Opinion ID: 2242291
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel During Aggravation-Mitigation

Text: Defendant next asserts that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel at sentencing because trial counsel failed to investigate potential sources of mitigation and failed to present the evidence that such an investigation would have uncovered. Specifically, defendant claims that trial counsel failed to discuss any mitigation strategy with him and that counsel knew that defendant suffered from extreme emotional and mental distress at the time of the offense. Defendant also claims that his trial counsel failed to contact several family members who would have provided testimony more favorable than that of the witness counsel did subpoena. We begin our review of this issue by recounting the evidence adduced during the aggravation/mitigation phase of the capital sentencing hearing. The State introduced evidence of defendant's criminal history, which dated back to 1964, when defendant was convicted of aggravated battery. Defendant was subsequently convicted of attempted robbery, burglary, unlawful use of weapons, robbery, aggravated battery/armed violence, and unlawful use of weapons. The State also presented evidence that while defendant was in the county jail, awaiting trial on the charges at issue in this case, he received four disciplinary violations. In mitigation, defendant presented the stipulated testimony of Lt. Robert Kelly, a Cook County department of corrections officer. Kelly would have testified, if called, that he was employed by Cook County as a correctional officer at the county jail, the facility where defendant had been jailed for the past year. Defendant manned the food wagon, delivering food to the other inmates. Defendant also mopped the floors. Defendant performed these duties well and did not pose a threat to jail staff or inmates. The defense also presented the stipulated testimony of Cheryl Winke, a psychologist with the Department of Corrections. Winke, if called to testify, would have stated that she examined defendant and found that defendant had a beta I.Q. of 103. Moreover, it was Winke's opinion that defendant appeared spontaneously aggressive rather than criminally oriented. Defendant did not exhibit any psychopathology and appeared to function within the normal range of intelligence. A report by another correctional officer, L.A. Jones, was also submitted to the circuit court as evidence in mitigation. The summary, dated in 1981, revealed that defendant was recommended for meritorious good time by the food service director for satisfactory work performed. A memorandum, dated June 26, 1981, also noted that defendant had returned keys that another inmate had given to him. Defendant told prison officials that he did not want to become involved. Defendant also won a trophy for weight-lifting. Harold Anderson testified on defendant's behalf. Anderson stated that he knew defendant personally for 11 years and had worked with him at a shoe store for four years. Anderson first met defendant at the state penitentiary, while they were both incarcerated. He knew defendant to be a happy-go-lucky person who always kept things alive. Anderson did not believe that defendant had drug or alcohol problems. Defense counsel also called defendant's stepbrother, Jerry, as a witness. Jerry was a reluctant witness whose testimony was compelled by subpoena. Jerry stated that their mother took care of both Jerry and defendant as best she could and was a good mom. Jerry admitted that defendant was a good brother, but stated that defendant was not his role model. Jerry did not approve of defendant's friends. Jerry also stated that he knew that defendant took drugs, but that he never personally saw defendant ingest drugs. When defendant was sober, Jerry felt that he could discuss things with him, but when defendant was other than sober, defendant would get upset and would be pretty wild. In one instance, defendant pulled a knife on him. Jerry knew of defendant's past criminal history and stated that there come[s] a time when you just blanked out because you don't want to continue hearing about it. The circuit court, in sentencing defendant to death, noted that the best that can be said for the defendant was that defendant (i) helped a fellow convict find a job, (ii) earned statutory good time while incarcerated, and (iii) won a weight-lifting contest while in prison. The circuit court also observed that, although defendant had family living in the Chicago area, the only family member who testified was his stepbrother, Jerry. Moreover, with respect to Jerry's testimony, the court stated that the State could not have found a better witness than Jerry Wiley if they wrote the script themselves. Specifically, the court noted the following: This defendant has turned on everyone. He pulls a knife on his family, he shoots, beats and mauls the public, establishing a criminal record of repeated violent conduct, he robs and kills his friends   . I believe the defendant Wiley is possessed of an abandoned and malignant heart and spirit and this Court finds no redeeming mitigating factor in this case. The circuit court thereafter sentenced defendant to death. As with alleged claims of ineffectiveness occurring during the guilt phase of the trial, the standard for determining whether a defendant has received constitutionally deficient representation at a capital sentencing hearing is governed by the standard enunciated in Strickland. As such, a defendant must show that counsel's performance fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and that, absent the errors, the judge `would have concluded that the balance of aggravating and mitigating circumstances did not warrant death.' People v. Henderson, 171 Ill.2d 124, 145, 215 Ill.Dec. 147, 662 N.E.2d 1287 (1996), quoting Strickland, 466 U.S. at 695, 104 S.Ct. at 2069, 80 L.Ed.2d at 698. As noted, defendant claims that his attorney failed to discuss mitigation strategy with him and that, as a result, counsel did not call witnesses who were available and willing to testify on his behalf. These witnesses include defendant's daughter, Gwen Jones; his stepsister, Rosie Rhodes; and his sister, Juanita Jones. The affidavits of each of these women indicate that they would have testified that defendant was a good person, who had an exemplary employment history. They would have stated that defendant was a good relation, but that he had a strained relationship with his stepfather. Defendant also points out that counsel should have adduced evidence of the history of mental illness that runs through defendant's family. Further, counsel knew, or should have known, that defendant was psychologically impaired, and, as a result, should have had defendant examined by experts. In support of these allegations, defendant attached to his petition various documents that he claims to have recovered from his case file with the Cook County public defender's office. These documents indicate that defendant may have been suffering from psychological disorders at the time of the murders. Defendant also supported his petition with the evaluations of mental health experts, secured by post-conviction counsel, which would corroborate the prior diagnoses of head trauma and neurological disorders. It is well settled that counsel has a duty to make reasonable investigations for potential sources of mitigating evidence to present at the capital sentencing hearing, or must have a legitimate reason for failing to make a particular investigation. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690-91, 104 S.Ct. at 2066, 80 L.Ed.2d at 695; People v. Howery, 178 Ill.2d 1, 55, 227 Ill.Dec. 354, 687 N.E.2d 836 (1997); People v. Orange, 168 Ill.2d 138, 170, 213 Ill.Dec. 589, 659 N.E.2d 935 (1995); People v. Ruiz, 132 Ill.2d 1, 27, 138 Ill.Dec. 201, 547 N.E.2d 170 (1989). If mitigating evidence exists, counsel then has a duty to introduce it in support of the defense. See Kubat v. Thieret, 867 F.2d 351, 369 (7th Cir.1989). However, where counsel has conducted an adequate investigation, the failure to present mitigating evidence does not by itself demonstrate deficient performance. See Howery, 178 Ill.2d at 55, 227 Ill.Dec. 354, 687 N.E.2d 836; People v. Ruiz, 177 Ill.2d 368, 385, 226 Ill.Dec. 791, 686 N.E.2d 574 (1997); Orange, 168 Ill.2d at 167-68, 213 Ill.Dec. 589, 659 N.E.2d 935. Generally, courts are highly deferential in reviewing counsel's strategic decisions regarding the presentation of mitigating evidence. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689, 104 S.Ct. at 2065, 80 L.Ed.2d at 694-95; Orange, 168 Ill.2d at 170, 213 Ill.Dec. 589, 659 N.E.2d 935. In fact, strategic choices made after a thorough investigation of the law and facts relevant to plausible options are virtually unchallengeable. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690, 104 S.Ct. at 2066, 80 L.Ed.2d at 695. An informed decision by counsel not to present certain mitigating evidence may represent a valid strategic choice and is entitled to judicial deference, where the evidence is potentially damaging to the defendant. See Burger v. Kemp, 483 U.S. 776, 793-95, 107 S.Ct. 3114, 3125-26, 97 L.Ed.2d 638, 656-57 (1987); Ruiz, 177 Ill.2d at 385, 226 Ill.Dec. 791, 686 N.E.2d 574. Such deference is not warranted, however, where the lack of mitigating evidence presented is not attributable to strategy, but rather is the result of counsel's failure to properly investigate mitigation and prepare a defense. See Howery, 178 Ill.2d at 56, 227 Ill.Dec. 354, 687 N.E.2d 836; Orange, 168 Ill.2d at 170, 213 Ill.Dec. 589, 659 N.E.2d 935. Consequently, counsel's presentation of mitigation is not deemed to be a legitimate strategy without a reasonable investigation into mitigating circumstances. See Ruiz, 177 Ill.2d at 385, 226 Ill.Dec. 791, 686 N.E.2d 574; see also Hall v. Washington, 106 F.3d 742, 749-50 (7th Cir.1997). In our view, defendant's petition and supporting affidavits make a substantial showing that defense counsel's limited presentation of mitigating evidence at the sentencing hearing was not the result of a strategic decision preceded by a reasonable investigation. The record before this court contains no evidence that allows us to conclude that counsel's decision not to present additional mitigating evidence was a strategic decision. We acknowledge that when the drawbacks of potential mitigating evidence appear obvious from the record, it can be assumed that counsel decided not to present evidence for such reasons. See Ruiz, 132 Ill.2d at 26, 138 Ill. Dec. 201, 547 N.E.2d 170. Here, however, there appears to be no obvious disadvantage in the additional mitigating evidence. On this record, we reject the State's claim that trial counsel's failure to present the additional mitigating evidence was a strategic decision. The mitigating evidence offered by trial counsel at the sentencing hearing portrayed defendant as someone who had good parents, but who fell in with a bad crowd and got entangled in drugs and alcohol abuse. Information regarding defendant's need for psychiatric counseling and history of mental illness might have provided the sentencing judge with additional information that could have influenced the choice of sentence. See People v. Perez, 148 Ill.2d 168, 188-89, 170 Ill.Dec. 304, 592 N.E.2d 984 (1992) (the State's theory that counsel reasonably declined to introduce school reports at the sentencing hearing because they contained aggravating evidence that the defendant was a troublemaker was not reasonable strategy where counsel did introduce a psychological report at sentencing which portrayed the defendant as much worse than a troublemaker). Moreover, the record before us reveals no attempt by counsel to secure the testimony of any member of defendant's family other than his step-brother, Jerry. The affidavits of the family members here reveal that they were willing to come and provide mitigating evidence on defendant's behalf. Given the record before us, we decline to assume that defense counsel's alleged failure to present the additional mitigating evidence represented a legitimate strategic decision. Having considered the performance prong of the Strickland standard, we must further examine whether defendant has made a substantial showing that he was prejudiced by counsel's alleged deficient performance. In establishing prejudice, defendant must show that there is a reasonable probability that, absent counsel's deficient performance, the sentencer would have concluded that the balance of aggravating and mitigating factors did not warrant death. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 695, 104 S.Ct. at 2068-69, 80 L.Ed.2d at 698. We note that, in the past, this court has held that despite the violent nature of the offenses and the fact that a defendant had been convicted of multiple murders, counsel's failure to investigate and present mitigating evidence so prejudiced the defendant as to warrant an evidentiary hearing. See Orange, 168 Ill.2d at 173, 213 Ill.Dec. 589, 659 N.E.2d 935; People v. Thompkins, 161 Ill.2d 148, 167-68, 204 Ill. Dec. 147, 641 N.E.2d 371 (1994). While we view some of the mitigation now being proffered as cumulative to what was presented by counsel at the hearing, some of it was not. The only type of psychiatric testimony adduced on defendant's behalf was the stipulated testimony of Cheryl Winke, who stated that defendant was average in intelligence and was aggressive. The evidence regarding defendant's mental history that he contends was available to counsel and should have been offered in mitigation paints a picture that is at odds with that stipulated testimony. We also note that the circuit court, in sentencing defendant to death, specifically pointed out that with the exception of Jerry, members of defendant's family had not testified at sentencing despite the fact that the trial took place in Chicago, where they lived. The implication was that defendant's family did not think enough of defendant to testify on his behalf. The affidavits here tend to show that other members of defendant's family were available to testify such that Jerry Wiley, an unwilling witness, need not have provided the only mitigation voice from the family. We also cannot ignore the fact that Jerry, the only family member whom counsel did compel to testify in mitigation, was found by the court to have been a perfect witness for the State. In light of these circumstances, we cannot say, as a matter of law, that the outcome of the sentencing hearing would have been the same had the additional pieces of evidence been discovered and presented by trial counsel. We hold that defendant's post-conviction allegations, liberally construed in his favor and taken as true in light of the original trial record, establish a substantial showing of a violation of defendant's right to effective assistance of counsel at the sentencing hearing. The circuit court improperly dismissed this claim without an evidentiary hearing.