State ex rel. Roberts v. Henderson
State ex rel. Roberts v. Henderson
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting from- refusal to grant writs).
The allegations in relator’s petition are a compilation of the various circumstances found in the three United States Supreme Court cases with the additional plea of lack of .mental, capacity. He contends that he entered a coerced plea of guilty based upon a, coerced confession taken after being held incommunicado for several weeks. He alleges that his court-appointed counsel appeared for the first time at arraignment and at this brief encounter advised him to plead guilty since his signed statement precluded any chance to take the case to trial. He also alleges that the district 'attorney told him that if he would plead guilty, he would receive only a five-year sentence, but that upon pleading guilty he was-sentenced to 20 years. Relator finally • contends that he was not informed of his constitutional rights before entering his plea and did not waive them, and that his plea was not knowingly, freely, and intelligently entered. Since this is a pre-Boykin case, such waiver need not be reflected in the record, but relator is entitled to • present a collateral attack. Walker v. Johnston, 312 U.S. 275, 61 S.Ct. 574, 85 L.Ed. 830; Waley v. Johnston, 316 U.S. 101, 62 S.Ct. 964, 86 L.Ed. 1302; Shelton v. United States, 356 U.S. 26, 78 S.Ct. 563, 2 L.Ed.2d 579. McMann and its companion cases, Brady and Parker, entitle this relator to an evidentiary hearing.
Moreover, Machibroda v. United States, 368 U.S. 487, 82 S.Ct. 510, 7 L.Ed.2d 473, would entitle relator to an evidentiary hearing under his allegation of misrepresentation by the district attorney. See also State ex rel. Wikberg v. Henderson, 257 La. 446, 242 So.2d 574. Machibroda recognizes that a district judge is without authority to deny a writ with such factual allegations as presented .in the instant case on .the basis of personal knowledge. The trial judge at arraignment, the attorney who represented relator, the district attorney, and the relator himself have the only particular knowledge of the circumstances which will prove or
Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure Article 354 states in part: “The court to which the application is presented shall immediately grant a writ of habeas corpus, unless it appears by the petition itself or by the documents annexed to it that the person in custody is not entitled to be set at liberty. * * * ” Under this article the writ must be granted insofar as it brings relator before the court for an evidentiary hearing.
Opinion of the Court
In re: Herbert Roberts applying for writ of habeas corpus and certiorari.
Writ denied. In view of the reasons for judgment of the trial court, the showing made is insufficient for the exercise of our original or supervisory jurisdiction. Cf., McMann v. Richardson, 397 U.S. 759, 90-S.Ct. 1441, 25 L.Ed.2d 763 (1970).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE of Louisiana ex rel. Herbert ROBERTS v. C. Murray HENDERSON, Warden, Louisiana State Penitentiary
- Status
- Published