Opinion ID: 3052709
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Jim Himelic

Text: Jim Himelic prosecuted the case. He stated that he did not observe McMurtrey throughout the trial but instead looked at him “every once in a while like you do any trial.” Himelic stated that he could not recall “seeing anything out of the ordinary during the trial on [McMurtrey’s] part.” He testified that he never saw a deputy give McMurtrey medication and that he did not recall seeing McMurtrey drowsy or asleep at the counsel table. When asked if he remembered McMurtrey saying anything during closing arguments, Himelic stated, “I don’t remember. On that one I’m not saying he didn’t. I just don’t remember.” 10. Lt. Leo Duffner Lt. Leo Duffner of the Pima County Sheriff’s Department served as Himelic’s lead detective during the trial. Lt. Duffner MCMURTREY v. RYAN 11249 recalled that McMurtrey put his head down on the table when McMurtrey’s father testified. He also stated that on several occasions he saw McMurtrey write notes to his attorneys. Lt. Duffner testified that he did not see McMurtrey receive any medication in the courtroom. 11. Dr. John LaWall Dr. LaWall was the only expert to testify at the 1994 hearing who had examined McMurtrey prior to trial. At the hearing, Dr. LaWall reiterated his earlier opinion that McMurtrey had been competent to stand trial. He noted that the surviving medical records did not indicate whether most of the medications prescribed were actually taken by McMurtrey. Dr. LaWall stated that high doses of the drugs prescribed to McMurtrey could “produce cognitive impairment, memory impairment, poor concentration, and so on.” He stated that the medications could have a “less predictable” effect on a volatile person. Dr. LaWall also noted that several of the doses prescribed in the jail medical records were “unusual” and that Elavil and Librium combined “would produce greater sedation than either one taken alone.” In his view, “[i]t would be inappropriate . . . for a person to be taking more than one of these particular drugs at the same time,” and that prescribing Valium, Dalmane, and Ativan simultaneously was not “rational pharmacology.” Like the other experts who testified, Dr. LaWall reviewed police reports, transcripts, and medical records to assess McMurtrey’s competency at the time of trial. Dr. LaWall stated that he relied on information provided by the police and on testimony by McMurtrey only if it did not tend to be exculpatory and discredited statements made by McMurtrey’s counsel about McMurtrey’s appearance and ability to assist with his defense: “You know, I don’t care what his counsel says. His counsel can say anything.” Finally, Dr. LaWall stated that it would have been “easier” to determine 11250 MCMURTREY v. RYAN McMurtrey’s competency at trial if he had examined McMurtrey closer to the date of trial. He conceded that the drugs prescribed to McMurtrey could have rendered him mentally incompetent, even if McMurtrey was not mentally ill, but that after March, Dr. LaWall did not examine him again until after the trial in August, “and there was no way for me to know what exactly he was taking at that time.” 12. Dr. Alexander Don Dr. Alexander Don testified that a “competency determination or incompetency determination is a here-and-now event.” He went on to explain that it is “virtually impossible to make any intelligent assessment of someone’s competency after . . . such a long period of time has elapsed.” Dr. Don did note that if medications had been administered to McMurtrey, they may have aided his competency by reducing anxiety and agitation. B. Analysis After the 1994 hearing, Judge Arnold concluded that “dur- ing all phases of trial and sentencing procedures in this case [ ] Mr. McMurtrey was competent.” As we explain below, we affirm the district court’s finding that, given the passage of time, the lack of medical records, and the absence of a doctor who assessed McMurtrey at the time of trial, a sufficiently meaningful assessment of McMurtrey’s competency at trial was not possible in 1994 to cure the failure to make such an assessment at the time of trial. [6] In Moran, 57 F.3d at 696, this court described the framework with which we evaluate retrospective competency hearings: When a state court wrongfully fails to hold a competency hearing, “it often may be impossible to repair the damage retrospectively.” Evans v. Raines, 800 MCMURTREY v. RYAN 11251