Opinion ID: 1119911
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: General Findings of Fact Regarding Attorney de la Pena's Representation in This Case

Text: After preliminary findings reciting the appointment of de la Pena and Brewer, with de la Pena as primary counsel, the referee noted that de la Pena knew from the outset that the critical evidence on alibi, age, and mitigation would probably be located in El Pilon. The referee made findings regarding counsel's investigative efforts in Mexico. The referee found that only one investigative trip by Attorney de la Pena or anyone acting under his direction was made to the El Pilon region between the time of counsel's appointment and the commencement of trial. This trip was made by de la Pena and investigator Mendoza and consumed eight days and seven nights. Five of those seven nights were spent in the El Presidente Chapultepec Hotel in a scenic suburb of Mexico City, one in the resort town of Patzcuaro between Mexico City and El Pilon, and one in the vicinity of El Pilon. Only two days were spent in the El Pilon area investigating birth records and interviewing petitioner's family and doctor. They spent a total of 20 to 25 minutes at petitioner's home in El Pilon and interviewed petitioner's parents at a nearby hotel for an hour or two. De la Pena arranged for follow-up contacts with the parents by having Ana Maria Llamas, petitioner's sister in Los Angeles, call Elena, the sister in Los Reyes, who in turn would relay a message to the parents. The referee further found that de la Pena conducted no other investigation himself regarding potential witnesses from the El Pilon area for alibi, age or mitigation purposes. Nor did he request anyone else to conduct additional investigation as to potential witnesses from the El Pilon area until after trial had begun in March 1984, when he sent investigator Mendoza to escort Dr. Godinez to the United States. The referee refused to credit de la Pena's testimony regarding additional investigative efforts he claimed to have made. As to such testimony the referee found: Based upon the entire record and the observation of the demeanor of all witnesses, the Referee does not credit the testimony of attorney [d]e [l]a Pena on matters where it is not independently corroborated by documents or other witnesses. The Referee makes this finding to indicate the basis on which the Referee made certain factual determinations in light of conflicting or disputed testimony in the record.