Opinion ID: 1058311
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Competency and Exclusion of Evidence

Text: In a related issue on competency, the defendant argues that the trial court erred in excluding the testimony of Reverend Joe Ingle, a minister who had visited with the incarcerated defendant, and the testimony of Mary Ann Hea, a social worker for the public defender's office who had interviewed the defendant several times. The defendant maintains that these witnesses would have supported his claim of incompetency. The State argues that the trial court did not err in excluding these witnesses because the defendant asserted applicable privileges that prevented them from testifying. The record shows that the defense called Reverend Ingle to testify at the competency hearing. According to defense counsel, Ingle would have testified that he met with the defendant on numerous occasions and that the defendant often tried to portray himself as normal. Ingle would have further testified that the defendant had bizarre, delusional thoughts and that the defendant was the most mentally ill prisoner he had ever counseled. The trial court refused to allow Ingle to testify, however, because the defendant declined to waive the clergy-penitent privilege. See Tenn. Code Ann. § 24-1-206 (2000). Similarly, the record shows that the defense called Mary Ann Hea during the competency hearing to testify about her numerous interviews with the defendant as a social worker for the public defender. After determining that Hea was part of the defense team, the trial court refused to allow her to testify because the defendant declined to waive the applicable privilege, i.e., the attorney-client privilege. In our view, the trial court did not err in excluding the testimony. First, our conclusion that a defendant bears the burden of establishing his or her incompetency necessarily means that he or she has not been found to be incompetent before or during the competency proceeding itself. As a result, nothing prevents a defendant from invoking an applicable privilege during a competency proceeding as a matter of law. Moreover, the trial court is free to reconsider the issue of the defendant's invocation of privileges while evidence of the defendant's mental status is presented during the hearing by both the defense and prosecution. Second, a defendant's right to present evidence to meet the burden of proof does not eliminate the trial court's discretion in determining relevance and materiality of the evidence. Here, the defendant presented extensive expert testimony to show that he was not competent to stand trial. The expert witnesses related the basis of their opinions, which included analysis of the defendant's family background, history of head injuries, and mental illness. Dr. Auble, for instance, testified that evidence was gathered not only from the defendant but also the defendant's attorneys, jury consultant, and investigators. Dr. Auble and Dr. Amador testified effectively on behalf of the defense; Dr. Bernet and Dr. Turner-Graham likewise testified fully and effectively on behalf of the prosecution. In sum, the defendant's exercise of his privileges did not prevent the trial court from fully considering the material evidence and making a thorough assessment of the relevant issues pertaining to the defendant's competency to stand trial. Accordingly, we conclude that the trial court did not err in excluding the testimony of the witnesses.