State v. Masters
| Decision Date | 14 October 1969 |
| Docket Number | No. 53496,53496 |
| Citation | 171 N.W.2d 255 |
| Parties | STATE of Iowa, Appellee, v. John Paul MASTERS, Jr., Appellant. |
| Court | Iowa Supreme Court |
John Paul Masters, Jr., of Fort Madison, pro se.
Richard C. Turner, Atty. Gen. of Iowa, William A. Claerhout, Asst. Atty. Gen., and Samuel O. Erhardt, County Atty., for appellee.
October 30, 1968, defendant, John Paul Masters, Jr., was charged by county attorney information in Wapello County with the crime of robbery with aggravation in violation of section 711.2, Code, 1966, to which he entered a plea of not guilty. On trial of the cause the jury returned a verdict of guilty of robbery, an included and lesser offense. On December 23, 1968 defendant was sentenced to the state penitentiary at Fort Madison for a term not to exceed 10 years as provided by Code section 711.3. From this judgment and sentence he has appealed. We affirm.
Several unusual problems here result from defendant's personal participation at various stages of the proceedings in the lower court and his knowingly refusing appointment and assistance of an attorney on this appeal. At arraignment defendant stated he did not want an attorney but the trial court appointed an experienced trial lawyer to render such assistance as defendant would accept. Prior to trial defendant personally prepared and filed several motions and applications. He did, however, permit appointed counsel to conduct the trial of the cause and makes no complaint against the manner of that representation. After the verdict defendant personally prepared and filed a long detailed motion for new trial. It was written in long hand and covered 12 pages.
The trial court carefully considered the many propositions asserted in the motion for new trial and cited case authorities supporting the holding they were without merit. After the motion for new trial was overruled and a presentence investigation made, defendant was sentenced.
Immediately, following pronouncement of sentence the trial court fully advised defendant of his right to appeal, the statutory requirements of a proper notice of appeal, his right as an indigent to appointment of counsel and a transcript of the evidence and printing of the record at county expense.
Mr. Patrick Life, defendant's appointed trial lawyer, announced he did not desire to be involved in an appeal which defendant had indicated he would present pro se. Defendant was again advised of his right to appointment of counsel on appeal. Thereafter defendant personally prepared and gave proper notice of appeal and has presented it pro se. The record, with our permission, is presented on the transcript of the evidence together with the clerk's transcript which has been filed in conformity with Code section 793.6. The record discloses defendant competently and understandingly has elected to present this appeal pro se.
'Where competent, an accused has the right to appear in person and conduct his own defense, but he does so at this peril and cannot thereafter complain that he was not properly represented.'
After holding a state prisoner, under both state and federal court proceedings, may competently and intelligently waive counsel and represent himself the court in Hatfield v. Bailleaux, 9 Cir., 290 F.2d 632, 641, states:
In Johnson v. Avery, 393 U.S. 483, 89 S.Ct. 747, 21 L.Ed.2d 718, the Supreme Court in a post conviction proceeding where there was no provision for appointment of counsel endowed the 'jailhouse lawyer' with the mantle of respectability but did not provide for immunity from following orderly rules of procedure. Here defendant voluntarily rejected appointment of counsel on this appeal and has in several respects failed to comply with our established rules.
Rule 344, Rules of Civil Procedure, provides: 'Form and Contents of Briefs.
'(a) Appellant's opening brief shall contain:
'(1) A statement of the case, not ordinarily to exceed one page, showing the nature of the action, what the issues were, and how they were decided, and what questions are presented by the appeal;
'(2) A statement of the facts, stating the principal facts in narrative form, with references to the pages and lines of the record to support each statement. But if such references are fully supplied in the argument, they may be omitted from this statement.
'(3) A statement of errors relied on for reversal when the appeal presents questions of law; or a statement of propositions relied on, when it is triable de novo. The errors or propositions shall be separately stated and numbered, in substantially the order they are presented in the division of the brief.
'(4) In separately numbered divisions:
'(First) A a statement of the 'error' or 'proposition' relied on and discussed in that division, with references to the pages and lines of the record, sufficient to show fully the manner in which the error arose and the ruling of the trial court thereon.
'(Second) Separately numbered or lettered brief points substantially conforming to the 'Statement of Errors' or 'Propositions' and stating without argument the grounds of complaint of the ruling and citing authorities supporting each point.
'(b) If two or more errors relied on present closely related propositions of law or fact, the brief points and arguments may be presented in one division.
'(c) Argument of any error which relates to the sufficiency of the evidence to sustain a ruling on any point shall supply full references to the pages and lines of the record, unless such evidence if fully stated, with such references, in the statement of facts.
'(d) Appellee's brief and appellant's reply shall follow the above outline as nearly as may be, but without unnecessary repetition. * * *'
The only document prepared and filed by defendant on this appeal is his 'Brief on Appeal'. It makes general statements of complaints of what occurred before, during and after trial in the lower court. It contains no statement of the case, no reference to any page and line in the record regarding any of his complaints, no authorities are cited and no errors or propositions are argued. Defendant's 'Brief on Appeal' fails to comply with almost every requirement of rule 344, R.C.P. We agree with the State's contention that an appellee's brief in proper form cannot be prepared due to defendant's failure to follow the requirements of rule 344, R.C.P.
Rule 344(a)(4) (Third, R.C.P.,...
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State v. Martin
...748, 751 (Iowa 1973); State v. Wright, 203 N.W.2d at 250--251; State v. Jensen, 189 N.W.2d 919, 924--925 (Iowa 1971); State v. Masters, 171 N.W.2d 255, 258 (Iowa 1969); cf. Burgett v. State of Texas, 389 U.S. 109, 115, 88 S.Ct. 258, 262, 19 L.Ed.2d 319 (1967); State v. Davis, 196 N.W.2d 885......
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State v. Mattingly, 55894
...in support of his argument. The assignment is deemed waived. State v. Baker, 203 N.W.2d 795, 796--797 (Iowa 1973); State v. Masters, 171 N.W.2d 255, 258 (Iowa 1969), cert. denied, 397 U.S. 1052, 90 S.Ct. 1391, 25 L.Ed.2d 667 Affirmed. ...
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State v. Houston
...§ 153. VI. By virtue of Code § 793.18 we deem it appropriate, however, to evaluate the error instantly urged. See State v. Masters, 171 N.W.2d 255, 258 (Iowa 1969). This in turn necessitates further reference to the attendant factual Murphy testified he first met, saw and talked with Housto......
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Seiber v. State, 55833
...to the insufficiency of plaintiff's brief in these particulars, and directs us to the pronouncements of this court in State v. Masters, 171 N.W.2d 255 (Iowa 1969), in which we held the brief and argument of appellant insufficient and declined to consider the appeal on the basis of such a br......