Opinion ID: 1443930
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Pretrial motion challenging the indictment

Text: Kirksey first contends that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because counsel failed to file a pretrial petition for habeas corpus challenging the sufficiency of the evidence presented to the grand jury to establish that Foxx's death was caused by a criminal agency. [3] Kirksey argues that Kelesis' decision not to file the motion was shown to be unreasonable by the testimony of criminal defense attorney Cal Potter, who testified that he would have filed such a motion. Kirksey further contends that such a motion would have been effective because the medical examiner did not categorically state that Foxx's death could only have been caused by the trauma. We disagree with both contentions. In order to hold a person for trial, a grand jury must find probable cause to believe (1) an offense has been committed (the corpus delicti); and (2) the defendant has committed the offense. NRS 172.155. Two elements are necessary to establish the corpus delicti: (1) the fact of death; and (2) the criminal agency of another responsible for that death. Azbill v. State, 84 Nev. 345, 350-51, 440 P.2d 1014, 1017 (1968). The state need not eliminate all non-criminal inferences, but there must be an inference of a criminal agency even if there are also the equally plausible non-criminal explanations. Id. at 352, 440 P.2d at 1019. In the case at bar, Dr. Green, the chief medical examiner for Clark County, testified before the grand jury that an aneurysm may burst spontaneously, as a result of an increase in blood pressure, or as a result of traumasuch as a beating about the head with fists or feet. When asked to identify the cause of Foxx's death, Dr. Green stated: This is a result of this ruptured aneurysm or weak spot in one of the arteries of the brain. The rupture of that weak spot is in my opinion directly related to or is caused by the blunt trauma injury to the head. Finally, Dr. Green testified that in his opinion Foxx's death was caused by a criminal agency. Kelesis testified at the post-conviction evidentiary hearing that after reviewing the autopsy report and grand jury testimony he did not have any question as to the sufficiency of the evidence [f]or purposes of an indictment. Consequently, he decided not to challenge the indictment; however, he further testified that he believed there were some issues and questions that he would have been able to argue before a jury. Although the evidence did not rule out all possible non-criminal explanations, there was sufficient evidence for the grand jury to conclude that there was probable cause to believe Foxx's death was caused by the beating administered by Kirksey. We therefore conclude that Kelesis made an objectively reasonable decision not to challenge the indictment. Any challenge would have been unsuccessful because there was sufficient evidence indicating that the victim's death was caused by a criminal agency.