Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/529bv.pdf
Page Number: 513

529US2

Unit: $U47

[10-04-01 09:34:47] PAGES PGT: OPIN

438

WILLIAMS v. TAYLOR

Opinion of the Court

port was in contravention of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U. S.
83 (1963). The report concluded Cruse “ha[d] little recollec-
tion of the [murders of the Kellers], other than vague memo-
ries, as he was intoxicated with alcohol and marijuana at the
time.” App. 495. The report had been prepared in Sep-
tember 1993, before petitioner was tried; yet it was not men-
tioned by petitioner until he ﬁled his federal habeas petition
and attached a copy of the report. Petitioner explained that
an investigator for his federal habeas counsel discovered the
report in Cruse’s court ﬁle but state habeas counsel had not
seen it when he had reviewed the same ﬁle. State habeas
counsel averred as follows:

“Prior to ﬁling [petitioner’s] habeas corpus petition
with the Virginia Supreme Court, I reviewed the Cum-
berland County court ﬁles of [petitioner] and of his co-
defendant, Jeffrey Cruse.
. I have reviewed the
.
I
attached psychiatric evaluation of Jeffrey Cruse . . . .
have no recollection of seeing this report in Mr. Cruse’s
court ﬁle when I examined the ﬁle. Given the contents
of the report, I am conﬁdent that I would remember it.”
Id., at 625–626.

.

The trial court was not satisﬁed with this explanation for the
late discovery. Nor are we.

There are repeated references to a “psychiatric” or “men-
tal health” report in a transcript of Cruse’s sentencing
proceeding, a copy of which petitioner’s own state habeas
counsel attached to the state habeas petition he ﬁled with
the Virginia Supreme Court. The transcript reveals that
Cruse’s attorney described the report with details that
should have alerted counsel to a possible Brady claim. As
Cruse’s attorney said:

“The psychiatric report . . . point[s] out that [Cruse] is
signiﬁcantly depressed. He suffered from post trau-
matic stress. His symptoms include nightmares, sleep-
lessness, sobbing, reddening of the face, severe depres-