United States v. William Tony Julian

Julian was convicted of violating 18 U.S.C. § 2312 , transportation of a stolen vehicle in interstate commerce, knowing it to have been stolen. On appeal, he argues that the evidence was insufficient to support a jury verdict and that, after evidence of his insanity had been offered, the government failed to prove the fact of his sanity beyond a reasonable doubt.

We affirm.

Julian left Memphis, Tennessee, about April 21, 1970, in a 1969 Chevrolet automobile on a trip to California. He and a hitchhiker, Richard White, arrived in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday morning, April 26, and stopped at a motel.

White went to sleep and when he woke in the afternoon, Julian was gone. Shortly he returned with a 1970 Dodge automobile. In response to a query from White, Julian assured him that the vehicle was not stolen. They left Dallas that night and were stopped by an Arizona highway patrolman the next day for speeding.

Having no registration certificate, Julian said the car belonged to his mother and gave the false name of Hahn. When it was determined that the ear had been stolen, Julian was arrested, warned of his constitutional rights, and stated that an unidentified homosexual man had given…