Opinion ID: 1614209
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: King was denied due process when the trial court denied funds for a mental health expert and this Court affirmed the denial, thus denying him the opportunity to fully develop evidence of mental retardation.

Text: ¶ 7. King asserts that he was denied due process when the trial court denied counsel's request for funds for a mental health expert. This Court previously considered this issue and affirmed the trial court's denial of funding in King v. State, 960 So.2d 413 (Miss.2007). On direct appeal, this Court offered a detailed analysis of this assignment of error pursuant to Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68, 105 S.Ct. 1087, 84 L.Ed.2d 53 (1985), and found that King did not show the substantial need required to obtain funds for an additional independent expert and did not find that he was prejudiced by the denial of funds. King, 960 So.2d at 420-24. Therefore, King is procedurally barred from reasserting this issue under the doctrine of res judicata. See Miss.Code Ann. § 99-39-21(3) (Rev.2007). ¶ 8. Moreover, King has failed to demonstrate that his claims are not procedurally barred as required by Mississippi Code Section 99-39-21(6). [1] King asserts that Rivera v. Quarterman, 505 F.3d 349 (5th Cir.2007) and Panetti v. Quarterman, 551 U.S. 930, 127 S.Ct. 2842, 168 L.Ed.2d 662 (2007) constitute intervening decisions and are sufficient to overcome the procedural bar. However, we disagree. Both Rivera and Panetti uphold the requirement that a defendant must make a substantial threshold showing of mental retardation. [2] These holdings are consistent with Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68, 105 S.Ct. 1087, 84 L.Ed.2d 53 (1985), and do not constitute intervening caselaw for the purpose of overcoming a procedural bar. As set out above, this Court previously has determined that King has failed to show substantial need. Therefore, King is procedurally barred from reasserting this issue. See Miss.Code Ann. § 99-39-21(3) (Rev. 2007).
¶ 9. King asserts that the trial court erred in not allowing him to challenge or rebut the State's case against him by presenting evidence of his innocence during resentencing. King raised this residual-doubt issue on direct appeal, and this Court, citing Oregon v. Guzek, 546 U.S. 517, 126 S.Ct. 1226, 163 L.Ed.2d 1112 (2006), found that King is barred by the doctrine of res judicata from making an argument as to his guilt at a resentencing trial. King v. State, 960 So.2d 413, 436-39 (Miss.2007). Therefore, this issue is procedurally barred pursuant to Mississippi Code Section 99-39-21(3) as set out herein. Further, King fails to offer any evidence sufficient to overcome the procedural bar as required by Mississippi Code Section 99-39-21(6).
¶ 10. The United States Supreme Court established a two-part test for determining a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984), as follows: First, the defendant must show that counsel's performance was deficient. This requires showing that counsel made errors so serious that counsel was not functioning as the counsel guaranteed the defendant by the Sixth Amendment. Second, the defendant must show that the deficient performance prejudiced the defense. This requires showing that counsel's errors were so serious as to deprive the defendant of a fair trial, a trial whose result is reliable. Id. at 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052. ¶ 11. Specifically, King asserts that counsel was ineffective for failure to: 1) challenge the sufficiency of the indictment; 2) preserve the issue of residual doubt for appeal; 3) challenge Mississippi's lethal injection protocol; 4) raise Panetti v. Quarterman on rehearing; and 5) properly litigate King's mental retardation claim.