair. See
id. at 16-17, 83
S.Ct. at 1077-1078.
Smith cannot
assert that the
denial of the
earlier petition
constituted plain
error. See Bailey v.
Oliver, 695 F.2d
1323, 1325-26 (11th
Cir.1983).
Petitioner asserts,
however, that the
panel's modification
of its original
opinion constituted
a change in the law
justifying his
failure to raise a
crucial point by
presenting evidence
of discriminatory
impact. See Sanders
v. United States,
373 U.S. at 16-17,
83 S.Ct. at
1077-1078. This
assertion lacks
merit.
The modification of
our opinion in the
earlier adjudication
of petitioner's
contention,
Smith v.
Balkcom, 671 F.2d at
859, did not alter
the requirement that
a petitioner prove
intentional
discrimination. Our
earlier opinion, 660
F.2d 573, 585 (5th
Cir. Unit B 1981),
implied that the
court would never
find intentional or
purposeful
discrimination from
circumstantial proof
or proof of racially
disproportionate
impact.
The modified opinion
acknowledged that
under long existing
precedent, in
certain instances, "statistical
evidence of racially
disproportionate
impact may be so
strong that the
results permit no
other inference but
that they are the
product of a
racially
discriminatory
intent or purpose."
Smith v.
Balkcom, 671 F.2d at
859 (citing Village
of Arlington Heights
v. Metropolitan
Housing Development
Corp., 429 U.S. 252,
266, 97 S.Ct. 555,
564, 50 L.Ed.2d 450
(1977) and Furman v.
Georgia, 408
U.S. 238, 389 n. 12,
92 S.Ct. 2726, 2804
n. 12, 33 L.Ed.2d
346 (1972) (Burger,
C.J., dissenting)).
That is the
proposition upon
which
Smith
proceeded in his
first habeas
petition and our
opinion worked no
change in that
proposition.
Neither the original
panel opinion nor
the modification
undertook to declare
what evidence would
prove purposeful
discrimination by a
state; they merely
pointed up some
shortcomings in the
evidence petitioner
offered to support
his claim. There was
no remand. The issue
having been fully
and fairly presented
by petitioner in
this first habeas
petition was finally
decided.
Petitioner's attempt
to present "new
evidence" in his
second petition
merely seeks to
introduce a modified
and expanded version
of statistics
already rejected by
this court in
adjudicating the
merits of the prior
petition.
In this successive
habeas petition,
Smith offers
additional
conclusions said to
be drawn from the
same records that
were available to
him when this
identical assertion
was made and
adjudicated by the
several courts which
passed upon it. To
entertain such
piecemeal
submissions would
not serve the ends
of justice but would
allow prisoners to
file nuisance and
vexatious petitions.
To allow
Smith to
reassert this claim
would allow any
unsuccessful habeas
petitioner to file
additional
successive
applications by
keeping teams of
aides at work
studying the same
data and proffering
additional arguments
and conclusions
derived from and
based upon the
ongoing study. That
is precisely what
Rule 9(b) prohibits.
Without a further
showing of how the
ends of justice
would be served by
considering
Smith's
reassertion of the
same discrimination
claim, Rule 9(b)
precludes
consideration of the
merits of
petitioner's
argument in this
successive petition.
III.
Constitutionality of
Jury.
Smith made no
challenge to the
jury because of the
underrepresentation
of women at or
before trial. The
Georgia
procedural rule
requires that a
defendant's
challenge to jury
composition be made
at or before the
time the jury is "put
upon him". O.C.G.A.
§ 15-12-162; Ga.Code
Ann. § 59-803.
Smith also
failed to raise the
jury composition
issue on direct
appeal to the
Georgia
Supreme Court, in
his initial state
habeas corpus action,
or in his initial
federal habeas
corpus petition.
Smith's wife,
however, while not
raising the issue at
trial did in her
first habeas corpus
proceeding challenge
the
underrepresentation
of women on the jury
under Taylor v.
Louisiana, 419 U.S.
522, 95 S.Ct. 692,
42 L.Ed.2d 690
(1975).
Although she failed
to obtain state
relief, she did
succeed in her first
federal habeas
corpus appeal.
Machetti v. Linahan,
679 F.2d 236 (11th
Cir.1983). This
Court held the
Georgia "opt-out"
provision for women
led to
unconstitutional
underrepresentation
of women under Duren
v. Missouri, 439
U.S. 357, 99 S.Ct.
664, 58 L.Ed.2d 579
(1979). Petitioner
and his wife were
tried within a few
weeks of each other
in the same county
so that the
Georgia
provision applied to
both juries.
The questions before
this Court are (1)
whether
Smith's
failure to comply
with this state
procedural rule
constitutes a waiver
of his right to
challenge the jury
composition, and (2)
if there was such a
waiver, whether
Smith is
entitled under any
theory to be
relieved of its
preclusive effect.
We hold that
Smith has not
established "cause
and prejudice" for
his failure to raise
the allegation of
illegal jury
composition until
his second,
successive state
habeas corpus
petition. We affirm
the district court's
holding that it was
prohibited from
considering this
claim on its merits.
The law is clear
that even if a jury
is unconstitutional,
that alone will not
invalidate a
conviction and death
sentence if the
defendant failed to
make the proper
constitutional
challenge. Davis v.
United States, 411
U.S. 233, 93 S.Ct.
1577, 36 L.Ed.2d 216
(1973); Huffman v.
Wainwright, 651 F.2d
347, 349 (5th Cir.
Unit B 1981); Evans
v. Maggio, 557 F.2d
430, 432-33 (5th
Cir.1977); Marlin v.
Florida, 489 F.2d
702 (5th Cir.1974).
A failure to comply
with state
procedural
requirements can be
a waiver of the
right to assert a
constitutional
violation.
Wainwright v. Sykes,
433 U.S. 72, 97 S.Ct.
2497, 53 L.Ed.2d 594
(1977).
A state may restrict
the time during
which a defendant
may raise a
constitutional
violation. Parker v.
North Carolina, 397
U.S. 790, 798-99, 90
S.Ct. 1458, 1462-63,
25 L.Ed.2d 785
(1970). A federal
court will honor a
valid state
procedural rule that
a defendant's
failure to object to
a grand or petit
jury before or
during trial
constitutes waiver
of that objection as
a basis for habeas
corpus relief.
Francis v.
Henderson, 425 U.S.
536, 541-42, 96 S.Ct.
1708, 1711, 48 L.Ed.2d
149 (1976).
It is clear from the
record, and the
parties agree, that
Smith made no
objection to the
jury composition
because of
underrepresentation
of women at or
before his trial,
and therefore waived
his right to assert
the matter under
state law.5
The question is
therefore whether
Smith is
entitled under any
theory to be
relieved of his
waiver of the claim,
and to assert the
jury composition
claim on this second
petition for habeas
corpus.
The Supreme Court
has held that for a
federal court to
consider the merits
of a defendant's
claim, where the
defendant has failed
to comply with a
state
contemporaneous
objection rule, the
defendant must show
"cause" for
noncompliance with
the rule and "actual
prejudice." United
States v. Frady, 456
U.S. 152, 102 S.Ct.
1584, 71 L.Ed.2d 816
(1982); Wainwright
v. Sykes, 433 U.S.
72, 89, 97 S.Ct.
2497, 2507-08, 53
L.Ed.2d 594 (1977);
Francis v.
Henderson, 425 U.S.
536, 96 S.Ct. 1708,
48 L.Ed.2d 149
(1976).
The requirement in
Wainwright v. Sykes,
433 U.S. 72, 97 S.Ct.
2497, 53 L.Ed.2d 594
(1977), that a
defendant show
"cause" for
noncompliance with a
state
contemporaneous
objection rule was
designed to
eliminate the
possibility of "sandbagging"
by defense lawyers,
and to reduce the
possibility that the
federal court will
decide a
constitutional issue
without the benefit
of the state's views.
Sykes, 433 U.S. at
89-90, 97 S.Ct. at
2507-2508; Ford v.
Strickland, 696 F.2d
804, 816 (11th
Cir.1983) (en banc),
petition for cert.
filed, No. 82-6923
(June 14, 1983).
While the Supreme
Court has not
explicitly defined
cause and prejudice,
our precedents have
stated that "cause"
sufficient to excuse
a procedural default
is designed to avoid
a "miscarriage of
justice." Ford, 696
F.2d at 817; Huffman
v. Wainwright, 651
F.2d 347, 351 (5th
Cir. Unit B 1981).
Smith
contends that he
established "cause"
for noncompliance
with the state
procedural rule
because his lawyers
were ignorant of
recently decided
cases. On January
21, 1975, six days
before
Smith's trial
began, the Supreme
Court decided Taylor
v. Louisiana, 419
U.S. 522, 95 S.Ct.
692, 42 L.Ed.2d 690
(1975).
Taylor held that the
constitution
requires that a jury
be selected from a
representative
cross-section of the
community and that
the Louisiana
statute which
automatically
excluded women from
jury service unless
they filed a written
request to be
subject to jury
service, an "opt-in"
statute that led to
underrepresentation
of women on the jury,
was unconstitutional.
In Duren v.
Missouri, 439 U.S.
357, 99 S.Ct. 664,
58 L.Ed.2d 579
(1979), decided
January 9, 1979, 43
days before
Smith filed
his first federal
habeas corpus
petition, the Court
held
unconstitutional an
"opt-out" statute
which granted
automatic exemption
from jury service to
any woman requesting
it. On June 25,
1982, this Court
held
unconstitutional
Georgia Code
Ann. § 59-124 (1965)
(repealed 1975), the
"opt-out" statute
under which
Smith's jury
was selected in
Machetti v. Linahan,
679 F.2d 236 (11th
Cir.1982).
It was not until
after Machetti was
decided that
Smith sought
to litigate the jury
composition issue in
his second state
habeas corpus
petition, first in
the Superior Court
of Butts County and
then in the
Georgia
Supreme Court.
Smith v. Zant,
250 Ga. 645, 301
S.E.2d 32 (1983).
The state habeas
corpus court applied
the state procedural
waiver rule and did
not consider the
issue of alleged
illegal jury
composition on the
merits.
The Supreme Court of
Georgia found
that
Smith had not
shown grounds for
raising this issue
in his second habeas
petition. The
federal district
court held that it
was precluded from
considering this
claim because the
state court applied
the state procedural
rule and did not
consider the merits
of the claim.
To show cause for
his failure to
object before the
second state habeas
corpus petition,
Smith has
presented affidavits
that his trial
lawyers were unaware
of the Taylor
decision at the time
of his trial, and he
argues that Duren
and Machetti were
intervening changes
in the law which
justify his failure
to raise the issue
until his second
state habeas corpus
petition.
Smith's
argument fails for
several reasons.
First, counsel's
lack of awareness of
the Taylor decision
at the time of trial
does not establish
"cause." In Engle v.
Isaac, 456 U.S. 107,
134, 102 S.Ct. 1558,
1574-75, 71 L.Ed.2d
783 (1981), the
Supreme Court stated:
Where the basis of a
constitutional claim
is available, and
other defense
counsel have
perceived and
litigated that claim,
the demands of
comity and finality
counsel against
labelling
unawareness of the
objection as cause
for procedural
default.
See also Dumont v.
Estelle, 513 F.2d
793, 798 (5th
Cir.1975) (reliance
on state law at the
time of trial does
not, by itself,
constitute cause).
Second,
Smith has not
established "cause"
because of any
supervening "change
in the law"
resulting from Duren
v. Missouri, 439
U.S. 357, 99 S.Ct.
664, 58 L.Ed.2d 579
(1979), or Machetti
v. Linahan, 679 F.2d
236 (11th Cir.1982),
cert. denied, ---
U.S. ----, 103 S.Ct.
763, 74 L.Ed.2d 978
(1983). In Lee v.
Missouri, 439 U.S.
461, 99 S.Ct. 710,
58 L.Ed.2d 736
(1979), the Supreme
Court held that the
1979 Duren decision
would be
retroactively
applied to any jury
sworn after the 1975
Taylor decision,
because Duren did
not announce any new
standards of
constitutional law
not evident from
Taylor. 439 U.S. at
462, 99 S.Ct. at
711.
In light of the
Supreme Court's
explicit statement
that the principles
of Duren were
evident from Taylor,
we cannot hold that
Duren made such a
fundamental change
in the law that it
established "cause"
for a failure to
raise the issue at
Smith's trial
in 1975. The
Machetti decision,
which declared the
Georgia "opt-out"
provision
unconstitutional,
merely applied the
Supreme Court's
Duren decision
striking the
Missouri "opt-out"
statute.
Smith's jury
composition claim
thus emanates
directly from Taylor
v. Louisiana, 419
U.S. 522, 95 S.Ct.
692, 42 L.Ed.2d 690
(1975).
Smith cannot
contend that his
first opportunity to
raise this Taylor
issue was in his
second state
petition for habeas
corpus for he cited
Taylor in 1977
during the
Georgia
Supreme Court's
review of his first
state petition for
habeas corpus.
Smith v.
Hopper, 240 Ga. 93,
239 S.E.2d 510
(1977).
Referring to the
Taylor case,
Smith claimed
his jury did not
represent a true
cross-section of the
community because
jurors who would
automatically vote
against the death
penalty were excused.
That Taylor issue
was considered by
the
Georgia
Supreme Court, and
was litigated in
Smith's
appeal to this Court
from the denial of
his first petition
for federal habeas
corpus relief.
Smith v.
Balkcom, 660 F.2d
573 (5th Cir. Unit B
1981), modified, 671
F.2d 858 (5th Cir.
Unit B 1982).
Cause and prejudice
are sometimes
interrelated.
Huffman v.
Wainwright, 651 F.2d
347, 351 (5th Cir.
Unit B 1981). In
this case,
Smith cannot
show "cause" for his
procedural default
such that a hearing
on the merits is
necessary to prevent
a "miscarriage of
justice," nor can he
show that "actual
prejudice" from the
alleged
constitutional
defect in jury
selection affected
his conviction.
In Daniel v.
Louisiana, 420 U.S.
31, 95 S.Ct. 704, 42
L.Ed.2d 790 (1975),
a criminal defendant
had been convicted
by a jury chosen in
accordance with the
Louisiana procedures
later held
unconstitutional in
Taylor. Before
Taylor was decided,
Daniel had raised a
timely motion to
quash the petit jury
venire, alleging
that the jury
selection procedures
were
unconstitutional
because they
resulted in the
systematic exclusion
of women from the
petit jury venire.
His motion was
denied by the state
court and the
Louisiana Supreme
Court.
The United States
Supreme Court was
thus faced with the
question of whether
to apply Taylor to a
case involving a
jury (1) chosen
according to the
procedures declared
unconstitutional in
Taylor, and (2)
empaneled prior to
the Taylor decision,
where there was no
procedural default
by the defendant.
The Court held that
the Taylor decision
was "not to be
applied, as a matter
of federal law, to
convictions obtained
by juries emplaneled
prior to the date of
[Taylor ]". Daniel,
420 U.S. at 32, 95
S.Ct. at 705. The
Court stated:
In Taylor, as in
Duncan, our decision
did not rest on the
premises that every
criminal trial, or
any particular trial,
was necessarily
unfair because it
was not conducted in
accordance with what
we determined to be
the requirements of
the Sixth Amendment.
In Taylor, as in
Duncan, the reliance
of law enforcement
officials and state
legislatures on
prior decisions of
this Court, such as
Hoyt v. Florida, 368
U.S. 57 [82 S.Ct.
159, 7 L.Ed.2d 118]
(1961), in
structuring their
criminal justice
systems is clear.
Here, as in Duncan,
the requirement of
retrying a
significant number
of persons were
Taylor to be held
retroactive would do
little, if anything,
to vindicate the
Sixth Amendment
interest at stake
and would have a
substantial impact
on the
administration of
criminal justice in
Louisiana and in
other States whose
past procedures have
not produced jury
venires that comport
with the requirement
enunciated in
Taylor.
420 U.S. at 31-32,
95 S.Ct. at 705. See
also DeStefano v.
Woods, 392 U.S. 631,
88 S.Ct. 2093, 20
L.Ed.2d 1308 (1968)
(Supreme Court
decisions holding
states could not
deny jury trial in
serious criminal
cases and criminal
contempt cases did
not apply
retroactively to
trials before those
decisions).
Because the
unconstitutional
jury composition in
Daniel did not
necessarily render
the defendant's
criminal trial
unfair, we fail to
see how
Smith can
establish "actual
prejudice" which
affected his
conviction, or how
application of the
procedural default
rule to
Smith's case
could result in a "miscarriage
of justice." This is
especially true
where
Smith, unlike
Daniel, involves a
procedural default.
We thus hold that
Smith has not
shown that the
federal court could
consider the merits
of this claim under
the existing legal
authorities. The
stay of execution
hereinbefore granted
is vacated. The
judgment of the
district court is
AFFIRMED.
*****
HATCHETT, Circuit
Judge, concurring in
part and dissenting
in part.
I respectfully
dissent on the
Giglio issue. The
prosecutor, Fred
Hasty, in his
closing argument in
John
Eldon
Smith's 1975
trial, stated:
I want to tell you
one other thing ....
This indictment
charges
John
Eldon
Smith, a/k/a
Machetti, Rebecca
Smith a/k/a
Machetti, and
John Maree,
Jr. with the offense
of Murder in two
counts, and this
case has been
severed and Tony
Machetti is being
tried. You are not
to pass on the guilt
of the other two
defendants. As
District Attorney of
this Circuit, I tell
you that those two
other defendants
will be tried and I
tell you if I have
anything to do with
it those two
defendants will be
convicted of Murder,
and you will hear, I
am sure, the defense
attorney has the
closing argument and
will talk to you
about
John Maree,
what he is going to
get out of this
trial. I can tell
you right now what
he is going to get
out of it. He is
going to be
convicted of Murder,
two counts of Murder,
if I have anything
to do with it. You
heard his testimony
that he was promised
protection for his
family. Of course,
you have to
understand in his
testimony that he is
hoping he is going
to save himself from
the electric chair.
It is the human
reaction. It is
natural for him to
hope that but he
told you, and I can
tell you, there has
been no promise. [Emphasis
added.]
In Giglio v. United
States, 405 U.S.
150, 153-154, 92
S.Ct. 763, 766, 31
L.Ed.2d 104 (1972),
a unanimous Supreme
Court stated:
As long ago as
Mooney v. Holohan,
294 U.S. 103, 112,
79 L.Ed. 791, 794,
55 S.Ct. 340 , 98
ALR 406 (1935), this
Court made clear
that deliberate
deception of a court
and jurors by the
presentation of
known false evidence
is incompatible with
"rudimentary demands
of justice." This
was reaffirmed in
Pyle v. Kansas, 317
U.S. 213, 87 L.Ed.
214, 63 S.Ct. 177
(1942).
In Napue v.
Illinois, 360 U.S.
264, 3 L.Ed.2d 1217,
79 S.Ct. 1173
(1959), we said, "[t]he
same result obtains
when the State,
although not
soliciting false
evidence, allows it
to go uncorrected
when it appears." Id.,
269 [79 S.Ct. at
1177], 3 L.Ed.2d at
1221. Thereafter
Brady v. Maryland,
373 U.S. , at 87, 10
L.Ed.2d at 218, 83
S.Ct. 1194 [at 1197]
(1963), held that
suppression of
material evidence
justifies a new
trial "irrespective
of the good faith or
bad faith of the
prosecution." See
American Bar
Association, Project
on Standards for
Criminal Justice,
Prosecution Function
and the Defense
Function § 3.11(a).
When the "reliability
of a given witness
may well be
determinative of
guilt or innocence,"
nondisclosure of
evidence affecting
credibility falls
within this general
rule. Napue, supra
[360 U.S.], at 269
[79 S.Ct. at 1177],
3 L.Ed.2d at 1221.
We do not, however,
automatically
require a new trial
whenever "a combing
of the prosecutors'
files after the
trial has disclosed
evidence possibly
useful to the
defense but not
likely to have
changed the verdict
...." United States
v. Keogh, 391 F.2d
138, 148 (CA2 1968).
A finding of
materiality of the
evidence is required
under Brady, supra
[373 U.S.], at 87
[83 S.Ct. at 1196],
10 L.Ed.2d at 218. A
new trial is
required if "the
false testimony
could ... in any
reasonable
likelihood have
affected the
judgment of the jury
...." Napue, supra
[360 U.S.], at 271
[79 S.Ct. at 1178],
3 L.Ed.2d at 1222.
If a prosecutor
fails to disclose to
the jury an
understanding or
promise made to a
witness, a Giglio
violation occurs.
Since an
understanding
existed between the
prosecutor, Hasty,
and the witness,
Maree, undisclosed
to the jury, I would
remand to the
district court for
an evidentiary
hearing on the issue.
In order to
appreciate the
extent of the
possible violation,
it is vital to
understand the facts
as disclosed on the
face of the record.
John Maree, a
co-participant in
the crime, was the
key to successful
prosecution of the
two murders involved
in this case. The
state's case against
Maree was strong.
The state's evidence
against Maree
included his
confession, his hand
prints from the
victim's automobile,
and a witness
placing him at the
crime scene. The
case against
Smith was
weak. Without
Maree's testimony,
Smith could
not be placed at the
crime scene.
Seven years after
Smith's trial,
Hasty, the
prosecutor who tried
the case, told
Millard Farmer, a
lawyer and old
acquaintance, that
he (Hasty) had made
a deal with Maree.
Hasty explained that
the deal was: a
recommendation for a
life sentence in
exchange for Maree's
testimony against
the
Smiths.
Farmer conveyed
Hasty's remarks to
Smith's
counsel in New York.
On May 25, 1983,
Farmer presented an
affidavit to Hasty
reciting the subject
matter of that prior
conversation. After
the two men had
lunch together,
Hasty found an error
in the affidavit and
had his secretary
retype it correcting
the error. At the
time Hasty signed
the affidavit,
Farmer informed him
that the affidavit
would be used in
Smith's post-conviction
relief efforts.
Hasty's affidavit in
one portion stated:
3. Prior to the
trial of
John
Smith, I
offered
John Maree,
the only known
eyewitness to the
crime, sentences
[sic] of life
imprisonment in
exchange for
testimony against
John
Smith and
Rebecca
Smith/Machetti.
Mr. Maree agreed to
testify against both
John
Smith and
Rebecca Machetti in
exchange for
sentences [sic] of
life imprisonment. I
further told
John Maree
that I would seek
the death penalty
against him if he
did not testify in
the trials of
John
Smith and
Rebecca
Smith/Machetti.
After the trials,
John Maree
was in fact
permitted to plead
guilty and did
receive sentences of
life imprisonment
for his role in the
Akins murders. (Emphasis
supplied.)
A month after Hasty
executed the
affidavit, one of
Smith's
lawyers telephoned
Hasty to inform him
that the affidavit
would be used in a
habeas corpus
petition raising a
Giglio claim. Hasty
did not object and
did not claim that
the affidavit was
incorrect.
In the June 13,
1983, state
evidentiary hearing,
Hasty testified
concerning the case:
I do know that at
one point Mr. Boger
[Smith's
attorney] mentioned
a Giglio motion that
he expected to file.
I do not recall any
statements made
about
John
Eldon
Smith's
conflict in
testimony that he
had given. I know
that the Giglio
motion was mentioned
[but] that, at that
time did not mean
anything to me.
On January 12, 1983,
Hasty learned for
the first time that
the disciplinary
board of the
Georgia State
Bar Association had
filed charges
against him.
Enclosed with the
notice of
disciplinary action
were two items: 1)
the transcript of
Hasty's closing
argument during
Smith's 1975
trial in which Hasty
told the jury that
no promises were
made to Maree in
exchange for his
testimony, and 2) an
excerpt from a 1978
deposition in which
Hasty stated that he
made a pre-trial
agreement with Maree
to testify against
Smith and his
codefendant, Rebecca
Machetti. The
pertinent portion of
the 1978 deposition
stated:
A. Well, I talked to
Mr. Morae [sic] of
course, prior to [petitioner
Smith's]
trial, and he
testified in that
case and then he
testified in Rebecca
Machetti's trial ...
Q. Did he believe
that he was going to
get off free or get
out with a light
sentence by
testifying?
A. We had a
discussion about
this, and I had
agreed that if he
did testify that I,
I would not insist
on a trial and would
allow him to enter a
plea of guilty and
receive life
sentences.
Thus, Hasty, a
seasoned prosecutor,
had sworn under oath
on two occasions,
four years apart,
that he made a deal
in exchange for
Maree's testimony.
Because he told the
Smith jury no
deal had been made,
he was in trouble
with the
Georgia State
Bar.
On May 10, 1983,
faced with
suspension or
disbarment, Hasty
repudiated his two
prior sworn
statements at
Smith's state
habeas corpus
evidentiary hearing.
Hasty stated that he
promised Maree
nothing in exchange
for his testimony,
neither a lighter
sentence nor a
letter to the parole
board.
During the same
hearing, however,
Hasty's testimony
reveals that an
understanding did
exist regarding what
sentence he would
recommend for Maree.
In response to the
question of whether
he had ever made any
promises to Maree's
attorney, Sparks,
regarding Maree,
Hasty testified:
I recall--I had
returned early on in
the investigation
when I saw what
evidence we had, I
knew if Mr. Morray
[sic] testified, I
knew what my
recommendation would
be. I had determined
that and I think I
ever discussed that
with Mr. Thompson.
At one time I
thought I had
discussed it with
Mr. Wilkes, but Mr.
Wilkes says I did
not. So, I knew what
I was going to do.
But, because of,
again, the policy I
had, I did not
discuss it with Mr.
Sparks. And after
the Rebecca Machetti
or Rebecca
Smith trial
was over, I recall--and
this would have
probably been
sometime in March of
1975--I recall Mr.
Sparks came to my
office and wanted to
talk about the case.
And earlier in my
mind, I had known
that if he testified
that I was going to
make a
recommendation of
concurrent life
sentences. I recall
when Mr. Sparks came
into my office that
we started
discussing it and at
that time I told him
that I would
recommend two
consecutive life
sentences and this
upset Mr. Sparks.
And he said, "Well,
it ought to be
concurrent." And I
agreed almost
immediately with him,
that they would be
concurrent life--recommendation
for concurrent life
sentences.
Hasty's explanation
for his two prior
sworn statements
given four years
apart: his "mind had
become somewhat
confused about what
had actually
happened."
Although no other
clear promise is
evident in the state
court records, the
record does show an
understanding by all
parties as to what
would happen in the
event Maree did not
testify. The central
portion of the
understanding is
illustrated by
Maree's testimony.
In a sworn affidavit
he stated:
The only statement
made pertaining to
my trial was that if
I did not agree to
testify, that then
D.A. (Fred Hasty)
would assign my case
to an assistant
district attorney
for prosecution and
that a death
sentence would most
likely be sought.
Maree's lawyer,
Willie Sparks,
characterized the
understanding as
follows:
Mr. Hasty did say,
as I recall, that if
Morray [sic] did not
cooperate, it was
quite possible that
he would be the
first man tried, and
the state might well
seek the death
penalty.
*
* *
*
* *
Well, after this
conversation, while
I can't recall
precisely what was
said, I conveyed to
Mr. Morray [sic]
that he did not have
a deal with the
state, but that I
thought his best and
wisest course purely
from the point of
view of his self
interest was to
testify for the
state. His
alternative was to
go to trial on a
case where he had
already confessed a
voluminous
confession, where
his palm print was
found on the car and
there was some
chance the state
would get the death
penalty even though
he did not appear to
be the trigger man.
Hasty's statement of
the understanding
was:
Q. Willie Sparks
testified that you
told him that if
John Morray
[sic] did not give
testimony that he
would be tried first
and you would have
now testified that
that's in fact what
happened.
A. [Hasty] I do not
remember telling Mr.
Sparks that, but I
know the prosecution
business well enough
to know that that's
what I would have
done.
Q. But, it is your
intention that if
Mr. Morray [sic] did
testify to the state,
you would leave open
the question of
whether he in fact
would be tried or
would be permitted
to plead guilty?
A. [Hasty] Did not
tell Mr. Sparks what
I intended to do.
Due to the
inconsistency
between Hasty's
testimony and his
deposition and
affidavit, the state
court finding of no
pretrial agreement
is not fairly
supported by the
record. The
incredible finding
that Hasty and Maree
had no understanding
is supported only by
Hasty's statement
that he was confused.
Logic, experience,
and events at trial
dictate otherwise.
A federal court must
make its own
credibility findings
under these factual
circumstances. State
court credibility
findings are never
binding on a federal
court. 28 U.S.C.A. §
2254(d)(8); Sumner
v. Mata, 449 U.S.
539, 101 S.Ct. 764,
66 L.Ed.2d 722
(1981). The state
record as a whole
clearly shows that
Hasty communicated
to Maree the idea
that he would be
tried first and the
death penalty sought
unless he testified
against
Smith.
This understanding,
however, was not
disclosed to
Smith's trial
jury. Instead, Hasty
intentionally misled
the jury as to
Maree's credibility.
This is a Giglio
violation. Under
Giglio there is "no
difference between
concealment of a
promise of leniency
and concealment of a
threat to prosecute."
United States v.
Sutton, 542 F.2d
1239, 1242 (4th
Cir.1976).
No explicit promise
or deal need be
shown. The due
process violation
occurs if there is
an undisclosed
inducement for the
witness's testimony.
Hawkins v. United
States, 324 F.2d 873
(5th Cir.1963). As
the Ninth Circuit so
aptly stated:[W]e
know from experience
that the Government,
... [has] ways of
indicating to
defendant's counsel
that benefits are
likely to result
from cooperation.
That can be
indicated without
making a bald
promise that the
charge is going to
be reduced or that
the case is going to
be dismissed.
United States v.
Butler, 567 F.2d
885, 888, n. 4 (9th
Cir.1978).
The majority and the
trial judge dismiss
this issue with the
comment that any
juror would know
that Maree sought to
save his life by
testifying. They
miss the point. The
point is that the
jury did not know
that an
understanding had
been reached and the
witness was
testifying with the
assurance that his
life had been saved.
Giglio merely holds
that the
understanding must
be disclosed. An
affirmative duty is
on the prosecutor to
disclose the
understanding rather
than have the jurors
attempt to figure it
out.
The jurors must know
the facts so they
may judge the
testimony given in
light of the
interest the witness
is or is not seeking
to protect. As
Justice Frankfurter
said in Griffin v.
United States, 336
U.S. 704, 709, 69
S.Ct. 814, 816, 93
L.Ed. 993 (1949): "it
would ... be too
dogmatic, on the
basis of mere
speculation, for any
court to conclude
that the jury would
not have attached
significance to the
evidence favorable
to the defendant had
the evidence been
before it."
Because the state
findings are
unsupported by the
record as a whole, I
would remand this
case to the district
court for an
evidentiary hearing.
This case again
illustrates the
difficulty, if not
the impossibility,
of imposing the
death penalty in a
fair and impartial
manner. It is a
classic example of
how arbitrarily this
penalty is imposed.
Maree, who bargained
to receive $1,000
for the murder and
on whom the evidence
was the strongest,
is eligible for
parole in November
1983. He will live
because the evidence
against him was
overwhelming and the
prosecutor needed
his testimony to
convict
Smith and
Machetti. Thus, a
deal was struck.
Machetti, the
mastermind in this
murder, has had her
conviction
overturned, has had
a new trial, and has
received a life
sentence. This court
overturned her first
conviction because
in the county where
her trial was held,
women were
unconstitutionally
underrepresented in
the jury pool.
Machetti v. Linahan,
679 F.2d 236 (11th
Cir.1982). Her
lawyers timely
raised this
constitutional
objection. They won;
she lives.
John
Eldon
Smith was
tried in the same
county, by a jury
drawn from the same
unconstitutionally
composed jury pool,
but because his
lawyers did not
timely raise the
unconstitutionality
of the jury pool, he
faces death by
electrocution. His
lawyers waived the
jury issue. Judicial
economy, as required
by recent decisions
of the United States
Supreme Court,
dictate that we not
reach the
underrepresentation
of women issue, even
under principles of
"manifest injustice."
The fairness
promised in Furman
v.
Georgia, 408
U.S. 238, 92 S.Ct.
2726, 33 L.Ed.2d 346
(1972), has long
been forgotten.
Although convicted
at separate trials,
the cases of both
petitioner and his
wife were
consolidated on
direct appeal, since,
with minor
exceptions, the
enumerated errors
were common to both
cases. They were
represented by
separate attorneys
The enumerations of
error were: (1) the
testimony of the
accomplice,
John Maree,
was not corroborated
in that there was no
independent evidence
which connected the
defendants with the
alleged crimes or
the commission
thereof, (2) the
trial court erred in
admitting numerous
instances of hearsay
testimony where no
evidence of a
conspiracy existed
independent of the
testimony of the
alleged
coconspirator and
accomplice,
John Maree,
(3) the trial court
erred in admitting
testimony of
John Maree as
to hearsay
statements allegedly
made by Rebecca
Machetti in
violation of
defendant's rights
to the confrontation
clause, and as to
petitioner where it
was neither shown
that Rebecca
Machetti would
refuse to testify or
was otherwise
unavailable to
testify to the truth
of such statements,
(4) the trial court
erred in admitting
the testimony of two
officers concerning
their interviews
with defendants
without informing
them of their
Miranda rights, (5)
because there was no
valid statute
authorizing the
death penalty for
murder in
Georgia, the
trial court
committed reversible
error in imposing
the death penalty,
(6) reversible error
was committed by the
trial court in
overruling the
demurrer to the
indictment, (7) the
evidence was
insufficient to
support a finding by
the jury of the
statutory
aggravating
circumstance
necessary in death
penalty cases, (8)
the trial court
erred in excluding
prospective jurors
because of their
conscientious
reservations against
imposing the penalty
in violation of
Witherspoon v.
Illinois, 391 U.S.
510, 88 S.Ct. 1770,
20 L.Ed.2d 776
(1968), (9) the
Georgia death
penalty statute does
not conform to the
requirements of
Furman v.
Georgia, 408
U.S. 238, 92 S.Ct.
2726, 33 L.Ed.2d 346
(1972), and the
death penalty
violates the eighth
amendment, (10) the
death penalty was
disproportionate to
the sentence imposed
in similar cases,
and (11) it was
reversible error to
permit cross-examination
of petitioner about
a letter from him to
his wife and to
admit a portion of
the letter into
evidence for the
limited purpose of
impeaching his
testimony.
The
Georgia
Supreme Court
undertook a sentence
review for
excessiveness,
proportionality, and
the influence of
passion, prejudice,
or any other
arbitrary factor,
and whether the
evidence supported
the jury's findings
of aggravating
circumstances.
The Supreme Court of
Georgia dealt
with three issues on
appeal from denial
of habeas corpus
relief: (1)
petitioner was
deprived of an
impartial jury
representing a true
cross-section of the
community as
required by Taylor
v. Louisiana, 419
U.S. 522, 95 S.Ct.
692, 42 L.Ed.2d 690
(1975), because
persons who would
automatically vote
against imposing the
death penalty
without regard to
the evidence were
excused from the
jury. Witherspoon v.
Illinois, 391 U.S.
510, 88 S.Ct. 1770,
20 L.Ed.2d 776
(1968). Evidence
presented to the
habeas corpus court
showed that a
Witherspoon
qualified jury is
guilt-prone and
hence more likely to
convict at the guilt
phase of a
bifurcated trial. "Because
this is a death
penalty case," 239
S.E.2d at 510, the
court assumed
without deciding
there was cause to
allow the objections
to the composition
of the traverse jury
and did not apply
the waiver rule of
Wainwright v. Sykes,
433 U.S. 72, 97 S.Ct.
2497, 53 L.Ed.2d 594
(1977), (2) the
trial judge erred in
failing to inquire
of two excused
prospective jurors
whether they were
able to make their
personal views on
the death penalty
subservient to their
legal duty as jurors,
and (3) a letter
from petitioner to
his wife should not
have been allowed in
evidence
Smith raised
three main issues on
appeal from denial
of federal habeas
corpus relief. The
exclusion from the
jury for cause of
two veniremen who
were unequivocally
opposed to the death
penalty violated his
sixth and fourteenth
amendment rights in
three respects: (1)
the jury was
conviction-prone,
and not impartial;
the jury did not
represent a fair
cross-section of the
community; and the
cumulative effect of
such death
qualification of
jurors infringes the
sixth amendment
right to a properly
functioning jury,
(2) petitioner's
death sentence was
imposed pursuant to
an arbitrary and
racially
discriminatory
pattern of capital
sentencing in
Georgia, and
(3)
Georgia's
capital sentencing
review procedures
are constitutionally
inadequate
Sparks recalled that,
after petitioner's
trial, but before
Becky Machetti's
trial, Maree had "balked"
and expressed
unwillingness to
testify further,
protesting that, as
Sparks well knew,
Maree had no "deal"
with the prosecutor.
Sparks had reported
his client's
reluctance to give
further testimony to
Hasty who persisted
in his refusal to
promise Maree
anything. Ultimately,
Maree testified in
Becky Machetti's
trial, on Sparks'
advice, even in the
absence of any
promise or agreement
Smith's
satisfaction with
the jurors called,
from which his trial
jury would be
selected, does not
merely appear from
lack of objection.
It was affirmatively
stated in a
stipulation and in
Smith's
counsel's response
to a direct inquiry
at the commencement
of the proceedings
on January 27, 1975.
Immediately after
formal arraignment
and plea, the
following transpired:
By Mr. Hasty: [for
the State]
There is a
stipulation that
counsel would like
to make, on approval
of the Court, that
in this formal
arraignment that we
use all names of the
jurors who have
already been called
in the courtroom,
that were called and
sworn, and we will
swear all of those
jurors and the jury
for this trial will
be selected from
that group of jurors.
All the jurors will
be put on the
defendant at this
time, if that is
satisfactory.
By Mr. Byrd: [for
the Defendant]
That is perfectly
all right.
*
* *
By the Court:
The court approves
that stipulation.
By Mr. Hasty:
The jurors whose
names have been
called here in the
courtroom this
morning and sworn
are the jurors good
and true to pass
between the State
and you on the issue
of this indictment,
charging you with
the offenses of
Murder, touching
your life or death.
If you have any
challenge to this
array of jurors, let
it be known at this
time in writing, and
you shall be heard.
Any challenge?
By Mr. Byrd:
We don't have a
challenge to the
array as such, Your
Honor, but, of
course, we are
reserving our right
to the individual
challenge.