Opinion ID: 1277356
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The September 28, 1987, Hearing

Text: At the first Marsden hearing, defendant contended that: (1) he had not seen trial counsel for approximately seven and one-half months, despite numerous requests, and counsel had failed to keep appointments with defendant on nine occasions; (2) defense investigators had not visited him with sufficient frequency and seemed unfamiliar with certain evidence that interested defendant; (3) he gave a defense investigator questions for trial counsel three months earlier and had not received a reply; (4) he told investigators he was mad, leading trial counsel to inform him that he [counsel] didn't care how I felt; (5) No one was ever interviewed on my case; and (6) trial counsel hasn't discussed anything with me. Trial counsel informed the court that he had announced his readiness to go to trial on April 24, 1987, but that the trial did not proceed on that date in deference to the request of cocounsel, who was preparing for the possibility of a penalty phase trial in this case and had requested a continuance. Trial counsel explained to the court that the necessary interviews had been conducted and the forensic evidence has all been reviewed heavily and thoroughly. Counsel added that defendant was free to call him collect at any time. Counsel believed that, in view of the readiness of the defense case, additional visits would not have been a productive use of time, and he did not believe the attorney client relationship with defendant had deteriorated. After hearing defendant's concerns, the trial court found that the nature of the relationship between defendant and his trial counsel had not reduced the likelihood that defendant would receive a fair trial or the effective assistance of counsel. The court concluded there had not been a deterioration of the attorney-client relationship sufficient to warrant granting defendant's Marsden motion to relieve counsel.