Opinion ID: 4535549
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: the trial court’s failure

Text: TO HOLD A PRETRIAL COMPETENCY HEARING Lastly, Hill argues that the trial court’s failure to inquire about Hill’s competency denied him a fair trial under the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Here, the term “trial court” refers to the court that tried Hill’s underlying offenses in 1985 and 1986. This claim is governed by § 2254(d)(1). As indicated above, the Supreme Court has held that to obtain relief under § 2254(d)(1), the petitioner “must show that the state court’s ruling on the claim being presented in federal court was so lacking in justification that there was an error well understood and comprehended in existing law beyond any possibility for fairminded disagreement.” Harrington v. Richter, 562 U.S. 86, 103 (2011). In assessing competence, the relevant question is whether the defendant’s “mental condition is such that he lacks the capacity to understand the nature and object of the proceedings against him, to consult with counsel, and to assist in preparing his defense.” Indiana v. Edwards, 554 U.S. 164, 170 (2008). If the defendant’s mental condition meets this description, the courts may not try him.18 Id. Hill maintains that because the trial court knew that he had “limitations in vocabulary, ability to calculate, and ability to draw” and “could not recognize or understand a majority of the words on the Miranda waiver form,” the trial court should have “conduct[ed] further inquiry into [Hill’s] competency to stand trial.” Hill’s Br. at 124–25. With regard to this final issue, Hill requests that this Court determine “not whether the state court was unreasonable in finding Danny competent to stand trial, but whether it was unreasonable under Pate19 and Drope20 not to make such an inquiry in the first instance.” Id. at 124. Hill also argues, with no elaboration and 18 Again, our conclusion that Hill is intellectually disabled and thus ineligible for execution under Atkins does not mean that Hill was incompetent to stand trial or that the trial court should have presumed his incompetence and ordered a competency hearing sua sponte. The two inquiries are different, and even Atkins recognizes that “[m]entally retarded persons frequently . . . are competent to stand trial.” 536 U.S. at 318. 19 Pate v. Robinson, 383 U.S. 375 (1966). 20 Drope v. Missouri, 420 U.S. 162 (1975). Nos. 99-4317/14-3718 Hill v. Anderson Page 42 minimal citation to the record,21 that the Ohio Supreme Court “unreasonably applied Pate and Drope” in determining that Hill was competent to stand trial. Id. at 125. The Warden, for his part, asserts that “[a]lthough Hill is intellectually limited, his demeanor at trial was such that the trial court had no reason to sua sponte assess Hill for competence to stand [trial].” The Warden also argues that: The trial record gives every indication that Hill was compliant, cooperative and appropriately attentive to the proceedings. Moreover, the trial judge had ample opportunity to assess Hill’s ability to navigate through the trial proceedings, where Hill testified extensively during a pre-trial suppression hearing, and also had a direct colloquy with the trial court for acceptance of the jury waiver. In addition, none of the three mental health experts who testified for the defense at trial expressed a concern about Hill’s competence to stand trial. Warden’s Br. at 97. Hill’s reply brief does not address these contentions. Neither the state appellate court nor the Ohio Supreme Court opinions from Hill’s direct appeal noted Hill’s competency argument as one of his nineteen assignments of error and twenty-five propositions of law, respectively. See generally State v. Hill, 595 N.E.2d 884 (Ohio 1992); State v. Hill, Nos. 3720, 3745, 1989 WL 142761 (Ohio Ct. App. Nov. 27, 1989). Instead, the only similar claims addressed by these courts pertained to Hill’s arguments that he could not knowingly and voluntarily waive his right to counsel or his right to a jury trial due to his alleged intellectual disability. See, e.g., Hill, 595 N.E.2d at 890–91, 895; Hill, 1989 WL 142761, at , 5–7, 13–14. The district court found that Hill raised the issue of competency only under state law, not federal law, and that Hill did not raise the competency claim under federal law until filing for state post-conviction relief. Hill, 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 23332, at –93. On this basis, the district court concluded that Hill’s competency claim was procedurally defaulted. Id. at –94 (citing State v. Hill, No. 94-T-5116, 1995 WL 418683 (Ohio Ct. App. June 16, 1995)). The Warden argues that even if Hill’s claim was not procedurally defaulted, it fails on the merits. We agree. 21 This issue occupies three pages in Hill’s opening brief and just over a page in his reply brief. The only record citation in the opening brief seeks to demonstrate that Hill “could not recognize or understand a majority of the words on the Miranda waiver form.” Nos. 99-4317/14-3718 Hill v. Anderson Page 43 On December 16, 1985, the trial court held a hearing on Hill’s motion to suppress his statements to the police. Defense counsel called Hill as a witness to testify with respect to “the circumstances under which [he] gave statements to the police department.” R. 29 (Suppression Hr’g Tr.) (Page ID #3101). In response to the trial court’s questions, Hill indicated that he understood the purpose and nature of the hearing. Id. at 3103–04. He went on to testify about the means by which he arrived at the police station, as well as his inability to leave police custody prior to the arrival of his mother on Friday, September 13, 1985. On Monday, September 16, 1984, Hill returned to the police station at his mother’s behest with his uncle, Detective Hill, and another police officer, Sergeant Steinbeck. As discussed earlier, Hill testified that while he and Detective Hill were alone, Detective Hill threw Hill against the wall, slapped him, and told him to tell the police what had happened. Hill also claimed that after being physically abused by his uncle, he told the police what they wanted to hear because he was afraid of both Detective Hill and the other officers. Id. at 3114, 3118–19. Defense counsel, for his part, attempted to demonstrate that Hill could neither read nor write and that Hill signed the Miranda waiver without understanding its contents or knowing what it meant; meanwhile, the prosecutor attempted to demonstrate that Hill had been to the Warren police department many times before based on theft-related crimes and was therefore familiar with the department’s Miranda form. Id. at 3107–09, 3115, 3121–23, 3152–53, 3155. On cross-examination, Hill testified that he signed the Miranda waiver because the police told him to do so. Id. at 3135–37. Hill’s testimony ended following questions from the trial court about Hill’s alleged physical abuse at the hands of Detective Hill. Hill appeared before the trial court once more on January 7, 1986, this time to waive his right to a jury trial. See Hill, 595 N.E.2d at 889. The trial court’s colloquy with Hill, which was designed to determine whether Hill’s waiver was knowing and voluntary, included an explanation of the jury selection system, the role of the jury, the jury waiver’s effect on some of Hill’s pending motions, defense counsel’s possible motives for seeking to waive Hill’s right to a jury trial, and the differences between a jury and three-judge panel in terms of number of persons, familiarity with the law and the facts of the case, and demographic composition. The trial court read the waiver aloud to Hill and suggested the Hill go over the waiver with his Nos. 99-4317/14-3718 Hill v. Anderson Page 44 attorney. Waiver of Jury Trial Hr’g Tr. at 10–11.22 Hill indicated that he had discussed the issue of waiver with both his attorney and his mother, and there was a 25-minute recess in which the attorney and Hill’s mother apparently discussed the waiver with him further. Id. at 5–6. After the recess, Hill affirmatively stated that he wanted to be tried by the three-judge panel. Id. at 12. A review of Hill’s testimony during the December 16, 1985, suppression hearing reveals that Hill claimed to understand the nature of the hearing and was able to answer questions posed by the prosecutor, defense counsel, and the trial court. Hill stated more than once when he did not understand or did not know the answer to a question, either on his own or with attorney prompting. He also appeared to understand the role of the trial judge. Hill’s interactions with the trial court at the January 7, 1986 hearing on his waiver of jury trial also failed to raise any red flags regarding competence. Although the trial court did most of the talking, Hill did not express any confusion about the nature of the waiver, and was given an opportunity to go over the considerations discussed by the trial court with his attorney and mother before and during the hearing. After Hill conferred with his attorney, the following exchange took place: COURT: All right. Danny, you’ve been talking with your lawyer now, have you not, for the last 25 minutes or so? DEFENDANT HILL: Yeah. COURT: And did he go over this matter of a jury trial with you? DEFENDANT HILL: Yeah. COURT: And you want to tell me now what decision you’ve made after talking this over. DEFENDANT HILL: I want to have— COURT: What do you want to do? Who do you want to try it? Three judges—