State v. Graham , 311 Mont. 500 ( 2001 )

No. 01-131
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF MONTANA
2002 MT 237STATE OF MONTANA,
Plaintiff and Respondent,
v.
BRIAN GRAHAM,
Defendant and Appellant.
APPEAL FROM: District Court of the Eighteenth Judicial District,
In and For the County of Gallatin,
Honorable Mike Salvagni, Judge Presiding
COUNSEL OF RECORD:
For Appellant:
Chad Wright, Appellate Defender, Helena, Montana
For Respondent:
Honorable Mike McGrath, Attorney General; Mark W. Mattioli,
Assistant Attorney General, Helena, Montana
Marty Lambert, County Attorney; Rob Brown, Deputy County Attorney,
Bozeman, Montana
Submitted on Briefs: April 11, 2002
Decided: October 24, 2002
Filed:
__________________________________________
Clerk
Justice W. William Leaphart delivered the Opinion of the Court.
¶1 Brian Graham (Graham), by counsel, appeals from the District Court’s order denying
his request for postconviction relief. The sole issue which we consider is whether the District
Court properly denied postconviction relief. We hold that the trial court did not abuse its
discretion in denying Graham’s request for postconviction relief. Accordingly, we affirm.
Background
¶2 On February 16, 1997, the Price Rite drug store in Bozeman,
Montana, was burglarized. Approximately $2,800 of prescription
drugs and $650 in cash were stolen. Three days later, Missouri
Headwater Drug Task Force investigators went to the residence of
Graham’s girlfriend, Andrea Lutes (Lutes), regarding an unrelated
drug investigation. Lutes indicated that she had possible
information about the Price Rite burglary. Lutes agreed to go to
the Law and Justice Center with the investigators where she was
interviewed.
¶3 Based on Lutes’ information, investigators obtained a search
warrant for the residence of Kristofer May (May), a former Price
Rite employee. Graham had just moved into May’s trailer before the
burglary. During the search police found various drugs and bundles
of cash hidden in May’s trailer. In the area where Graham had
slept, police found a needle and a tubex of either morphine or
Demerol. Except for the tubex, all the other drugs were found in
May’s room.
¶4 Shortly thereafter, Graham and May were charged by information
with the same three counts: Count I “Burglary,” Count II “Theft,”
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and Count III “Criminal Possession of Dangerous Drugs.” The
information specifically listed the four dangerous drugs that
police had found in the trailer: morphine, Demerol, Methadone and
Ritalin. In April 1997, May entered into a Cooperation and Plea
Agreement with the Gallatin County Attorney’s Office. As part of
the agreement, May was required to give information about Graham’s
involvement in the burglary. Ultimately, May received a deferred
sentence of six years for each count.
¶5 Graham, who initially pled not guilty to all three counts,
entered into a plea agreement with the State. The agreement
stipulated that Graham would plead guilty to Count III, “Criminal
Possession of Dangerous Drugs,” in exchange for the dismissal of
the burglary and theft charges. Graham entered a plea of guilty to
the charge of criminal possession of dangerous drugs in June 1997.
¶6 During his guilty plea colloquy the court and Graham had the
following exchange:
THE COURT: I’ll ask you, Mr. Graham, if you would tell me
in your own words what you did that causes you to plead
guilty to the criminal possession of dangerous drugs . .
. .
GRAHAM: I accepted a two tube of some liquid drugs of
some type–I’m not exactly sure–along with a syringe from
Kristofer May, and it was in my possession at the time
that the police came to and did a search on the house.
It was in my room. It wasn’t on my personal possession.
THE COURT: Why do you say you don’t know what it was?
GRAHAM: It was a liquid of some type, a liquid drug like
that Kristofer May gave me.
THE COURT: Was it water?
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GRAHAM: I’m not sure if it was Demerol or morphine or
something like that.
THE COURT: Did he tell you what it was?
GRAHAM: No, not exactly. I knew it was either morphine
or Demerol or one of the three he had.
THE COURT: So you knew that you were possessing an illegal
drug?
GRAHAM: Yes, I did.
Following his plea, Graham received the maximum sentence of five
years with no time suspended.
¶7 Almost two years after his guilty plea, Graham filed a pro se
petition for postconviction relief. Graham now contends that at the time he
pled guilty to the possession of dangerous drugs, he believed he was pleading guilty to
possession of only two drugs, Demerol and morphine, and not to possession of all four drugs
listed in the information. Therefore, he asserts that he is actually innocent of possessing the
four drugs listed in the information. He also argues that he received ineffective assistance of
counsel and that if his counsel had advised him that he was pleading guilty to possession of
all four drugs, he never would have pled guilty to the charge. Lastly, Graham contends that
his guilty plea was neither knowing nor voluntary and that he should be allowed to withdraw
his guilty plea.
¶8 In an order dated September 21, 1999, the District Court
concluded that although Graham’s petition for postconviction relief
was not filed within one year of his conviction, the issues raised
by the petition were significant and should be disposed of on the
merits. Following an October 2000 evidentiary hearing, the
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District Court denied Graham’s petition for postconviction relief.
This appeal follows. We conclude that the District Court’s
decision was correct and, therefore, must be affirmed.
¶9 The issue presented on appeal is as follows:
Did the District Court properly deny postconviction relief?
Standard of Review
¶10 We review the denial of a petition for postconviction relief
to determine whether the trial court’s findings of fact are clearly
erroneous and whether its conclusions of law are correct.
Discretionary rulings in postconviction relief proceedings,
including rulings relating to whether to hold an evidentiary
hearing, are reviewed for abuse of discretion. Mallak v. State,
2002 MT 35, ¶12, 308 Mont. 314, ¶12, 42 P.3d 794, ¶12; State v.
Hanson, 1999 MT 226, ¶ 9, 296 Mont. 82, ¶ 9, 988 P.2d 299, ¶ 9.
Discussion
¶11 With respect to postconviction proceedings, the Legislature
has set forth a specific statute of limitations requiring that a
petition for postconviction relief be filed within one year of the
date of conviction. Section 46-21-102, MCA (1997). At the outset,
while this Court has held that the statutory time-bar may be waived
when there is a clear miscarriage of justice, this exception does
not apply unless the petitioner provides newly discovered evidence
that demonstrates his actual innocence. State v. Placzkiewicz,
2001 MT 254, ¶ 12, 307 Mont. 189, ¶ 12, 36 P.3d 934, ¶ 12; State v.
Redcrow, 1999 MT 95, ¶¶ 33-34, 37, 294 Mont. 252, ¶¶ 33-34, 37, 980
P.2d 622, ¶¶ 33-34, 37.
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¶12 For a petitioner to prove actual innocence he must do more
than show that a reasonable doubt exists in the light of the new
evidence, but rather that no reasonable juror would have found the
defendant guilty. Redcrow, ¶ 33 (citing Schlup v. Delo (1995), 513
U.S. 298, 329, 115 S.Ct. 851, 868, 130 L.Ed.2d 808, 837). Because
a petitioner must demonstrate that no reasonable juror would have
found him or her guilty, the fundamental miscarriage of justice
exception is extremely rare and limited to extraordinary cases.
Redcrow, ¶ 33 (citing Schlup, 513 U.S. at 324, 115 S.Ct. at 865-66, 130 L.Ed.2d at 834).
¶13 In the present matter, Graham maintains that he is actually
innocent of possessing dangerous drugs because he is innocent of
possessing two of the four drugs listed in the charging
information. Graham contends that no reasonable juror would have
found him guilty of Count III because the State could not have
proven that he had possessed each of the four drugs beyond a
reasonable doubt. However, this claim that the State could not
have successfully convicted him is unconvincing. It is well
settled that a plea of guilty which is knowing and voluntary
constitutes a waiver of nonjurisdictional defects and defenses.
State v. Spotted Blanket, 1998 MT 59, ¶ 15, 288 Mont. 126, ¶ 15,
955 P.2d 1347, ¶ 15; Stilson v. State (1996), 278 Mont. 20, 22, 924
P.2d 238, 239. Unless the State is put to the test of presenting
its case at trial, we have no way of knowing what the State’s proof
would be. When a defendant enters a plea of guilty, he waives his
right to a jury trial and, in doing so, waives the requirement that
the State prove each element of the crime beyond a reasonable
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doubt. Graham was convicted and sentenced pursuant to his plea,
not upon the presentation of any evidence. The allegation that the
State could not have proven each element, chiefly that Graham had
possessed each of the four drugs, is mere speculation.
¶14 Graham has not demonstrated a clear miscarriage of justice.
In order to convince the Court of his actual innocence of
possessing dangerous drugs, Graham must offer newly discovered
evidence that he is innocent of possessing all four drugs. This he
has not done. His own exculpatory statements do not qualify as
newly discovered evidence and are not sufficient to establish his
actual innocence. As stated above, a fundamental miscarriage of
justice arises only when a jury could find, in light of new
evidence, that the defendant is actually innocent of the crime.
Graham’s admission of possessing morphine or Demerol, and the
absence of new evidence to the contrary, eliminate that possibility
in this case.
¶15 Neither does Graham’s allegation that he received ineffective counsel qualify as
new evidence that he is actually innocent. As we held in Beach v. Day (1996), 275 Mont.
370, 374, 913 P.2d 622, 624, because all of Graham’s claims regarding ineffective assistance
of counsel are record-based, they do not constitute new evidence and could have been
presented prior to the expiration of the one-year statute of limitations. Accordingly, the
District Court was correct in holding that Graham did not establish actual innocence entitling
him to postconviction relief.
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¶16 Alternatively, Graham alleges that he should be allowed to
withdraw his guilty plea because it was not a knowing and
voluntary plea. Section 46-16-105, MCA (1997), provides that “[a]t
any time before or after a judgment, the court may, for good cause
shown, permit the plea of guilty to be withdrawn and a plea of not
guilty substituted.” This Court has established three factors to
be considered when determining whether “good cause” under § 46-
16-105, MCA (1997), exists to permit the withdrawal of a guilty
plea:
a. the adequacy of the district court’s interrogation as
to the defendant’s understanding of his plea;
b. the promptness of the motion to withdraw the prior plea;
and
c. the fact that the defendant’s plea was apparently the
result of a plea bargain in which the guilty plea was
given in exchange for dismissal of another charge.
Mallak v. State, 2002 MT 35, ¶ 17, 308 Mont. 314, ¶ 17, 42 P.3d
794, ¶ 17; State v. Knox, 2001 MT 232, ¶ 11, 307 Mont. 1, ¶ 11, 36
P.3d 383, ¶ 11; State v. Bowley (1997), 282 Mont. 298, 304, 938
P.2d 592, 595.
¶17 We apply the three factors in this case to determine whether
good cause exists that would permit Graham to withdraw his guilty
plea. We first look to the District Court’s interrogation of
Graham at the time of his plea. At the time of his plea, the Court
directly asked Graham whether or not he knew he had possessed
either Demerol or morphine, both “dangerous” drugs, and Graham
responded in the affirmative. Unlike the defendant in Mallak (an
Iraqi immigrant with an English vocabulary of a four year-old and
an IQ of 65), Graham has full command of the English language and
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does not argue that he did not understand the court’s question. We
find that the District Court’s interrogation of Graham was
adequate.
¶18 The second factor we consider is whether the defendant’s
application for withdrawal of his plea occurred within a reasonable
period of time. While § 46-16-105, MCA (1997), permits the
withdrawal of a guilty plea “any time before or after a judgment,”
we have declined to adopt specific parameters defining the
timeliness of a motion to withdraw because each case presents
unique factual circumstances. State v. Enoch (1994), 269 Mont. 8,
12, 887 P.2d 175, 178. As a general rule, however, a motion to
withdraw a guilty plea filed over a year after entry of the plea is
untimely. State v. Osterloth, 2000 MT 129, ¶ 24, 299 Mont. 517, ¶
24, 1 P.3d 946, ¶ 24; State v. Reynolds (1992), 253 Mont. 386, 391,
833 P.2d 153, 156. This one-year limit is not a hard and fast
rule, but rather a general guideline, and one for which exceptions
will be made in exceptional circumstances. For example, in Mallak,
the belated consequences of the defendant’s plea (deportation and
possible execution upon his return to Iraq) were not realized until
almost a decade after his plea. Here, while Graham is only one
year outside of the one-year limit, no exceptional circumstances
exist that warrant the Court’s exception to the rule. Because
Graham did not file within the year, we find that his application
for withdrawal of his plea did not occur within a reasonable period
of time.
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¶19 The last factor that we consider is whether Graham received a
benefit in exchange for his plea agreement. Graham was charged
with three counts. In exchange for pleading to the drug charge,
the State dismissed the burglary and theft charges. Undeniably,
Graham received a considerable benefit in having the two charges
dismissed. For Graham now to argue that the reduction in charges
cannot be considered a benefit because the State would not have
successfully convicted him is, again, nothing more than speculation
on Graham’s part.
¶20 After considering the three factors, this Court concludes that
Graham’s plea of guilty was knowing and voluntary; therefore,
Graham does not meet the good cause requirement which would allow
him to withdraw his plea. Therefore, we hold that the District
Court was correct in denying Graham’s request to withdraw his
guilty plea.
¶21 Accordingly, we affirm the District Court’s ruling to deny
postconviction relief.
/S/ W. WILLIAM LEAPHART
We concur:
/S/ KARLA M. GRAY
/S/ PATRICIA COTTER
/S/ JAMES C. NELSON
/S/ JIM REGNIER
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