Opinion ID: 2486429
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: McCRAY's Competency to Stand Trial

Text: We first address McCRAY's contention that the trial court erred by finding him competent to proceed following a third and final competency hearing. At the final competency hearing, two mental health experts opined that McCRAY was incompetent to stand trial; a third mental health expert testified that McCRAY was competent and malingering, or feigning mental illness. On appeal, the State argues that the trial court acted within its discretion by resolving conflicting testimony among the experts. We agree and deny relief as to this claim. The issue of McCRAY's competency was first addressed in a hearing held on January 4, 2006. During the hearing, one mental health professional, Dr. Krop, opined that there was sufficient evidence to suggest that McCRAY was incompetent to proceed. Another mental health professional, Dr. Myers, testified that McCRAY had an average IQ of 102 but diagnosed the defendant as having an adjustment disorder with disturbance of conduct, an antisocial personality disorder, a probable personality disorder, and possibly a psychotic disorder not otherwise specified and could be malingering. Based on this diagnosis, Dr. Myers found that McCRAY was incompetent to stand trial. Finally, a third mental health professional, Dr. William Meadows, opined that although McCRAY suffered from an antisocial personality disorder and a possible paranoid personality disorder, McCRAY was competent and malingering. The trial court subsequently found McCRAY incompetent to proceed and committed him to Florida State Hospital (FSH) in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families. In November 2006, FSH submitted a report to the trial judge presiding over this case explaining, in detail, that McCRAY's competency had been restored and noting that his psychiatric condition was not a factor in his competence to proceed. The report recommended that McCRAY be returned to the court for a judicial determination and transferred back to the Clay County Jail for trial. Accordingly, on December 6, 2006, the trial court conducted a second, brief competency hearing, during which counsel for McCRAY and the State stipulated to the report's conclusions. In light of this stipulation, the trial court issued a verbal order finding that McCRAY's competency had been restored. McCRAY was then transferred back to the Clay County Jail for trial. After McCRAY's behavior during jury selection again called his competency into question, a third and final competency hearing was held on August 22, 2008. The record reflects that throughout jury selection, McCRAY repeatedly interjected with his own commentary about the status of the proceedings, which ultimately led to his removal from the courtroom. At the competency hearing, the trial judge heard testimony from three mental health professionals, two of whom concluded that McCRAY was incompetent to stand trial. Dr. Krop testified that it was obvious that McCRAY did not manifest appropriate courtroom behavior and that he was unable to assist counsel in the preparation of this case. In Dr. Krop's opinion, McCRAY was incompetent due to mental illness. Similarly, Dr. Miller, who worked with and received approval from Dr. Myers, testified that McCRAY was incompetent and suffering from a mental illness. In support, Dr. Miller explained that McCRAY lacked the ability to communicate effectively with his attorneys and that he suffered from a psychotic disorder not otherwise specified, an antisocial personality disorder, a probable paranoid personality disorder, and possible schizophrenia. In contrast, a third mental health professional, Dr. Meadows, reached the conclusion that McCRAY was competent to proceed to trial. Dr. Meadows described McCRAY's behavior during jury selection as organized, lucid, relevant and coherent. According to Dr. Meadows, there [were] clear indicators that [McCRAY] has been feigning mental illness and that he has an anti-social personality disorder in which he is oppositional but is in control if he chose to do so, and that his conduct was manipulative. In an order filed on September 2, 2008, the date McCRAY's trial began, the trial court found that based on the conflicting testimony, the experts' respective reports and exhibits, defense counsels' representations, and its own personal observations of McCRAY's courtroom behavior, McCRAY was competent to proceed to trial. It is well-settled that a criminal prosecution may not move forward at any material stage of a criminal proceeding against a defendant who is incompetent to proceed. Caraballo v. State, 39 So.3d 1234, 1252 (Fla.2010) (citing Medina v. California, 505 U.S. 437, 439, 112 S.Ct. 2572, 120 L.Ed.2d 353 (1992)). The test trial courts must apply in determining if a defendant is competent to proceed is whether he has sufficient present ability to consult with his lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding and whether he has a rational as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against him. Peede v. State, 955 So.2d 480, 488 (Fla.2007) (quoting Dusky v. United States, 362 U.S. 402, 402, 80 S.Ct. 788, 4 L.Ed.2d 824 (1960)); § 916.12(1), Fla. Stat. (2008); Fla. R.Crim. P. 3.211(a)(1). When expert testimony regarding a defendant's competency is in conflict, this Court has traditionally afforded great deference to the trial court's resolution of that factual dispute: It is the duty of the trial court to determine what weight should be given to conflicting testimony. Mason v. State, 597 So.2d 776, 779 (Fla.1992). The reports of experts are `merely advisory to the [trial court], which itself retains the responsibility of the decision.' Hunter v. State, 660 So.2d 244, 247 (Fla.1995) (quoting Muhammad v. State, 494 So.2d 969, 973 (Fla.1986)). Thus, when the experts' reports or testimony conflict regarding competency to proceed, it is the trial court's responsibility to consider all the relevant evidence and resolve such factual disputes. See, e.g., Hardy [v. State], 716 So.2d [761,] at 764 [(Fla.1998)] (citing Hunter, 660 So.2d at 247). Where there is sufficient evidence to support the conclusion of the lower court, [this Court] may not substitute [its] judgment for that of the trial judge. Mason, 597 So.2d at 779. A trial court's decision regarding competency will stand absent a showing of abuse of discretion. See, e.g., Hardy, 716 So.2d at 764; Carter v. State, 576 So.2d 1291, 1292 (Fla.1989). Thus, the issue to be addressed by this Court is whether the circuit court abused its discretion in finding [the defendant] competent to proceed [at trial]. In addressing that issue, we are mindful that a trial court's decision does not constitute an abuse of discretion unless no reasonable person would take the view adopted by the trial court. Scott v. State, 717 So.2d 908, 911 (Fla.1998). Peede, 955 So.2d at 488-89 (quoting Alston v. State, 894 So.2d 46, 54 (Fla.2004)); see also Hernandez-Alberto v. State, 889 So.2d 721, 726 (2004); Fla. R.Crim. P. 3.211. To that end, even where conflicting evidence on an issue exists, this Court will not disturb the trial courts resolution of that factual dispute so long as it is supported by competent, substantial evidence. See Hernandez-Alberto, 889 So.2d at 727. Upon review of the record, with special attention to the lack of cooperation exhibited by McCRAY, we conclude that that trial courts resolution of the factual disputes on the issue of McCRAY's competency in its September 2008 order is supported by competent, substantial evidence. The experts' evaluations received at the August 2008 competency hearing were in conflict. Although the three experts were unable to conduct personal interviews with McCRAY to prepare for the August 2008 competency hearing because McCRAY refused to cooperate, they relied on collateral data, including daily observation reports from the Clay County Detention Facility where McCRAY was awaiting trial, phone calls made by McCRAY to his mother following his outbursts on July 28, 2008, video of the July 28 jury selection process during which McCRAY repeatedly interjected, the jury selection transcript, and personal interviews with McCRAY's mother and girlfriend. After reviewing this data, no expert could rule out the possibility that McCRAY was malingering. In resolving this conflict, the trial court personally observed McCRAY's behavior in the courtroom and expressly relied on this observation as one basis for its determination. The trial court also relied extensively on Dr. Meadows' expert opinion. The record shows that Dr. Meadows concluded that McCRAY's display in the courtroom was feigned and manipulative. With respect to McCRAY's speaking out in court, Dr. Meadows believed that while hostile, McCRAY did refer to what many antisocial psychopathic individuals also refer tothat authority was treating him unfairly. Specifically, Dr. Meadows opined that most of what McCRAY said during the jury selection process was organized and lucid. Although McCRAY got agitated, Dr. Meadows explained that when you look at the entirety of the transcripts most of [it was] relevant and coherent. In Dr. Meadows' expert opinion, McCRAY's behavior was not the result of a mental illness, but was rather the result of a severe personality disturbance, which would not lead to McCRAY being declared incompetent. As the trial court summarized, While Dr. Meadows characterized the Defendant as having an antisocial personality [disorder], he found that the Defendant was competent and malingering likely because the Defendant is facing four counts of murder and a potential death sentence. McCRAY argues that because the trial court relied extensively on the expert opinion of Dr. Meadows, it is clear the trial court disregarded the conflicting expert testimony offered by Drs. Krop and Miller. However, the order reflects that the trial court considered all the testimony introduced during the hearing in making its final determination. Although the experts disagreed with the ultimate conclusion regarding McCRAY's competency, the trial court resolved that disagreement in favor of finding McCRAY competent. Accordingly, we conclude there is competent, substantial evidence to support the trial court's resolution of the conflicting testimony and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in finding McCRAY competent to stand trial following the third and final competency hearing. [5]