Opinion ID: 178830
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Claims 10 and 11: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel: Failure to Investigate Cole's Mental and Emotional Disturbance

Text: In Claim 10, Cole argues that trial counsel failed to investigate and present evidence that he suffered from an extreme mental and emotional disturbance at the time of the crime. In Claim 11, Cole relatedly argues that counsel erred by failing to investigate and present evidence from lay witnesses on his troubled state of mind around the time of the offense. A claim of ineffective assistance of counsel is governed by the performance and prejudice standard set forth in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). Under the performance prong, the court must apply an objective standard and determine whether, in light of all the circumstances, the identified acts or omissions were outside the wide range of professionally competent assistance, id. at 690, 104 S.Ct. 2052, while at the same time refraining from engaging in hindsight or second-guessing of trial counsel's strategic decisions. Id. at 689, 104 S.Ct. 2052. If performance was deficient, the prejudice prong requires proof that there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different. Id. at 694, 104 S.Ct. 2052. Although Cole had undergone two pretrial psychiatric evaluations by mental health experts, he argues that counsel should have had him evaluated by a third expert to develop mitigation evidence for the penalty phase. At Cole's state postconviction hearing a forensic psychiatrist opined that Cole was suffering from an extreme emotional distress at the time of the offense. The Missouri Supreme Court adjudicated this claim on the merits and found that counsel was not deficient because both pretrial experts who examined Cole concluded that he was not suffering from any mental disease or defect at the time of the crime. There was no evidence that Cole was suffering from depression, paranoia or delusional beliefs. His thought processes were found to be logical and sequential, and he was determined to be capable of knowing and appreciating the nature, quality and wrongfulness of his conduct. Accordingly, the court found that counsel was not deficient for failing to shop for a more favorable expert. Cole II, 152 S.W.3d at 270. Further, the court found that lay witness testimony may have been more harmful than helpful. Id. This adjudication was not an unreasonable application of, nor was it contrary to, Strickland. Cole's trial counsel testified at the postconviction hearing about the avenues she investigated concerning Cole's background. She met with Cole's mother and sister routinely and questioned them about medical conditions, a family history of mental illness or alcohol abuse, and Cole's use of alcohol and drugs. Cole informed her that he had not been treated for mental disease or defect and denied that he was depressed. He admitted to drinking two beers on the night of the crime but he denied being drunk or on any drugs at the time of the offense, and he denied having an alcohol problem. This was enough of an investigation to clear Strickland's performance prong. See, e.g., Forsyth v. Ault, 537 F.3d 887, 892 (8th Cir.2008) (holding that the Sixth Amendment does not require favorable expert shopping for adequate performance), cert. denied, Forsyth v. Burt, ___ U.S. ___, 129 S.Ct. 1044, 173 L.Ed.2d 475 (2009). And with the strong expert testimony already in the hands of the state at the time of trial, it is unlikely that Cole suffered any prejudice from the failure to call more favorable expert or lay witnesses, even if performance was lacking. See id. (noting that, given the weight of psychiatric opinion on petitioner's competence, the proffered postconviction expert's opinion was unlikely to have had an effect on the outcome of the proceeding). The district court did not err in rejecting these two points.