Opinion ID: 2225661
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Denial of Request for Defense Psychologist

Text: Castor, on October 2, 1986, filed an application to employ a defense psychologist. This request was reiterated in a pleading entitled Motion in Support of Defense's Motion to Authorize the Employment of Defense Psychologist filed February 26, 1987. In this motion, counsel for Castor stated that he had discussed the case with a psychologist and had reiterated to the psychologist certain facts which had been revealed by counsel's investigation as well as the discovery materials provided to defense counsel. The motion stated that, based upon this information, the psychologist had indicated that, in her opinion, Castor may have been under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance when he committed the acts alleged in the information as covered by § 35-5-2-9(C)(2). The motion additionally set forth the hourly rate and maximum charge of the proposed psychologist. The motion was denied on June 4, 1987. We begin our analysis of this issue by noting that both the October 2, 1986, and February 26, 1987, motions requested the defense psychologist for the penalty phase of the trial. For the first time, in his brief to this Court, Castor argues that the denial of his request for a defense psychologist affected not only the penalty phase of the trial but also the guilt-innocence phase because, he argues, without a timely inquiry, he was not able to evaluate possible defenses, whether or not to proceed to trial, or whether or not to enter into plea negotiations with the State. We reject the claim that the court's denial of a defense psychologist requires reversal of Castor's conviction for murder because, as this Court has previously stated in Hough v. State (1990), Ind., 560 N.E.2d 511, 516, a trial court does not abuse its discretion in rejecting an indigent's request for appointment of an expert witness when the purpose for such employment appears to be exploratory only. Here, as in Hough, at no time did Castor claim that he was either insane at the time that the crime was committed or that he was incompetent to assist in his defense at trial. Therefore, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing the request for employment of a defense psychologist concerning the guilt-innocence phase of the trial. We are persuaded, however, that the trial court did abuse its discretion in denying Castor's application for a defense psychologist to assist him in defending himself during the penalty phase of the trial. Castor's motion of February 26, 1987, stated in effect that a psychologist had opined that, given the facts as related to her by defense counsel, Castor may have been under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance when he committed the acts alleged in the information. One of the statutory mitigators which both the jury and the trial judge must weigh during the penalty phase of the trial is whether the defendant was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance when he committed the murder. Ind. Code Ann. § 35-50-2-9(C)(2) (West Supp. 1991). In view of the showing made in the February 26, 1987, motion, it was incumbent upon the trial court to allow Castor appropriate resources to develop the opinion of this expert witness concerning this statutory mitigator. The failure of the trial court to approve the expenditure of the funds necessary to further develop this opinion was erroneous and requires reversal of the death penalty. The State, during oral argument before this Court, pointed out that following the jury's recommendation that Castor be sentenced to death, but before the trial court conducted the actual sentencing hearing, the trial court did order a psychiatric examination of Castor. Therefore, the State argued, any error in refusing the employment of a defense psychologist was cured by such court-ordered psychiatric examination. The record, however, reveals that the trial court only requested a psychiatric examination to determine Castor's present mental competency and legal ability to be sentenced and retroactively with respect to defendant's ability to have understood these criminal proceedings, particularly the trial of defendant which was conducted from March 14, 1988, to March 27, 1988, and to have assisted in the preparation of the defense thereto. Surely this examination was quite different from that which Castor had requested in his February 26, 1987, motion relating to determining whether he was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance when he committed the murder. We do not believe that the trial court's pre-sentencing order for a mental examination cured or rendered harmless the earlier error in refusing to allow Castor to employ a defense psychologist under the circumstances as set forth above.