Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/529bv.pdf
Page Number: 514.0

529US2

Unit: $U47

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

Cite as: 529 U. S. 420 (2000)

439

Opinion of the Court

sion, ﬂash backs . . . .
[T]he psychological report states
he is overwhelmed by feelings of guilt and shame in his
actions. He is numb. He is trying to suppress his feel-
ings, but when he has feelings, there is only pain and
sadness.” App. 424.

The description accords with the contents of the psychiatric
report, which diagnosed Cruse as suffering from post-
traumatic stress disorder:

“[Cruse] has recurrent nightmares and visualizes the
face of the woman that he killed. When attempting to
describe this nightmare, he breaks openly into tears and
his face reddens. . . . He continues to feel worthless as a
person . . . . He has no hope for his future and has
been thinking of suicide constantly. . . . He does describe
inability to sleep, often tossing and turning, waking up,
and feeling fatigued during the day. . . . He described
neurovegetative symptoms of major depression and
post-traumatic nightmares, recurrent in nature, of the
[murders].”

Id., at 495–499.

The transcript put petitioner’s state habeas counsel on notice
of the report’s existence and possible materiality. The sole
indication that counsel made some effort to investigate the
report is an October 30, 1995, letter to the prosecutor in
which counsel requested “[a]ll reports of physical and mental
examinations, scientiﬁc tests, or experiments conducted in
connection with the investigation of the offense, including
but not limited to: . . . [a]ll psychological test or polygraph
examinations performed upon any prosecution witness and
all documents referring or relating to such tests . . . .”
Id.,
at 346–347. After the prosecution declined the requests ab-
sent a court order, id., at 353, it appears counsel made no
further efforts to ﬁnd the speciﬁc report mentioned by
Cruse’s attorney. Given knowledge of the report’s existence
and potential importance, a diligent attorney would have
done more. Counsel’s failure to investigate these references