Opinion ID: 3019878
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: District Court proceedings leading up to

Text: the dismissal order Though the District Court stayed federal litigation pending the outcome of the PCRA proceedings, Michael wrote to the Court on three occasions (April 15, 1997; July 9, 1997; and December 26, 2000) to express his wish that the Court refrain from staying his execution. In September 2001, the Court ruled that the presumption of correctness ordinarily attaching to state-court competency 8 determinations 3 should not be applied because the PCRA court’s competency determination was not reviewed by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The District Court accordingly appointed Dr. Robert Wettstein, a board-certified psychiatrist and clinical professor, to determine “‘(1) whether Mr. Michael suffer[ed] from a mental disease, disorder or defect; (2) whether a mental disease, disorder or defect prevent[ed] [him] from understanding his legal position and the options available to him; and (3) whether a mental disease, disorder or defect prevent[ed] [him] from making a rational choice among his options.’” Michael, 2004 WL 438678, at . Accord Hauser v. Moore, 223 F.3d 1316, 1322 (11th Cir. 2000) (per curiam). The Court also requested that Dr. Wettstein consider whether Michael had sufficient ability to consult with his attorney with a reasonable degree of rational understanding and the ability to understand legal proceedings. In June 2001, though the competency issues had not been resolved, the Defender Association filed a 146-page habeas petition.4 In May 2002, Dr. Wettstein submitted his report, 3 See Demosthenes v. Baal, 495 U.S. 731, 735 (1990) (per curiam). 4 The petition raised significant challenges to Michael’s sentence. It claimed ineffective assistance of counsel in, inter alia, (1) failing to investigate and present Michael’s incompetency, (2) stipulating to the existence of aggravating circumstances, (3) stipulating falsely that there were no 9 which was based on his review of the PCRA record, York County Prison records, state prison records, Michael’s letters to the District Court, Michael’s school records, an affidavit from Michael’s sister, transcripts of an interview with Michael’s brother, reports prepared by doctors who had testified at Michael’s PCRA hearings, results of tests that Dr. Wettstein had personally administered, and eight hours of interviews with Michael. In the report Dr. Wettstein concluded, “with reasonable psychiatric certainty,” that Michael (1) was not suffering from any mental disease, disorder, or defect that substantially and adversely affected his ability to make a decision with regard to pursuing his appeals and (2) had the ability to understand the legal proceedings and to consult with his attorneys with a reasonable degree of understanding. Michael, 2004 WL 438678, at . In July 2002, the District Court appointed Joseph Cosgrove, Esq., to represent Michael, and it scheduled an evidentiary hearing on Dr. Wettstein’s report. At the September 2002 hearing, the Court’s colloquy with Michael revealed—in the words of the District Court—“a rational understanding of mitigating circumstances, and (4) causing Michael to enter a guilty plea. The petition also claimed (5) that the death penalty was unconstitutional and that the trial court improperly (6) allowed Michael to plead guilty, (7) denied the requests to withdraw his guilty plea, and (8) denied his requests for different counsel. 10 each inquiry” and his desire to terminate the proceeding. Id. at .