Opinion ID: 1834622
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: what does a lawyer have to do in representing an accused?

Text: Not only is the penalty different from all punishments imposed in this society, but the legal proceedings involved with capital litigation distinguish it from most other proceedings tried in our courts. Counsel must have particular skills for competent representation in a capital case because these cases involve extraordinary circumstances and unusual representation. White v. Board of Commissioners, 537 So.2d 1376, 1380 (Fla. 1989) (quoting Makemson v. Martin County, 491 So.2d 1109, 1110 (Fla. 1986), cert. denied Martin County Florida v. Makemson, 479 U.S. 1043, 107 S.Ct. 908, 93 L.Ed.2d 857 (1987)) [5] Criminal law itself is a demanding, rapidly changing and complex specialty. Jewell v. Maynard, 383 S.E.2d 536, 542 (W. Va. 1989). But, capital cases raise complex additional legal and factual issues beyond those raised in an ordinary felony trial. People v. Bigelow, 37 Cal.3d 731, 209 Cal. Rptr. 328, 691 P.2d 994 (1985). In fact, death penalty litigation has become so highly specialized that few attorneys have `even a surface familiarity with seemingly innumerable refinements put on Gregg v. Georgia, 428 U.S. 153, 96 S.Ct. 2909, 49 L.Ed.2d 859 (1976), and progeny.' Irving v. State, 441 So.2d 846, 856 (Miss. 1983), cert. denied 470 U.S. 1059, 105 S.Ct. 1774, 84 L.Ed.2d 834 (1985) (citation omitted). Representation of the accused in a capital case involves a complex body of constitutional law and unusual procedures that do not apply in other criminal cases. [6] Probably one of the most distinctive factors of the proceeding is that a bifurcated trial is necessitated. During the guilt phase counsel must consider and strategically plan what type of defense he will present during the guilt phase. Inevitably whatever defense he uses during this phase will have some affect on the jury during the sentencing phase as well. For example, if his defense is one of denial, then if the jury still finds him guilty, it is likely that the jury will not look or listen too favorably to the evidence that the defendant produces during the sentencing phase. Therefore, at a minimum, counsel has a duty to interview potential witnesses and make an independent investigation of the facts and circumstances of the case. State v. Tokman, 564 So.2d 1339, 1342 (Miss. 1990). Whatever penalty is chosen by the jury in a capital case is often determined by defense counsel's ability to present a motion picture of his client's life to rebut the gruesome snapshot that the prosecution has projected during the guilt phase and reiterates during the sentencing phase. See, Sherrell, Successive Chances for Life: Kuhlmann v. Wilson, Federal Habeas Corpus and the Capital Petitioner, 64 N.Y.U.L.Rev. 455, 477 (1989). In presenting the motion picture of the now convicted defendant, counsel must also present whatever mitigating evidence he can find. This is so critical that the Supreme Court has consistently emphasized that a defendant can present any mitigating evidence that might persuade the sentencer to vote for a life sentence. See, Skipper v. South Carolina, 476 U.S. 1, 4-9, 106 S.Ct. 1669, 1670-74, 90 L.Ed.2d 1 (1986); Eddings v. Oklahoma, 455 U.S. 104, 110, 102 S.Ct. 869, 874, 71 L.Ed.2d 1 (1982); Accord. Turner v. State, 573 So.2d 657, 674 (Miss. 1990); Leatherwood v. State, 473 So.2d 964, 970 (Miss. 1985). Jordan v. State, 518 So.2d 1186 (Miss. 1988). The only way counsel can discover this mitigation evidence is through extensive pre-trial investigation. Counsel has a duty to investigate the client's life history, and emotional and psychological make-up, as well as the substantive case and defenses. There must be an inquiry into the client's childhood, upbringing, education, relationships, friendships, formative and traumatic experiences, personal psychology, and present feelings. The affirmative case for sparing the defendant's life will be composed in part of information uncovered in the course of this investigation, and the thoroughness and care which it is conducted, cannot be overemphasized. Goodpaster, The Trial for Life: Effective Assistance of Counsel in Death Penalty Cases, 58 N.J.U.L.Rev. 299, 323-24 (1983). See also, Tokman, 564 So.2d 1339. Another commentator has noted: [i]t is essential that the defense counsel interview as many of these individuals [i.e., doctors, ministers, co-workers, family members] as possible and question them about the extent of their knowledge of the defendant, specific encounters they can recall and their willingness to testify for the defendant during the penalty hearing. Each potential witness will need to understand the background of the case, the nature of the penalty proceedings, the importance of mitigating factors, and the relevancy of her testimony. Expert testimony may also be necessary to establish mitigating circumstances during the penalty phase. Completing this type of preparation prior to the guilt phase of a capital trial would tax the time and resources of any practitioner ... Financial restrictions often compel attorneys to focus on the guilt phase initially with the hope that a good performance at that stage would obviate the need for a penalty phase. While it is essential that counsel maintain a consistent strategy throughout both phases of a capital trial, the qualitative difference in the evidence needed at either stage of the trial can make it difficult to complete preparation for both phases prior to the beginning of the guilt phase. Abrams, A Capital Defendant's Right to a Continuance Between the Two Phases of a Death Penalty Trial, 64 N.Y.U.L.Rev. 579, 599-600 (1989) (footnotes omitted) (emphasis added). After gathering this information counsel must then prepare to present this evidence to the jury to demonstrate that he has human qualities both good and bad. Consequently, `Avoidance of the death penalty may rest largely on the jury's perception of the character and personal history of the defendant. Thus, an important aspect of the right to present mitigating evidence lies in the defense's ability to present the defendant to the jury in human terms.' People v. Robbins, 45 Cal.3d 867, 892, 248 Cal. Rptr. 172, 187, 755 P.2d 355, 370 (1988), cert. denied Robbins v. California, 488 U.S. 1034, 109 S.Ct. 849, 102 L.Ed.2d 981 (1989) (Musk, J., concurring) (quoting Sullivan, The Capital Defendant's Right to Make a Personal Plea for Mercy, 15 N.M. L.Rev. 41, 60 [1985]). It is this type of extensive pretrial investigation that is deemed critical and crucial in capital cases. As one judge, speaking on the essential nature of investigation, declared: The lawyer ... has a substantial and very important role to perform in raising mitigating factors both to the prosecutor initially and to the court at sentencing. This cannot effectively be done on the basis of broad general emotional appeals or on the strength of statements made to the lawyer by the defendant himself. Information concerning the defendant's background, education, employment record, mental and emotional stability, family relationships and the like will be relevant as will mitigating circumstances surrounding the commission of the offense itself. Investigation is essential to fulfillment of these functions. Proffit v. Wainwright, 685 F.2d 1227, 1271 (11th Cir.1982) (Clark, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part); cert. denied, 464 U.S. 1002, 104 S.Ct. 508, 78 L.Ed.2d 697 (1983) (emphasis in the original) quoting A.B.A. Project on Standard for Criminal Justice, Standard's Relating to: The Prosecution Function and the Defense Function 277 (1970). We have emphasized the paramount importance of investigation because this must be done before any pre-trial motion is filed; before any brief in support of a pre-trial motion is drafted; before selection of the jury; and before the trial itself. Moreover, many of these same motions are renewed after the guilt phase of the trial. Careful investigation takes time because there are so many things that counsel must search and scrutinize critically. Now we turn to the case sub judice to see what the attorneys for Marion Albert Pruett did in representing their client.