Opinion ID: 2036059
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Application of Waiver and Res Judicata

Text: Defendant's third claimed error is that the application of the armed robbery as an aggravating factor to support the imposition of the death penalty was arbitrary. Initially, we note that this issue was not presented to the trial court in defendant's present post-conviction petition. Further, this issue was not raised on direct appeal or in defendant's first post-conviction petition. Because this issue could have been raised in defendant's first post-conviction petition, it is res judicata. (See Free, 122 Ill.2d at 376, 119 Ill.Dec. 325, 522 N.E.2d 1184.) Additionally, even if the issue were not res judicata, because defendant could have presented the issue on direct appeal, in his first post-conviction petition and, certainly, in his second post-conviction petition, the issue is waived. See Neal, 142 Ill.2d at 146, 154 Ill.Dec. 587, 568 N.E.2d 808; Ill.Rev.Stat. 1989, ch. 38, par. 122-2.1. We next address petitioner's ineffective-assistance claims. Petitioner asserts that prior appellate counsel's omission of certain errors on direct appeal and in the first post-conviction proceeding constituted ineffective assistance. The State argues that the alleged errors which underlie defendant's ineffective-assistance claims could have been raised in defendant's first post-conviction proceeding. The State urges that defendant couches the alleged errors in a claim of ineffective assistance merely to avoid the bar of res judicata and waiver. True, the errors which underlie petitioner's current post-conviction claims of ineffective assistance could have been raised in the prior post-trial proceedings. However, it is the failure to raise those claimed errors which forms the basis of defendant's ineffectiveness claim. Obviously, because defendant's ineffective-assistance claims concern errors which allegedly occurred on direct appeal and in the first post-conviction proceeding, and are asserted against the attorney who represented defendant in those proceedings, defendant's present claims could not have been raised in those prior proceedings. Thus, defendant's ineffectiveness claims are neither res judicata (see Free, 122 Ill.2d at 376, 119 Ill.Dec. 325, 522 N.E.2d 1184) nor waived (see Stewart, 121 Ill.2d at 104, 117 Ill.Dec. 187, 520 N.E.2d 348). (See People v. Gaines (1984), 105 Ill.2d 79, 85 Ill.Dec. 269, 473 N.E.2d 868 (holding that petitioner's post-conviction claim of ineffective assistance of counsel at trial and on direct appeal would not be barred as res judicata where same attorney represented defendant at trial and on direct appeal because it would be unreasonable to expect appellate counsel to raise and argue his own incompetency).) Moreover, in People v. Frank (1971), 48 Ill.2d 500, 503, 272 N.E.2d 25, this court noted its earlier suggestion that the doctrine of waiver ought not to bar consideration of issues under the Act where the alleged waiver stems from incompetency of appellate counsel. The court stated that this notion comports with related holdings that waiver will not apply where it would act as a denial of due process [citations]. Incidentally, we note that in this case, because all claims of ineffective assistance of appellate counsel could have been presented in this present post-conviction proceeding, absent a showing that fundamental fairness requires consideration, an attempt to raise any such claim in a subsequent post-conviction petition would be effectively barred by operation of waiver and res judicata. Notwithstanding defendant's motivation, we believe that his present claims of ineffective assistance of appellate counsel are now properly before us. We conclude, for purposes of complete disposition of the issues presented in this appeal, that because defendant's claims of ineffective assistance of post-conviction counsel are beyond the scope of the Act, they are not properly before us. We therefore confine our discussion, solely, to defendant's claimed errors arising on direct appeal.