Opinion ID: 1940200
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sufficiency of the Trial Court's Nelson and Faretta Inquiries

Text: Weaver next argues that he never unequivocally requested that the court discharge his counsel and allow him to represent himself, and thus the court abused its discretion in discharging his counsel. We reject this argument. Shortly before trial, Weaver filed a motion to discharge Mr. Salantrie, the attorney whom the court appointed after it removed Mr. Moldof, over a disagreement about defense strategy. The court held a Nelson hearing, [10] where it found that Mr. Salantrie was rendering competent assistance of counsel. Thereafter, the court conducted a Faretta inquiry [11] and allowed Weaver to discharge his counsel. Weaver proceeded pro se in the guilt phase, but retained his appointed penalty-phase counsel, Raag Singhal. When a defendant seeks to discharge his court-appointed counsel, the trial judge should inquire of the defendant as to the reason for the request. See Nelson v. State, 274 So.2d 256, 258-59 (Fla. 4th DCA 1973). If the defendant cites incompetency of counsel, the trial judge should determine whether there is reasonable cause to believe that the court-appointed counsel is rendering ineffective assistance. Id. If reasonable cause exists, the court should make such a finding on the record and appoint a substitute attorney, who should be allowed adequate time to prepare the defense. Id. If no reasonable basis appears for a finding of ineffective representation, the trial court should so state on the record and advise the defendant that if he discharges his original counsel, the court may not thereafter be required to appoint a substitute. Id. If the defendant continues to demand dismissal of his court-appointed counsel, the trial judge may in his discretion discharge counsel and require the defendant to proceed to trial without representation. Id. Weaver filed a pro se Motion for the Removal of, Replacement of My Appointed Counsel Edward G. Salantrie. The motion asserted that Mr. Salantrie would not present the defense Weaver sought. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Salantrie filed a Motion to Withdraw asserting that he and Weaver had a serious disagreement regarding the hiring of various experts and what defense should be pursued. Mr. Salantrie's motion also stated that he had performed extensive work and hired experts to pursue and develop evidentiary support for the defense coveted by the defendant, but that he had developed no credible evidentiary support for the defendant's contentions. The court held a hearing on the motions. At the outset, Mr. Salantrie withdrew his motion to withdraw, which meant that the only pending motion was Weaver's motion to discharge. Thus, discharge of Mr. Salantrie was ultimately the result of Weaver's decision to proceed on his motion to discharge. Weaver explained he and Mr. Salantrie could not agree on the particular defense that should be presented to the jury. Weaver wanted to argue that his bullet could not have hit Officer Peney, while Mr. Salantrie wanted to argue that Weaver's bullet struck Officer Peney unintentionally. In essence, Mr. Salantrie's defense theory was that Weaver did not intend to shoot Peney and, therefore, he was only guilty of second-degree murder. The court found beyond any doubt that Mr. Salantrie had spent many hours trying to prepare Weaver's defense and found counsel's performance in the case impeccable and certainly quite impressive and effective. It concluded that Mr. Salantrie was rendering effective assistance of counsel and that his proffered defense was consistent with the evidence. Thus, Weaver was not entitled to substitute counsel if he discharged Mr. Salantrie. After finding that Mr. Salantrie was rendering effective assistance, the court asked whether Weaver wanted to keep Mr. Salantrie or discharge him. The court stated: Because if you do not want Mr. Salantrie to represent you, this Court would not be in a position to appoint you another attorney. . . . If you can afford an attorney of your own, you have that right to retain private counsel. And if you decide not to have Mr. Salantrie represent you, then you will need to determine whether or not you are competent yourself to represent yourself in this matter. Weaver reiterated that he could not proceed with Mr. Salantrie's defense and did not want his assistance if it meant proceeding with the second-degree murder defense. The Nelson hearing adequately safeguarded Weaver's rights. After deciding that Weaver could not afford a private attorney, the court explained it would be conducting a Faretta inquiry to determine whether Weaver was knowingly and intelligently waiving his right to court-appointed counsel. In Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806, 95 S.Ct. 2525, 45 L.Ed.2d 562 (1975), the Supreme Court held that a defendant has an affirmative right to present his own defense. A trial court may not impose counsel on a literate, competent, and understanding defendant who has voluntarily waived his right to counsel. Id. at 835, 95 S.Ct. 2525. This requirement is reflected in Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.111(d)(3), which provides: Regardless of the defendant's legal skills or the complexity of the case, the court shall not deny a defendant's unequivocal request to represent himself or herself, if the court makes a determination of record that the defendant has made a knowing and intelligent waiver of the right to counsel. The court followed the model colloquy in rule 3.111. It advised Weaver that by giving up his right to counsel he was relinquishing the benefit of having an attorney to (1) uncover potential constitutional violations; (2) ensure compliance with speedy trial and statute of limitations provisions; (3) uncover favorable evidence that could be introduced at trial; (4) effectively argue a legal defense on his behalf; (5) assist during jury selection and jury instructions; (6) call witnesses on his behalf, cross-examine the State's witnesses, and make closing arguments; and (7) properly preserve errors for appellate review. The court warned Weaver that it is almost always unwise to represent yourself in court; that self-representation would not entitle him to any special treatment such as extended library privileges; that the State would not treat him any differently because of his pro se status; that he was not entitled automatically to a continuance even though he was deciding to proceed pro se a week before the trial; that while he was not required to have the legal knowledge or skills of an attorney, he was expected to abide by the rules of criminal law and procedure; that the trial could continue without him if he became disruptive; that his access to the State Attorney would be severely reduced in comparison to court-appointed counsel; and that if he was convicted, on appeal he would not be able to claim ineffective assistance of counsel on the grounds that he lacked legal knowledge or skill. The court confirmed that Weaver had received and read the indictment and that he understood the charges against him. The court advised him that the armed burglary count had been severed. The court also explained the possible penalties that he was facing under the indictment. Before discharging Mr. Salantrie, the court asked whether Weaver wished to speak with counsel in private. Weaver accepted and the court granted a fifteen-minute recess. Weaver stood firm on his decision to proceed without Mr. Salantrie. Finally, the court determined that Weaver's waiver of court-appointed counsel was knowing and intelligent. It confirmed that Weaver read and wrote English, was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, had never been diagnosed or treated for mental illness, did not have a physical impairment, and had not been compelled to forego counsel. The court found that Weaver was familiar with his case and its facts as evidenced by his detailed notes and his familiarity with the testimony of various witnesses. Weaver argues, however, that the court should not have undertaken a Faretta inquiry because he never made an unequivocal request to represent himself. We disagree. Weaver decided to discharge Mr. Salantrie even though the court found that he was providing effective and competent counsel. A defendant who persists in discharging competent counsel after being informed that he is not entitled to substitute counsel is presumed to be unequivocally exercising his right of self-representation. See Hardwick v. State, 521 So.2d 1071, 1074 (Fla.1988); Jones v. State, 449 So.2d 253, 258 (Fla.1984). Finally, Weaver claims that he was not competent to represent himself. The focus of a Faretta hearing under rule 3.111 is whether a defendant is competent to waive the right to counsel, not whether he is competent to provide an adequate defense. See State v. Bowen, 698 So.2d 248, 251 (Fla.1997). [A] defendant does not need to possess the technical legal knowledge of an attorney before being permitted to proceed pro se. Hill v. State, 688 So.2d 901, 905 (Fla.1996). During the Faretta inquiry, the court determined that Weaver was competent to waive his right to counsel. We conclude that the Nelson and Faretta inquiries conducted by the trial court adequately safeguarded the defendant's rights.