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Com. ex rel. Jackson, v. Day

Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Nov 16, 1955
118 A.2d 289 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1955)

Opinion

October 3, 1955.

November 16, 1955.

Criminal law — Habeas corpus — Errors of counsel — Legality of indictments — Admissibility of confession — Perjury of witnesses — Sufficiency of evidence.

1. Contentions that a defendant's court appointed counsel made errors in judgment, that the bills of indictment on which he was convicted were not proper in that there was insufficient testimony presented before the grand jury to support them and that the indictments did not sufficiently inform him of the offenses, that the court erred in receiving into evidence his signed confession on the ground that he was intoxicated when it was obtained, that the witnesses at his trial perjured themselves, and that his conviction was against the weight of the evidence are not the subject of consideration in a habeas corpus proceeding.

2. There is a presumption of regularity that the court discharged its state and federal duties to defendant. Criminal law — Evidence — Confession — Preliminary determination by trial judge of admissibility — Trial without jury — Determination of weight to be given confession.

3. When a confession is offered in evidence, it becomes initially a matter for the trial judge to determine whether it was voluntary and admissible.

4. Where a defendant is tried without a jury, the trial judge is also the trier of fact, and in that capacity it is his function to determine, after admissibility, the weight to be given the confession.

Before RHODES, P.J., HIRT, ROSS, GUNTHER, WRIGHT, WOODSIDE, and ERVIN, JJ.

Appeal, No. 288, Oct. T., 1955, from order of Court of Common Pleas No. 7 of Philadelphia County, March T., 1955, No. 9955, in case of Commonwealth ex rel. Norman Jackson v. Charles G. Day, Warden. Order affirmed.

Habeas corpus. Before WATERS, J.

Order entered dismissing petition. Relator appealed.

Norman Jackson, appellant, in propria persona.

Samuel Dash, District Attorney, Vincent G. Panati, First Assistant District Attorney, William T. Gennetti, Assistant District Attorney, and Victor Wright, Assistant District Attorney, for appellee.


Submitted October 3, 1955.


Norman Jackson appeals from the dismissal of his petition for writ of habeas corpus by the court below after a hearing at which he was present, presented evidence, and argued in his own behalf.

On February 25, 1954, Jackson was tried without a jury (which he waived) and convicted of the crimes of sodomy, incestuous fornication and adultery, aggravated assault and battery, assault with intent to ravish, and rape, all of which charges grew out of acts committed upon his two young daughters. He is serving concurrent sentences of from three to ten years and from four to fifteen years in the Eastern State Penitentiary on two of the Bills. Sentence was suspended on the others. No new trial was sought after the trial nor was any appeal taken.

A prior petition for habeas corpus was withdrawn. The present petition sets forth nine reasons why he believed his incarceration to be illegal, though in essence there are but five, the others being repetitious of these. He asserts as error the receiving into evidence of his signed confession on the ground that he was intoxicated when it was obtained; that the Bills of Indictment were not proper; that his court appointed counsel made errors in judgment, that the conviction was against the weight of the evidence, and finally that the witnesses perjured themselves.

At the hearing on the habeas corpus below, Jackson was afforded wide latitude in arguing and producing evidence in support of his contentions, but the court below believed, and we agree, that he produced nothing warranting his discharge. Aside from the circumstance that his contentions related to matters which should have been raised on appeal, habeas corpus proceedings being no substitute for an appeal, Commonwealth ex rel. Yeschenko v. Keenan, 179 Pa. Super. 145, 148, 115 A.2d 386, 388, he produced nothing to overcome the presumption of the regularity of his trial. Commonwealth ex rel. Popovich v. Claudy, 170 Pa. Super. 482, 485, 87 A.2d 489.

The matters raised are those usually found in these cases, and most of them have recently been passed upon by our appellate courts. For example, on the question of alleged false testimony, see Commonwealth ex rel. Bishop v. Maroney, 382 Pa. 324, 325, 326, 114 A.2d 906, 907: ". . . contentions aimed to show that testimony at the trial was false and that he should not have been convicted . . . [are] . . . all matters . . . obviously not the subject of consideration in a habeas corpus proceeding . . .". On the errors of court appointed counsel, we recently said in Commonwealth ex rel. Comer v. Maroney, 178 Pa. Super. 633, 638, 116 A.2d 301, 304: "Moreover, the mere fact that a criminal, after conviction is of the opinion that the trial was not properly conducted by his counsel constitutes no ground for the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus.". And on the alleged short notice, in Commonwealth ex rel. DeSimone v. Maroney, 179 Pa. Super. 300, 303, 116 A.2d 747, 748, we held that the contention ". . . that he was compelled to proceed to trial without adequate notice . . . [is] not the subject of relief in a habeas corpus proceeding.".

In support of the alleged illegality of the bills of indictment he contends that there was insufficient testimony presented before the grand jury to support the indictment. Aside from its lack of merit, this is clearly not a matter to be first raised on habeas corpus. Any objection to the obtaining of the indictment should have been timely made. Commonwealth ex rel. Burge v. Ashe, 168 Pa. Super. 271, 275, 77 A.2d 725. Nor is the contention that the indictment did not sufficiently inform him of the offense (because of a slight difference in dates — no question of alibi or statute of limitations was involved) properly raised here. Commonwealth ex rel. Hnat v. Ashe, 165 Pa. Super. 25, 26, 67 A.2d 769.

His final contention, the alleged error in receiving into evidence his signed confession, involves a matter of admissibility and weight of evidence. When the confession was offered, it became initially a matter for the trial judge to determine whether it was voluntary and admissible. Commonwealth v. Dilsworth, 289 Pa. 498, 506, 137 A. 683. In authenticating the confession, the judge specifically questioned the police officer on the matter of appellant's intoxication, and he concluded that the appellant had his senses when he uttered the confession. Since no jury was here involved, the judge was also the trier of fact, and in that capacity, it was his function to determine, after admissibility, the weight to be given the confession. See Commonwealth v. Lockard, 325 Pa. 56, 62, 188 A. 755. In so doing, he could consider inter alia the fact that defendant had consumed some alcohol but was not drunk, as well as the fact that the confession closely corroborated the sordid events testified to by appellant's two daughters, the victims of his lust. Aside from the fact that this matter relates to admissibility and weight of evidence and is not properly raised in a habeas corpus proceeding, Commonwealth ex rel. Marelia v. Burke, 366 Pa. 124, 75 A.2d 593, the appellant has failed in his burden of showing that the confession was improperly admitted at the trial.

Likewise, his question of the sufficiency of the evidence to convict cannot be first raised in this habeas corpus proceeding. Commonwealth ex rel. Fox v. Tees, 175 Pa. Super. 453, 455, 106 A.2d 878. We have thoroughly examined the record and briefs in this matter and we are led only to the conclusion that appellant has failed to sustain his burden of showing a sufficient legal basis in support of his petition and accordingly it was properly dismissed.

Order affirmed.


Summaries of

Com. ex rel. Jackson, v. Day

Superior Court of Pennsylvania
Nov 16, 1955
118 A.2d 289 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1955)
Case details for

Com. ex rel. Jackson, v. Day

Case Details

Full title:Commonwealth ex rel. Jackson, Appellant, v. Day

Court:Superior Court of Pennsylvania

Date published: Nov 16, 1955

Citations

118 A.2d 289 (Pa. Super. Ct. 1955)
118 A.2d 289

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