Opinion ID: 1353958
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Dr. Cooke

Text: Sanders alleges that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because his private defense attorney relied on an insanity defense but failed to move for funds for expert witnesses, or that he failed to withdraw once he realized Sanders was indigent and that funds would be needed for the psychiatric exams. Sanders claims that Attorney Charters, who had been hired by his father to replace a public defender, used money earmarked for a mental health expert for his own fee. Sanders reasons that because the circuit court failed to hold an evidentiary hearing he was denied the opportunity to develop the underlying facts of this claim. We conclude that defense counsel was not ineffective in obtaining the services of a clinical psychologist, Dr. Cooke, free of charge, to serve as the defense mental health expert. Defense counsel cross-examined the prosecution witness, Dr. Walker, regarding disagreements with the testimony provided by Dr. Cooke. Thus, the testimony by Dr. Cooke was intended to reduce the negative effect of the report submitted by Dr. Walker of KCPC. Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68, 105 S.Ct. 1087, 84 L.Ed.2d 53 (1985), commented that Psychiatry is not, however, an exact science, and psychiatrists disagree widely and frequently on what constitutes mental illness, on the appropriate diagnosis to be attached to given behavior and symptoms, on cure and treatment, and on the likelihood of future dangerousness. Sanders was sent on his own motion to KCPC for a six-week psychiatric evaluation by a team of social workers, psychologists, a psychiatrist and a neurologist. Ake, supra , does not hold that an indigent defendant has a constitutional right to choose the psychiatrist or to receive funds to hire his own. As noted in Crawford v. Commonwealth, Ky., 824 S.W.2d 847 (1992), a defendant is not entitled to an additional state provided examination or funds to hire additional experts simply because the initial evaluation is contrary to his defense. The fact that an additional evaluation might be beneficial to the defense does not add credibility to his claim. The trial judge stated that Sanders submitted reports from a psychologist, a psychiatrist and a Ph.D. These experts were retained in connection with a defense of charges resulting from a 1986 shooting in Lincoln County. As correctly observed by the trial judge, the reports and the testimony would have made no difference in the outcome of the trial. The jury rejected the opinion offered by Dr. Cooke and there is no reason to believe they would have accepted a similar opinion simply because it came from a different defense expert. Dr. Cooke indicated that he was willing to testify that in his opinion Sanders satisfied the legal standard for insanity. Thus, Sanders had access to qualified mental health experts to establish his insanity defense. His complaints about ineffectiveness are without merit.