Opinion ID: 76484
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Testimony Presented During Carr's Trial

Text: 63 During opening and closing arguments in the guilt phase of the trial, the prosecutor attacked Carr's trial testimony as concocted lies, and argued that Carr's testimony regarding his relationship with Burgeson and his childhood was uncorroborated by any credible independent testimony. He also commented that one of the mental health expert's testimony as to the development of Carr's state of mind on the night of the murder was hearsay, R2-10, Ex. Vol. 6, Ex. 13 at 1912-13, because everything the psychiatrists and psychologist knew about Carr was told to them by Carr or his family. Id. at 1916. 64 At sentencing, Carr presented the testimony of (1) psychologist Dr. Robert Storms; (2) registered psychiatric nurse and clinical social worker, Darrian Jones Bogenholm; and (3) addiction psychiatrist, Dr. James Spencer Cheatham as mental health experts, and (4) Carr's mother, Georgia Carr; and (5) uncle, William A. Smith as character witnesses. 65 Storms testified that Carr had a life-long history of depression, alcohol and drug abuse, and was not only very psychologically dependent on Burgeson but was also basically a very dependent guy. R2-10, Ex. Vol. 6, Ex. 13 at 1772. He said that Carr and his family were superstitious and believed in witchcraft and paganism. Id. at 1774-77. He explained that Carr relied heavily on Burgeson in the area of the occult, and that Burgeson was a psychologically dominant individual and classic enabler. Id. at 1777-78. He saw nothing that would lead to the conclusion that Carr had an excessively violent temperament. Id. at 1780. 66 Carr introduced Bogenholm as an expert in the field of psychological evaluation. Id. at 1812, 1815. The prosecutor objected that he did not believe Bogenholm was qualified as an expert in the field of forensic psychology in order to offer an expert opinion in that area and that her testimony, which she acknowledged was based on interviews with Carr and his family members, was hearsay. Id. at 1816, 1818, 1820. The trial judge overruled the prosecutor's objection since interviewing is the main way of gathering information in the psychological and psychiatric area. Id. at 1821. 67 Bogenholm then explained that some of the problems Carr experienced could be attributed to the problems that his mother had during her pregnancy with him and during his birth. She stated that Carr's father was an alcoholic who physically and emotionally abused his mother and Carr, and that Carr saw his father beat his mother frequently and tried to protect her when he was as young as three years old. Bogenholm explained that Carr had been sexually abused by both male and female family members, [and] various members of the community ... from the time of the age of three. Id. at 1826. She substantiated Carr's stories of abuse by interviewing one of the male abusers. She described Carr, who had attempted suicide several times as a child by beating his head against a floor or wall, and later through drug abuse, as suffering from depression. Bogenholm noted that she had found Carr to be very sensitive and very compassionate. Id. at 1848. 68 Cheatham testified that Carr had a very lengthy history of drug and alcohol abuse or multi-substance abuse and, though [n]ot by nature a violent person, had a heightened potential for violence when he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Id. at 1859-60. He explained that Carr was very strongly influenced by satanism and witchcraft and was easily controlled by Burgeson, who he identified as a witch. Id. at 1862. He also opined that Carr became emotionally dependent on Burgeson and was afraid that Burgeson would harm him. Cheatham reviewed the testing that had been performed on Carr, and advised that there was some very strong indication of ... early life brain injury. Id. at 1877-78. He also noted that Carr suffered from severe depression, and that there were many factors involved in Carr's behavior. Id. at 1879-80. He believed that Carr could be helped by treatment. Id. at 1880. 69 Georgia Carr, Carr's mother, testified that Carr was a happy child who loved his father, Ulla Donnell Carr, although Ulla denied that Carr was his son and was cruel to him. Id. at 1793-95, 1799. She explained that she and Ulla divorced when Carr was ten, and Carr lived with her until he was fourteen and then moved in with his father. She had never seen Carr act violently. Carr's uncle, William A. Smith, also testified that Ulla rejected that Carr was his child. 70 During the penalty phase closing arguments, the prosecutor questioned whether there [was] any redeeming social value in Mr. Carr and discussed Carr's criminal record before emphasizing the deterrent effect of the death penalty. He discredited Carr's defense and the testimony of the witnesses to Carr's childhood and its effect on him. Carr's attorney responded by arguing that, if the jury voted for the death penalty, they would never know whether Carr had any redeeming grace and redeeming characteristics. Id. at 1928. 71