Wider v. United States
Decision Date | 07 June 1965 |
Docket Number | No. 18022.,18022. |
Citation | 121 US App. DC 129,348 F.2d 358 |
Parties | Booker T. WIDER, Appellant, v. UNITED STATES of America, Appellee. |
Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — District of Columbia Circuit |
Mr. James J. Bierbower, Washington, D. C. (appointed by this court), for appellant.
Mr. Gerald E. Gilbert, Asst. U. S. Atty., with whom Messrs. David C. Acheson, U. S. Atty., Frank Q. Nebeker and Harold H. Titus, Jr., Asst. U. S. Attys., were on the brief, for appellee.
Before WASHINGTON and DANAHER, Circuit Judges, and BASTIAN, Senior Circuit Judge.
After a jury trial in the District Court, appellant was convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon and of carrying a concealed weapon. He received concurrent sentences of 2 to 6 years and one year, respectively. On this appeal, appellant urges that the court erred in finding him competent to stand trial.
On defense counsel's motion prior to the trial, appellant was hospitalized for mental examination pursuant to D.C. CODE § 24-301(a). The resulting hospital report stated that in the opinion of the hospital staff appellant was competent to stand trial, that he was suffering from a mental disease at the time of the examination and at the time of the crime, and that the psychiatrists were unable to render an opinion as to whether or not the crime was a product of the mental disease.
It appears that, notwithstanding the hospital report, defense counsel entertained serious doubts that appellant was competent; and it further appears that both counsel were of the opinion that appellant had an absolute right to waive the insanity defense and keep the issue of insanity out of the case altogether. Because of its importance to our decision, we reproduce here in full a colloquy which occurred during a bench conference at the commencement of the trial:
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United States v. Taylor, 13937.
...attack on a state conviction. See note 5, infra. See also Clonch v. Boles, 419 F.2d 393 (4th Cir. 1969); Wider v. United States, 121 U.S. App.D.C. 129, 348 F.2d 358, 361 (1965); Kelley v. United States, 95 U.S.App.D.C. 267, 221 F.2d 822, 825 (D.C.Cir. 4 Memorandum for the United States, p. ......
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Alvord v. Wainwright
...which due process requires the trial judge to instruct sua sponte on each element of the offense. 28 Petitioner cites Wider v. United States, 348 F.2d 358 (D.C.Cir.1965), but Wider involved the trial court's ongoing obligation to raise and determine the accused's competency to stand trial. ......
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Miller v. State, KCD26142
...fitness to proceed despite the certification of competency. Newbold v. State, supra, 492 S.W.2d l.c. 819(4, 5); Wider v. United States, 121 U.S.App.D.C. 129, 348 F.2d 358 (1965). Under our decisions, the evidence before the trial judge at the guilty plea was not sufficiently cogent to rende......
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Green v. United States, 20288.
...and elsewhere, including Pate, are entirely consistent with and reflective of this reasoning. Hence, in Wider v. United States, 121 U.S.App.D.C. 129, 348 F.2d 358 (1965), decided subsequent to Whalem but prior to Pate where counsel for the accused voiced at trial strong misgivings regarding......