Opinion ID: 2062476
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Failure to Present Mitigating Factors

Text: Gilliam first suggests that Daneman failed to effectively pursue, at the sentencing hearing, mitigating factors of duress and substantial mental impairment. We note that prior to the death penalty sentencing hearing, Daneman asked Gilliam to put his thoughts about the crime in writing. Gilliam wrote a letter to Daneman which stated in part as follows: I'm not sure about how I should start this letter. Even though this letter will not be taken to court with me, I still feel as though I might say the wrong thing. I'm not the young man that I appear to be by my past actions. I am looking at my case from both sides, so please; don't think that I'm crazy. I have reasons why I think that I should be given the death penalty, and reasons why I shouldn't be given the death penalty. I've cold bloodedly killed someone. I had no reason for it, and it's hard for me to deal with the fact that it's all over. It's even hard for me to write down the reasons why I think I should live. I don't want to die, even though it sounds that way; but I do deserve every bit of death. I've caused a lot of hurt, just by pulling a trigger one time. And it doesn't feel good. I will never forget what I have done. (Emphasis added). In this letter, Gilliam acknowledges his cold blooded killing and in no way suggests the mitigating factors of duress or substantial mental impairment which he now claims Daneman should have more effectively pursued at the sentencing hearing. Nonetheless, Daneman's sentencing hearing preparation included a review of each of the statutory mitigating factors, as well as potential non-statutory mitigating factors. Ultimately, Daneman in fact decided to pursue both duress and substantial mental impairment. The mitigating factor of duress was generated by a statement Gilliam made to the defense psychologist, David Shapiro, Ph.D., that Gilliam shot Ms. Doerfler because he was afraid of what Tony would do to him if he didn't kill her. Daneman argued duress as a mitigating factor in spite of circumstances refuting that defense, including (1) in his tape recorded confession, Gilliam asserted accident, not duress; (2) the day before the murder, Gilliam stated to the Drummond brothers that he wanted to kill a bitch; (3) Gilliam never alleged to anyone that Tony directly ordered him to kill Doerfler; and (4) it is difficult to infer that Gilliam, armed with a sawed-off shotgun, was acting out of fear of an unarmed friend who was sitting in a car some distance away. As for the defense of substantial mental impairment, Daneman also presented evidence at the sentencing hearing of the mitigating factor that Gilliam committed the murder while his capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law was substantially impaired as a result of mental disorder and drugs. Md.Code (1957, 1992 Repl.Vol.), Art. 27, § 413(g)(8). Dr. Shapiro testified that there was a substantial impairment of Gilliam's ability to conform his conduct to law based on the combination of unstable personality disorder and the ingestion of drugs. There was no other available evidence that Gilliam was substantially impaired because the two psychiatrists retained to examine Gilliam, Dr. Neil Blumberg and Dr. Ellen McDaniel, told Daneman prior to the sentencing hearing that they could not express an opinion as to the existence of such substantial impairment, and they were not called as witnesses. Dr. Blumberg explained to Daneman before the sentencing hearing that Gilliam's acknowledgment of complete awareness of his act of murder precluded any conclusion that Gilliam's ingestion of drugs was a significant factor in the killing. Dr. Blumberg told Daneman: The Defendant did consider some alternatives because he stood outside of the car with a gun for one and one-half minutes thinking of what to do before he shot the young girl. Dr. Blumberg also advised Daneman that this case is a cold blooded execution. Intoxication played a part, but unfortunately he was not under duress or intimidated, and he can't mitigate on the grounds of substantial impairment. Thus, in spite of Gilliam's claim to the contrary, Daneman did present evidence on the mitigating factors of duress and substantial mental impairment and pursued those factors to the extent possible.