Opinion ID: 590329
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Admission of Dr. Reus' Testimony

Text: 44 Hendricks argues that the trial judge erred in ruling admissible the testimony of Dr. Reus, the government's psychiatrist. Dr. Reus' testimony was based on a conversation he had with Hendricks. Hendricks argues that Dr. Reus' interview violated Hendricks' fifth amendment privilege against self-incrimination and his sixth amendment right to counsel. 45 During the penalty phase, Hendricks indicated that, for evidence in mitigation, he would call Dr. Carson to testify concerning his mental condition. In response, the government requested that its psychiatrist, Dr. Reus, be allowed to interview Hendricks. Counsel for Hendricks objected that his client was under pressure and would have difficulty talking with Dr. Reus. Overruling this objection, the trial judge permitted the interview. The judge ruled that Dr. Reus would confine his examination of Hendricks to the scope of Dr. Carson's testimony. 46 Hendricks' fifth amendment claim of error is based on Dr. Reus' failure to read Hendricks the Miranda warnings before interviewing him. Although the fifth amendment normally bars the government from subjecting the defendant to a psychiatric examination without warning him of his constitutional rights, that bar is waived once the defendant introduces psychiatric evidence in support of a mental defense. Powell v. Texas, 492 U.S. 680, 684, 109 S.Ct. 3146, 3149, 106 L.Ed.2d 551 (1989). Because Hendricks introduced psychiatric testimony in support of a mental defense, Hendricks waived any fifth amendment objections to Dr. Reus' interview of him. Id. 47 Hendricks' sixth amendment argument is based on Hendricks' assertion that Dr. Reus' interview exceeded the scope of the trial judge's order allowing the interview. In support of this argument, Hendricks notes that Dr. Reus responded to a question concerning an alleged murder that Hendricks committed at a grocery store. Hendricks also alleges that Dr. Reus testified as to other inflammatory matters. 48 Even where a defendant has waived his fifth amendment objections, he may still claim a sixth amendment deprivation of counsel where the government's psychiatric examination exceeds the scope permitted by the trial judge and where the counsel for the defendant has not been notified that the examination will exceed that scope. Id. at 685-686, 109 S.Ct. at 3149-3150. 49 Hendricks' attempt to bring his sixth amendment claim within Powell is unavailing. Dr. Reus' testimony to which Hendricks points as being outside the permissible scope of the court-ordered interview was not based on the interview. The government's question concerning the murder at the grocery store was based on testimony that Hendricks had given himself. Moreover, Hendricks does not indicate what the other inflammatory matters were so it is impossible to tell whether such matters, assuming they exist, had anything to do with Dr. Reus' interview.