Opinion ID: 1571247
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Faretta Hearing and Guilt Phase Proceedings

Text: Shortly after Barnes' indictment, he filed a pro se request for speedy trial and asserted a waiver of counsel. Barnes, age forty-four at the time of the hearing, appeared before Judge Lisa Davidson on May 2, 2006, with an assistant public defender as standby counsel. Barnes again stated his desire to waive counsel and represent himself. Pursuant to his request, the trial court conducted an extensive Faretta hearing during which the judge explained the indictment to Barnes and informed him of the maximum penalties for each count, including the fact that the first-degree murder count carried the maximum penalty of death and that the State was seeking the death penalty. Barnes was advised of his right to have an attorney appointed to represent him if he could not afford one. When asked about his education, Barnes testified that he completed thirteen years of school, and said he was a certified law clerk, with that designation given by the Department of Corrections, and that he had worked for some years in the prison library. Barnes confirmed that he was mentally alert and had not taken any pills, drugs or alcohol within the last twenty-four hours. When asked if he had ever suffered from a mental disorder, defect, disease, or derangement, he answered, No. When asked if he was ever told that he had any type of mental illness, he said: No, ma'am. I'm borderline personality disorder based on somebody's, you know, matrix. I've read the diagnostic and statistical manual. II don't believe that there's any reason to think that I don't have the cognitive ability to understand what's going on right now, ma'am. Barnes also confirmed that he knew there may be defenses available to him and that experienced attorneys could assist him. Barnes continued to maintain that he wanted to represent himself and that he knew the pitfalls of self-representation. Barnes was informed that at every stage of the proceedings standby counsel would be there to assist if he so desired. The trial court found on the record that the requirements of Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.111 [7] had been met and that Barnes was extremely competent and had made an unequivocal request, knowingly, freely and voluntarily, to waive counsel and represent himself. The court also found that Barnes fully understood the advantages and disadvantages of representing himself. In this same May 2, 2006, hearing, Barnes proffered his open plea of guilty to the murder of Patricia Miller and to the other charged offenses. Prior to acceptance of the plea by the court, the State presented a factual basis for the plea, stating that the evidence would show Miller was killed by blunt-force trauma to the head, and was also strangled, in Brevard County, Florida, on April 20, 1988. The prosecutor proffered that the evidence would show she was sexually battered both anally and vaginally, and that testing of sperm left in her body was substantially consistent with Barnes' DNA profile. The prosecutor also advised the court that Barnes' November 1, 2005, videotaped statement, as well as correspondence from Barnes to the prosecutor, detailed specifically and graphically the events of April 20, 1998, pertaining to the murder of Patricia Miller, the rape and arson as well as burglary. Barnes was then asked to state his own factual basis for the plea, after being advised that anything he said would be used against him and that he had a Fifth Amendment right to remain silent. Barnes stated that he broke into Patricia Miller's condominium, raped her twice, tried to strangle her to death, and hit her in the head with a hammer and killed her. He further stated that he set the bed on fire. Before accepting the plea, the court confirmed that Barnes was able to read, write and speak English; that no one had forced or threatened him into pleading guilty; and that no one had promised him anything to induce him to enter a plea. He was advised of the rights he would be giving up if he entered a plea, including the right to a jury trial where the State would be required to prove every element of each offense beyond a reasonable doubt; the right to appointed counsel at trial; the right to confront his accusers and to cross-examine witnesses; the right to present defenses; the right to remain silent or to testify; and the right to appeal all matters relating to judgment and sentence. Barnes confirmed that he understood all the rights that he would be giving up by entering guilty pleas, and confirmed that he was entering the pleas because he felt it was in his best interest. Finally, Barnes again confirmed that he understood he would be facing a sentence of life in prison or death for the charge of murder. The trial court found that there was a factual basis for the pleas and that Barnes had voluntarily and intelligently waived his right to a jury trial and all the rights associated with it by entry of his plea to each charge. The court then accepted Barnes' guilty pleas and adjudged him guilty of the offenses. Standby counsel, who had been appointed at the outset of the proceedings, was present with Barnes at each subsequent stage of the proceedings, and the court continued to offer Barnes counsel at each critical stage. The case then proceeded to the penalty phase.