Opinion ID: 1187714
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Geary's competence to waive his right to appeal his death sentence

Text: NRS 177.055(1) provides, When upon a plea of not guilty a judgment of death is entered, an appeal is deemed automatically taken by the defendant without any action by him or his counsel, unless the defendant or his counsel affirmatively waives the appeal within 30 days after the rendition of the judgment. To waive one's automatic right to an appeal from a death sentence, the defendant must show that his or her decision was intelligently made and with full comprehension of its ramifications. Cole v. State, 101 Nev. 585, 588, 707 P.2d 545, 547 (1985); see also Gilmore v. Utah, 429 U.S. 1012, 97 S.Ct. 436, 50 L.Ed.2d 632, reh'g denied, 429 U.S. 1030, 97 S.Ct. 655, 50 L.Ed.2d 636 (1976) (waiver must be made knowingly and intelligently by a defendant competent to make the rational choice to forgo further, and possibly life-saving, litigation). Before accepting the defendant's waiver, the district court must conduct a hearing to determine competence. Kirksey v. State, 107 Nev. 499, 502, 814 P.2d 1008, 1010 (1991). The test for competence is (1) whether the defendant has sufficient present ability to consult with his or her attorney with a reasonable degree of factual understanding, and (2) whether the defendant has a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings. Doggett v. Warden, 93 Nev. 591, 593, 572 P.2d 207, 208 (1977). The district court is then required to enter formal, written findings of fact regarding the defendant's competence. Kirksey, 107 Nev. at 502, 814 P.2d at 1010; see also Calambro v. State, 111 Nev. 1015, 1019 n. 4, 900 P.2d 340, 343 n. 4 (1995) (emphasizing the district court's mandatory duty to enter written findings regarding competency when a defendant seeks to waive an appeal from a death sentence). This court has the duty to review those findings, and the record as a whole, to determine the validity of the death sentence. Kirksey, 107 Nev. at 502, 814 P.2d at 1010. In the present matter, both Geary and his attorney informed the district court that they have communicated extensively about Geary's decision to waive his appeal. Both appointed psychiatrists reported that Geary understood the proceedings. The district court thoroughly canvassed Geary about his decision, including his understanding of the ramifications, and Geary remained steadfast in his desire to forgo his appeal. Additionally, in the documents filed in this court, Geary's attorney informed this court that Geary is indeed competent. Clearly, Geary's competence is not in dispute. After carefully reviewing the entire record, we conclude that the district court correctly found that Geary is competent to waive his appeal.