SUMMARY

December 14, 2023

2023COA119

No. 20CA1291, People v Gemelli — Constitutional Law — Sixth 

Amendment — Right to Counsel — Right to Self-Representation 

— Waiver

The defendant in this criminal case waived his right to counsel 

and proceeded pro se at trial. On appeal, he argued that his waiver 

was invalid because it was induced by his continued detention and 

his desire to avoid a continuance. And he contended that when it 

became apparent that his self-representation was ineffective, the 

trial court should have sua sponte intervened and ordered advisory 

counsel to take over the representation.

A division of the court of appeals holds that a defendant’s 

waiver is not invalid merely because he is required to choose 

between waiving his right to counsel and another course of action 

— here, preserving a particular trial date. As long as the choice is 

The summaries of the Colorado Court of Appeals published opinions 

constitute no part of the opinion of the division but have been prepared by 

the division for the convenience of the reader. The summaries may not be 

cited or relied upon as they are not the official language of the division. 

Any discrepancy between the language in the summary and in the opinion 

should be resolved in favor of the language in the opinion.
not “constitutionally offensive,” the waiver is not rendered 

involuntary. The division further concludes that even if the 

defendant’s self-representation is ineffective, the trial court is 

neither obligated nor authorized to sua sponte override a 

defendant’s valid waiver of the right to counsel and require that he 

be represented by counsel. 
COLORADO COURT OF APPEALS 2023COA119

Court of Appeals No. 20CA1291

Boulder County District Court No. 17CR39

Honorable Norma A. Sierra, Judge 

Honorable Bruce Langer, Judge

The People of the State of Colorado,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.

Timothy Mark Gemelli,

Defendant-Appellant.

JUDGMENT AFFIRMED

Division I

Opinion by JUDGE HARRIS

Dailey and Dunn, JJ., concur

Announced December 14, 2023

Philip J. Weiser, Attorney General, Grant R. Fevurly, Assistant Attorney 

General, Denver, Colorado, for Plaintiff-Appellee

Megan A. Ring, Colorado State Public Defender, Jessica A. Pitts, Deputy State 

Public Defender, Denver, Colorado, for Defendant-Appellant
1

¶ 1 A jury found defendant, Timothy Mark Gemelli, guilty of 

sexually assaulting his daughter and four of her friends. On 

appeal, he raises several claims relating to his decision to proceed 

pro se at trial. 

¶ 2 His primary claim is that he did not validly waive his right to 

counsel because he was forced to choose between proceeding with 

counsel and preserving a trial date. We conclude that as long as 

the choice presented is constitutionally permissible — as it was 

here — a defendant’s waiver is not involuntary merely because he 

must choose between waiving his right to counsel and another 

course of action. We therefore uphold the validity of the waiver. 

¶ 3 And because we reject Gemelli’s other claims as well, we affirm 

the judgment of conviction. 

I. Background

¶ 4 In January 2017, Gemelli’s then-twenty-year-old daughter 

reported to police in Colorado that Gemelli had sexually abused her 

for about seven years, beginning when she was six years old. 

Ultimately, four of the daughter’s childhood friends reported similar 

sexual abuse by Gemelli during the same time period. 
2

¶ 5 Just before her disclosure to Colorado authorities, Gemelli’s 

daughter reported earlier abuse to police in Louisiana, where the 

family lived before moving to Colorado. Gemelli was charged in 

Louisiana with one count of aggravated incest. In early 2019, a jury 

acquitted him of the charge. 

¶ 6 Following the trial in Louisiana, Gemelli was transferred in 

custody to Colorado, where prosecutors charged him with five 

counts of sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust as 

part of a pattern of abuse and one count of aggravated incest.1 The 

court appointed a lawyer to represent him. In July 2019, Gemelli 

entered not guilty pleas, and trial was scheduled for December 9.

¶ 7 A few months later, Gemelli filed a motion to proceed pro se 

with an appointed “co-counsel” or to have substitute counsel 

appointed. The court held a hearing under People v. Bergerud, 223 

P.3d 686 (Colo. 2010), determined that Gemelli’s disagreement with 

his lawyer did not amount to a complete breakdown in 

communication, and ruled that Gemelli was not entitled to 

substitute counsel. The court then provided a standard advisement 

1 A charge of enticement of a child was dismissed before trial.
3

pursuant to People v. Arguello, 772 P.2d 87 (Colo. 1989), and 

discussed with Gemelli the risks of proceeding pro se, which 

included the complicating factor of his incarceration. Gemelli 

responded that being in custody presented a “real dilemma” 

because if he could “bond out,” he would not “have a problem” — he 

could afford to hire a lawyer and “it would make things much 

easier.” The court acknowledged that Gemelli had requested a bond 

reduction but advised him to “make [his] decision [whether to 

proceed pro se] assuming it’s not going to happen.” After further 

consideration, Gemelli withdrew his request to proceed pro se. 

¶ 8 On November 4, approximately a month before the scheduled 

trial date, the parties appeared for a hearing on pending motions, 

including Gemelli’s motion to reduce bond. Defense counsel 

explained that he needed a continuance but that Gemelli would not 

agree to one if he had to remain in custody. According to counsel, a

reduction in bond “would obviate that issue”; however, if the court 

denied the motion, Gemelli would likely elect to proceed pro se to 

preserve the December 9 trial date. After hearing argument, the 

court denied the request to reduce bond.
4

¶ 9 Gemelli immediately informed the court that he would “appear 

pro se and go forward.” The court reiterated its warning about the 

risks of self-representation, to which Gemelli responded,

I feel like I don’t have much choice. You won’t 

modify my bond and give me the opportunity 

to prepare and defend myself, you know. And 

I’m just not prepared to sit here for another 

nine months. I’ve been in jail going on three 

years for false allegations, and I don’t have 

much choice. 

The court then asked Gemelli, “Is it your decision to represent 

yourself?” When Gemelli answered, “Yes, Your Honor,” the court 

dismissed Gemelli’s lawyer. At Gemelli’s request, the court 

appointed advisory counsel, but with the caveat that advisory 

counsel was unlikely to be “adequately prepared to assist [him]” 

given that trial was starting in just over a month. Gemelli decided 

to “move forward.” 

¶ 10 The trial ran for six days, during which time twenty-one 

witnesses, including Gemelli, testified. At no time did Gemelli seek 

reappointment of counsel or request that advisory counsel take over 

the representation. After deliberating for about half a day, the jury 

returned guilty verdicts on all counts.
5

¶ 11 On appeal, Gemelli contends that (1) he did not validly waive 

his right to counsel; (2) the trial court’s errors, the prosecution’s 

misconduct, and jail officials’ interference with his preparation 

together deprived him of his right to self-representation; (3) the trial 

court erred by not requiring advisory counsel to take over the 

representation during trial; and (4) the trial court erred in 

responding to a jury question during deliberations. 

II. Waiver of the Right to Counsel

¶ 12 Gemelli first argues that his waiver of his right to counsel was 

invalid because it was equivocal, conditional, and involuntary.

A. Legal Principles and Standard of Review

¶ 13 The United States and Colorado Constitutions guarantee 

criminal defendants the right to the assistance of counsel. See U.S. 

Const. amends. VI, XIV; Colo. Const. art. II, § 16. Implicit in the 

right to counsel is the equally fundamental right of selfrepresentation. See Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806, 819 (1975). 

“Honoring these contrasting rights has been a persistent challenge 

for courts” because the “trial court can commit reversible error by 

either improperly granting a defendant’s request to proceed pro se 

— thereby depriving the defendant of the right to counsel — or by 
6

denying the defendant’s right to self-representation.” People v. 

Lavadie, 2021 CO 42, ¶ 24; see also United States v. Moya-Gomez, 

860 F.2d 706, 732-33 (7th Cir. 1988) (“No matter what decision the 

district court ultimately makes — whether to honor the defendant’s 

request [to proceed pro se] or to deny it — the defendant is likely to 

appeal.”). 

¶ 14 Before a defendant may proceed pro se, he must first waive his 

right to counsel. Lavadie, ¶ 25. A defendant’s waiver of counsel is 

valid only if the request to proceed pro se is unequivocal and 

unconditional, see People v. Johnson, 2015 COA 54, ¶ 23, and is 

made knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily, People v. Davis, 2015 

CO 36M, ¶ 15. 

¶ 15 The decision to waive counsel can be voluntary even if it is not 

“entirely unconstrained.” Moya-Gomez, 860 F.2d at 739. A 

criminal defendant may be required to choose between waiver of the 

right to counsel and another course of action as long as the choice 

presented is not “constitutionally offensive.” Maynard v. Meachum, 

545 F.2d 273, 278 (1st Cir. 1976). Thus, a waiver cannot be valid if 

it is “executed under the pretense of an impermissible choice 
7

between constitutionally protected rights.” Bergerud, 223 P.3d at 

693. 

¶ 16 Whether a defendant validly waived his right to counsel is a 

mixed question of fact and law, meaning we defer to the trial court’s 

factual findings if supported by the record but review de novo the 

legal question of whether the facts establish a valid waiver. See 

Lavadie, ¶ 22.

B. Analysis 

¶ 17 To start, we see nothing equivocal or ambiguous about 

Gemelli’s waiver of his right to counsel. As soon as the trial court 

denied his motion for a bond reduction, Gemelli, unprompted, said 

he wanted to proceed pro se. When the court warned that advisory 

counsel might not be “comfortable in representing [him] in just over 

a month,” Gemelli corrected the court, confirming that he was “not 

looking for them to represent” him because he was “going to 

represent himself.” Each time the court answered one of Gemelli’s 

questions, Gemelli reiterated his intent to proceed pro se. Cf.

People v. West, 2019 COA 131, ¶¶ 27-28 (the defendant’s request 

was not unequivocal where he told the court he wished to proceed 

pro se but did not “wish to completely waive [his] right to counsel”); 
8

People v. King, 121 P.3d 234, 237 (Colo. App. 2005) (the defendant’s 

waiver was not unequivocal where he told the court he would 

proceed pro se “against his will”).

¶ 18 Next, even assuming Gemelli’s request to proceed pro se was 

contingent on the court denying his motion for bond reduction — in 

other words, he wanted to proceed pro se only if he remained 

incarcerated — the request was not impermissibly conditional. The 

problem with a conditional waiver arises when the defendant’s 

request to represent himself is contingent on the occurrence of a 

particular circumstance that does not occur. In those situations, 

when the condition precedent fails to materialize, the court should 

assume that the defendant no longer wishes to waive his right to 

counsel. 

¶ 19 In People v. Moody, 630 P.2d 74, 79 (Colo. 1981), for example, 

the defendant said he wished to proceed pro se, but his “desire to 

represent himself was contingent upon the granting of a motion for 

mistrial.” Thus, when the trial court denied the motion for mistrial, 

it also properly denied the defendant’s request to proceed pro se. 

Id. Similarly, in People v. Waller, 2016 COA 115, ¶ 29, the 

defendant repeatedly asked to proceed pro se, but he “continually 
9

conditioned his request . . . on the appointment of advisory 

counsel.” Because the trial court did not abuse its discretion by

denying the defendant’s request for advisory counsel, id. at ¶¶ 36, 

45, it also did not err by denying his conditional request to proceed 

pro se, id. at ¶¶ 42, 48. And in People v. Abdu, 215 P.3d 1265, 

1268 (Colo. App. 2009), the defendant asked to proceed pro se, but 

his “requests were linked to his . . . insistence on [an earlier] trial 

date.” After the trial court granted defense counsel’s motion to 

continue the trial, the defendant “left no doubt he wanted 

representation of counsel at any later trial.” Id. Thus, because the 

defendant’s request to proceed pro se was equivocal and 

conditional, the trial court “acted appropriately” in preserving the 

defendant’s right to counsel. Id. at 1269. 

¶ 20 But Gemelli’s request to proceed pro se was conditioned on the 

occurrence of an event that did occur — the denial of his bond 

request. So the only question at that point was whether, having 

been denied a reduction in bond, Gemelli knowingly, intelligently, 

and voluntarily waived his right to counsel.

¶ 21 Gemelli does not dispute that his waiver was knowing and 

intelligent. But he argues that his waiver was involuntary because 
10

he had to choose between constitutionally protected rights: if he 

opted to exercise his right to counsel and continue with his 

appointed lawyer, he would have to forgo his right to the effective 

assistance of counsel. The record does not support that argument. 

¶ 22 In October, at the Bergerud hearing, appointed counsel 

notified the court that he would “probably . . . have to ask for a 

continuance of the trial.” The court appeared amenable to the 

request, telling Gemelli that “if [appointed counsel] think[s] there 

needs to be a continuance th[en] there probably needs to be a 

continuance.” At the motions hearing in November, counsel 

confirmed that if he remained as counsel, he would move for a 

continuance based on the voluminous discovery from the Louisiana 

trial. The court did not address the possibility of a continuance 

because Gemelli elected to proceed pro se on the scheduled trial 

date. 

¶ 23 Thus, Gemelli misstates his choice. The choice was not to 

proceed with an ineffective lawyer or to proceed pro se. He could 

have proceeded with appointed counsel and consented to a 

continuance so that counsel would have been adequately prepared 
11

for trial. But, as Gemelli explained to the court, he would not agree 

to a continuance if he remained in custody.

¶ 24 Gemelli counters that this resolution would have presented a 

different constitutionally impermissible choice — his right to 

counsel versus his right to a speedy trial. But the record does not 

support that argument either. Because counsel did not ask for a 

new trial date, there is no evidence in the record that a continuance 

would have resulted in a violation of Gemelli’s constitutional right 

to a speedy trial. “The constitutional right to a speedy trial attaches 

with the filing of a formal charge.” People v. Chavez, 779 P.2d 375, 

376 (Colo. 1989). The prosecution charged Gemelli by criminal 

complaint on April 16, 2019. A delay in bringing the defendant to 

trial is not constitutionally significant until it approaches one year. 

See People v. Sandoval-Candelaria, 2014 CO 21, ¶ 36. Therefore, 

even a continuance of up to four months2 would not have created “a 

2 On the day the jury returned its verdict, Gemelli made a record of 

some objections to the trial court’s rulings. One objection was that 

he was forced to choose between going to trial in May 2020 or 

proceeding pro se. But we see nothing in the record to substantiate 

his claim that counsel would have requested, and the court would 

have granted, a continuance of the trial to May 2020. 
12

dilemma of constitutional magnitude.” Pazden v. Maurer, 424 F.3d 

303, 319 (3d Cir. 2005) (citation omitted).3 

¶ 25 To be sure, Gemelli faced a difficult decision. He could 

legitimately have perceived both of his options — continue with 

counsel but agree to a continuance or proceed pro se and maintain 

the trial date — as less than ideal. But because that choice was not 

“constitutionally offensive,” Maynard, 545 F.2d at 278, the fact that 

Gemelli had to choose one of those options did not render his 

waiver of the right to counsel involuntary. See Arguello, 772 P.2d at 

94 (a defendant having to choose between continuing with counsel 

about whom he has expressed dissatisfaction and proceeding pro se 

does not render a waiver of the right to counsel involuntary); MoyaGomez, 860 F.2d at 739 (fact that the defendant opted to proceed 

pro se only because trial court froze his assets and he could no 

longer pay his counsel of choice did not render his waiver of the 

right to counsel involuntary); State v. Modica, 149 P.3d 446, 450-51 

3 A continuance might not have affected Gemelli’s statutory speedy 

trial rights either. Gemelli was arraigned on July 26, 2019, so the 

speedy trial deadline was January 26, 2020. The record does not 

definitively establish that trial could not have been continued to a 

date within the statutory speedy trial period. 
13

(Wash. Ct. App. 2006) (fact that the defendant had to choose 

between a continuance and proceeding pro se did not render his 

waiver of the right to counsel invalid); State v. Panzera, 652 A.2d 

136, 138-39 (N.H. 1994) (same as Modica); cf. People v. Martinez, 

188 Colo. 169, 172, 533 P.2d 926, 928 (1975) (guilty plea was not 

involuntary where trial court increased the defendant’s bond just 

before he elected to forgo trial and plead guilty).

¶ 26 For these reasons, we conclude that Gemelli validly waived his 

right to counsel.

III. Denial of the Right of Self-Representation 

¶ 27 Gemelli argues that even assuming a valid waiver, through a 

plethora of trial court errors, continuous prosecutorial misconduct, 

and interference by jail officials, he was denied his right of selfrepresentation.

A. Legal Principles and Standard of Review

¶ 28 As noted, a defendant has a constitutional right to represent 

himself in criminal proceedings. See Faretta, 422 U.S. at 821. The 

gravamen of this right is the right of the defendant “to have his 

voice heard.” McKaskle v. Wiggins, 465 U.S. 168, 174 (1984). 

Thus, in determining whether the defendant’s right of self-
14

representation has been respected or denied, the focus is on 

whether the defendant was permitted to “present his case in his 

own way.” Id. at 177. In other words, when a defendant asserts a 

violation of his right to represent himself, the proper question is 

whether the trial court appointed counsel despite a valid request to 

proceed pro se or allowed standby counsel (or some other third 

party) to take over management of the case to such a degree that 

the defendant’s right to “speak for [him]self” has been eradicated. 

Id.; see also West, ¶ 19. 

¶ 29 Whether a defendant has been denied his right of selfrepresentation is a question of law that we review de novo. See 

West, ¶ 17. If a trial court improperly deprives the defendant of this 

right, the error is structural. Id.

B. Analysis

¶ 30 Like the defendant in West, see id. at ¶ 20, Gemelli contends 

that trial court errors, prosecutorial misconduct, and interference 

by jail officials deprived him of his right of self-representation,

specifically alleging that

• some of the discovery the prosecution provided was untimely 

and some was not in a “usable format”;
15

• the court did not allow Gemelli sufficient time to prepare for 

trial;

• the court erred by denying Gemelli’s motion for a bill of 

particulars;

• the prosecutor requested, and the court threatened, the 

imposition of time limits on cross-examination;

• during cross-examination, the prosecutor lodged, and the 

court sustained, meritless objections to Gemelli’s questions;

• the court did not require the prosecution to keep certain 

witnesses available under its subpoena so that Gemelli could 

examine those witnesses at his convenience;

• the court erred by refusing to allow Gemelli to elicit certain 

testimony that purportedly revealed witnesses’ biases or 

otherwise undermined the prosecution’s case;

• the prosecutor improperly objected to Gemelli’s leading 

questions during his examination of a detective;

• during closing argument, the prosecutor lodged, and the court 

sustained, meritless objections;

• the court erred by terminating Gemelli’s closing argument 

after he told the jury that he had been acquitted at trial in 
16

Louisiana and then, in response to the prosecutor’s objection, 

told the jury that “the problem through the trial” was that he 

could not “get [his] evidence in”; 

• the trial court was biased against Gemelli; and

• jail officials limited his access to the library, his investigator, 

and his advisory counsel.

1. The Alleged Trial Court Errors and Prosecutorial Misconduct 

Do Not Implicate Gemelli’s Right of Self-Representation

¶ 31 Trial court errors and prosecutorial misconduct (including 

discovery violations) do not implicate a defendant’s right of selfrepresentation because, as we have explained, that right is violated 

only when the court prevents the defendant from conducting his 

own defense. See id. at ¶¶ 22, 24. Here, Gemelli controlled the 

organization and content of his own defense, filed motions, argued 

the law (sometimes successfully), questioned jurors during voir dire, 

cross-examined witnesses (for over three hours, in one instance), 

gave an opening statement and a closing argument, tendered jury 

instructions, and participated in bench conferences throughout the 

trial. See McKaskle, 465 U.S. at 174-75. In short, Gemelli “litigated 
17

his case to a jury representing himself, which is precisely what he 

requested.” West, ¶ 26. 

¶ 32 To the extent Gemelli asks us to analyze all of the alleged trial 

court errors and instances of prosecutorial misconduct as violations 

of his constitutional rights to present a defense and to a fair trial, 

we decline to do so. Gemelli elected to “couch[] all arguments 

within the constitutional right to self-representation,” id. at ¶ 21, 

presumably because any error would be structural. As a result, he 

has not alleged, much less demonstrated, that any particular error 

or defect affected his substantial rights and necessitates reversal. 

See Crim. P. 52(a).4 In this way, his arguments concerning other 

alleged constitutional violations are undeveloped, so we decline to 

address them. See People v. Cuellar, 2023 COA 20, ¶ 44.

2. Jail Officials’ Alleged Interference With Gemelli’s Right to 

Prepare and Present a Defense

¶ 33 However, we separately address Gemelli’s argument that jail 

officials interfered with his ability to present a defense because that 

4 For the first time in his reply brief, Gemelli argues that certain of 

the court’s evidentiary rulings prejudiced him. But we do not 

consider arguments made for the first time in a reply brief. See 

People v. Allman, 2012 COA 212, ¶ 10 n.2. 
18

claim is generally cognizable as an alleged violation of the right of 

self-representation. See, e.g., Bounds v. Smith, 430 U.S. 817, 828 

(1977) (prison officials must facilitate an incarcerated defendant’s 

right of access to the courts), abrogated in part by Lewis v. Casey, 

518 U.S. 343, 354 (1996). 

¶ 34 A pro se criminal defendant has a constitutional right to 

prepare and present a defense. People v. Rice, 40 Colo. App. 357, 

360, 579 P.2d 647, 649 (1978). The “exact parameters of this right 

have as yet not been determined,” but courts generally agree that it 

encompasses a right to reasonable, but not unlimited, access to a 

law library or alternative sources of legal knowledge. Id. at 360, 

579 P.2d at 650. 

¶ 35 Gemelli contends that jail officials interfered with his access to 

the facts of his case by failing to give him sufficient time to review

discovery and prepare for trial and by sometimes denying his 

investigator entry to the jail. And, he says, jail officials interfered 

with his access to the law by limiting his time in the law library and 

his time with advisory counsel.

¶ 36 We will assume that Gemelli preserved this claim, even though 

his primary argument is that he did not have enough time to 
19

prepare for trial, a problem that could have been remedied by 

consenting to a continuance of the trial date, which he refused to 

do. We will also assume that we review this claim de novo. Cf. 

Rios-Vargas v. People, 2023 CO 35, ¶ 19 (reviewing de novo the 

defendant’s claim that the government violated his constitutional 

right to present a defense).

¶ 37 As we understand Gemelli’s argument, he contends that he 

had a right to spend hours each day in the law library (and in the 

evenings after trial) and to meet with his investigator and advisory 

counsel at his convenience, including in court after trial concluded 

for the day. But an incarcerated defendant who elects to proceed 

pro se necessarily exercises his right to present a defense “within 

certain practical limitations,” and he cannot “realistically . . . 

expect[] to have all of his desires, relative to the preparation of his 

case, satisfied on demand.” Rice, 40 Colo. App. at 360, 579 P.2d at 

650. 

¶ 38 More problematically, Gemelli fails to explain how his limited 

access to the law library, his investigator, and his advisory counsel 

impaired his ability to represent himself at trial. A defendant 

alleging that jail officials interfered with his right of self-
20

representation must show “actual injury” — that is, he must 

demonstrate that the limitations arising from the conditions of 

confinement “hindered his efforts to pursue” his defense. Lewis, 

518 U.S. at 351; see also State v. Fernandez, 758 A.2d 842, 852 

(Conn. 2000) (an incarcerated pro se defendant must show that the 

denial of access to a law library hindered his efforts to conduct his 

own defense); cf. Graham v. Maketa, 227 P.3d 516, 518 (Colo. App. 

2010) (to establish a violation of his right to access the courts, an 

incarcerated plaintiff must show actual injury or harm from lack of 

prison resources). It is not enough to simply allege that he needed 

more time to review discovery or to confer with his investigator and 

advisory counsel; Gemelli must demonstrate that his presentation 

at trial would have been different if he had had more time to 

prepare or greater access to the library. See Fernandez, 758 A.2d at 

852 (explaining that the pro se defendant must show that if he had 

been afforded access to a law library, he would have “proceeded 

differently or pursued an alternative defense strategy”). 

¶ 39 Because Gemelli has failed to show actual injury or harm, we 

reject his claim that jail officials interfered with his right of selfrepresentation. 
21

IV. Termination of Gemelli’s Self-Representation

¶ 40 Next, Gemelli says that because he proved to be wholly 

ineffective as his own advocate, the court was obligated, at some 

point during the trial, to override his right of self-representation and 

require that advisory counsel take over as his lawyer. 

¶ 41 Contrary to Gemelli’s assertion on appeal, neither he nor the 

prosecutor ever asked the trial court to terminate his right of selfrepresentation and order advisory counsel to represent him. 

Regardless, under any standard of review, this claim fails.

¶ 42 The State may not “constitutionally hale a person into its 

criminal courts and there force a lawyer upon him, even when he 

insists that he wants to conduct his own defense.” Faretta, 422 

U.S. at 807; People v. Romero, 694 P.2d 1256, 1264 (Colo. 1985)

(“The right of self-representation . . . is personal to the defendant 

and may not be abridged by compelling a defendant to accept a 

lawyer when he desires to represent himself.”). “[I]t is the defendant 

who must decide whether it is to his advantage to have counsel in 

his particular case.” Romero, 694 P.2d at 1264. 

¶ 43 Still, the right of self-representation is not absolute. Lavadie, 

¶ 30. The trial court can terminate the defendant’s self-
22

representation “if the defendant deliberately engages in ‘serious and 

obstructionist misconduct.’” Id. (quoting Faretta, 422 U.S. at 834 

n.46). 

¶ 44 But there is no authority for the proposition that a trial court 

can sua sponte terminate a defendant’s self-representation merely 

because he turns out to be an ineffective advocate. Such a rule 

cannot be reconciled with controlling law. 

¶ 45 As noted, a defendant’s waiver of his right to counsel must be 

made knowingly and intelligently. See Faretta, 422 U.S. at 835. In 

this context, though, the terms “knowingly” and “intelligently” do

not refer “to the wisdom of the waiver”; rather, the court must 

honor a defendant’s request to proceed pro se as long as “it is 

satisfied that [the] defendant knows what he or she is doing and 

understands the consequences.” Johnson, ¶ 18. 

¶ 46 Once the defendant has validly waived his right to counsel, he 

is entitled to conduct his own defense, notwithstanding the obvious 

truth that “the average defendant does not have the professional 

legal skill to protect himself when brought before a tribunal with 

power to take his life or liberty.” Johnson v. Zerbst, 304 U.S. 458, 

462-63 (1938). Thus, a defendant’s lack of legal training or 
23

specialized knowledge or experience does not preclude him from 

exercising his right to defend himself. See Faretta, 422 U.S. at 836; 

see also People v. Mogul, 812 P.2d 705, 709 (Colo. App. 1991) (“A 

defendant’s technical legal knowledge is not a factor to be 

considered by the trial court in deciding whether to grant or deny 

the motion [to proceed pro se].”). By the same token, “a defendant 

who elects to represent himself cannot thereafter complain that the 

quality of his own defense amounted to a denial of ‘effective 

assistance of counsel.’” Faretta, 422 U.S. at 834 n.46. 

¶ 47 Gemelli concedes that a defendant has a right to conduct his 

own defense, even “to his own detriment,” id. at 834, but he insists 

that “there is a difference between a person whose selfrepresentation is passable, but not exemplary,” in which case court 

intervention is not required, and “a person whose performance is” 

entirely “incompetent,” in which case the court must sua sponte 

appoint counsel. But any rule recognizing that distinction would be 

at odds with all of the principles underlying the right of selfrepresentation. 

¶ 48 Romero undercuts, rather than advances, Gemelli’s position. 

In Romero, the defendant, who had proceeded pro se at trial, argued 
24

that his defense was so “inept” as to require the trial court to 

appoint advisory counsel. 694 P.2d at 1265. (The defendant, who 

had “minimal education and some difficulty in expressing himself,”

failed to advance any theory of defense and told the jury during 

closing argument that, “I ain’t saying that I didn’t do the crime or 

anything like that, but basically, I passed out . . . on drugs.” Id. at 

1262-63, 1265-66.) The supreme court concluded that the failure 

to appoint advisory counsel did not violate the defendant’s right to a 

fair trial or otherwise require reversal. Id. at 1265-66. Still, the 

court acknowledged that there could be a circumstance where “a 

pro se defendant’s performance reache[d] such a level of ineptitude 

as to demonstrate a fundamental inability to provide any 

meaningful representation in his defense.” Id. at 1265. To ensure 

that in such a circumstance the proceedings did not become 

fundamentally unfair, the court suggested two options for 

preserving the defendant’s rights: the trial court could “remind[] the 

accused at appropriate stages of the proceedings of his continuing 

right to reclaim the assistance of counsel,” or it could appoint 

advisory counsel. Id. at 1265 & n.5. The court did not suggest that 
25

the trial court could simply force the defendant to give up his right 

of self-representation and accept a lawyer.

¶ 49 We acknowledge that Gemelli was not an exemplary advocate: 

he did not always lay the proper foundation to impeach witnesses 

on cross-examination, which meant he did not introduce all of the 

evidence he wished to, and he often asked irrelevant, redundant, or 

otherwise improper questions that drew objections that might have 

flustered him. But when he validly elected to proceed pro se, he 

knowingly accepted the “dangers and disadvantages of selfrepresentation.” Faretta, 422 U.S. at 835. The court was neither 

obligated nor authorized to relieve him of the consequences of his 

decision by sua sponte rescinding his waiver. 

¶ 50 In any event, Gemelli does not explain how terminating his 

self-representation mid-trial and sending in advisory counsel would 

have helped matters. As Gemelli told the trial court at the Bergerud

hearing, and as was apparent at trial, he “kn[ew] the case inside 

out, upside down, backwards. Nobody kn[ew] the case better than 

[he] d[id].” Advisory counsel, on the other hand, had been 

appointed only a month earlier and, as the trial court warned, was 

unlikely to be prepared to represent Gemelli at trial. 
26

¶ 51 Under the circumstances, we discern no error from the trial 

court’s failure to override Gemelli’s valid waiver of his right to 

counsel and order advisory counsel to take over the representation.

V. Response to Jury Question

¶ 52 Within a few hours of beginning its deliberations, the jury 

submitted the following question to the court: 

If the jurors are unanimous on all charges 

except one, will the Defendant be held 

accountable for any unanimous guilty charges 

or will the entire trial end in a “hung jury”

because there could be one “hung charge”?

The court sent the jury the following response: “The Court is unable 

to respond to this question at this time.” 

¶ 53 Gemelli contends that the court’s response constitutes 

reversible error. He says that the jury indicated it was deadlocked 

on one count, and, therefore, before the court could respond to the 

question, it had to inquire whether further deliberations were likely 

to lead to a unanimous verdict. In the absence of that inquiry, he 

argues, the court’s response was coercive.

¶ 54 A trial court must avoid giving any instruction that coerces the 

jury to reach a verdict. See People v. Schwartz, 678 P.2d 1000, 

1012 (Colo. 1984). Thus, when a jury indicates it is deadlocked, the 
27

court may give a “modified-Allen” instruction, see Allen v. People, 

660 P.2d 896 (Colo. 1983), which seeks to “encourage jurors to 

reach a verdict without coercing them into doing so.” Gibbons v. 

People, 2014 CO 67, ¶ 1. Before giving such an instruction, the 

court “must first determine whether there is a likelihood of progress 

towards a unanimous verdict upon further deliberations.” 

Schwartz, 678 P.2d at 1012. But if there is no indication that the 

jury is deadlocked, a modified-Allen instruction is not warranted. 

See People v. Cox, 2023 COA 1, ¶ 18. 

¶ 55 Here, the jury’s note did not indicate a deadlock. See id. at 

¶¶ 11, 20, 28 (The jury did not indicate it was deadlocked when it 

asked the court, “What happens if the jury fails to reach a 

unanimous decision?” and “Is there a max length for jury 

deliberations?”). And, at the time, no one thought it did. In 

deciding how to respond, the court noted that if, “[a]t some point,” 

“the jurors advise the Court that they are truly hung . . . the Court 

would be prepared to invite jurors back into session and inquire 

whether they have exhausted all possibility of deliberation and 

provide them additional instructions.” Neither party challenged the 

court’s view that the jury was not “truly hung.”
28

¶ 56 Thus, even if the court’s response was “tantamount to an 

instruction to keep deliberating,” as Gemelli argues, the court did 

not err. 

VI. Disposition

¶ 57 The judgment is affirmed.

JUDGE DAILEY and JUDGE DUNN concur.