Opinion ID: 1699278
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 20

Heading: The trial court erred when it allowed the experts to testify concerning inadmissible evidence at the penalty phase.

Text: Defendant claims the State introduced other inadmissible evidence at the penalty phase which interjected an arbitrary factor into the jury's sentencing deliberations and hence requires reversal of the death verdict. He relies on three aspects of expert testimony elicited during the examination of expert psychiatrists: evidence of an alleged arson and escape; evidence demonstrating defendant exercised his right to remain silent; and, evidence concerning defendant's sanity at the time of the offense. The record shows that at the sentencing phase, defendant presented mitigation expert testimony from Dr. Paul Ware, who qualified without objection as an expert in forensic psychiatry. The witness testified he examined defendant at the Caddo Correctional Center (CCC) on March 29, 2001, to evaluate both his capacity to proceed and to determine his psychiatric state or his mental state at the time of the charge against him or how he was functioning at the time he was arrested for the charge. (R., vol.XV, p. 3668). Ware testified he performed a psychiatric evaluation and diagnosed defendant with polysubstance abuse, based on his history of alcohol and Xanax [37] ingestion. The doctor also stated defendant functioned at a slow learner level and was possibly mildly retarded. The witness believed defendant minimized his alcohol problems, which may have stemmed from a genetic predisposition. At the conclusion of the expert's testimony, defendant introduced a copy of Dr. Ware's evaluation, which indicated, inter alia, that he had been diagnosed as a slow learner with a substance abuse problem.