Opinion ID: 1587789
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Defendant's Competency to Waive Appeal

Text: Following their appointment to the sanity commission by the trial court, Drs. Artecona and LeBourgeois interviewed defendant on four occasions in the Livingston Parish Jail: twice on June 13, 2007; and twice on June 25, 2007. The total interview time exceeded eight hours and Dr. Artecona estimated that he and Dr. LeBourgeois spent approximately 30 to 40 hours overall in conducting the evaluation. The psychiatrists also reviewed defendant's medical records including prison mental health care documentation from East Baton Rouge Parish Prison, the Livingston Parish Jail, and the penitentiary at Angola, as well as earlier records from Greenwell Springs Hospital, located just north of Denham Springs, where defendant spent several months as an adolescent. They also interviewed relatives of defendant, including his mother and sister. In addition, the psychiatrists engaged Dr. David Hales, a psychologist, to conduct neuropsychological testing to determine whether defendant suffers from any organic brain impairments and whether he is mentally retarded. The psychiatrists further consulted with Dr. Marc Zimmerman who had performed some psychological testing of defendant in preparation for the sentencing stage of the trial. As Dr. Artecona explained at the hearing conducted on the sanity commission's reports on July 3, 2007, the psychiatrists conducted their wide-ranging inquiry to evaluate defendant's psychiatric state and his present mental capacity ... whether a mental disease or defect exists that would impair his ability to reason ... his capacity to make a knowing, intelligent and voluntary waiver of his right to appellate review and also further, to see whether there was a mental disease or defect that would impair his ability to understand that he is to be executed and the reasons for which he is to suffer that penalty. The psychiatrists were well qualified for the task. Both are professors of forensic psychiatry at Tulane Medical School and in particular, Dr. LeBourgeois is the director of forensic psychiatric training at the medical school, which he described as the only training program in the state to qualify physicians for board certification in forensic psychiatry. The psychiatrists submitted their findings to the court in separate 30-page reports. As summarized by Dr. Artecona at the hearing: One of the things that we had concerns about is to ensure that there wasn't any mental illness influencing his present course of action. So we specifically focused on whether there existed any type of disorder that would affect his ability to think thorough a problem or to reason. We also noted that early on in his incarceration he was placed on suicide watch, allegedly because he told an FBI agent ... that he would rather be dead than to face his situation. Thereafter, after his incarceration, he also experienced tearfulness, despondency, anxiety, as well as recurrent nightmares. So we focused on that to ensure that that wasn't present and influencing his current decision-making. As I described here in his `Adjustment in Jail' section [of the report], he was treated for a while at the Livingston Parish Jail and thereafter at Angola, and symptoms completely disappeared and he's no longer receiving any psychotropic medication nor is he complaining of nightmares or any of the symptoms that he complained at that time. Based on that we gave him a diagnosis of adjustment disorder with depressed and anxious; but it is now fully in remission. I focused a lot on that because that would be a disease or a disorder that would affect or impair his ability to reason. But there's been no signs of any of that now for quite a number ... for at least two years now.... After we determined psychiatric diagnosis, we also looked at other diagnoses that may be present. Namely .... sexual sadism and antisocial personality disorder. And, in my opinion, with reasonable degree or medical certainty, those are current diagnoses, but in my experience these are not diagnoses that would affect one's ability to reason or to make a logical choice. We corroborated a lot of our information with communications with the family who know him and who talked to him on a regular basis, with people who work at Angola. We talked to the social worker who has been assigned to death row and who interacts with Mr. Bordelon on a regular basis. We talked to the warden, and we talked to a lot of people that have come in contact with him, to ensure that what we saw in our clinical interview was what was there. We also saw him for a very long period of time which would also indicate if somebody was trying to `mask' or `put on a face,' it's very hard to maintain it for eight hours, or for a prolonged period of time. So we really wanted to be sure that there wasn't something that we were missing. On the basis of all of that information, including a report from Dr. Hales that defendant does not suffer from organic brain damage and that his intelligence measures in the normal range, and discussions with Dr. Marc Zimmerman, whose findings agreed with those of Dr. Hales that defendant is not mentally retarded, Dr. Artecona concluded with a reasonable degree of medical certainty that defendant is not suffering from a mental disease or defect that significantly affect[s] his ability to make a knowing, intelligent and voluntary waiver of his right to appellate [review]. The psychiatrist further concluded that defendant is not suffering from a mental disease or defect that prevents him from understanding that he is to be executed and the reasons he is to suffer that penalty for. Finally, Dr. Artecona addressed whether, in fact, defendant was making a knowing and intelligent waiver of the appellate process: Besides the psychological evaluation and testing, we spent a lot of time asking about his ... understanding of the crime that he's been convicted of, his understanding of the death penalty, what happens at the point of death, what the plans have been, and, in our opinion, he's making a well-reasoned choice, he's making a logical choice. He feels that he confessed to his crime, that he did so in a voluntary and non-coerced manner. He stated at the time he was not under the influence of drugs. He was not suffering from any mental retardation. He further stated that he feels that the death penalty is just punishment for his crimes and he also often reiterated that he feels that the right to appellate review is a right and not a mandate. So that's why.... He's presenting that motion, or he feels very strongly that way. Mr. Bordelon also understands that the decision, whether he can waive this, is up to the Supreme Court, and he's aware of that. He's aware that if he's not allowed to do so, he plans to waive his postconviction remedies. Thus, in the final analysis, Dr. Artecona concluded that defendant understands why he's making the decision that he's making and that he's able to so, and, furthermore, that there is no disease or defect that's influencing or preventing him from being able to do so. The psychiatrist had also addressed the possibility that, although he had ruled out a diagnosis of clinical depression, defendant was nevertheless motivated by suicidal ideation: We needed to assess suicidality: is this some kind of hidden attempt to commit state-assisted suicide? ... I felt that that was simply not the case. Mr. Bordelon ... told us that there's been times in his life where he felt that he wonders ... if it was all worth it.... And there's been times in his life when he's felt down. But it's never gotten to a point where he actually either planned suicide or attempted suicide. This was corroborated.... He was on suicide watch shortly after his arrival at East Baton Rouge [lock-up] but ever since he's not been on suicide watch. This is corroborated by Angola State Penitentiary where he's been doing fine. And furthermore, he tells us, you know, every time I go to a shower, I check out a double-edged razor. I have sheets in my bed. I could easily, if I were suicidal, I have plenty and ample opportunities to carry out the task, if that's what I chose. And we asked both Mr. Midkiff [a social worker at Angola], as well as the warden, and that was true, he has access to a blade and he has access to sheets.... Furthermore, we also asked him what happens if you don't succeed in your quest and the Supreme Court does not allow you to waive, or if they give you a life sentence? And he said, well, if they give me a life sentence, that's what I'll do. I think his quote was, `I'm not going to go to the Supreme Court and demand that they give me the death penalty.' In his testimony, Dr. LeBourgeois, who fully agreed with the conclusions of his colleague on the sanity commission, amplified on Dr. Artecona's account of defendant's stated reasons for waiving appellate review, attributing to them a mixture of hard realism and a measure of altruism. He testified that defendant freely conceded that he had committed the crime and that, for the death of his stepdaughter, he deserved the death penalty, and that if he succeeded in overturning his conviction and setting himself free there was a 99.9 percent sure possibility he would commit a similar crime again. Look at my record, defendant informed the psychiatrists, It's got worse and worse every time. As for defendant's altruism, Dr. LeBourgeois testified that defendant felt that the end of this case, through the carrying out on the death sentence, would give [his wife's] family some peace and that: if he did appeal and was granted either a new sentencing phase or a new trial, that a lot of things that happened before would happen again. His family might have to testify, his ex-wife's family might have to testify. He said that he understood that the trial, the first trial, the first penalty phase were stressful enough for them and he didn't want them to go back through that again. He understood the high-profile nature of his case and the stress it caused.... He attained the overall belief that the greatest likelihood is that with continued appeals the same outlook would occur, that is, either he would remain ... with a life sentence or get the death penalty once again. So he sort of felt like it was somewhat futile to put everybody back through the same situation and cause more stress to his family when he really believes that the likelihood is the same outlook would occur. Thus, Dr. LeBourgeois concluded that defendant may not be making a decision that most people in his circumstance would, and I or other people may not agree with his decision, but I think when he lays out his pattern of reasoning it starts to support that there's not a major mental illness or mental defect that substantially detracts from his ability to make a knowing, intelligent and voluntary waiver. Prompted by defendant's attorney, Ms. Craft, to explain the impact of the personality disorders that he and Dr. Artecona did diagnose in defendant, i.e., sexual sadism and anti-social personality disorder, Dr. LeBourgeois elaborated: Sexual sadism is not a major mood cognitive anxiety or psychotic disorder; will not typically detract from somebody's ability to make these types of decisions. [Anti-] social personality disorder, it can be associated with someone making impulse decisions. It doesn't seem to be the case here. Family members report that Mr. Bordelon was saying before, when he was pretrial, that if I end up on [death row], then I would like to waive my appeals. Furthermore, he's had a lot of time to think and to reflect on the consequences of his actions and his decisions. I don't think he came up with this on the spur of the moment. At least that's not what the records and collateral information supports. In addition to his principal diagnosis of sexual sadism and anti-social personality, Dr. LeBourgeois had also noted secondary features of marijuana abuse and adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety. However, while the psychiatrist entertained the possibility that defendant might still have access to the drug notwithstanding his incarceration, Dr. LeBourgeois found no evidence that defendant suffered from the residual effects of long-term chronic intoxication which could have an effect on cognition. The adjustment disorder was in remission and in the psychiatrist's opinion was not currently impacting on his ability to make the decisions he's making at the present time. The trial court brought the hearing to a close by asking Dr. LeBourgeois to address specifically the question of whether defendant may be mentally retarded. The psychiatrist indicated that from his own interactions with defendant, he fully subscribed to the report of Dr. Hale that defendant's measured IQ of 104 placed him in the normal range of intelligence, while his performance IQ in the 77th percentile placed him in the high average range. His report had also noted that Dr. Marc Zimmerman's independent tests conducted pretrial indicated that defendant's IQ is 87 still in the normal range, and that the psychologist had found no evidence of cognitive impairment. It thus remained Dr. LeBourgeois's view, shared with Dr. Artecona and based on his professional opinion formed during the eight hours of personal interviews with defendant, that defendant is not mentally retarded. On the basis of the psychiatrists' reports and testimony provided by Drs. LeBourgeois and Artecona, the trial court, after noting the exceptional thoroughness with which the psychiatrists had conducted their inquiry, made the following specific findings: (1) By the strong weight of evidence and beyond a reasonable doubt, defendant possesses the capacity to proceed; he does not suffer from a mental disease or defect which may substantially or as a matter of fact, in any way affect his capacity to make a knowing, intelligent and voluntary waiver of his right to appellate review; (2) Defendant possesses the capacity to understand the choice between life and death and possesses the capacity to knowingly and intelligently waive his right to appeal his capital conviction and his sentence; (3) For purposes of R.S. 15:567.1(B), governing execution of inmates on death row, defendant is competent to proceed to execution because he possesses the competency to understand that he is to be executed and the reason for which he is to suffer that penalty; (4) Defendant exhibits no signs of mental retardation and beyond a reasonable doubt does not have a subnormal IQ; (5) Defendant shows no signs of suicidal ideation or clinical depression, or any other mental disease or defect, and his waiver of appeal is not an attempt on [his] part to simply commit legally assisted suicide. Although we are mindful that defendant was represented at the hearing by counsel who supports his right to waive direct appeal and that the proceedings were therefore not adversarial in the sense that the psychiatrists were subjected to searching cross-examination with respect to the bases for their opinions, the record in this matter overwhelmingly supports the trial court's finding that defendant is competent to waive appellate review of his conviction and capital sentence. We have before us not only the reports and testimony of Drs. Artecona and LeBourgeois at the hearing conducted on July 7, 2007, but also the internal evidence provided by the pro se motions defendant has filed in this Court asserting his waiver of direct appeal. Those motions included not only his original pro se motion filed in the district court at sentencing but also subsequent motions filed in this Court in November, 2008, and June, 2009, restating his desire to waive his appeal. The motions make clear that from the outset, defendant grasped the difference between his personal right of appeal as a matter of La. Const. art. I,  19 and this Court's independent duty as a matter of La. C. Cr. P. art. 905.9 to review every death sentence in Louisiana for excessiveness, and that his waiver of the former does not necessarily preclude the latter. In addition, his statement to the court at formal sentencing in support of his motion to waive appeal offers this Court ample evidence that he is capable of making a cogent and knowledgeable legal argument in support of his position. The testimony of the psychiatrists at the hearing excludes the reasonable possibility that defendant's waiver has been influenced by organic brain impairment, mental retardation, or personality disorders that directly impair cognitive functioning. The testimony also excludes the reasonable possibility that defendant's waiver is the product of despair and suicidal ideation. As Dr. LeBourgeois emphasized at the hearing, the sheer persistence with which defendant has pursued waiver of his appeal, a persistence that his continued in this Court for the past two years, indicates that his decision reflects a considered and consistent course of action according to what Dr. Artecona described as a cost benefit analysis that included defendant's expressed willingness to accept life imprisonment if his present motion were denied and appellate review eventually led to reversal of his death sentence. The record of proceedings in the district court on remand of the case thus clearly and convincingly demonstrates that defendant is competent to make a knowing, intelligent, and voluntary waiver of his right to appeal his conviction and sentence of death and that he does waive direct appeal of his conviction and sentence. Accordingly, his motion is granted.