Opinion ID: 1401004
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Post-Conviction Investigation By Appellate Counsel

Text: On direct appeal, new counsel was appointed to represent Mr. Wilson. Appellate counsel provided Dr. Reynolds with additional information, including Tulsa County Gang Intervention Team Records, hospital records, Tulsa public school records, and, most significantly, affidavits from Ms. Taylor, James Leon Wilson (Mr. Wilson's brother), Staci Faenze (Mr. Wilson's sister), and Tonya Holt (Mr. Wilson's former girlfriend and the mother of his child). With this information as background material, Dr. Reynolds performed a second set of tests. These tests supported a diagnosis of schizophrenia, paranoid type. Typical symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, disorganized or catatonic behavior and negative manifestations. Pet. Addendum 2, at ¶ 7, 11. Testing also revealed that Mr. Wilson had a severe psychological disturbance with the possibility of delusions or hallucinations. Id. at ¶ 7. Dr. Reynolds reported that Mr. Wilson believed evil spirits possessed him at times, and that it was possible [Mr. Wilson] could have been delusional at the time of the crime. Id. at ¶ 10. Interviews with the family members revealed that Mr. Wilson suffered from depression, concentration problems, and delusions, that he heard voices, and that he frequently experienced memory lapses. At one point, when his girlfriend informed Mr. Wilson she heard voices, Mr. Wilson responded I've heard them too, I hear voices and its OK. You just have to fight them, you just have to pray them away and they will go away. Pet. Addendum 4, at ¶ 11. All of the family members, as well as his girlfriend, vividly described the violent nightmares from which Mr. Wilson suffered throughout his life, during which he would kick, punch and shout all night. Mr. Wilson often experienced severe headaches that lasted for hours and sometimes days. The affidavits also highlighted several experiences during Mr. Wilson's youth that may have led to his emotional and mental problems, including his relationship with his father. Although there was testimony at trial that Mr. Wilson's father was uninvolved in his life, the affidavits explained the effect that this absence, and his father's constant drug use in and out of the home, had on Mr. Wilson. Mr. Wilson's older brother, with whom Mr. Wilson was very close, sold dope to support the family and eventually became hooked on crack cocaine. He, like his father, was in and out of prison. The brother was heavily involved in a gang from the time Mr. Wilson was young, and Mr. Wilson in turn grew up surrounded by and involved with the same individuals. Mr. Wilson's brother stated that gang members fired shots at Mr. Wilson at least once every week. Pet. Addendum 5, at ¶ 4. Dr. Reynolds stated in his affidavit that [t]hese affidavits and additional testing helped me reach a more accurate diagnosis since this information was not previously provided during my first evaluation. Pet. Addendum 2, at ¶ 7. He concluded: My testimony could have been improved upon enormously had I been provided with the additional information provided to me by the Appellate Defense Council [sic]. This information provides the history of Micheal [sic] experiencing delusions and hallucinations, and other behaviors which supports the diagnosis of schizophrenia, paranoid type. Knowing this may have helped the jury better understand Micheal's [sic] emotional illness and how he could have participated in the crime. Id., ¶ 15.