Opinion ID: 2822804
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Mr. Cole’s Post-Conviction Proceedings

Text: In his post-conviction relief proceedings, Mr. Cole asserted that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to present expert witness testimony during the penalty phase to support a claim that Mr. Cole was under extreme mental or emotional disturbance at the time of the crime. In support of this claim, Mr. Cole relied on the report and testimony of Dr. William Logan, a forensic psychiatrist. Dr. Logan’s report stated that Mr. Cole was suffering from major depression at the time of the offense and that his depression, along with alcohol intoxication and the use of steroids, impaired his ability to rationally deliberate and use reasoned judgment at the time of the offense. At the evidentiary hearing on Mr. Cole’s post-conviction relief motion, Dr. Logan admitted that Mr. Cole had lied in the case and that Dr. Logan could not always tell when Mr. Cole was lying. 4 In denying his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, the motion court found Dr. Logan to not be a credible witness, stating: The Court, having heard and considered all of Dr. Logan’s testimony finds his opinions to lack the necessary evidence required to support his conclusions. Dr. Logan admitted that he based his opinions on [Mr. Cole’s] testimony as well as interviews with [Mr. Cole’s family and friends]. Dr. Logan confessed that his entire source of materials for his testimony were litigation materials chosen and provided to him by [Mr. Cole’s] counsel. Clearly, this testimony was biased towards the particular conclusion [Mr. Cole’s] counsel desired to reach. Dr. Logan conceded that many of the claims made by [Mr. Cole] in his interview were distorted, minimized, inconsistent and probably untrue. He agreed that [Mr. Cole’s] current version of events differed greatly from his trial testimony and previous statements to Drs. Scott and Armour. Dr. Logan admitted that [Mr. Cole], his family and friends have incentive not to speak honestly about his participation in these crimes. He conceded that his report did not have balance by including any interviews with the victim, Terri Cole or her family of their description of the marital discord. Dr. Logan’s testimony was rife with biased hearsay, inconsistent theories and was substantially discredited through cross-examination. The motion court further stated, “[Dr. Logan’s] testimony and status as an expert witness is rejected by this Court.” The court ultimately found that trial counsel was not ineffective for not presenting expert testimony that Mr. Cole was under extreme mental or emotional distress at the time of the murder. In addition to the two pre-trial reports that did not find Mr. Cole suffered from a mental disease or defect, trial counsel interviewed 25 individuals identified to her by Mr. Cole and his family, and none of the witnesses reported any mental health issues with Mr. Cole or his family. See Cole II, 152 S.W.3d at 270. Further, the motion court found that arguing Mr. Cole was acting under extreme emotional or mental distress would have been inconsistent with Mr. Cole’s trial 5 testimony in which he denied involvement in the murder and stated that Mr. Curtis was the initial aggressor. On appeal, this Court affirmed the motion court’s judgment, finding that Mr. Cole did not receive ineffective assistance of counsel. Id. at 269-70.