Craig v. Ducart
Filing
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REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION Denying 1 Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus filed by Dontaye Craig. Objections to R&R due by 1/19/2018, Replies due by 2/2/2018. Signed by Magistrate Judge Karen S. Crawford on 11/21/17.(All non-registered users served via U.S. Mail Service)(dlg)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
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DONTAYECRAIG,
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Case No.: 16cv2531-GPC(KSC)
Petitioner,
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v.
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C. E. DUCART, Warden,
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REPORT AND
RECOMMENDATION RE
PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS
CORPUS
Respondent.
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Petitioner Dontaye Craig, a state prisoner proceeding prose, filed a Petition for
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Writ of Habeas Corpus ("Petition") challenging his conviction in San Diego Superior
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Court Consolidated Case No. SCD 225297. 1 [Doc. No. 1, at p. 1.] The Petition raises a
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single claim- whether the trial court violated petitioner's constitutional right to Due
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Process when it denied his request for access to recorded jail telephone conversations of a
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key witness for the prosecution that petitioner subpoenaed from the Sheriff's Department
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Petitioner was initially charged in Case No. SCD 234772. [Doc. No. 12-36, at pp.
2-7.] Later, the prosecutor's Motion to Consolidate was granted and SCD 225297 was
designated as the lead case. [Doc. No. 12-36, at p. 78] A Consolidated Information was
then filed against petitioner and his co-defendants on February 12, 2012 under Case No.
SCD 225297. [Doc. No. 12-51, at pp. 63-70.]
16cv2531-GPC(KSC)
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that operates the jail. [Doc. No. 1, at pp. 6-7.] In his Traverse, petitioner argues that
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access to the recorded jail telephone conversations would have resulted in a different
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outcome at trial because of the overall "closeness" of the case. [Doc. No. 13, at p. 5.] In
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support of this contention, petitioner's Traverse includes a copy of a portion of his
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opening brief in the California Supreme Court arguing that his conviction is not
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supported by substantial evidence. [Doc. No. 13, at pp. 6-11.]
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This Court has reviewed the Petition [Doc. No. 1]; respondent's Answer and
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supporting Memorandum of Point and Authorities [Doc. No. 11 ]; the Lodgments
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submitted by respondent, including the state court record [Doc. No. 12]; and petitioner's
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Traverse [Doc. No. 13]. For the reasons outlined below, IT IS HEREBY
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RECOMMENDED that the District Court DENY the Petition.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
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In reviewing a federal Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus, this Court gives
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deference to the state court findings of fact and presumes them to be correct. Petitioner
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may rebut this presumption of correctness, but only by clear and convincing evidence.
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28 U.S.C. 2254(e)(l); see also Parke v. Raley, 506 U.S. 20, 35-36 (1992). In this case, a
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lengthy recitation of "the evidence most favorable to the judgment" is included in the
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California Court of Appeal's decision on direct appeal, which affirmed petitioner's
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sentencing. [Doc. No. 12-45, at pp. 4 n.3; 4-12.] This lengthy recitation of facts will not
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be repeated here in full, because only some facts are significant to the single issue raised
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in the Petition.
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Petitioner and his friends, Marlon Johnson, Fredrick Roberson, and Rashad Scott,
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who were all active members of the Emerald Hills street gang, went to the Gaslamp
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Quarter in downtown San Diego late on the evening of May 23, 2009. [Doc. No. 12-45,
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at pp. 2, 4.] Johnson was the driver. After Johnson parked the car near the intersection of
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E Street and Fifth Avenue, the group walked west together on E Street. [Doc. No. 12-45,
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at p. 5.] Near the closing time for the bars in the Gaslamp (i.e., early in the morning on
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16cv2531-GPC(KSC)
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May 24, 2009), petitioner and his friends encountered rival gang members and a fight
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began on the crowded street of people leaving the bars in the area. [Doc. No. 12-45, at
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pp. 5-7.] Multiple shots were fired, and petitioner and his friends ran back to Johnson's
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car, got in, and drove away. [Doc. No. 12-45, at p. 7.]
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A rival gang member, Richard Turner, was shot multiple times and seriously
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injured. [Doc. No. 12-45, at pp. 5, 7.] A young bystander, Lakiesha Mason, who was
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celebrating her 21st birthday, was shot in the head and killed. Another bystander, Willy
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Aldridge, was shot in the back and seriously injured. [Doc. No. 12-45, at p. 7.]
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Johnson was arrested about a year later in March of 2010, and after being in jail for
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more than a year, he agreed to cooperate with the investigation and to testify against his
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friends and fellow gang members in exchange for a guilty plea to voluntary manslaughter
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and an admission to a gang allegation with a potential prison term of three to eleven
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years. [Doc. No. 12-6, at pp. 25; 12-45, at pp. 7-8 n.4.] Although there was other
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evidence connecting petitioner, Roberson, and Scott to the shooting, Johnson was the
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prosecution's key witness. In video and photographs taken around the time of the
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shooting, Johnson identified himself, Roberson, and Scott. He also testified that
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petitioner was standing to his left and slightly behind him when the photographs were
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taken, and in one of the photographs, it appeared that petitioner's arm was extended.
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[Doc. No. 12-45, at p. 8.]
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In other key testimony, Johnson said that when they were all inside of his car after
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the incident, he asked who did the shooting. According to Johnson, "[petitioner], who
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was in the front seat, was holding a gun and admitted he was the shooter." [Doc. No. 12-
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45, at p. 8.] There was also some evidence indicating that Roberson was the shooter.
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[Doc. No. 12-45, at p. 2.]
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PROCEDURAL HISTORY
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On August 27, 2010, a grand jury returned an indictment against Johnson and
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Roberson for the murder of Lakiesha Mason; the attempted murder of Richard Turner;
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and assault with a firearm on James Aldridge under Case No. SCD 225297. [Doc. No.
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16cv2531-GPC(KSC)
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12-36, at p. 26.] On June 7, 2011, Johnson signed an agreement to testify for the
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prosecution against petitioner, Roberson, and Scott. [Doc. No. 12-22, at pp. 74-79.]
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Shortly thereafter, on June 17, 2011, petitioner and Scott were arraigned on the same
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charges under Case No. SCD 234772. [Doc. No. 12-36, at p. 27.] As noted above, the
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case was later consolidated under Case No. SCD 225297. 2
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A preliminary hearing commenced on September 29, 2011, and Johnson, who had
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been placed in protective custody, testified for the prosecution as agreed. [Doc. No. 12-
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22, at pp. 6-7, 12-23, 80-102.] His testimony at the preliminary hearing was consistent
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with his later testimony at trial. As summarized above, he implicated petitioner,
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Roberson, and Scott in the incident and said petitioner admitted he was the shooter.
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[Doc. No. 12-22, at pp. 74 et seq.]
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On November 14, 2011, two investigators for the prosecution went to the jail and
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advised the facility commander they wanted to search cells occupied by Roberson and
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petitioner. They were then given access to the cells and were able to "tag and bag" all
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pieces of mail, letters, envelopes, correspondence, writings, and legal mail belonging to
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petitioner and Roberson in the presence of the facility commander. [Doc. No. 12-28, at
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pp. 62-65, 71-72 (Exhibit A).] The bag of evidence was then turned over to the
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prosecution unit for processing. [Doc. No. 12-28, at p. 72.]
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III
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A Consolidated Information was filed later on February 12, 2012 charging
petitioner, Roberson, and Scott with the first degree murder of Lakiesha Mason (count l);
the attempted murder of Richard Turner (count 2); and assault with a firearm on James
Aldridge (count 3). [Doc. No. 12-51, at pp. 63-70.] As to all co-defendants, the
Consolidated Information further alleged that all counts were committed for the benefit
of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang and with the specific
intent to promote, further, and assist in criminal conduct by gang members. Other
allegations in the Consolidated Information included personal use of a handgun causing
great bodily injury and/or death to a person other than an accomplice. [Doc. No. 12-51,
at pp. 63-70.]
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l 6cv253 l -GPC(KSC)
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On December 6, 2011, about three months after Johnson testified for the
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prosecution at the preliminary hearing, petitioner served the San Diego County Sheriff
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with a Subpoena Duces Tecum requesting production of the following documents and
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information: (1) a list of Johnson's visitors; (2) copies of Johnson's mail and e-mails;
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(3) a list of Johnson's phone calls; (4) copies ofJohnson's recorded phone calls;
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(5) Johnson's housing records, including names of all cell mates; and (6) all of Johnson's
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movement records. [Doc. No. 12-28, at pp. 30-32.] The San Diego County Sheriff
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complied with the subpoena by delivering the requested materials to the trial court. [Doc.
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No. 12-28, at p. 24.]
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As outlined more fully below, the portion of petitioner's subpoena that seeks
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access to Johnson's recorded jail calls was extensively litigated in the trial court starting
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on January 13, 2012 with an "informal conference to address records subpoenaed
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pursuant to a subpoena duces tecum issued ... on behalf of [petitioner]." [Doc. No. 12-1,
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at p. 9; Doc. No. 12-35, at p. 62.] During this initial conference, the trial court asked
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whether anyone objected to the release of the subpoenaed records to petitioner's counsel.
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The prosecutor said, "I don't object." [Doc. No. 12-1, at p. 11.] However, the prosecutor
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and Johnson's counsel indicated it would be necessary for the trial court to conduct an in
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camera review of the records to avoid the release of any private or privileged
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information. [Doc. No. 12-1, at pp. 11-12.] The trial court indicated it would complete a
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"quick review" of the records, remove any privileged materials, and release "everything
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else" to petitioner's counsel. [Doc. No. 12-1, at p. 13.] The trial court added as follows:
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"My thought is that the record is clear, I don't see what's happening here to be a fishing
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expedition, and I think that, frankly, the Sixth Amendment right to have counsel be able
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to function effectively and to confront and cross-examine effectively are implicated here,
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and I think that unless there is some really strong privilege that would outweigh that,
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[petitioner's counsel] gets them. But I think it would be a good idea if I looked through
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them in camera." [Doc. No. 12-1, at p. 13.] In addition, the trial court stated that its
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"Sixth Amendment comments" were based on the fact that Johnson testified for the
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prosecution and was cooperating in the case. [Doc. No. 12-1, at p. 14.]
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At the next pre-trial conference on January 26, 2012, the trial court requested
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briefing from the parties on the subpoena matter and set the matter for hearing on
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February 15, 2012. On February 7, 2012, petitioner filed a Motion for Order to Disclose.
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In the Motion, petitioner argued that Johnson's recorded jail telephone conversations
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should be transcribed for an in camera review by the trial court. To the extent the
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conversations included impeachment or exculpatory evidence, petitioner argued they
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should be released to counsel, because they were important to the defense. Petitioner and
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his co-defendants were facing life sentences, and Johnson testified as the primary witness
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for the prosecution at the preliminary hearing and was allowed to enter a plea for
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approximately 11 years of incarceration. [Doc. No. 12-28, at pp. 21-29.]
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The prosecutor filed an Opposition to the Motion to Disclose on February 8, 2012.
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[Doc. No. 12-28, at p. 36.] The Opposition states that the prosecutor was "surprise[d]"
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that the Sheriff's Department complied with the subpoena and did not file a motion to
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quash. [Doc. No. 12-28, at p. 37.] In general, the prosecutor argued that the subpoenaed
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materials should not be released to any of the defendants without a showing of "good
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cause and materiality." [Doc. No. 12-28, at p. 37.] With respect to housing and
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movement records, the prosecutor did not object to disclosure of this information to
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defense counsel as long as it was not given to the defendants directly in order to protect
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Johnson's safety and security. [Doc. No. 12-28, at pp. 37-38.] The prosecutor did
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oppose the release of the names of Johnson's visitors and cell mates. In the prosecutor's
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view, this request was a "fishing expedition" so that the defendants could contact visitors
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and cell mates hoping they might provide relevant evidence. [Doc. No. 12-28, at p. 38.]
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The prosecutor opposed release of electronic recordings of Johnson's phone calls absent a
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showing of good cause, because it would require the trial court to conduct an extensive in
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camera review to redact confidential or privileged matters. The prosecutor estimated
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there was about 60 hours of recorded conversations and transcribing them "would take at
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16cv2531-GPC(KSC)
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least a month." [Doc. No. 12-28, at 38-39.] On the other hand, the prosecutor conceded
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that the trial court should release the records to defense counsel to the extent they were
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relevant and did not contain confidential, constitutionally protected, or privileged
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information. [Doc. No. 12-28, at p. 42.]
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Johnson also filed an Opposition to the Motion for Order to Disclose. He argued
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that the subpoenaed materials should not be disclosed because there was no showing of
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good cause and because some of the materials might be privileged. [Doc. No. 12-38, at
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pp. 15-18.]
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On February 15, 2012, the trial court heard oral argument on the Motion for Order
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to Disclose. [Doc. No. 12-21, at p. 10 et seq.; Doc. No. 12-35, at p. 64.] The trial court
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told the parties that the Sheriff's Department complied with the subpoena by delivering
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all of the materials requested to the trial court except for e-mails. [Doc. No. 12-21, at pp.
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11-13.] The trial court said it "started listening" to some of Johnson's recorded jail
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telephone calls to screen out any privileged materials but indicated they were "not easy to
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hear" and included "a great deal of ... ethnic speech ... that I don't ... fully
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understand." [Doc. No. 12-21, at p. 13.] Because of this difficulty and the volume of
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materials that were produced, the trial court decided to request briefing from the parties
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to ensure that the defendants were not on a "fishing expedition." [Doc. No. 12-21, at
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p. 14.] The trial court explained as follows:
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One can imagine, if the defense were to hit a gold mine in this case,
finding a telephone call from a cooperating individual to the effect of, 'you
know, I'll say anything I have to say to get out from under my beef and to
shorten my sentence, and so go find out anything you can so I can tell the
police I know this.' [
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