United States ex rel. Ricco v. LaVallee
United States ex rel. Ricco v. LaVallee
Opinion of the Court
This is another of the numerous habeas corpus applications that are so time-consuming for two judges in this District Court owing to the fact the serious claim of the use of a coerced confession at a New York criminal trial is made. (See United States ex rel. Kiernan v. LaVallee (NDNY), 191 F. Supp. 455; United States ex rel. Martin v. Murphy, D.C., 208 F.Supp. 562; 2 Cir., 319 F.2d 897; United States ex rel. Walker v. LaVallee, (NDNY), 224 F. Sup. 661). By rulings of the highest judicial authority in the land that under our legal system must be followed by federal and state courts, it is now settled law that the federal courts must make independent examination of the record in these presentations to determine the merit of the claim. The performance of such duty cannot be foreclosed by the findings of a court, or the verdict of a jury, or both. (Payne v. Arkansas, 356 U.S. 560, 562, 78 S.Ct. 844, 2 L.Ed.2d 975; Spano v. People of State of New York, 360 U.S. 315, 79 S.Ct. 1202, 3
My review of the record does not permit the finding of coercion and involuntariness that would lead to the drastic-conclusion that would void this ten-year-old conviction. As indicated recently by Judge Smith in United States ex rel. Williams v. Fay, 2 Cir., 323 F.2d 65, 67, a reasonable guide for decision in these-perplexing problems is comparison of the-particular facts involved with the facts, of prior decided cases which have found confessions to be coerced. In the most recent writing by the Supreme Court, Justice Goldberg emphasized again that whether the confession was obtained by coercion or improper inducement can be determined only by examination of all the attendant circumstances. As indicative of the difficulty encountered in these reviews by our highest court, it was also noted in this same opinion that the line between proper and permissible police conduct and techniques and methods offensive to due process is a difficult one to-draw when it is necessary to make fine judgments as to the effect of psychologically coercive pressures and inducements, on the mind and will of an accused.. (Haynes v. Washington, supra, 373 U.S. pgs. 513, 515, 83 S.Ct. pp. 1343, 1344, 10' L.Ed.2d 513). In my judgment, decisive- and weighty consideration is given to> factors today in the usual circumstance of detention and police questioning of suspects that were not previously given-such controlling and important significance, alone or in combination. However, even under the new concept, in my judgment, there is not enough similarity here with undisputed or disputed factors; found sufficient in other instances to support the claim of coercion or unfair pressures as being violative of federal due-process. (See Rogers v. Richmond, 365 U.S. 534, 81 S.Ct. 735, 5 L.Ed.2d 760; Lynumn v. Illinois, 372 U.S. 528, 83 S.
The questioning of petitioner took place in his sister's apartment after an arrest and search therein was being conducted by New York detectives and federal agents for narcotics. The questioning by Detective Sergeant Cottone, who testified at the trial, was that the oral admissions from petitioner were obtained while both were sitting on a couch in the apartment, (pgs. 139-274). This questioning was not commenced until petitioner came to the apartment while the raid and search were being conducted, and after he himself was searched and $1500.00 found on his person, (pg. 162). The Detective Sergeant shook hands with Rieco, and some time later coffee was made by the sister, although she says this was done under the compulsion of the police, (pgs. 168, 410). This atmosphere does not seem to be one of coercion or intimidation. There is little dispute that the questioning in which the oral admissions were obtained, at the most, involved an hour and one-half, and the fifteen-line statement written out by Assistant District Attorney Melia thereafter and witnessed by two detectives was followed by ten or fifteen minutes of interrogation by the Assistant District Attorney, (pgs. 295, 317). No claim of physical abuse is made. The main attack in this present petition, as was also made at the trial by his attorney, is that the written confession was involuntary in that Detective Sergeant Cottone threatened to put the sister and brother-in-law of the petitioner in jail, and their children in a home if the written confession was not signed. These contentions as I read the record, were allowed full development by the Court, and the skillful attorney for the petitioner put the position of the defendant in evidence, even though he did not testify, by the questions of his cross-examination. Such threats or pressures were denied completely, (pgs. 262-263). The Assistant District Attorney testified that he advised Ricco and one Indiviglio, tried with him as a codefendant, that they did not have to answer his questions. It is significant to me that In-diviglio, in the same place and under the same circumstances, refused to answer and signed no confession without further difficulty. (pg. 297). The Assistant District Attorney denied threats, pressures or inducements of any kind when he questioned and took the statement from the petitioner. For the petitioner, his sister and brother-in-law testified at the trial that they overheard the claimed threats (pgs. 373-385; 403-418). The duress and coercion issue was charged on the facts and law exhaustively under proper standards, and specific requests to charge on the subject were delivered, (pgs. 611-612). At the request of the jury during deliberations, coercion and duress were defined again by the Judge at their request, (pgs. 628-630).
The contention most relied on in the petition here and also in the state court review to void the conviction was that the trial judge denied a motion for a preliminary hearing when the written confession was offered in evidence and objected to. (Section 395, Code Crim. Proc., N.Y.; See People v. Doran 246 N.Y. 409,159 N.E. 379). This did occur, but such motion was not pressed too hard, and the experienced and qualified attorney for the petitioner requested with no further argument or clarification that the receipt of the confession in evidence be deferred until the defense was heard, (pgs. 302-303). Apparently the occurrence was considered by the Judge as one of little consequence because when raised later after the verdict the trial Judge had to refresh himself to ascertain that there had been denial of the motion for preliminary hearing, (pg. 302). As I stated before, the record indicates there was full and unimpeded development allowed to the defense on the coerced confession issue. There is no exact procedure prescribed or outlined in the statute that was violated on the procedural admission of confessions. New York case law requires that
As to the secondary contention presented that the conviction was voided in that there was an illegal search and seizure, this District Court, first by decision of Judge Brennan, has followed the rulings of the Court of Appeals, New York, in the limited retroactive application given to Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, 81 S.Ct. 1684, 6 L.Ed.2d 1081. (See United States ex rel. McCrea v. LaVallee, (NDNY), 219 F.Supp. 917). The State of New York ten years ago was not presented with the issue at the trial, nor was it preserved by objection then, or raised in the State Court appeals, or since then, by any post conviction application. (See People v. Kelly, 12 N.Y.2d 248, 238 N.Y.S.2d 934, 189 N.E.2d 477).
The petition is denied and dismissed. The papers shall be filed without the prepayment of fee, and it is
So ordered.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES of America ex rel. Anthony C. RICCO v. Hon. J. Edwin LaVALLEE, Warden of Clinton Prison, Dannemora, New York
- Status
- Published