Roberts v. Broomfield

• Decision Date: 28 October 2022
• Docket Number: 2:93-cv-00254 DAD-DB
• Parties: LARRY ROBERTS, Petitioner, v. RON BROOMFIELD, Warden of the California State Prison at San Quentin,[1] Respondent.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Eastern District of California

LARRY ROBERTS, Petitioner,
v.
RON BROOMFIELD, Warden of the California State Prison at San Quentin,^[1] Respondent.

No. 2:93-cv-00254 DAD-DB

United States District Court, E.D. California

October 28, 2022

ORDER: (1) CONDITIONALLY GRANTING HABEAS RELIEF ON PORTIONS OF PETITIONER'S GUILT PHASE CLAIMS 1 AND 7; (2) ISSUING A CERTIFICATE OF APPEALABILTY AS TO CLAIM 29; (3) DENYING AS MOOT PETITIONER'S MOTION FOR FINAL JUDGMENT ON CLAIM 1; AND (4) DIRECTING THE CLERK OF COURT TO SUBSTITUTE RON BROOMFIELD AS RESPONDENT WARDEN AND ENTER JUDGMENT

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Table of Contents

Section Page

INTRODUCTION ........................................ 1

BACKGROUND ......................................... 1

I. Factual Background ....................................... 1

A. Facts Presented at Trial ................................. 1

1. Guilt Phase ................................... 1

2. Penalty Phase .................................. 3

II. Procedural Background .................................... 4

LEGAL STANDARDS ...................................... 9

GUILT PHASE CLAIMS .................................... 11

I. Evidentiary Hearing Claims ................................ 11

A. Claim 1 - Prosecutorial Misconduct ........................ 12

1. Legal Standards .............................. 13

a. Prosecutorial Misconduct for Withholding Impeachment Evidence . . 13

b. Prosecutorial Misconduct for Presentation of False Evidence ..... 15

2. Prosecutorial Misconduct Involving the Credibility of Witness Cade . . . 16

a. Cade's Testimony ............................ 16

i. Trial Testimony ......................... 16

ii. Cade's Reference Hearing Testimony ............. 18

b. Claim that Prosecution Suppressed Evidence of Cade's Mental Health 20

i. Evidence Presented re Cade's Mental Health Problems . . . . 20

ii. Discussion ............................ 22

c. Claim that Prosecution Suppressed Evidence of Benefits Requested By and Conferred on Cade ........................ 26

i. Background Facts ........................ 26

ii. Discussion ........................... 29

d. Claim that Prosecution Suppressed Cade's Prior Crimes ....... 31

e. Claim that Prosecution Suppressed Cade's Informant Activity ..... 33

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f. Claim that Prosecution Knew Witnesses Coordinated to Give False Testimony ............................. 34

g. Prejudice from Prosecutorial Misconduct re Cade's Credibility . . . . 36

3. Prosecutorial Misconduct Involving the Testimony of Witness Richard Yacotis ................................ 41

a. Yacotis's Trial Testimony ....................... 41

b. Yacotis's 1995 Declaration ....................... 42

c. Yacotis's Reference Hearing Testimony ................ 43

d. Discussion of Presentation of Yacotis's False Testimony ....... 44

4. Prosecutorial Misconduct Involving the Credibility of Witness Robert Hayes 46

a. Hayes' Trial Testimony ......................... 46

b. Evidence re Hayes that was not Disclosed to the Defense ....... 47

c. Discussion of Suppression of Evidence re Hayes ............ 49

5. Prosecutorial Misconduct Involving the Credibility of Witness Leslie Rooks 50

a. Rooks' Trial Testimony ......................... 50

b. Rooks' 1995 Declaration ........................ 51

c. Rooks' Reference Hearing Testimony ................. 51

d. Discussion of Suppression of Evidence re Rooks ............ 51

6. Prosecutorial Misconduct Involving the Credibility of Witness Raybon Long 53

a. Long's Trial Testimony ......................... 53

b. Long's 1995 Declaration ........................ 55

c. Long's 1999 Declaration ........................ 55

d. Long at the Reference Hearing ..................... 55

e. Evidence re Long Uncovered after Trial ................ 62

f. Discussion of Presentation of Long's False Testimony ......... 64

7. Prosecutorial Misconduct Involving Victim Gardner's History of Violence . . 65

B. Claim 7 - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel at the Guilt Phase ............ 66

1. Factual Background .............................. 66

2. Legal Standards ................................ 68

a. Deficient Performance ......................... 68

b. Prejudice ................................ 70

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3. Discussion .................................... 71

a. Reasonableness of Counsel's Conduct ................. 71

b. Prejudice ................................ 74

C. Claim 16 - Prejudicial Courtroom Security ...................... 75

1. Background Facts ................................ 75

2. Legal Standards ................................. 76

3. Discussion ................................... 79

D. Claim 29 - Removal of a Juror During Deliberations ................. 80

1. Background Facts from the Trial Record .................... 80

2. Post-trial Evidence ............................... 84

a. Juror Conklin .............................. 84

b. Juror Galloway ............................. 86

c. Juror Edwards .............................. 87

3. Legal Standards ................................. 89

a. Standards for Dismissing a Juror .................... 89

b. Standards for Consideration of Juror Testimony ............ 92

4. Discussion of Removal of Juror During Deliberations ............. 95

II. Non-Evidentiary Hearing Claims re the Guilt Phase ...................... 98

A. Claim 1 - Prosecutorial Misconduct .......................... 98

B. Claim 2 - Decision to Seek Death Penalty Based on Impermissible Considerations . . 112

C. Claim 3 - California's Death Penalty Statute Fails to Narrow ............. 113

D. Claim 4 - Sufficiency of the Evid. For Lying in Wait ................. 113

1. Legal Standards ................................... 113

2. State Court Decision ................................ 114

3. Discussion ..................................... 115

E. Claim 5 - Reliance at the Guilt Phase on Prior Murder Conviction .......... 117

F. Claim 6 - Prosec. Misconduct re Delay in Charging .................. 119

G. Claim 7 - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel at the Guilt Phase ............ 120

1. Discussion of Unreasonable Conduct by Attorney Urquhart ........... 120

a. Failure to Cross-examine Inmate Hayes re Benefits .............. 120

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b. Failure to Cross-examine Inmate Cade re Aug. 25 Interview ......... 121

c. Failure to Use Statement of Inmate Black ................... 122

2. Remaining Claims of Ineffective Assistance of Counsel at the Guilt Phase . . . . 123

H. Claim 8 - Imbalance of Equities between Prosec. And Dfs ............... 129

I. Claim 9 - Trial Court Rulings re Discovery and Disclosure .............. 131

J. Claim 10 - Denial of Change of Venue ........................ 132

1. Legal Standards .................................. 133

2. Discussion ..................................... 135

K. Claim 11 - Denial of Marsden Motions ........................ 137

1. Background ..................................... 137

2. Legal Standards ................................... 139

3. Discussion ..................................... 141

L. Claim 12 - Failure to Dismiss Information ....................... 142

M. Claim 13 - Multiple Murder Special Circumstance .................. 143

N. Claim 14 - Improper Denial of Continuance ...................... 143

O. Claim 15 - Ineffective Assistance of Counsel during Jury Selection ......... 144

P. Claim 16 - Excessive Courtroom Security ....................... 148

Q. Claim 17 - Improper Admission of BGF Membership ................. 148

1. Background ..................................... 149

2. Legal Standards ................................... 149

3. Discussion of Procedural Bar ............................ 151

4. Discussion of Denial of Discovery ......................... 153

5. Discussion of Admission of BGF Evidence .................... 154

R. Claim 18 - Argument and Instruction re Petitioner's Flight from the Scene ..... 156

S. Claim 19 - Rooks' Testimony that Petitioner Ordered him Killed ........... 158

T. Claim 20 - Testimony that Petitioner Refused to Provide a Blood Sample ...... 160

U. Claim 21 - Evidence of Gardner's Good Character .................. 162

V. Claim 22 - Denial of Motion to Sever and Admission of Menefield's Statements . . . 162

1. Severance ...................................... 163

2. Confrontation Clause Error ............................. 164

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a. Legal Standards ................................. 164

b. Discussion ................................... 167

W. Claim 23 - Denial of Right to Confrontation of Inmates Black and Moore ...... 170

X. Claim 24 - Admission of Evidence of Timed Running Tests ............. 171

Y. Claim 25 - Admission of Yacotis's Testimony in Rebuttal .............. 172

Z. Claim 26 - Denial of Right to be Present ........................ 172

1. Legal Standards .................................. 172

2. Absence from Jury Viewing of Crime Scenes ................... 173

a. Factual Background .............................. 173

b. Discussion ................................... 174

3. Absence from Ex Parte and In Camera Conferences ............... 174

AA. Claim 27 - Judicial Bias .............................. 175

BB. Claim 28 - Failure to Give Jury Instructions .................... 176

1. Instruction re Proximate Cause of Gardner's Death ................ 176

2. Instruction re Witness Credibility .......................... 179

3. Instruction re Petitioner's Decision not to Testify ................. 180

CC. Claim 30 - Juror Misconduct ........................... 181

DD. Claim 31 - Failure to Maintain a Complete Trial Record ............. 182

1. Legal Standards .................................. 183

2. Responses to Jury Notes...