Opinion ID: 2000007
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Justification for Failure to Provide Information

Text: Appellee was required to provide reasonable justification for his failure to inform the court of all mitigating circumstances at his sentencing. The trial court found that both appellee and his lawyer deliberately withheld information from the court because of their overwhelming and genuine fear for the lives of themselves and others. In Higdon v. United States, supra, 496 A.2d at 618, the appellee also maintained that his sentencing hearing was fatally flawed because his counsel failed to set forth mitigating factors for the trial court's consideration, and failed to have witnesses testify in appellee's behalf at the hearing. But in Higdon, there was nothing preventing defense counsel from presenting such mitigating information. There was no allegation of fear or threat or duress of any kind. The court therefore held that appellee was really making a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel for counsel's negligence in not seeking such mitigating information or presenting it, and that the claim should be pursued under D.C.Code § 23-110. In the instant case, the information could not be communicated to defense counsel. Appellee testified on December 12, 1980 that if he had told his attorney about everything that happened before the takeover and sought to defend himself: I would not be living here to tell you about it. I know that. I was under great fear.... Appellee testified on September 23, 1981 that he presented no defense at trial because Khaalis had ordered him not to and that disobeying Khaalis' order carried a penalty of death. When asked what he believed would happen if he were to disobey Khaalis' order, appellee responded: I would be killed. [14] Appellee's attorney during the trial, Charles Stow, testified on September 10, 1985, that appellee was fearful for his life before and during the trial. He stated that he attempted to persuade appellee to present a defense but was unsuccessful because Khaalis was orchestrating the defense in the cellblock behind the courtroom. He testified that he perceived appellee's fear throughout the proceeding, particularly because appellee would alert Stow whenever appellee thought he was exceeding the limits Khaalis had imposed. Mr. Stow testified that appellee told him not to present a defense at trial, not because appellee did not want a defense presented, but rather because appellee was fearful of what might happen if Mr. Stow did. Mr. Stow said appellee was scared to death of what was going to happen if he [appellee] started thinking on his own two feet. [15] Appellee's trial attorney testified further at the September 10, 1985 hearing that appellee was unwilling to provide to him any mitigating information that would be useful in allocuting at the sentencing hearing. He stated that appellee told him not to rock the boat because something would happen not only to appellee and his family, but, in addition, to Mr. Stow and his wife and child. When Mr. Stow was asked whether he attempted to obtain mitigating information for use during the sentencing allocution, he informed the trial court that he did and that appellee said, Do you want my family killed? Do you want your family killed? Do you want me killed over here? Mr. Stow further testified that at the sentencing hearing appellee nudged him at points when appellee felt he was exceeding the boundaries Khaalis had imposed. Mr. Stow stated that appellee was scared to the point, so scared to the point that he wouldn't have risked saying anything in his behalf or allowing me to say anything in his behalf. Mr. Stow further testified that he knew that if he attempted to present mitigating evidence something would have happened not only to appellee but to his own family as well. Mr. Stow stated that he did not allocute properly, not because he did not want to present a better allocution, but rather, if he had, appellee wouldn't be here today. Mr. Stow testified that he felt if he had allocuted properly something might have happened to his wife and his son. When Mr. Stow was asked how he perceived the fear that appellee as well as his own family would be killed, Mr. Stow responded that it was substantially real. He stated that he did not bring any of this information to the trial court's attention because he was certain something would have immediately happened to appellee. Mr. Stow testified that the reason he did not request a hearing out of the presence of the others in order to inform the court of the threats was because he felt that Khaalis and the other Hanafi Muslims would have asked questions as to why appellee was the only one brought up from the cellblock for the hearing. He stated that Khaalis would likely become aware that appellee disobeyed his orders and would have sought to kill him. Mr. Stow informed the trial court that the Hanafi Muslims are strong in their faith and are very close knit in both the Federal [prison] system and the District of Columbia and other state [prison] systems. Later in the hearing, the government readily conceded that networks exist within the prison system. [16] The trial court also noted that in his letter dated December 21, 1979, appellee informed the trial court that while incarcerated at Lompoc, California, he was being threatened and was told not to seek a reduction of sentence. Because of these threats, appellee requested that the trial court not make the details of his letter a matter of general knowledge. [17] In addition, he testified in the December 12, 1980 hearing that Khaalis was dictating orders, by telephone to the Hanafi Muslims within the prison system. Mr. Stow admitted that, after the September 6, 1977 sentencing hearing, he felt as if he had not done justice to the case insofar as presenting useful mitigating information to the trial court during allocution. His references to the fact that appellee had no prior criminal record, had served in the Army, and had assisted a man during the siege offered no new information, but simply repeated what the court already knew. He testified that his feeling of constraint in this presentation was attributable to what he thought would happen to appellee and his own family as well. He stated that he was totally unaware of appellee's background and of the fact that appellee was a virtual prisoner at the 16th Street house. This testimony forms more than adequate justification for the failure to inform the court of mitigating circumstances at sentencing.