Opinion ID: 789612
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State Court Proceedings Prior to Turner's Habeas Corpus Petition

Text: 5 On May 14, 1993, Turner was convicted of four counts of aggravated robbery, with firearms specifications as to each count, by a jury in the Mahoning County, Ohio Court of Common Pleas. On May 19, 1993, Turner filed a direct appeal in the Ohio Seventh District Court of Appeals (court of appeals) through his appointed trial counsel. On June 14, 1993, Turner requested court-appointed appellate counsel. The trial court granted Turner's request and appointed appellate counsel (attorney # 1). On November 2, 1993, based on disagreements with attorney # 1, Turner moved to file his own assignments of error. On November 24, 1993, the court of appeals ordered that Turner's pleading be filed as part of the record of his appeal. 6 On February 8, 1994, Turner filed a motion to compel his attorney to produce certain documents and complained to the court of appeals that his attorney was not representing him. The court of appeals denied Turner's motion and ruled that attorney # 1 should continue to represent him. 7 One year after filing his direct appeal, Turner continued to disagree with attorney # 1. On June 1, 1994, Turner moved for leave to file a supplemental brief with the appellate court, seeking to raise assignments of error he felt his attorney may not raise. The court denied Turner's motion on June 30, 1994, ruling that Turner and attorney # 1 should work together to file a brief. 8 On October 11, 1994, Turner wrote a letter to attorney # 1 in which he stated that he was completely lost, and [did] not know what to do, or just how to proceed. 9 On September 20, 1995, more than two years after being appointed to represent Turner on appeal, attorney # 1 moved to withdraw, citing irreconcilable differences but giving no details. Apparently the differences between Turner and attorney # 1 centered on counsel's expectation that Turner would draft his own brief on the speedy trial issue, despite Turner's insistence that he did not feel qualified to write a brief on the issue. The court of appeals granted attorney # 1's motion to withdraw. As of the time of his withdrawal, attorney # 1 had not filed any assignments of error or a brief on Turner's behalf. On September 27, 1995, the court of appeals appointed a second appellate attorney (attorney # 2). 10 On January 20, 1996, Turner wrote a letter to attorney # 2 stating, I am at my wits end. I feel as if I am a ship stuck in the middle of the ocean...Please, please help me... 11 Nearly four months later, and approximately three years after Turner filed his direct appeal, attorney # 2 filed a motion to withdraw based on irreconcilable differences but giving no details. Attorney # 2 had written one letter to Turner, on December 29, 1995, but did not otherwise contact him, much less attempt to speak with him, during the eight months in which she was his attorney. On September 16, 1996, the court of appeals granted attorney # 2's motion to withdraw and appointed a third attorney (attorney # 3) to represent Turner on appeal. 12 On May 12, 1998, the court of appeals ordered that Turner's direct appeal would be dismissed on June 1, 1998 if not prosecuted further. 13 On October 26, 1998, the court of appeals again ordered attorney # 3 that it would dismiss Turner's direct appeal unless he filed assignments of error and a brief on or before November 20, 1998. On March 8, 1999, the court of appeals ordered that it would dismiss the appeal if Turner did not file assignments of error and a brief by March 24, 1999. As of May, 1999, neither of these pleadings had been filed. Nevertheless, the court of appeals did not dismiss Turner's appeal. 14 On August 16, 2000, the State of Ohio filed a motion to dismiss Turner's appeal for failure to prosecute. Attorney # 3 filed a brief in opposition to the state's motion on August 28, 2000 and asked for a continuance to September 29, 2000. At that time, he had been Turner's appointed lawyer for approximately five years, but had failed to file an appellate brief. 15 Six months later, on February 20, 2001, the court of appeals granted the State of Ohio's motion to dismiss Turner's direct appeal for want of prosecution. 16 On March 12, 2001, Turner, through attorney # 3, moved to reinstate the appeal. Attorney # 3 also requested to withdraw as counsel. 1 The only basis for attorney # 3's motion to withdraw was his desire to become a full-time college student in the fall semester of 2001. The record indicates that attorney # 3 did not contact Turner at all during his years as Turner's attorney. 17 Two years later, on March 18, 2003, the state court of appeals granted Turner's request and reopened the appeal. The state court also granted attorney # 3's request to withdraw. The state court then named the Ohio Public Defender (attorney # 4) as counsel for Turner, but attorney # 4 moved to withdraw less than a month following its appointment. 18 The state court of appeals granted the public defender's motion and immediately appointed a fifth attorney (attorney # 5) to represent Turner. On June 17, 2003, attorney # 5 filed a brief on Turner's behalf, following one motion for extension of time. On October 27, 2003, Turner was paroled.