United States ex rel. Foschino v. Fay
United States ex rel. Foschino v. Fay
Opinion of the Court
Relator is imprisoned pursuant to a judgment of conviction entered on the verdict of the jury which, in accordance with New York’s then existing procedure, was .permitted to determine the factual issue as to the voluntariness of his confession, as well as the ultimate issue of guilt or innocence under a general verdict — a procedure found in Jackson v. Denno
The fact that New York’s procedure has been found wanting does not automatically give petitioner recourse to the Federal Courts. As this Court has recently pointed out,
The relator contends, however, that upon the undisputed facts the confession must be ruled involuntary as a matter of law and hence there is no necessity
Not in dispute, however, were relator’s allegations that he brought to the place of interrogation a bottle of Demerol, a narcotic drug which his physician had prescribed for a bleeding ulcer; that he ingested at least two tablets of the drug prior to confessing to the police; and that a third was taken shortly before relator repeated his confession to an Assistant District Attorney. However, there was a sharp conflict between relator’s evidence and that of the prosecution’s witnesses as to the effect of the medication upon the relator’s state of mind. In addition, there was no medical testimony as to the likely effect upon relator of the dosages taken or any testimony as to the causal relationship of such medication to his confession. These matters also require a hearing for their resolution.
Since relator is not entitled to relief as a matter of law, “It is New York * * * not the federal habeas corpus court, which should first provide [relator] with that * * * to which he is constitutionally entitled — an adequate evidentiary hearing productive of reliable results concerning the voluntariness of his confession.”
The petition is dismissed.
. 378 U.S. 368, 84 S.Ct. 1774, 12 L.Ed.2d 908 (1964).
. United States ex rel. Adesso v. Fay, S.D.N.Y.,1964, 235 F.Supp. 765.
. See, e.g., United States ex rel. Weinstein v. Fay, 333 F.2d 815 (2d Cir. 1964); United States ex rel. Everett v. Murphy, 329 F.2d 68 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 377 U.S. 967, 84 S.Ct. 1648, 12 L.Ed.2d 737 (1964).
. Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368, 393-394, 84 S.Ct. 1774, 1790 (1964).
Reference
- Full Case Name
- UNITED STATES ex rel. Alfred J. FOSCHINO v. Edward FAY, Warden of Greenhaven State Prison
- Status
- Published