Opinion ID: 2159715
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Alfonso Associates

Text: Defense counsel also retained Alfonso Associates, a consulting firm that specializes in, among other things, the collection and presentation of psychosocial mitigation evidence. Cessie Alfonso, the director of the firm, was highly regarded inside and outside the Office of the Public Defender. After retaining Alfonso Associates, Lapidus and Soto deferred entirely to Alfonso Associates in respect of the mitigation investigation. They provided no guidance to Ms. Alfonso regarding the focus of the mitigation investigation and did not inform Ms. Alfonso of any overarching theory or strategy for the mitigation case. Lapidus explained that she did not supervise Alfonso Associates, mainly because [she] was comfortable with the fact that [Ms. Alfonso] knew what she was doing. Although Soto acknowledged that the defense team had a responsibility to supervise Ms. Alfonso's work, she also viewed Alfonso Associates as the experts and relied on them to guide the mitigation investigation. In fact, for several months, Pam Cuevas, who had no prior experience or training for capital cases, was the only member of the Office of the Public Defender to communicate with Alfonso Associates. Lapidus and Soto did not provide Silikovitz's reports to Alfonso Associates, and Ms. Alfonso and her staff never saw the reports. Likewise, the work of Alfonso Associates never was shared with Silikovitz. Although Lapidus explained that the reports never were exchanged because Silikovitz and Alfonso Associates were preparing them contemporaneously, that is not accurate. Silikovitz's first report was submitted in February 1992; Alfonso Associates' initial report was submitted in June 1992; and Silikovitz's second report was completed in August 1992. Ms. Alfonso and her associate, Jeffrey Hitchcock, testified that if had they seen Silikovitz's report while they were conducting their investigation, they would have done significantly more research into a number of issues raised in his report, including DiFrisco's relationship with Franciotti, the connection between that relationship and DiFrisco's need for a father figure, the traumas and losses that took place during DiFrisco's youth, and his depression and remorse. Likewise, Silikovitz testified that had he seen DiFrisco's school records, which had been obtained by Cuevas, and which indicated a learning disability, he would have conducted further psychological testing to probe DiFrisco's cognitive functioning. On June 5, 1992, Alfonso Associates sent defense counsel a preliminary report prepared by Ms. Alfonso, Hitchcock, and another associate, Carmeta Albarus. The cover letter to the report indicated that it was submitted for defense counsel's review. Ms. Alfonso did not consider the report final, as interviews of teachers, family members, and others remained to be done, and records needed to be examined. Nonetheless, according to Ms. Alfonso and Albarus, despite repeated calls, Alfonso Associates received no word from defense counsel for five months. Accordingly, Ms. Alfonso discontinued the investigation, believing the case was dormant or resolved.