Opinion ID: 76034
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Facts Concerning Crawford's Representation

Text: 40 In order to address Crawford's ineffective assistance of counsel claims, it is necessary that we first recount in some depth the facts concerning his representation. As a backdrop to considering the reasonableness of Crawford's attorney's approach to this case, we note that it is important to keep in mind that this was not the first time that Crawford was tried for the crime of which he was convicted. Instead, as mentioned above, Crawford was convicted previously, only to have the Georgia Supreme Court reverse the conviction based on ambiguity concerning the jury charge and the form of the jury's verdict. See Crawford v. State, 254 Ga. 435, 330 S.E.2d 567 (1985). Therefore, Crawford's counsel had the benefit of the transcript from the first trial in preparing for the retrial. 41 Prior to the retrial, Crawford chose to retain new counsel to represent him. In the summer of 1985, Crawford's family retained August F. Siemon, III, an attorney who had been actively practicing criminal law for over 10 years at the time of Crawford's trial and who had substantial prior experience in death penalty cases, to represent Crawford in the retrial. The family agreed to pay Siemon $5,000 in order for him to handle the trial. According to Siemon's testimony during the state habeas proceedings, discussed more below, he read the entire transcript from Crawford's trial around the time that he began representing Crawford. 42 After Siemon filed his notice of appearance on July 31, 1985, Crawford's two attorneys from his first trial filed motions to withdraw as counsel, and the court permitted them to do so. Next, Siemon filed a motion with the trial court to preclude the prosecution from seeking the death penalty against Crawford on double jeopardy grounds. During a hearing on November 15, 1985, the trial court denied the motion. At that time, Siemon informed the court that Crawford intended to appeal the ruling concerning the double jeopardy motion, and that he would file a motion for appointment of counsel on appeal, as well as a motion to proceed in forma pauperis. 43 At a hearing on December 6, 1985, the trial court took up the issue of whether Crawford was entitled to proceed in forma pauperis, as well as the motion for appointment of appellate counsel. Siemon stated during that hearing that it was his hope that, despite the fact that he had been retained by Crawford, the court would appoint additional counsel to assist in the defense — preferably one of the attorneys from Crawford's first trial who was already familiar with the case. The trial court ruled that Crawford was not entitled to have additional counsel appointed to assist in the interlocutory appeal concerning the double jeopardy issue because Siemon was capable of handling it on his own. Siemon attempted to present additional evidence concerning his need for appointed co-counsel, but the trial court found that the proffer was irrelevant given that the only motion that it was considering was the motion for appointment of counsel to assist in the appeal. Nonetheless, following the hearing the trial court entered written orders denying both the motion for appointment of appellate counsel and the motion to proceed in forma pauperis. 44 Following the December 1985 hearing, Crawford proceeded with his interlocutory appeal concerning the double jeopardy issue, to no avail. That appeal worked its way through the appellate courts for most of 1986, returning to the trial court in July 1986. Then, on October 27, 1986, the trial court entered its second scheduling order in the case (the first having been filed before the interlocutory appeal), setting December 8, 1986, as the date for Crawford's arraignment, and stating that pretrial motions would be handled during the week of December 8, 1986. The order also stated that the trial would commence on January 12, 1987. After being notified of a scheduling conflict, the trial court subsequently re-scheduled the arraignment and pre-trial motion deadline for January 12, 1987, and re-scheduled the beginning of trial for January 26, 1987. 45 On January 12, 1987, Siemon appeared before the trial court and filed two motions — one challenging the array of the grand and petit juries and one requesting funds to assist the defense and an ex parte hearing related to the funds request. In the latter motion, Crawford requested funds to pay for an additional attorney, scientific experts to challenge the prosecution's scientific evidence, an investigator, a challenge to the jury array, a community prejudice survey in support of a motion to change venue, a challenge to the prosecution's history of using peremptory challenges in a discriminatory manner, a challenge to the prosecution's exercise of its discretion to seek the death penalty in a discriminatory manner, and a medical doctor to present critical evidence in mitigation of punishment. 46 During the hearing, Siemon made clear to the court that since the time of the hearing in December 1985, the only actions he had taken with respect to Crawford's case related to the interlocutory appeal and not to trial preparation. Among other scheduling conflicts, Siemon indicated that oral arguments were scheduled for January 21, 1987, before the Georgia Supreme Court in another death penalty case, and that yet another death penalty case was scheduled to go to trial in February 1987. Therefore, Siemon requested that a hearing be set on the motion for funds, so that the defense could begin to prepare for a trial to commence at some time after the upcoming proceedings in his other cases. The court rejected this suggestion, however, and indicated that it intended to proceed on both motions within the hour, although it relented somewhat and set the motion challenging the jury array for a hearing at 10 o'clock the following morning. 47 In response, Siemon indicated to the trial court that if he were forced to go along with the court's schedule, he would not be prepared and would be unable to provide effective assistance to Crawford. He requested at least 3-4 days to prepare for a hearing on his motion for funds and for an ex parte hearing, with a hearing on the motion challenging the jury array to be held at some time after that. The court denied the request for an ex parte hearing, and stated that the hearing on the motion for funds would proceed after a 15 minute recess. At that time, Siemon refused to provide the court with specific arguments supporting the particular funds requests because he argued that doing so would reveal his trial strategies to the prosecution. In response, the court granted Siemon $1,000 initially to be used by any of the experts enumerated in the motion. At the conclusion of the January 12 hearing, the court arraigned Crawford. 48 On the following day, the court took up the motion challenging the jury array. Siemon again notified the court he was unprepared and needed more time and resources. In response to a question from the court, Siemon confirmed that he had done no investigation or preparation prior to filing the motion on the previous day. Siemon also indicated that he would be meeting for the first time later that afternoon with an investigator who would assist in preparing for the trial. The court then proceeded with the hearing on the jury challenge, although the court agreed to continue the hearing until January 19 in order to give Siemon more time to prepare. 49 At the January 19 hearing, Siemon presented evidence in support of Crawford's challenge to the jury array, but he again indicated that he needed more time and money. Siemon stated that the initial $1,000 has essentially been used up in getting us as far as we've gone now, and again requested additional funds. The court expressed frustration with Siemon's lack of preparation, and declined to grant additional funds at that time. The court indicated, however, that if Siemon used up the first $1,000 and presented evidence of a need for additional funds, it would consider granting more funds. 50 The following Monday, January 26, 1987, the case proceeded to trial. On that day, Crawford filed a motion for a continuance, and a motion for funds. In support of the motions, Siemon filed an affidavit stating that a review of the record showed that expert scientific assistance was critical to the defense, in particular with respect to critical serological evidence that would be introduced. Siemon also stated that a medical doctor, expert in the field of the effects of long term alcohol abuse on short term memory is critically important to the defense to present exculpatory and mitigating evidence. Finally, the affidavit stated: Due to the impossibly short time between the initial unified appeal hearing and the trial, investigative assistance is required in order to talk to all possible defense and mitigating witnesses. 51 The trial court indicated that it would withhold a ruling on the motions for continuance and for funds at the time that they were filed. The court then began the voir dire process, which lasted several days and only came to an end on Tuesday, February 3, 1987. After the jury was selected, the court returned to Crawford's motions for a continuance and for funds. At that time, and just before the parties made their opening statements to the jury, the court agreed that Crawford was entitled to an ex parte hearing concerning his need for funds. 52 During the ex parte hearing, Siemon argued to the court, based primarily on the evidence introduced at Crawford's first trial, that he needed funds to obtain pathology and serological experts to challenge the prosecution's witnesses and evidence, and that he needed a doctor to testify concerning the effects of Crawford's long-term abuse of alcohol. In particular, Siemon stated: 53 There was a great deal of testimony in the last trial as to the fact that Mr. Crawford was drinking and drinking fairly heavily on the day that this occurred. It has been, and it's a product of my investigation in this case, I believe it's established facts, that if a medical doctor, a doctor who had some expertise on the subject of alcoholism and the treatment of alcoholics and the symptoms of alcoholism were to talk to Mr. Crawford, and Mr. Crawford were to reveal to him what he's revealed to me, which basically is that since he got back from his service in Vietnam that he has been a regular, daily, heavy drinker; that a doctor that was presented with this history on Mr. Crawford's part would testify that his version of what happened that night, basically, that he woke up and that there are gaps in what he can remember and what he can't remember, that he found a little girl in the back of the car and panicked, that his account of what happened had some basis — has some basis in the symptomology of alcoholics; that they drink, that when they drink too much, they tend to have blackouts, that sometimes they do things or they take actions that they don't recall; and just generally give testimony that would support his version of what occurred that night. As far as that goes — you know, that goes — that testimony would go to the guilt or innocence. It would also go to ... mitigating type of testimony that would got to the issue of punishment. 54 Siemon stated on a couple of occasions that he felt that he was adequately prepared to handle the guilt-innocence phase of the case (except for his need to obtain the experts he was seeking), but that he was unprepared to handle any penalty phase. He stated: 55 I feel fairly comfortable at this point with what we might introduce — or being able to cross-examine the State's witnesses. I also feel fairly comfortable at this point, considering that I don't have any — I don't have any scientific witnesses, but I feel fairly comfortable with being able to put up a case in the guilt or innocence phase of the trial, depending on what — depending on whether or not something unexpected comes up. If the trial goes essentially the way it did last time, we shouldn't have much of a problem — many problems there. The problem is the penalty phase. It would be my intention, and this clearly is one of the reasons why we've got to have an ex parte hearing on this type of thing — but it would be my intention to — if this case goes as far as penalty, to put up people from Mr. Crawford's family, to talk about his personality and how his personality may have changed since he returned from Vietnam, also, expert testimony on the effects of alcoholism and how that might mitigate — or what his state of mind might have been, if in fact — if we assume that he's committed the crime, which for the purpose of the sentencing hearing I would do, if he had been convicted. And additionally, there is at least one witness who I have not been able to locate who served with Mr. Crawford in Vietnam.... We were finally able to locate where he was, and he served in the Marines with Mr. Crawford in Vietnam; and he is a potential witness .... But the long and short of it is, is that I feel like that, at this point, that the investigation is fairly complete.... But this is — the investigation is ongoing, and I feel comfortable with it, except as it applies to the penalty phase. And basically what I've got in the penalty phase is — at this point, is just his family.... I would expect them to testify ... that there was a change in his personality when he got back from Vietnam and he started drinking heavily, and it was at that point that he began — that he had the other run-ins with the law that he's had .... And we would want to attribute or make an attempt to attribute ... those instances when he's committed an illegal act to his alcoholism, and we would need some supporting testimony from an expert. 56 Following this statement, the court modified its previous order concerning the motion for funds and agreed to pay for the witness to travel from Virginia to testify concerning Crawford's military experience and to provide Crawford with another $1,000 right now. 57 After the ex parte hearing, but before opening statements, the record reflects that Siemon moved the trial court to either grant a continuance or to proceed in half day rather than full day increments, but the court denied that request. The parties then proceeded to deliver their opening statements. 58
59 In his opening statement, Siemon suggested to the jury that many of the witnesses that the prosecution would rely on would not be reliable, in part because many of them were drinking heavily on the day of the murder. He also stated that the State's case was really based on statements made to the police by Crawford, rather than on any substantial scientific evidence, as the prosecutor's opening statement had suggested. Siemon stated that he expected to show that the police investigation was inadequate and focused too quickly on Crawford, to the exclusion of other suspects. Finally, he stated that Crawford was an alcoholic who was prone to blackouts and who had been drinking heavily on the day of the crime, and that Crawford's statements then resulted from police pressure on his unstable personality. 60 Next, the prosecution proceeded to present its case, starting with the testimony of Wanda English, the mother of the victim, Leslie English. English provided her account of the events of the evening on which the crime occurred. She testified that Crawford asked her to spend the night with him in his trailer, and that he became angry after she refused. She also described discovering that Leslie English was missing, and her attempts to search for her. Siemon asked no questions of this witness. 61 The next important witness for the prosecution was Raymond Fuller, the grandfather of the victim, who was present at the house on the night that Leslie English was killed and who testified that he saw Crawford walking though the house with a lighter in the middle of the night before the victim was found to be missing. On cross-examination, Siemon attempted to show that Fuller had more to drink on the night of the murder than he was willing to admit (he also attempted to show this by cross-examining other witnesses about how much Fuller had to drink that night). Siemon also brought out inconsistencies between Fuller's testimony on direct examination and his testimony during the preliminary hearing and first trial. During direct examination, Fuller testified that he got up at 3:00 a.m. to turn out the lights, and saw that the victim was still safe and in bed. He further testified that it was after that time that Crawford walked through the house flicking a lighter. However, as Siemon brought out, Fuller had testified during the first trial that he could not identify as Leslie English the person he saw in the bed when he turned off the light. He also had testified that he saw Crawford walking through the house with the lighter prior to getting up to turn off the light, rather than after that time. 62 A subsequent witness, Charles Durham, who lived across the street from the house from which the victim was taken, testified that when Durham got up to use the restroom sometime after 3:25 a.m., he saw Crawford's car pull up into the yard of that house. He testified that he saw Crawford get out of the car and go in the house, and then, while Durham was returning from the restroom, he saw Crawford's car pull out of the yard and leave. On cross-examination, Siemon impeached Durham with previous testimony during which he had said that he could not positively identify as Crawford the person he saw in the neighboring yard, and that he could not be sure that the car he saw belonged to Crawford. 63 When cross-examining Danny Turner, a twelve-year-old who was present at the house on the night of the murder and who interacted with Crawford that night, Siemon again pointed out changes in the witness's testimony which changes made the testimony more incriminating to Crawford. Siemon also got the witness to admit that the family talked about the events of that evening a lot, thereby suggesting that the family had tailored their testimony to help convict Crawford. 64 The next important witness was Gordon Brown, Sr., who testified that he heard Crawford threaten the victim's mother on the night of the murder, and found Crawford sleeping on his couch the following morning. 1 He stated that Crawford originally said he slept on Brown's couch all night, but changed his story after Brown told him that he had been up several times during the night and knew that Crawford was not there. On cross-examination, Crawford's counsel established that Crawford was drunk on the evening of the crime, and also that Brown had himself been accused of child molestation. 65 After Brown's daughter testified that she found Crawford's shirt, with a blood stain on it, hidden in her house a couple of days after the crime, Siemon established through cross-examination that she had lied to the police about her whereabouts on the night of the crime. 66 Crawford's wife, Jackie Crawford, testified concerning the evening of the crime, and also identified a sheet, pillowcase and mattress cover that were found near the victim's body as coming from the trailer she lived in with Crawford. The witness also testified that she saw Crawford take a pair of socks out of his car in the days following the crime and throw them away across the street from their trailer. On cross-examination, Siemon established that she was with another man on the night of the crime, and that she too had lied to the police about where she had been. 67 The prosecution next moved to its witnesses who conducted the investigation into the murder of Leslie English. The chief investigator, Daniel Green, testified concerning the crime scene, the hair and fiber evidence found on the victim, the autopsy, and the first interview of Crawford. It was during that interview that Crawford claimed to have spent the night of the murder at Brown's house — a story he changed during subsequent interviews. Green also testified concerning the sheet, mattress pad, and pillowcase, previously identified as coming from Crawford's trailer, that were found on the side of the road between Crawford's trailer and the house from which Leslie English was taken. During the cross-examination, Siemon pointed out that Crawford's statement to Green was consistent with his having blacked out, but that the police did not pursue that issue. Siemon also attacked the adequacy of the investigation, in light of the fact that several individuals in close proximity to the house from which the victim was taken and who had access to that house had previously been accused of child molestation, but the police chose to focus on Crawford rather than investigating those individuals further. 68 Next, Officer Paul Muscik testified primarily about his interviews of Crawford during which Crawford provided very incriminating statements. Muscik testified that Crawford said he had a recollection of driving with Leslie English in his lap and of shaking her but being unable to wake her. Muscik also described several other statements by Crawford which implicated him in the crime, such as Crawford's request to use Muscik's service revolver to kill himself after being informed that Leslie English had been raped. Siemon's cross-examination of Muscik focused on the fact that Crawford consistently denied having molested or killed Leslie English, as well as the fact that Crawford's statements reflected that he had periods of blackouts. 69 The prosecution next put up witnesses from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Crime Lab to testify concerning the evidence in the case. Larry Peterson testified concerning the types of analysis performed on hair and fiber evidence that was recovered. He stated that he tested known head, pubic and arm hair samples taken from Crawford, as well as hair samples from Leslie English. He also stated that he tested fiber samples taken from Crawford's car. Given these samples, Peterson testified that he was able to determine that several hairs taken from the victim's body and pajama top were consistent with the head and pubic hair of Crawford, and that fiber samples taken from the same sources were consistent with Crawford's car. Peterson further testified that the bedding which was recovered from beside the road contained hairs that were consistent with the victim's hair as well as Crawford's head and pubic hair. The mattress cover additionally had a fiber consistent with Crawford's car. He also stated that the socks that Crawford's wife saw him take out of his car and dispose of had hairs consistent with Crawford's head and pubic hair and with fibers from his car. Finally, Peterson testified that a hair consistent with Crawford's arm hair was found inside the victim's vaginal cavity, although this particular evidence was later excluded after Siemon established a chain-of-custody problem. 70 Siemon's cross-examination of Peterson largely focused on the limitations on hair and fiber testing, and on the fact that this testing only permitted conclusions that certain hairs or fibers were consistent, but not whether they actually came from the same source. Peterson also testified that hairs and fibers could be transferred from one place to another, and that it was not possible to determine when various hairs or fibers were picked. Therefore, Siemon got Peterson to admit that the hair and fiber evidence could only establish that the victim had some contact with the car or person of Eddie Crawford. 71 Next, Linda Tilman, a serologist employed at the Crime Lab, testified that both Leslie English and Crawford had type O blood, and that type O blood was found on both the sheet and pillowcase found beside the road. Tilman also testified that blood was found on Crawford's shirt, although she did not testify as to the blood type of that blood. She further testified that although the shirt, sheet, and pajama tops were packaged separately, they all shared the same distinctive odor. Siemon asked no questions of Tilman. 72 The State's final witness was Dr. James Dawson, who performed the autopsy on Leslie English. Dawson testified that the victim had injuries to her head that were consistent with being struck by a human hand. Dawson also testified that the victim's vaginal canal was torn, an injury consistent with an attempt to insert an adult penis. Dawson testified that the victim died as a result of asphyxiation. On cross-examination, Siemon's only question concerned the fact that just because the victim's injuries to her head were consistent with being hit by an adult hand, the doctor had no knowledge of what actually happened. 73 After the State rested its case, Siemon indicated that Crawford would also rest his case without calling any witnesses. Siemon indicated that before doing so, however, he would like to make a motion for a continuance, again based on the lack of funds and his inability to obtain the service of experts. The court denied the motion for a continuance. 74 The prosecution's closing argument recounted all of the incriminating evidence against Crawford. Siemon raised no objections to the argument, even though the prosecutor argued that Crawford's pubic hair was found in the victim's vaginal canal. The evidence related to this point was that an arm hair was found in the vaginal canal, and that evidence was subsequently excluded because the State failed to establish the proper chain of custody. Siemon also did not object to the prosecutor's argument that Type O blood, consistent with the victim, was found on Crawford's shirt, even though the evidence at trial was only that blood was found on the shirt. 75 Siemon's closing argument largely focused on the credibility issues concerning the prosecution's witnesses, and Siemon's impeachment of the witnesses during cross-examination. In particular, Siemon focused on how the witnesses' testimony had changed since the preliminary hearing and first trial. Siemon also pointed to the testimony of Danny Turner to the effect that the family talked about the case a lot, and argued that the family had tailored their testimony to make it more incriminating to Crawford. Siemon also argued to the jury that the police investigation was inadequate and that they failed to investigate other individuals with access to the house who had previously had child molestation allegations leveled against them. He also argued that the state's hair and fiber evidence did not prove anything, and that they only corroborated Crawford's statements to the police, but did not show who killed the victim or how or when she died. 76 Siemon argued that Crawford was an alcoholic who had blackouts on the night of the crime, and that he was mentally unstable at the time of the crime. He argued that these facts undermine the significance of the statements that Crawford gave to the police, and made him more amenable to suggestion. Finally, Siemon argued that the State had provided no evidence of motive on Crawford's part. 77 After the jury was charged and while it was deliberating, Siemon again raised his objection related to the lack of funds and time to prepare the witnesses that he said he needed for Crawford's defense. He also indicated that if there was a penalty phase, he would need at least a few days to prepare witnesses and obtain necessary experts. The court denied the request, and noted Siemon's continuing objection. Shortly thereafter, the jury returned with a guilty verdict on the charge of felony murder, but not malice murder. 78
79 The penalty phase of Crawford's trial commenced the following morning. At this phase, the only additional evidence presented by the State was proof of two felonies of which Crawford had previously been convicted. 80 In support of Crawford, Siemon called several of Crawford's family members to the stand. First, he called Crawford's brother, Allen Crawford, who testified about his relation to Crawford and his own family and employment, and then he asked the jury to consider the effect on his parents of a death sentence. 81 Siemon then called Crawford's brother-in-law, Fred Clark, who basically only testified concerning his relation to Crawford and his own background, and, when asked if he had anything to tell the jury, responded: Just that we love him, and we'd like to continue to see him. Crawford's sister, Linda Varnum, testified next, and the totality of her testimony was that she was Crawford's sister, that she grew up in the area, and that she was a school teacher. Gleaton Love, Crawford's stepfather, testified that he and Crawford's mother regularly visited Crawford in prison. Crawford's son, Eddie Crawford, Jr., testified that he hoped that his father would come out of this ... [a]live. Finally, Crawford's mother, Margie Love, testified. Her testimony was limited to stating that she was Crawford's mother and that she had visited him on all but three weekends during the four years he had been incarcerated. With that, Siemon rested Crawford's case in mitigation. The entirety of the case in mitigation consisted of 15 pages of transcript. 82 In his closing argument, the prosecutor reviewed the evidence from the guilt-innocence phase of the trial and urged the jury to find three aggravating factors: 1) that the murder occurred during a kidnapping with bodily injury, 2) that the murder occurred in the course of a rape, and/or 3) that the murder was wantonly vile, horrible or inhumane, in that it involved torture, depravity of mind or an aggravated battery to the victim. The prosecutor also characterized Crawford as a three-time loser in light of his previous two felony convictions. 83 Siemon's closing argument focused largely of the effect on Crawford's family if he were to be executed. Siemon began: 84 Ladies and gentleman, [the prosecutor] was half right. He told you that I was going to come up here and ask you to have mercy on Eddie Crawford. He told you that I was going to ask you to give him a life sentence, not give him the death penalty in this case. Well, he's half right. I'm going to ask you not to give him the death penalty in this case, to have some mercy on him, but not so much to have mercy on him but to have mercy on his family. I didn't bring these people in here to say nice things about Eddie Crawford. I wanted y'all to meet the people who are going to be impacted the most by the decision y'all are about to make. Eddie Crawford's really not in a position to ask anybody to have mercy on him except in a religious sense, in a moral sense. 85 After asking for mercy on Crawford's family, Siemon also pointed again to some of the inconsistencies in the witnesses' testimony and to the alleged lack of diligence by the police in investigating other suspects, and asked the jury to consider any residual doubts they might have. Siemon concluded by again asking the jury to show mercy for Crawford's family. 86 After the jury began its deliberations, it came back to the court with the following question: The jury would like to know, could we fix a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. After discussing the issue with the attorneys, the court charged the jury that you are to presume that if you sentence the Defendant to life imprisonment, that the Defendant will spend the rest of his life in prison, and you are to presume that if you sentence the Defendant to death, that he will be electrocuted until dead. After further deliberations, the jury sentenced Crawford to death. The jury found that all three aggravating factors were present.