Opinion ID: 2508188
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: failure to object to shackling of petitioner

Text: ISSUE (1). Whether Petitioner's right to counsel under the sixth and fourteenth amendments to the United States Constitution was violated when his counsel did not object to Petitioner being shackled during the guilt phase and penalty phase of his trial and when his counsel did not take adequate precautions to ensure that the jury could not observe Petitioner in restraints. Petitioner argues ineffective assistance of counsel in the guilt phase and sentencing phase. Petitioner claims that his counsel did not object to his being shackled during trial and then did not take adequate precautions to ensure that the jury could not see the shackles. This case was initially assigned for trial before the Honorable Terry D. Sebring. Pretrial motions were heard by Judge Sebring beginning on June 24, 1997, and the trial began on November 3, 1997. On the first day of voir dire examination of the jury, Petitioner appeared in court restrained by ankle shackles. Defense counsel objected, arguing that the restraints were unnecessary because Petitioner had no history of being uncooperative in the courtroom and while in custody. Counsel argued that the sight of Petitioner in restraints would prejudice the jury. In response, the State argued that the jail staff, as part of established procedure, had begun to restrain all defendants facing severe charges. The prosecutor urged the court to think in terms of potential trouble, as opposed to either actual events in a particular case. The State proposed that the trial judge offer a curative instruction to the jury concerning Petitioner's shackling. Judge Sebring heard testimony from a jail supervisor, Sergeant Gerrish. He testified that because of a recent attempted escape and resulting injury to an officer, the jail staff adopted the policy that all defendants facing serious allegations would be leg-ironed while being moved. The attempted escape about which Sergeant Gerrish spoke occurred the previous week in Judge Sebring's courtroom. Judge Sebring indicated he was inclined to order Petitioner shackled during trial and, as a remedial measure, suggested that counsel place boxes or briefcases under Petitioner's table to block the jury's view of the ankle chains. Defense counsel rejected the State's proposal for an instruction, arguing that it would simply emphasize the prejudicial circumstances created by the shackles. Counsel insisted that merely obscuring the jury's view of Petitioner's shackled ankles would not be effective because the shackles would rattle and be noticed by the jury each time Petitioner rose from his chair. Judge Sebring overruled defense counsel's objection and ordered Petitioner shackled. On November 24, 1997, Judge Sebring became ill and recused himself from the trial. In a letter addressed to all parties, Judge Sebring transferred the case back to Court Administration so it could be reassigned to another judge. In his letter, Judge Sebring stated that his prior orders and rulings would remain in effect, unless or until modified by the new trial judge. Defense counsel objected to Judge Sebring's replacement by another judge, and on November 12, 1997, the Honorable Frederick B. Hayes granted a mistrial under CrR 6.11(a). Following the mistrial, a new trial began with jury selection on January 5, 1998 before the Honorable Frederick W. Fleming. On February 6, 1998, the jury returned a verdict of guilty of premeditated murder in the first degree with the aggravating circumstances of rape, robbery, and burglary, and felony murder in the first degree. The penalty phase of the trial began on February 10, 1998. On February 12, 1998, within hours of beginning its deliberations, the jury returned a verdict finding there were not sufficient mitigating circumstances to merit leniency. The trial court on February 23, 1998 sentenced Petitioner to be punished by death. There is no record of defense counsel objecting to the shackling of Petitioner during the second trial.