Davis v. State of North Carolina, Civ. No. 1302 (Habeas Corpus No. 27).

• Citation: 196 F. Supp. 488
• Decision Date: 25 July 1961
• Docket Number: Civ. No. 1302 (Habeas Corpus No. 27).
• Court: U.S. District Court — Eastern District of North Carolina
• Parties: Elmer DAVIS, Jr., Petitioner, v. STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.

196 F. Supp. 488

Elmer DAVIS, Jr., Petitioner, v. STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA.

Civ. No. 1302 (Habeas Corpus No. 27).

United States District Court E. D. North Carolina, Raleigh Division.

July 25, 1961.

COPYRIGHT MATERIAL OMITTED

Charles V. Bell, Charlotte, N. C. and W. B. Nivens, Charlotte, N. C., for petitioner.

T. W. Bruton, Atty. Gen. of North Carolina, for respondent.

BUTLER, Chief Judge.

This petition for writ of habeas corpus has been filed on behalf of Elmer Davis, Jr., who is in the custody of the State of North Carolina under sentence of death.

Petitioner was indicted by the Grand Jury at the November 2 Term, 1959, of the Superior Court of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, for the crime of murder while engaged in the perpetration of the felony of rape. The case was tried at the December Term, 1959, of said court, at which trial petitioner was represented by counsel; the jury returned a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree, with no recommendation for life imprisonment; and, as required by state law¹, a sentence of death was imposed. On appeal to the Supreme Court of North Carolina, the judgment was affirmed. State of North Carolina v. Davis, 1960, 253 N.C. 86, 116 S.E.2d 365. A petition to the North Carolina Supreme Court for a rehearing was denied on November 18, 1960; and, thereafter, a petition for writ of certiorari was filed with the United States Supreme Court. Certiorari was denied on March 20, 1961. Davis v. State of North Carolina, 365 U.S. 855, 81 S.Ct. 816, 5 L.Ed.2d 819.

Petitioner claims that he was denied the "equal protection of the laws" as guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in that: (1) the trial judge refused to charge the jury as requested by counsel for petitioner, and (2) the judge made certain highly prejudicial remarks during the course of the trial. Petitioner further claims that the admission in evidence of a confession made by him is a denial of his rights under the "due process" clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, in that the confession was involuntary because it was obtained by coercion.

The Court has before it in this case the record on appeal and briefs of counsel for both sides in the appeal to the Supreme Court of North Carolina, a complete transcript of the trial, the petition for writ of certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, and the State's brief in opposition thereto.

From the record, it appears that the voluntariness of the confession and the comments of the trial judge were properly presented to the Supreme Court of North Carolina and the United States Supreme Court, and the requirements as to the exhaustion of state remedies have been met in respect to those matters; however, while the refusal of the trial judge to include certain instructions in his charge to the jury was appealed to the North Carolina Supreme Court, no mention was made of it in the petition for writ of certiorari. This resulted in a failure to exhaust state remedies as to this question; therefore, it is not properly before this Court. Darr v. Burford, 1950, 339 U.S. 200, 70 S.Ct. 587, 94 L.Ed. 761; United States ex rel. Williams v. La Vallee, 2 Cir., 1960, 276 F.2d 645. However, even had this question been properly presented, instructions to the jury are normally matters of state law and procedure not involving federal constitutional issues. It is only in circumstances impugning fundamental fairness or infringing specific constitutional protection that a federal question is presented. Grundler v. State of North Carolina, 4 Cir., 1960, 283 F.2d 798.

In raising the questions relating to the voluntariness of the confession and the comments of the trial judge, petitioner does not allege any facts de hors the record. Instead, he relies on the evidence presented therein, which he incorporates into the present petition. Since the complete record is before the Court which affords an ample basis for interpretation of the legal significance of the facts, this Court concludes that a plenary hearing would serve no useful purpose and the question may be properly decided upon the record. See Brown v. Allen, 1953, 344 U.S. 443, 73 S.Ct. 397, 97 L.Ed. 469; Cooper v. Denno, D.C.S.D.N.Y.1954, 129 F.Supp. 123, affirmed United States ex rel. Cooper v. Denno, 2 Cir., 1955, 221 F.2d 626.

The facts in this case are set out in the opinion by the North Carolina Supreme Court²; and, therefore, will not be repeated except as they relate to the questions raised.

Voluntariness of Confession

The murder for which petitioner was convicted was committed on September 20, 1959. Petitioner, who was an escapee serving sentences of seventeen to twenty-five years for robbery and assault with intent to commit rape, was arrested on September 21, 1959, and brought to the City Jail, Charlotte, North Carolina, where he remained until October 6, 1959, at which time he signed a statement admitting the commission of the crime. The food served petitioner at the City Jail consisted of two sandwiches twice each day, which was the same fare that the other prisoners received.

Witnesses for the State testified that petitioner was held as an escaped felon and also that several thefts which he admitted were being investigated. It was further testified that, while he was questioned about the other crimes, he was not asked about the murder until October 2 1959; and, when he denied any knowledge thereof, it was not mentioned again until October 6, 1959. On October 6, he was asked if he would like to talk to one of the members of the police force privately. He responded in the affirmative, and then, without further questioning, admitted the murder. Whereupon, he was taken to the scene of the crime and reënacted it. Further testimony showed that although there was a notation on the data sheet which was made out at the time of his arrest that he was not to be allowed to see or communicate with anyone, this entry was unauthorized and was not enforced. There is evidence that as the statement was being drawn up it was read to petitioner and he was asked if its contents were accurate, that he was cautioned that anything he said could be used against him, that he was told that he did not have to sign it, that he said it was true and voluntarily signed it, and that after he had signed the statement the Chief of Police talked with him and determined to his own satisfaction that the statement was voluntary and that he had not been mistreated.

Petitioner contends that the arrest record directed that he be held incommunicado, that North Carolina law requires any officer making an arrest to inform immediately the person of the charges against him³ and to take a person arrested without a warrant before a magistrate for preliminary hearing as quickly as possible.⁴ He testified that he did not commit the offense charged, that he could not read and that only the second page of the two-page statement was read to him and he couldn't understand what was said, that he was hungry and was told that if he signed it he could get a hot bath and something to eat, that he was questioned every day, that he had been threatened, that he was afraid someone would kill him at the time he signed the statement, and that he did not talk with the Chief of Police.

After hearing evidence from both sides and considering the conflicting testimony, the trial judge, in accordance with the North Carolina procedure⁵, determined that the confession was voluntary and admitted it into evidence.

As there is a presumption of constitutional regularity in state judicial proceedings, petitioner must show that the State so departed from constitutional requirements as to justify a federal court's intervention to protect his rights. Darr v. Burford, supra; Daniels v. Allen, 1953, 344 U.S. 443, 73 S.Ct. 397, 437, 97 L.Ed. 469.

Petitioner was an escaped felon. Any law enforcement organization was entitled to retain him in custody. N.C.Gen.Stat. § 148-40; Palakiko v. Harper, 9 Cir., 1953, 209 F.2d 75. So long as no coercion is employed, constitutional requirements do not forbid police examination in private of those in lawful custody or the use as evidence of information voluntarily given. United States v. Carignan, 1951, 342 U.S. 36, 72 S.Ct. 97, 96 L.Ed. 48.

While the arrest record directed that petitioner not be allowed to communicate with anyone, there is evidence that he asked to see his sister, that officers on the police force located his sister and notified her of his desire to see her prior to the date of his confession,...