Find Legal Information

State v. Matthew Torrie
Download as PDF
Back to the Opinions page

MAINE SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT					Reporter of Decisions
Decision:	2002 ME 59
Docket:	Fra-01-687
Argued:	March 6, 2002
Decided:	April 10, 2002

Panel: SAUFLEY, C.J., and CLIFFORD, RUDMAN, DANA, ALEXANDER, and CALKINS, JJ.

STATE OF MAINE

v.

MATTHEW TORRIE

RUDMAN, J.

	[¶1]  Matthew Torrie appeals from the order entered in the Superior
Court (Franklin County, Studstrup, J.) denying his motion to dismiss{1} the
criminal indictment brought against him pursuant to 17-A M.R.S.A. § 253(1)(A)
(1983).  Torrie asserts that the Superior Court erred in denying his motion to
dismiss on grounds of double jeopardy because there was no manifest necessity
for a mistrial.  Because we find that the Superior Court did not exceed the
bounds of its discretion when it declared a mistrial due to manifest necessity,
we affirm.
	[¶2]  On April 10, 2000, Torrie was indicted for the Class A offense of
gross sexual assault pursuant to 17-A M.R.S.A. § 253(1)(A) (1983).  Following a
number of pretrial discovery motions, a jury trial was held in Superior Court
(Gorman, J.) on February 6-8, 2001.  Because the alleged victim did not report
the sexual assault until weeks after it occurred, there was no medical or
forensic evidence.  The case rested on the credibility of the alleged victim and
the testimony of Torrie, who admitted that there was a sexual act but asserted
that the act was consensual.  
	[¶3]  The jury began deliberations at 12:32 p.m. on February 7, 2001.  
At 1:15 p.m., the judge received a note from the jury requesting a read-back of
a defense witness's testimony.  At 1:35 p.m., after receiving a request from the
jury for a definition of the crime of gross sexual assault, the judge submitted,
without objection, the definition included in the court's original instruction. 
At 2:32 p.m., the jury heard a five minute read-back of the defense witness's
testimony previously requested.  At 3:35 p.m., the Superior Court notified
counsel that the jury had requested a read-back of the alleged victim's
testimony.  At 4:16 p.m., the Superior Court addressed the jury and instructed
them that the requested read-back would be heard the next day; the jury was
excused for the evening at 4:17 p.m.
	[¶4]  On February 8th from 8:52 a.m. until 9:06 a.m., the jury heard a
read-back of the alleged victim's testimony and then continued deliberations. 
At 10:55 a.m., the court informed counsel that a note had been received that
indicated that the jurors were deadlocked.  The court recessed from 10:55 a.m.
until 11:38 a.m.  When court reconvened, the jury was brought in and the
court, with the agreement of counsel, re-instructed the jury and then asked the
foreman if further deliberations would be helpful; the foreman answered in the
negative.  The court called counsel to sidebar and inquired whether the jury
should be polled; Torrie's counsel requested that the jurors be polled "to see if
they all agree that they cannot agree."  Nine jurors indicated that further
deliberations would not be helpful and three indicated otherwise.{2}  The court
then called counsel to sidebar a second time and the State requested that the
jury be sent back for further deliberations.  Torrie's counsel stated that "[i]f
there was a mistrial declared at this point, I would object."  At 11:45 p.m., the
jury was excused to continue deliberations.  
	[¶5]  At 12:57 p.m., the court informed counsel that it "had received a
[second] note from the jury indicating that the jury remains deadlock [sic] with
the same split that they had before."{3}  The court then indicated that it was its
"intention to bring the jury back in and, if that is confirmed, [the court] will
declare a mistrial.  Let's bring the jury back in, please."  The record indicates
that neither counsel objected to the court's actions prior to the jury being
brought in.  Once the jury was present in the courtroom, the court asked the
foreman if the contents of the note were accurate and the foreman stated "I am
satisfied, Your Honor, yes."  The court responded "Okay.  All right. I am
determining that the jury is at a deadlock and that further deliberations will
not allow them to reach a verdict and I am declaring a mistrial."  Prior to the
jury leaving the jury box, Torrie's counsel requested a conference at sidebar. 
Torrie's counsel then inquired, without objection, whether the court would be
inclined to poll the jurors; the court denied the request.  The jury was excused
from the courtroom at 1:00 p.m.  After the jury was dismissed, a discussion
regarding Torrie's bail then took place.
	[¶6]  On August 9, 2001, Torrie filed a motion to dismiss the
indictment asserting that the State was prohibited, on the grounds of double
jeopardy, from trying the case a second time.  On September 28, 2001, a
hearing was held in Superior Court (Studstrup, J.) and the motion to dismiss
was taken under advisement.{4}  On October 22, 2001, after applying the Derby{5}
factors to this case, the Superior Court denied the motion to dismiss
concluding that "the key findings of the trial court that there was a genuine
deadlock and no reasonable probability of agreement are supported in the
record and entitled to this court's deference."  Torrie filed this timely appeal.
	[¶7]  Torrie asserts that he was deprived of his right to avoid being
twice placed in jeopardy for the same offense when the Superior Court failed to
provide him with "an opportunity - real, not technical - to participate in the
decision of whether to declare a mistrial" and to poll the individual jurors.  The
State contends that Torrie's counsel had an opportunity to object prior to the
jury being brought into the courtroom (after the second note was delivered to
the court) and at the sidebar that occurred after the court declared a mistrial
but before the jury left the jury box.
	[¶8]  Both the United States{6} and the Maine Constitutions protect
persons from being "twice put in jeopardy of life or limb" for the same offense. 
See U.S. Const. amend. V; Me. Const. art. 1, § 8.  "A crucial aspect of double
jeopardy is the right of the defendant to have his case tried completely by one
tribunal."  State v. Nielsen, 2000 ME 202, ¶ 5, 761 A.2d 876, 878.  "[J]eopardy
attaches when the jury is impaneled in a jury trial."  Id.  After a jury has been
impaneled, a declaration of mistrial prevents the government from attempting
prosecution again on the same charges unless the defendant consents to the
mistrial or a manifest necessity exists.  Id. ¶ 5, 761 A.2d at 878-79.  A jury that
is genuinely deadlocked and has no reasonable probability of reaching an
agreement is a classic example of manifest necessity.{7}  Id. ¶ 6, 761 A.2d at 879;
see also State v. Landry, 600 A.2d 101, 102 (Me. 1991).  
	[¶9]  "Although the trial court is granted broad discretion in deciding
whether to declare a mistrial and discharge a jury, the power to declare such a
mistrial 'ought to be used with the greatest caution under urgent
circumstances, and for very plain and obvious causes.'"  State v. Derby, 581
A.2d 815, 817 (Me. 1990) (internal cites omitted).  On appeal of a denial of a
motion to dismiss on grounds of double jeopardy following a mistrial based on
manifest necessity, "we review the ruling of the motion justice to determine
whether the findings of fact of the trial justice, and of the motion justice, are
supported by substantial evidence, and whether the legal conclusion is
correct."  Nielsen, 2000 ME 202, ¶ 7, 761 A.2d at 879 (citing Landry, 600 A.2d
at 102).  "In reviewing a determination that the necessity for a mistrial is
manifest, i.e., evident, obvious, and apparent," see Landry, 600 A.2d at 102, we
"examine four [objective] factors to determine if a finding that the jury was
deadlocked is supported and the declaration of a mistrial is justified," see
Derby, 581 A.2d at 817.  Those factors are

1) The number of hours the jury had deliberated, 

2) the number of communications from the jury
indicating an inability to reach a verdict,

3) whether each individual juror was asked whether
any reasonable expectations of reaching a verdict
existed, and

4) whether the defendant's counsel was provided an
opportunity to participate in the decision to declare a
mistrial.{8}

Landry, 600 A.2d at 102; see also Derby, 581 A.2d at 817; State v. McConvey,
459 A.2d 562, 567 (Me. 1983); State v. Linscott, 416 A.2d 255, 260 (Me. 1980).
	[¶10]  Applying these factors to past cases has yielded the following
results:  In Linscott, Derby, and Landry we concluded that the record failed to
demonstrate a manifest necessity for the granting of a mistrial.  In Linscott,
deliberations lasted less than two hours, there was only one note from the jury
indicating deadlock, neither the foreman nor the individual jurors were polled,
and defense counsel was not given an opportunity to participate in the decision
whether to grant a mistrial.  Id. at 259-60.  In Derby, deliberations lasted a
total of five hours and thirty-five minutes, including an hour for receiving
instructions and listening to a read-back of testimony.  Derby, 581 A.2d at 817. 
The court received one communication from the jury; the jury was polled and
instructed to continue deliberations.  Id. at 817-18.  With no further
communications from the jury or inquiries from the court a mistrial was
declared and the jurors were sent home over the objections of counsel.  Id. at
818.  In Landry, deliberations lasted approximately three hours including
lunch and time spent in the courtroom, and the jury communicated twice that
a verdict could not be reached.  Landry, 600 A.2d at 102.  The court polled the
foreman but not the individual jurors, and defense counsel's opportunity to
participate in the decision to declare a mistrial was limited to an objection to
the court's announced intention to take such an action.  Id.
	[¶11]  In McConvey and State v. Henderson, 435 A.2d 1106 (Me. 1981),{9}
we held that the trial court did not exceed the bounds of its discretion when it
found that the jury was genuinely deadlocked.  In McConvey, the jury
deliberated eight hours and communicated twice that a vote could not be
reached.  McConvey, 459 A.2d at 567.  After the second note, the court polled
the members of the jury individually, declared a mistrial, and then solicited
statements from counsel for the record.  Id.  In a footnote, we stated that no
prejudice had occurred even though the solicitation of comments from counsel
occurred after a mistrial was announced because the jury was still in the jury
box and it had not been discharged.  Id. at 567 n.5.  Therefore, "the trial
justice retained the then present ability to undo the mistrial if either counsel
had articulated any persuasive reason to do so."  Id.  In Henderson, after one
hour and ten minutes the jury sent a note to the court indicating the jury was
split with six jurors voting guilty, four jurors voting not guilty, and two jurors
undecided.  Henderson, 435 A.2d at 1107.  The court reinstructed the jury and
the jury continued to deliberate for more than an hour before sending a second
note to the court indicating that it was deadlocked.  Id.  After the second note,
the court polled the foreperson and then declared a mistrial.  Id.  
	[¶12]  It is apparent from reviewing Linscott, Derby, Landry, McConvey,
and Henderson that the Derby factors are given equal weight and must be
viewed as a whole.  In this case, the record supports the finding that the jury
was genuinely deadlocked.  The jury was discharged six hours and forty
minutes after it began deliberations in a trial that lasted a day and a half,
excluding time spent receiving additional instructions and read-backs.  There
were two communications from the jury; the notes stated that the jury was
unable to reach a verdict.  After the first note, the court polled the individual
members of the jury.  The results of the poll indicated that nine of the twelve
jurors felt that further deliberations would not be useful while three jurors
indicated that further deliberations would be helpful.  When the court received
the jury's second note, the court informed counsel that it intended to declare a
mistrial if the contents of the note were confirmed by the foreman.  The
foreman confirmed that further deliberations would be useless and the court
declared a mistrial.  
	[¶13]  Applying the Derby factors to the facts of this case, the court's
declaration of a mistrial based on manifest necessity was not an abuse of
discretion.  The trial court was cognizant of the factual issues to be resolved
and observed the jury and its foreperson.  Although the court did not have
counsel approach the bench prior to declaring the mistrial, the court's
announcement of its intentions outside of the jury's presence gave counsel for
Torrie notice of its intended action, an opportunity to object and, thus,
participate in a limited fashion in the decision whether to declare a mistrial.{10}  
	The entry is:
Judgment affirmed.
                                                        
Attorneys for State:

Norman R. Croteau, District Attorney
Andrew Robinson, Asst. Dist. Atty. (orally)
James Andrews, Asst. Dist. Atty. 
140 Main Street
Farmington, ME 04938

Attorney for defendant:

Janet T. Mills, Esq.  (orally)
Wright & Mills, P.A.
P O Box 9
Skowhegan, ME 04976