Opinion ID: 1258810
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Reversible Errors

Text: 1. Our review of the record reveals that although Lamar considered counsel's pretrial preparations to be adequate, he eventually grew dissatisfied with lead counsel's decisions regarding a defense strategy. Ten days before jury selection, Lamar's dissatisfaction with his lead counsel, Michael Mears, was brought to the trial court's attention by Mears and was then discussed ex parte. Lamar expressed to the trial court his frustration with counsel's alleged unwillingness to communicate with him and to consider his preferred approach to defending himself at trial. See Colwell v. State, 273 Ga. 634, 638(3)(b), 544 S.E.2d 120 (2001) (addressing defendant's right to control basic approach to his defense). Lamar also stated that he believed his attorneys were crooked. Lamar inquired into the possibility of obtaining a new attorney and into the possibility of representing himself with the aid of advisory counsel. The trial court indicated to Lamar that it was not inclined toward allowing Mears to withdraw as lead counsel, and Mears indicated to the trial court that he would continue trying to address [Lamar's] concerns and to accommodate [Lamar's] needs within the framework of [Mears's] responsibility as his attorney. Five days later and still five days before trial, Mears filed a motion styled as a Motion for a Continuance, in which Mears communicated Lamar's unequivocal demand to represent himself but in which Mears also argued that the trial court should grant a continuance in order for a mental health expert to determine Lamar's competence to stand trial and to represent himself. The trial court ruled that Lamar was mentally competent, but, after a lengthy colloquy with Lamar, the trial court denied Lamar's request to represent himself. We find that the trial court erred by refusing to allow Lamar to represent himself at trial. (a) It is impermissible as a matter of constitutional law for a mentally incompetent person to be subjected to trial, regardless of whether that person is tried while represented by counsel or while acting pro se. Godinez v. Moran, 509 U.S. 389, 113 S.Ct. 2680, 125 L.Ed.2d 321 (1993); Colwell, supra, 273 Ga. at 635(2), 544 S.E.2d 120. The standard of mental competency to stand trial is the same as the standard of mental competency to waive the right to counsel. Moran, supra, 509 U.S. at 398(II)(A), 113 S.Ct. 2680. The prohibition against subjecting incompetent persons to trial often is enforced in Georgia pursuant to OCGA § 17-7-130(a), which provides for a special jury trial on the question of competence [w]henever a plea is filed that a defendant in a criminal case is mentally incompetent to stand trial. However, even when no such plea is entered, a trial court still bears the constitutional duty to inquire into a defendant's competency where it appears to be in question at the time of trial. Colwell, supra, 273 Ga. at 635(2), 544 S.E.2d 120; see Pate v. Robinson, 383 U.S. 375(II), 86 S.Ct. 836, 15 L.Ed.2d 815 (1966). In Lamar's case, no plea was made that he was mentally incompetent to stand trial. [1] Nevertheless, the trial court undertook its constitutional duty to inquire into Lamar's competency. In that regard the trial court, after noting the lack of a request for a competency trial, considered the results of a mental health examination that Lamar had very recently undergone that had shown Lamar to be mentally competent. Based on this information, together with its own observations of Lamar's pre-trial behavior, the trial court correctly found that competence was not a factor in deciding whether or not to allow Lamar to undertake his own representation. Colwell, supra, 273 Ga. at 637(3), 544 S.E.2d 120(b). (b) Having correctly determined that Lamar's mental competence was not an obstacle to his self-representation, the trial court next sought to determine whether Lamar knowingly and intelligently waived his Federal and State constitutional rights to counsel. Faretta v. California, 422 U.S. 806(V), 95 S.Ct. 2525, 45 L.Ed.2d 562 (1975); Colwell, supra, 273 Ga. at 637(3), 544 S.E.2d 120(b) (applying Federal constitution and Ga. Const.1983, Art. I, Sec. I, Par. XII). Under Faretta the trial court must apprise the defendant of the dangers and disadvantages inherent in representing himself so that the record will establish that `he knows what he is doing and his choice is made with eyes open.' [Cit.] Id. at 835(V), 95 S.Ct. 2525. See also Harris v. State, 269 Ga. 731(2), 505 S.E.2d 467 (1998) and Clarke v. Zant, 247 Ga. 194, 196, 275 S.E.2d 49 (1981) (trial judge has the serious and weighty responsibility of determining whether defendant intelligently waived his right to counsel). However, upon being apprised by the trial court of those dangers and disadvantages, a competent defendant who nevertheless chooses voluntarily to proceed pro se has validly waived the right to counsel under our Federal and State constitutions and is entitled to exercise his or her constitutional right to self-representation. Faretta, supra. We recognize that the requisite colloquy between a trial court and any criminal defendant regarding the potential dangers and disadvantages of self-representation may be more involved and detailed in a death penalty case than in some other criminal cases in order for the trial court to fulfill this serious and weighty responsibility. The transcript in Lamar's case, however, reveals that the trial court did not undertake to inform Lamar of the dangers of self-representation. Instead, the trial court questioned Lamar about his legal knowledge of death penalty law, asking him, e.g., to tell me some of the dangers you might run into if you represent yourself; what are [the] various defenses that you could have to the charged crimes; to define what the word mitigation means; and whether Lamar would know what the Witherspoon questions are to a potential juror. At the end of the colloquy the trial court observed that death penalty cases stand on a different footing entirely. All standards are heightened, all bars are raised.... To waive the right [to counsel], you've got to know what you're facing and I can't say that Mr. Lamar really knows what he's facing based on what he's talked to me about today. The trial court then denied Lamar's request to proceed pro se. The transcript thus reveals that the trial court erroneously failed to follow the procedure in Faretta, supra. The trial court did not try to make Lamar aware of the dangers and disadvantages he faced proceeding pro se at trial due to his ignorance of basic criminal law concepts; instead, the trial court queried Lamar in order to assess the scope of Lamar's pre-existing knowledge of criminal law. Lamar's technical legal knowledge was irrelevant to an assessment of his knowing exercise of the right to defend himself. Faretta, supra, 422 U.S. at 836(V), 95 S.Ct. 2525. The test is not whether the accused is capable of good lawyering  but whether he [or she] knowingly and intelligently waives his [or her] right to counsel. Wayne v. State, 269 Ga. 36, 38(2), 495 S.E.2d 34 (1998). Although the trial court specifically disclaimed that its decision was based on Lamar's lack of legal knowledge, the transcript reflects otherwise. (c) Despite the trial court's failure to make Lamar aware of the dangers of self-representation, our review of Lamar's answers to the trial court's many questions reveals that he had a sound general knowledge of the charges against him and of the trial process; that he was able to grasp those other dangers and disadvantages of self-representation that were explained to him; that he appreciated the advantage counsel could provide; and that he clearly understood the ultimate danger of self-representation in his case. [2] The record clearly establishes that once Lamar concluded in his own view that his theory of defense would be presented as he preferred only if he proceeded pro se, Lamar chose knowingly and voluntarily to waive his right to counsel and unequivocally asserted his right to represent himself before the trial had begun. We accordingly reject the State's argument that Lamar vacillated in his request to proceed pro se. The record thus reflects that Lamar both wished to make and was mentally competent to make a knowing and intelligent waiver of his right to counsel. We conclude that the trial court committed reversible error by refusing to allow Lamar to represent himself.