Opinion ID: 159988
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evidence Further Supporting Insanity Defense

Text: 36 Mr. McGregor contends the State failed to disclose to him his confessions to other crimes. He made these confessions at approximately the same time he confessed to killing Ms. Plumb. Authorities investigated, but found no evidence to verify the accuracy of any of the other confessions. Mr. McGregor now asserts that these false confessions could have bolstered his insanity defense. 37 The record indicates that defense counsel was aware, prior to this trial, that Mr. McGregor had made such statements. See Tr., Apr. 4, 1989 Mot. Hr'g at 31. There can be no suppression by the state of evidence already known by and available to [defendant] prior to trial. United States v. Hernandez-Muniz, 170 F.3d 1007, 1011 (10th Cir. 1999) (quotation omitted). Further, the government's failure to disclose exculpatory evidence is immaterial if Mr. McGregor has independent knowledge of that evidence. See Quintanilla, 193 F.3d at 1149. 38 In any event, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, in state post-conviction proceedings, held Mr. McGregor had failed to establish that these other confessions were either exculpatory or material. See McGregor, 935 P.2d at 337. That determination was not an unreasonable application of clearly established Supreme Court precedent, see Moore v. Gibson, 195 F.3d 1152, 1165 (10th Cir. 1999), cert. denied, 120 S. Ct. 2206 (2000), in light of the detail and accuracy of his confession to Ms. Plumb's murder, and the significant amount of evidence presented to the jury concerning his mental illness.