Opinion ID: 1351343
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Defendant's request for new counsel to argue the motion for new trial.

Text: (8) Defendant requested appointment of Roth to argue the motion for new trial. As we have noted, People v. Stewart, supra, 171 Cal. App.3d 388, authorizes appointment of new counsel if the motion for new trial is based on incompetency of existing counsel. Defendant's charges of incompetency, however, are not sufficient to show that the trial judge abused his discretion in denying the request. Defendant specified four charges: (a) that he did not explain fully to Jordan and Small what happened at the murder scene because he did not trust them; (b) that the court had denied some of their motions for investigative funds; (c) that they lacked experience, neither having tried a capital case before; and (d) that they did not obtain an expert ballistics report. The first ground does not demonstrate counsel's incompetence, only defendant's refusal to cooperate. The other grounds relate to matters which the court, having observed the trial and counsel's conduct of the defense, could reasonably conclude offered no hope of success.