Opinion ID: 787760
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Undisclosed and Lost Evidence

Text: 77 That mysterious phantom, Mike Jenkins, looms large in an objection by Leavitt regarding an alleged Brady 23 violation by the prosecutor. Jenkins, who evidenced detailed knowledge of the murder, called and spoke to two different police dispatchers — Lisa Pugmire and Theta Duchscher. He first spoke with Pugmire, who never gave out her first name, and later spoke with Duchscher to whom he mentioned Pugmire's first name. Leavitt and Pugmire had a friendly relationship and had often spoken to each other before. Both dispatchers testified. 78 Pugmire testified that she could not say that Jenkins had Leavitt's voice. Duchscher was not asked, and did not say, whether she recognized his voice. At a later time, however, it was revealed that a police investigation had asked Duchscher whether she could make a connection between the voices, and she had said no. Later on, she had said that the voice could have been Leavitt's. Those facts were not disclosed to Leavitt and that, he says, constitutes the violation. 79 Even if there were some error, it was entirely harmless; it simply is not reasonably probable that the result of the proceeding would have been any different if Leavitt had obtained the information in question. The Leavitt-Jenkins connection was not based on voice recognition, but rather on Mike Jenkins's use of Pugmire's first name and on Mike Jenkins's response, when queried, that his address was near Leavitt's address. See Williams v. Woodford, 306 F.3d 665, 697 (9th Cir.2002); Hayes v. Woodford, 301 F.3d 1054, 1075 (9th Cir.2002). 80 The other evidence of which Leavitt deems himself improperly deprived was blood samples from the murder scene, which he could have subjected to further testing. But no more useable samples existed after the state serologists had performed their tests. Because it is undisputed that no bad faith was involved in the destruction of the possibly helpful blood samples, Leavitt simply cannot prevail on this claim. See Arizona v. Youngblood, 488 U.S. 51, 56, 109 S.Ct. 333, 336, 102 L.Ed.2d 281 (1988); California v. Trombetta, 467 U.S. 479, 488, 104 S.Ct. 2528, 2534, 81 L.Ed.2d 413 (1984); Cooper v. Calderon, 255 F.3d 1104, 1113-14 (9th Cir.2001); United States v. Hernandez, 109 F.3d 1450, 1455 (9th Cir.1997); Mitchell v. Goldsmith, 878 F.2d 319, 321-22 (9th Cir.1989). That is true, even though the results of the state's serologists' tests on the collected blood samples were used in the prosecution's case in chief. That simply cannot change our conclusion. See Trombetta, 467 U.S. at 491, 104 S.Ct. at 2535; Mitchell, 878 F.2d at 322. IV. ALIBI INSTRUCTION 81 Leavitt maintains that the alibi instruction, instruction 39, 24 impermissibly shifted the burden of proof on his alibi, his only defense. We understand his argument to be that the issue was not procedurally defaulted based on the doctrine of invited error, as the district court held, because — as the court also held — the Idaho Supreme Court said that it had reviewed all trial issues on the merits, including instruction 39, and thus so would the habeas court. We agree with Leavitt that the issue is not procedurally defaulted, which means that the merits are before us. 25 On the merits, we have already held that the instruction is erroneous, Thomas v. United States, 213 F.2d 30, 33 (9th Cir.1954), but the error was harmless in Leavitt's case. 82 Leavitt unquestionably invited the alibi instruction by proposing it to the trial court. The Idaho Supreme Court could have refused to consider his challenge to the alibi instruction on this basis, State v. Carlson, 134 Idaho 389, 3 P.3d 67, 80 (2000), but did not. Had the Idaho Supreme Court rested its decision on the invited error doctrine, then it might have been an independent state ground that would bar consideration of the issue on habeas review in federal court. Cf. Bennett v. Mueller, 322 F.3d 573, 580 (9th Cir.2003). Instead, the district court found that the Idaho Supreme Court had considered and rejected every possible allegation of trial error on the merits and failed to invoke an independent and adequate state procedural ground. The state acquiesced in this finding for purposes of this appeal. Consequently, the invited error doctrine cannot be invoked as an independent procedural reason for defeating Leavitt's challenge to the alibi instruction. See Panther v. Hames, 991 F.2d 576, 580 (9th Cir.1993). 83 We are not persuaded by Idaho's contention that federal habeas courts may independently rely on the invited error rule regardless of whether it was actually applied in state court. The state points to a number of cases in which a habeas claim was rejected on invited error grounds without the decision being expressly conditioned on prior invocation of the rule by the highest state court to consider the claim, 26 but in these cases the state court had clearly and expressly invoked the invited error doctrine. 27 There is no reason that we should treat the invited error rule differently from other state procedural bars. 84 Turning to the merits, Thomas held that there is no burden of proof on the accused regarding an alibi. But habeas relief is not available for every flawed instruction; the question is `whether the ailing instruction by itself so infected the entire trial that the resulting conviction violates due process.' Estelle, 502 U.S. at 72, 112 S.Ct. 475 (quoting Cupp, 414 U.S. at 147, 94 S.Ct. 396); cf. Johnson v. Muncy, 830 F.2d 508 (4th Cir.1987) (flawed alibi instructions reviewed for harmless error). Leavitt argues (and the district court agreed) that instruction 39 misallocated the burden of proof, but what it really did was incorrectly identify an alibi as an affirmative defense and then impose on Leavitt the burden of producing enough evidence to create a reasonable doubt as to his guilt, i.e., as to his being at Elg's house instead of somewhere else. If he had not done at least that much, he would have had no alibi defense to begin with. That's exactly what happened in this case. Leavitt testified that he was home watching TV, but his testimony was uncorroborated. He had to be treated for a bad cut on his finger on the night of Elg's murder. He was severely impeached on both accounts. And his blood was mixed with Elg's in her room. It is inconceivable that any reasonable juror would have bought his alibi in these circumstances. Besides, the evidence overall was overwhelming. Therefore, the error in instruction 39 was harmless. Brecht v. Abrahamson, 507 U.S. 619, 637, 113 S.Ct. 1710, 123 L.Ed.2d 353 (1993); see also Neder v. United States, 527 U.S. 1, 119 S.Ct. 1827, 144 L.Ed.2d 35 (1999). V. PROSECUTOR'S ARGUMENT 85 Leavitt asserts that the prosecutor committed misconduct in arguing the case to the jury. Leavitt first complains about arguments that would be erroneous only if we had decided the evidentiary issues discussed in Part III in Leavitt's favor. Because we did not, we find no impropriety in those respects. 28 Nor was it improper for the prosecutor to argue that Leavitt — by legal strategy or otherwise — had delayed revealing or suggesting the true new story until after he had heard all of the evidence against him at trial. To any cognoscente of the trial process, one of the transaction costs of our system is that the order of proof can allow a defendant to tailor his testimony, but [t]he adversary system surely envisions — indeed, it requires — that the prosecutor be allowed to bring [the tailoring danger] to the jury's attention. Portuondo v. Agard, 529 U.S. 61, 69-70, 120 S.Ct. 1119, 1125-26, 146 L.Ed.2d 47 (2000). That, essentially, is what occurred in this case; it was not misconduct. 86 Much more problematic is the prosecutor's link-in-the-chain-of-law-enforcement argument. Here it is in all of its glory: 87 In closing let me just say that you are part of a very important chain called the chain of law enforcement. And law enforcement and justice don't work in our country unless you do your part. The police officers can be as well trained as you want them and the forensic sciences can be as well trained as you want in the sciences. And they can go out an[d] investigate crimes as competently and professionally as this group has done. And I think that Officer Robinson and those associated with him have done an excellent job. You can have the best prosecutors around. And I want to tell you that I believe Mr. Moss is one of the best prosecutors in the State. And they work together like this because they are part of the chain of law enforcement that keeps our community safe. 88 But the third link in that chain is a jury, which when they're given the proper evidence and they are given the proof beyond a reasonable doubt, they have the fortitude to be able to act upon that and to preserve that chain unbroken. 89 And the fourth link in the chain, of course, is the judge who has the courage and also the wisdom to impose the appropriate sentence. Now, none of this works unless you do your job. 90 This suggestion that the jury is simply a link in a chain of law enforcement which includes the police, the prosecutor, and the judge is just plain wrong. It minimizes the important role of the jury and tends to align neutrals — judge and jury — with a party to the case — the state itself. The Tenth Circuit put the matter very well when it was presented with a link-in-the-chain argument. It said: 91 By suggesting that the jury is only the last link in a long decision, the statement tends to trivialize the jury's importance. This argument also misstates the role of the jury, placing it in an adversarial position with the respect to the defendant. To the extent that the prosecutor's argument portrayed the jury as part of a team opposing the defendant, it was improper. 92 Coleman v. Brown, 802 F.2d 1227, 1238 (10th Cir.1986) (internal citation omitted); see also Tucker v. Kemp, 802 F.2d 1293, 1296 (11th Cir.1986). 93 Although the argument is wholly undesirable, we cannot say that it alone — and it does essentially stand alone 29 — is enough to result in a determination that the trial was so infected with unfairness as to be a denial of due process. See Sassounian v. Roe, 230 F.3d 1097, 1105-06 (9th Cir.2000) (citations omitted). Similarly, we are unable to say that the error had a substantial and injurious effect on the verdict. Brecht, 507 U.S. at 638, 113 S.Ct. at 1722. In that regard, we note that the jury was instructed that argument of counsel is not evidence. That instruction tends to draw the sting from improper arguments. See Drayden v. White, 232 F.3d 704, 713 (9th Cir.2000); Sassounian, 230 F.3d at 1106-07; James v. Borg, 24 F.3d 20, 28 n. 4 (9th Cir.1994). We do not, however, put all of our weight upon it. Rather, the whole record of this case — the strength of the evidence and the paucity of error — assures us that this deviation from propriety was not enough to make any difference in the result. VI. SENTENCING ISSUES 94 Leavitt also attacks his sentencing on various grounds. We reject all of them. A. Ring v. Arizona 95 As is well known by now, in Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584, 122 S.Ct. 2428, 153 L.Ed.2d 556 (2002), the Supreme Court determined that a capital sentencing scheme wherein the judge decides aggravating facts without a jury is unconstitutional. Id. at 609, 122 S.Ct. at 2443. Leavitt asserts that Ring is retroactive to cases on habeas corpus review, but the Supreme Court has declared otherwise. See Schriro v. Summerlin, ___ U.S. ___, ___, 124 S.Ct. 2519, 2526, 159 L.Ed.2d 442 (2004). Thus, this claim must fail. 96 B. Idaho's Heinous, Atrocious or Cruel Aggravator 97 Under Idaho law, a first degree murderer, like Leavitt, may be sentenced to death, if the court finds at least one aggravating circumstance beyond a reasonable doubt. See Idaho Code §§ 18-4004, 19-2515(c). One of those aggravators is: The murder was especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity. Id. § 19-2515(h)(5) (formerly § 19-2515(g)(5)). That is the one which was found to apply to Leavitt. See Leavitt II, 121 Idaho at 5, 822 P.2d at 524. He asserts it is too vague to sustain a sentence of death. If it stood in its stark naked form, it probably would be. See Arave v. Creech, 507 U.S. 463, 473, 113 S.Ct. 1534, 1542, 123 L.Ed.2d 188 (1993) (per curiam); Shell v. Mississippi, 498 U.S. 1, 1, 111 S.Ct. 313, 313, 112 L.Ed.2d 1 (1990); Walton v. Arizona, 497 U.S. 639, 654, 110 S.Ct. 3047, 3057, 111 L.Ed.2d 511 (1990); Maynard v. Cartwright, 486 U.S. 356, 363-64, 108 S.Ct. 1853, 1859, 100 L.Ed.2d 372 (1988). But it has since been clothed with meaning and, as so attired, is not too vague. 30 We will explain. 98 As the Supreme Court has directed, we must attempt to determine whether the state courts have further defined the vague terms, and if they have done so, whether those definitions are constitutionally sufficient, i.e., whether they provide some guidance to the sentencer. Walton, 497 U.S. at 654, 110 S.Ct. at 3057. We have done just that and we are satisfied that the Idaho Supreme Court has provided sufficient guidance. The weave is a bit complex and takes some explanation, but it is still a proper one. 31 99 The Idaho Supreme Court has construed the aggravator by relying in part on the limiting constructions given to similar language by other states. As to the phrase especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, it looked to the Florida Supreme Court's definition, which it quoted as follows: 100 [W]e feel that the meaning of such terms is a matter of common knowledge, so that an ordinary man would not have to guess at what was intended. It is our interpretation that heinous means extremely wicked or shockingly evil; that atrocious means outrageously wicked and vile; and, that cruel means designed to inflict a high degree of pain with utter indifference to, or even enjoyment of, the suffering of others. What is intended to be included are those capital crimes where the actual commission of the capital felony was accompanied by such additional acts as to set the crime apart from the norm of capital felonies the conscienceless or pitiless crime which is unnecessarily torturous to the victim. 101 State v. Osborn, 102 Idaho 405, 418, 631 P.2d 187, 200 (1981) (quoting State v. Dixon, 283 So.2d 1, 9 (Fla.1973)). And the phrase exceptional depravity was given additional meaning by consideration of the Nebraska Supreme Court's explanation, which was quoted as follows: 102 In interpreting this portion of the statute, the key word is exceptional. It might be argued that every murder involves depravity. The use of the word exceptional, however, confines it only to those situations where depravity is apparent to such an extent as to obviously offend all standards of morality and intelligence. 103 Id. (quoting State v. Simants, 197 Neb. 549, 566, 250 N.W.2d 881, 891 (1977)). Idaho then added its own explanation: 104 With these constructions, i.e., that the murder must be accompanied by acts setting it apart from the norm of murders and that its commission manifests such depravity as to offend all standards of morality and intelligence, the aggravating circumstance contained in I.C. § 19-2515(h)(5) is sufficiently definite and limited to guide the sentencing court's discretion in imposing the death penalty. 105 Id. Those were the rules utilized in the review of Leavitt's case. See Leavitt II, 121 Idaho at 5-7, 822 P.2d at 524-26; Leavitt I, 116 Idaho at 292-93, 775 P.2d at 606-07. 106 Is that enough to permit the sentencer to make a principled distinction between those who deserve the death penalty and those who do not? Lewis v. Jeffers, 497 U.S. 764, 776, 110 S.Ct. 3092, 3099, 111 L.Ed.2d 606 (1990). The Supreme Court has already as much as said that it is. In fact, in Proffitt v. Florida, 428 U.S. 242, 96 S.Ct. 2960, 49 L.Ed.2d 913 (1976), the Court, quoting Dixon, set out Florida's summation that the heinous, atrocious or cruel factor referred to `the conscienceless or pitiless crime which is unnecessarily torturous to the victim,' 32 the precise language adopted by Idaho. The Court then held: We cannot say that the provision, as so construed, provides inadequate guidance to those charged with the duty of recommending or imposing sentences in capital cases. Id. at 255-56, 96 S.Ct. at 2968. That, perforce, must mean that Idaho's definition does sufficiently delimit the statutory language sufficiently to pass constitutional muster. 107 Leavitt objects that the Idaho language is larded up with other words that may not, themselves, be sufficient to delimit the overall definition. But that can make no real difference to our analysis. We do not sit to issue pronunciamentos about the elegance, beauty, sophistication, or timelessness of Idaho's prose. Nor can we ask ourselves whether language sufficient to limit a factor to the point that it meets constitutional requirements, but which then purports to limit it even further, really does limit it further. 108 Thus, the fact that the Supreme Court has looked askance at some of the Idaho language, 33 when it was the sole adornment of a statute, is beside the point. In fact, the same inappropriate language appeared in the instruction approved in Proffitt. 34 Similarly, we need not ask ourselves whether the definition of exceptional depravity used in Nebraska sufficiently limits that concept. 35 Again, whether it does or not is of no consequence. The language that makes it part of the heinous, atrocious or cruel aggravator is not disjunctive — it is conjunctive in nature. See Idaho Code § 19-2515(h)(5). Once it is decided that the murder was heinous, atrocious or cruel under the properly limited definition of that phrase, the fact that for Idaho purposes it must also manifest exceptional depravity can do nothing but help a murderer like Leavitt, even if we thought that the latter phrase would be a bit too spongy standing alone. 36 109 In fine, taken as a whole, Idaho's delineation of the meaning of heinous, atrocious or cruel aggravation is sufficient to guide the discretion of the sentencer. C. Evidence to Support Aggravation 110 Leavitt next argues that the evidence will not support a determination that he earned the heinous, atrocious or cruel aggravator. We beg to differ. 111 While Leavitt may well be able to envision slayings that are even more heinous, atrocious or cruel, the evidence here was sufficient to allow the Idaho courts to determine that this especially vile murder was a conscienceless or pitiless crime which is unnecessarily torturous to the victim. Osborn, 102 Idaho at 418, 631 P.2d at 200 (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). Certainly, we cannot agree with Leavitt's suggestion that there was nothing very special about this killing as opposed to the mine run of murders, and cannot say that no reasonable sentencer could find [the aggravating] circumstance to exist. Creech, 507 U.S. at 478, 113 S.Ct. at 1544 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). 112 Leavitt's repeated and pitiless stabbing and cutting of his victim in all parts of her body, including even a thrust through her eye and into her brain, was vicious and remarkable enough for the most jaded reviewer of this genre of crimes. The added organ-removing mutilation of the victim [a]s part of the death dealing attack or as a grisly aftermath is yet another marker of the unnecessary torturousness of this crime. Leavitt II, 121 Idaho at 7, 822 P.2d at 526. 113 But, says Leavitt, if the mutilation took place just after the victim expired, it does not count. He cites a Florida case for that supposed proposition. See Halliwell v. State, 323 So.2d 557, 561 (Fla.1975). The case held no such thing. What it did hold was that a dismembering of a body many hours after the completed murder could not be seen as part of the murder itself, although [i]f mutilation had occurred prior to death or instantly thereafter it would have been more relevant in fixing the death penalty. Id. As the Florida court hinted it would do, the Idaho courts have treated immediately postmortem conduct as part of the crime itself. See State v. Wood, 132 Idaho 88, 104, 967 P.2d 702, 718 (1998). In Wood, the court was not considering the heinous, atrocious or cruel aggravator, but, in principle, that is of no real consequence. At any rate, it was considering that aggravator in this case, so we know what the Idaho courts think of the matter. 114 We fail to see how use of that conduct could constitute federal constitutional error. 37 Of course, neither the Idaho courts, nor we, know whether the victim still had life in her when Leavitt undertook his bizarre organ-removal activity, nor do we know if she was conscious, nor do we know what her nerves and brain might have registered if she was unconscious but still living. Still and all, neither the Idaho courts, nor we, should have to engage in such refined, theoretical timeline calculations when determining whether Leavitt could qualify for the aggravator. The simple fact is that the whole of Leavitt's behavior during the murderous assault depicted an attack that was conscienceless, pitiless and unnecessarily torturous to the victim. The mutilation was part of that. 115 In sum, a rational trier of fact could have found that the heinous, atrocious or cruel aggravator was satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt. VII. IDAHO APPELLATE ERROR 116 In deciding whether Leavitt was eligible for the death penalty, the Idaho Supreme Court first had to note that he had been convicted of first degree murder. See Idaho Code § 18-4004. It had no doubt he had been, but it referred particularly to torture 38 rather than to premeditated murder as such — both of which are distinct forms of premeditated murder in Idaho — although the case went to the jury on a premeditated murder theory. That, says Leavitt, violated his due process rights because his conviction was upheld on the basis of an offense not presented to the jury. See Presnell v. Georgia, 439 U.S. 14, 14-17, 99 S.Ct. 235, 235-37, 58 L.Ed.2d 207 (1978) (per curiam). 117 We are inclined to think that Leavitt now overstates what the Idaho Supreme Court was doing when it made reference to torture murder — it surely did not say that there was not sufficient evidence of premeditated murder. More importantly, however, we agree with the district court that Leavitt procedurally defaulted on this claim because he never argued it to the Idaho courts. 118 Thus, Leavitt can only avoid procedural default if he can demonstrate cause for the default and actual prejudice as a result of the alleged violation of federal law, or demonstrate that failure to consider the claims will result in a fundamental miscarriage of justice. Coleman v. Thompson, 501 U.S. 722, 750, 111 S.Ct. 2546, 2565, 115 L.Ed.2d 640 (1991). 119 In order to establish prejudice, Leavitt must establish not merely that the [alleged Presnell error] constituted a possibility of prejudice, but that [it] worked to his actual and substantial disadvantage, infecting his entire trial with error of constitutional dimensions. Correll v. Stewart, 137 F.3d 1404, 1415 (9th Cir.1998) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). He cannot do so because he suffered no actual disadvantage from the Idaho Supreme Court's characterization of his crime as torture murder rather than premeditated murder. The Idaho Supreme Court conducted this inquiry only to determine whether Leavitt was eligible for the death penalty. Leavitt I, 775 P.2d at 606. Regardless of the characterization, he was eligible for the death penalty because both torture murder and premeditated murder are forms of first degree murder, I.C. § 18.4003(a), and under Idaho law, every form of first degree murder is potentially punishable by death. See I.C. § 18-4004. 120 Nor can Leavitt show that he would be subjected to a fundamental miscarriage of justice if his procedural default is not waived. The evidence that he committed this murder is powerful to say the least, and, while he has now found an ambiguity in the Idaho Supreme Court opinion, that is a far cry from saying, or even suggesting, that he is actually innocent of first degree murder under Idaho law. See Bousley v. United States, 523 U.S. 614, 623-24, 118 S.Ct. 1604, 1611-12, 140 L.Ed.2d 828 (1998); Schlup v. Delo, 513 U.S. 298, 314-15, 115 S.Ct. 851, 860-61, 130 L.Ed.2d 808 (1995); Sawyer v. Whitley, 505 U.S. 333, 349-50, 112 S.Ct. 2514, 2524-25, 120 L.Ed.2d 269 (1992). 121 Therefore, the district court properly refused to consider the Presnell issue. VIII. INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL 122 Leavitt was tried and sentenced in the Idaho trial court, had a first appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court at which his conviction was affirmed but his sentence vacated, was again sentenced, and had a second appeal to the Idaho Supreme Court at which time his sentence was affirmed. He now complains of ineffective assistance of counsel in the first three of those proceedings, 39 but he never argued most of the claims in the Idaho courts. The district court, therefore, found procedural default and refused to consider them. 123 Leavitt's only claim on appeal is that we have held that Idaho's procedural default rules unreasonably restrict the ability of Idaho prisoners to raise ineffective assistance of counsel claims. That, he says, allows him to raise all of the claims here. See Hoffman, 236 F.3d at 530. In tendering that sweeping proposition, he greatly overstates the holding and reach of Hoffman. 124 In an attempt to accelerate proceedings in death penalty cases, Idaho has declared that any challenge to a sentence or conviction that is known or reasonably should be known must be filed within forty-two days of the filing of the judgment in the trial court. Idaho Code § 19-2719(3). That includes post-conviction claims. Id. § 19-2719(4). A failure to raise the claims within that time waives them. Id. § 19-2719(5). In Hoffman, the defendant did not adhere to those time constraints. He attempted to file an ineffective assistance of trial counsel claim in a later post-conviction petition, but his petition was dismissed as untimely. Hoffman, 236 F.3d at 530. That was true, even though Hoffman was represented by the same counsel at trial and on appeal. Id. at 533-34. As we pointed out: 125 In Hoffman's case, the Idaho Supreme Court held that petitioner's ineffective assistance of counsel claims were procedurally barred because they were filed after the expiration of the state's forty-two day statutory deadline. The Idaho Supreme Court applied the rule despite the fact that Hoffman continued to be represented by his original trial counsel during the forty-two day period. 126 Id. We continued: As a result, Hoffman was deprived of counsel who could review the record objectively for ineffective assistance of counsel claims. Not surprisingly, Hoffman's trial counsel failed to raise and argue the issue of their own ineffectiveness in post-conviction proceedings. Id. at 534. Therefore, we determined that Idaho law effectively prevented Hoffman from timely raising his ineffective assistance of counsel claims. Id. at 535-36. As a result, federal review was not barred. Id. at 530. 127 That is all well and good, but it does not apply to Leavitt's appeal from (and request for post-conviction relief) his first trial and sentencing. He did not have the same trial and appellate counsel. Rather, he had new appellate counsel, and those attorneys actually raised ineffective assistance of trial counsel claims before the Idaho Supreme Court. See Leavitt I, 116 Idaho at 291, 775 P.2d at 605. Additionally, Leavitt's post-trial counsel had full access to the record and transcript when preparing Leavitt's post-conviction petition, and Leavitt's post-trial counsel was given the opportunity to conduct an investigation beyond the court records when the trial court held a one-day hearing at which Leavitt's trial counsel testified. In other words, the unfairness that we found in Hoffman does not appear in this case. We cannot declare that the appellate procedures following Leavitt's initial trial and sentence were inadequate. 40 128 Similarly, Hoffman has nothing to say about Leavitt's claims that appellate counsel was himself ineffective in the handling of the first appeal. Wisely enough, the Idaho Supreme Court has recognized that a person cannot really raise the question of ineffective appellate counsel within forty-two days of the entry of judgment in the trial court. On the contrary, those kinds of claims need only be asserted within a reasonable time after they are known or reasonably could have been known. Paz v. State, 123 Idaho 758, 760, 852 P.2d 1355, 1357 (1993); see also Porter v. State, 136 Idaho 257, 260, 32 P.3d 151, 154 (2001). We have not been directed to any case that construes reasonable time in an overly restrictive manner. Thus, it cannot be said that Idaho's rule is inadequate in this respect either. 129 Leavitt has a considerably better point regarding his claim that he had ineffective assistance of counsel at the time of his second sentencing hearing. The same attorney represented him there and on his resulting appeal. That attorney did not raise the possibility of his own ineffectiveness at that time, although he did question imposition of the death penalty. See Leavitt II, 121 Idaho at 4, 822 P.2d at 523. That ineffectiveness issue does fall directly within the area of our concern in Hoffman. Thus, although it was procedurally defaulted, it can still be raised on habeas corpus. Therefore, we remand these ineffective assistance of counsel issues to the district court for further proceedings.