Opinion ID: 1179512
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Return to Order to Show Cause

Text: (11) The Attorney General asserts in the return that the judgment is valid and that petitioner was not denied the effective assistance of trial counsel. As to the failure to have obtained a blood-alcohol test and to have pursued the recommended PCP testing, the Attorney General does not attempt to justify counsel's omissions, but instead argues that it is not reasonably probable a result more favorable to petitioner would have resulted in the absence of counsel's failings. [2] The Attorney General notes that the diminished capacity defense presented through expert testimony was based on petitioner's description of his alcohol consumption and of his amnesia at the time of the crime. The jury rejected the diminished capacity defense premised on petitioner's story of amnesia. This, according to the Attorney General, indicates that the jury did not believe petitioner's story and would not have been any more willing to believe it with blood-alcohol or PCP testing. Petitioner contends that the Attorney General's argument misses the point. We agree. The jury rejected petitioner's story in the absence of any scientific support for his claim that he had drunk 20 beers and had involuntarily ingested PCP. It does not follow that the jury would still have rejected his claim if it had been supported by scientific evidence. Indeed, the scientific evidence would have greatly bolstered Dr. Blinder's testimony, and it would have materially changed Dr. Burdick's testimony. As to PCP in particular, the jury had little reason to be persuaded by petitioner's version of events in the absence of the critical evidence verifying the existence of PCP in petitioner's system. The jury might well have found petitioner's version believable had it been supported by scientific evidence. Without such support the prosecution was able to cast doubt on and discredit the expert testimony which was premised on the truth of petitioner's unsubstantiated story. As to the failure to adequately investigate and present available good character evidence at the penalty phase, the Attorney General asserts that counsel fulfilled their obligations by hiring an investigator and that even if that were not sufficient, it is not reasonably probable that a result more favorable to petitioner would have been reached at the penalty phase if the additional witnesses had testified. The Attorney General submits that the proffered testimony of the additional witnesses was essentially cumulative to the evidence that was presented. We need not decide the merits of this argument since, as explained below, we conclude that the judgment of guilt must be reversed.