People v. Ferrazza

• Decision Date: 26 August 1969
• Docket Number: Docket Nos. 4419,4577,No. 2,2
• Citation: 171 N.W.2d 658,18 Mich.App. 680
• Parties: PEOPLE of the State of Michigan, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Dante FERRAZZA, Jr., Defendant-Appellant. PEOPLE of the State of Michigan, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Harry W. WHITNEY, Defendant-Appellant
• Court: Court of Appeal of Michigan — District of US

Page 658

171 N.W.2d 658

18 Mich.App. 680

PEOPLE of the State of Michigan, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Dante FERRAZZA, Jr., Defendant-Appellant.

PEOPLE of the State of Michigan, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Harry W. WHITNEY, Defendant-Appellant.

Docket Nos. 4419, 4577.

Court of Appeals of Michigan, Division No. 2.

Aug. 26, 1969.

Released for Publication Nov. 12, 1969.

Leave to Appeal Denied Oct. 24, 1969.

John B. Bruff, Ross & Bruff, Mt. Clemens, for Dante Ferrazza, jr.

Craigen J. Oster, Soma & Oster, Mt. Clemens, for Harry W. Whitney.

Frank J. Kelley, Atty. Gen., Robert A. Derengoski, Sol. Gen., Lansing, George N. Parris, Pros. Atty., Thaddeus F. Hamera, Chief Appellate Lawyer, Don L. Milbourn, Asst. Pros. Atty., Macomb County, Mt. Clemens, for appellee.

Before J. H. GILLIS, P.J., and BRONSON and LEVIN, JJ.

LEVIN, Judge.

The defendants were convicted of first degree murder ¹ in separate trials in the summer of 1967. They appeal claiming that they were denied their constitutional and statutory right to a speedy trial. ²

On the same day in May, 1966 that the first-degree murder warrant for the defendants' arrest was issued, they were arrested in Illinois on an armed robbery charge. They remained in Illinois until January, 1967, when, after having been convicted of armed robbery, they were released by Illinois to Michigan and returned to this State to stand trial.

The United States Supreme Court recently enunciated the standard by which defendants' claim is to be adjudicated. In Smith v. Hooey (1969), 393 U.S. 374, 89 S.Ct. 575, 579, 21 L.Ed.2d 607, 614, the defendant was, as were the defendants here, detained in one State while facing an untried charge in another State. The court held that, upon the accused person's demand, the State where the untried charge is pending has 'a constitutional duty to make a diligent, good-faith effort to bring him' to trial.

Measured by that 'diligent, good-faith effort' standard, the defendants were not denied a speedy trial. No claim is made that the prosecutor did not act diligently after formal extradition proceedings were instituted in the fall of 1966. ³ The delays which occurred after the return of the defendants to Michigan were attributable to pretrial motions and procedures initiated for the most part by the defendants. ⁴

We are persuaded, contrary to the defendants' main contention, that the Michigan authorities acted with sufficient diligence during the period between May, 1966 (when the defendants were first detained in Illinois) and fall, 1966 (when formal extradition proceedings were instituted). The chronology of events during this 6-month period follows:

May 11, 1966--first-degree murder warrant issued at the request of the Macomb county prosecutor. On the same day the defendants were arrested in Evanston, Illinois on the Illinois armed robbery charge.

May 13--a Macomb county assistant prosecutor interviewed the defendants in Evanston, Illinois and learned they wished to be returned to Michigan as soon as possible.

May 23--the assistant prosecutor telephoned Illinois officials who informed him that the defendants would be tried for armed robbery in Illinois.

June 6--a letter from Illinois confirmed the May 23 telephone conversation and stated that the defendants would be tried in Illinois on June 23, 1966.

June 23--the assistant prosecutor was informed by telephone that the Illinois trial had been postponed until July.

Early July--the assistant prosecutor learned by telephone that the Illinois trial had again been postponed.

July-September--the assistant prosecutor made no further inquiries.

September 8--the assistant prosecutor received a letter stating that the defendants had pled guilty on September 7, 1966 to the Illinois charge and had been sentenced to serve 2 to 6 years.

September 22--the assistant prosecutor wrote Illinois authorities giving notice of his intention to begin extradition proceedings.

October 10--the assistant prosecutor telephoned the governor's office in Lansing to familiarize himself with extradition procedures.

November 3--the necessary papers were forwarded from Macomb county to the governor's office.

During this 6-month period both defendants made several inquiries by mail concerning the delay in extradition. Defendant Ferrazza filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus with the Macomb county circuit court. ⁵

The delay in the extradition of the defendants appears to have been unavoidable. The uniform criminal extradition act, which both Illinois and Michigan have adopted, ⁶ allows a State which has custody of a fugitive on a pending charge to 'hold him until he has been tried and discharged or convicted and punished.' ⁷ Clearly, Illinois had the right to keep the defendants until they were tried in Illinois.

The Macomb county officials early made known their desire to have the defendants returned to Michigan. Every communication between officials of Illinois and of Macomb county during the summer of 1966 indicated Illinois' intention of detaining the defendants until they had been prosecuted for armed robbery.

The Macomb county officials had every reason to believe that Illinois would not consent to extradition before trying the defendants on the armed robbery charge. While they might have begun formal extradition proceedings at an earlier date, neither their failure to do so nor the few additional weeks' delay due to the assistant prosecutor's unfamiliarity with extradition procedures alters our impression upon the whole record that the prosecutor acted with reasonable diligence and in good faith, albeit unsuccessfully, in attempting to obtain custody of the defendants in the late spring and summer of 1966.

This case is distinguishable from the cases decided in other jurisdictions which have been brought to our attention. In most of these cases the record showed total inaction by the prosecution although the defendants had already commenced serving the sentence imposed by the detaining State. In Smith v. Hooey, Supra, for 6 years the State of Texas made no effort to bring the accused person to trial other than to send one letter to the detaining authorities. In Pitts v. North Carolina (C.A. 4, 1968), 395 F.2d 182, the State failed for 15 years to take even the 'slightest step' to procure a temporary release and a prompt hearing for the accused person. In People v. Winfrey (1967), 20 N.Y.2d 138, 281 N.Y.S.2d 823, 228 N.E.2d 808, no effort was made for 4 1/2 years to obtain the accused person's presence in New York; pertinent is the following observation of the New York Court of Appeals (p. 142); 'there is no contention that if such a request (to a sister State) is made and rejected a delay in bringing the prisoner to trial in New York occasioned by his foreign imprisonment would be unreasonable. The point is that in this case no effort of any kind was made.' In People v. Bryarly (1961), 23 Ill.2d 313, 178 N.E.2d 326, the prosecution had announced its intention to abandon the case after a co-defendant had been acquitted; for nearly 5 years there was no effort to initiate extradition proceedings. Similarly, see United States v. Reed (D.C.1968), 285 F.Supp. 738. Cf. State v. Johnson (1967), 13 Ohio Misc. 79, 231 N.E.2d 353.

Our finding that the prosecutor acted with reasonable diligence and in good faith makes it unnecessary for us to decide whether M.C.L.A. § 767.38 (Stat.Ann.1954 Rev. § 28.978), providing for a trial of persons detained in prison within 6 months, applies to a defendant incarcerated in another State. The Michigan statutes implementing the constitutional right to a speedy trial, ⁸ as well as the constitutional provision itself, require no more than good faith and prompt action by the prosecution. Cf. People v. Hendershot (1959), 357 Mich. 300, 303, 98 N.W.2d 568; People v. Castelli (1963), 370 Mich. 147, 153, 121 N.W.2d 438; People v. Williams (1968), 9 Mich.App. 676, 682, 683, 687, 158 N.W.2d 42; People v. Farmer (1969), 16 Mich.App. 148, 167 N.W.2d 597, construing a different statute ⁹ but on principle relevant in the application of M.C.L.A. § 767.38 as well.

Defendant Whitney has raised an additional issue concerning the admission into evidence of a black wallet. The wallet was found on Ferrazza when he was arrested in Illinois. It contained false identification which had been used by the victim. The defendant now contends that the evidence should have been excluded as irrelevant and unduly prejudicial.

No objection to the admission of the wallet was made at the trial. We recognize that we may, nevertheless, consider the objection now made and, if sufficiently impressed, order a new trial. ¹⁰ The evidence of the defendants' guilt was overwhelming. We are convinced that Whitney would have been convicted even if the wallet had not been admitted in evidence. Accordingly, timely objection not having been made, we decline further to consider this assignment of error.

Affirmed.

1 M.C.L.A. § 750.316 (Stat.Ann.1954 Rev. § 28.548).

2 U.S.Const. Am. 6; Const.1963, art. 1, § 20; M.C.L.A. § 768.1 (Stat.Ann.1954 Rev. § 28.1024); M.C.L.A. § 767.38 (Stat.Ann. 1954 Rev. § 28.978).

3 After the formal extradition papers were mailed from Macomb county to the governor's office in Lansing on November 3, the assistant prosecutor telephoned Lansing on November 22 in an effort to expedite action. The extradition papers were mailed from Lansing to Illinois on November 22. On December 9 the assistant prosecutor telephoned Illinois to prod the Illinois officials and discovered that the required special agreement between the States had not been included. On December 12 the assistant prosecutor persuaded an Illinois official to send...