From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Saunders v. United States

United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
Jun 19, 1952
197 F.2d 685 (D.C. Cir. 1952)

Opinion

No. 11101.

Argued June 19, 1952.

Decided June 19, 1952.

John J. Dwyer, Washington, D.C., for appellant.

Lewis A. Carroll, Asst. U.S. Atty., Washington, D.C., with whom Charles M. Irelan, U.S. Atty., Joseph M. Howard, Asst. U.S. Atty., and Grace B. Stiles, Asst. U.S. Atty., Washington, D.C., were on the brief, for appellee. George Morris Fay, U.S. Atty. when the record was filed, Washington, D.C., also entered his appearance on behalf of appellee.

Before CLARK, WILBUR K. MILLER and WASHINGTON, Circuit Judges.


This is an appeal from an order of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia which denied, after hearing, motion for new trial based on newly discovered evidence of an alleged psychiatric condition. The motion was filed five months after appellant's conviction of assault with intent to commit robbery (D.C. Code (1940) § 22-501) and unauthorized use of automobile (D.C. Code (1940) § 22-2204).

The alleged newly discovered evidence was designed to show that appellant may have been suffering from a psychiatric condition (psychoneurosis associated with emotional instability) at the time of the offenses of which he was convicted. From our examination of the record, we conclude that the court did not abuse its discretion in denying a new trial. The facts which appellant advanced as newly discovered evidence were within the knowledge of appellant at the time of his trial, and consideration of the various statements and affidavits leaves us unconvinced that in a new trial acquittal would probably result. See Thompson v. United States, 1951, 88 U.S.App.D.C. 235, 188 F.2d 652.

Affirmed.


Summaries of

Saunders v. United States

United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
Jun 19, 1952
197 F.2d 685 (D.C. Cir. 1952)
Case details for

Saunders v. United States

Case Details

Full title:SAUNDERS v. UNITED STATES

Court:United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

Date published: Jun 19, 1952

Citations

197 F.2d 685 (D.C. Cir. 1952)
91 U.S. App. D.C. 90

Citing Cases

Wright v. United States

Hamilton v. United States, 1944, 78 U.S.App.D.C. 316, 140 F.2d 679. The evidence in this case of an alleged…

Williams v. United States

Thus the usual presumption of a defendant's sanity existed at the time of trial, and no attempt was made at…