Opinion ID: 1809395
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 20

Heading: Failure to secure a pathologist.

Text: ¶ 20. For purposes of post-conviction relief, Havard again claims that counsel was ineffective in failing to research case law, which he asserts would have insured him an expert witness to aid in his defense. Havard further asserts that counsel failed to preserve this issue for direct appeal. Havard relies on Harrison v. State, 635 So.2d 894, 901 (Miss.1994) as did this Court on direct appeal. Havard, 928 So.2d at 788-89. ¶ 21. On direct appeal, Havard claimed that his trial counsel were ineffective for failing to secure a pathologist to investigate the case and develop a defense strategy. It was made clear that a defendant's right to defense funds for obtaining such an expert is conditioned upon a showing of need of the expert in order to prepare a defense and will depend on the facts and circumstances of each case. Id. (citing Harrison, 635 So.2d at 901). Havard's trial counsel made the request based on the need for assistance in interpreting the autopsy reports. The trial court denied the request. This Court held that the trial court did not abuse its discretion and that defense counsel's efforts did not rise to such a level so as to offend Strickland.  Havard, 928 So.2d at 789. ¶ 22. Also worth noting is an affidavit from one of Havard's defense attorneys, Gus Sermos, who stated that he believes a pathologist could have assisted with the case but he had no funding for this purpose and did not consult with one. He also stated that he did consult with a registered nurse. Although we in no way through dicta intend to suggest that a registered nurse will suffice when a defendant in a criminal case requests a pathologist, we simply note that counsel's consultation with a registered nurse does evidence counsel's diligence when the request for independent pathologist funding was denied. ¶ 23. The test provided by Strickland and its progeny is two-fold. Havard must show that counsels' performance was deficient. Id., 466 U.S. at 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052. Second, if the first prong is met, Havard must show that counsels' deficient performance was prejudicial to Havard's defense. Id. In this post-conviction proceeding, Havard presents the affidavit of Attorney Ross Parker Simons, who stated that he (Simons) has practiced law in Mississippi for more than twenty years with extensive death-penalty experience. [3] Simons stated in his affidavit that he was of the opinion that Havard's counsel were ineffective within the meaning of Strickland because they recognized the need for expert assistance with the defense, as evidenced by their request in the trial court, but they failed in their duty to make a proper showing of need to the trial court. Because of this, Simons further opines that Havard's trial counsel failed to secure an expert or make an adequate record to preserve this issue on appeal. ¶ 24. As previously stated, this Court considered this issue on the merits, in depth, on direct appeal. We decided that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by denying the defense's request for an independent expert. Havard, 928 So.2d at 788-89. This Court decided that Havard's trial counsel were not ineffective. With all due respect, the affidavit of Simons amounts to nothing more than his legal opinion, and this Court will not substitute Simons's opinion for its own simply because Simons respectfully disagrees with this Court concerning our Strickland analysis based on the record with which we are presented. Havard's contention that trial counsel failed to preserve this issue for direct appeal is without merit because this matter was raised and discussed on direct appeal. ¶ 25. Havard has failed to meet the burden of Strickland's first prong, thus, the issue is without merit, and the Court is not required to proceed to the second prong. Foster v. State, 687 So.2d 1124, 1129-30 (Miss.1996). ¶ 26. However, assuming arguendo that Havard did prevail on the first prong by showing that counsel's performance was deficient, he is unable to show that his defense was prejudiced. Havard again presents the affidavits and reports of Lauridson, who opined in his affidavit that there is a possibility that Chloe Madison Brit was not sexually assaulted. Taking this statement to its logical conclusion, this leaves open the possibility that she was. Dr. Lauridson's report also is somewhat cumulative when compared with Dr. Steven Hayne's testimony regarding the absence of tearing of the anal sphincter. Dr. Hayne testified as follows: Q. [by defense counsel] If there were any tears down there in your report when you put a contusion of the anus is noted, I presume you would have also written tears were noticed also; is that correct? A. [by Dr. Hayne] If I had seen them, I would put down laceration. I did not see it in this case, and I did not exclude it, but I didn't see it. Dr. Lauridson's report is also cumulative of Amy Winters's testimony that no semen was found on the rape kit swabs taken from the victim. ¶ 27. Dr. Lauridson's reports do, however, differ from expert testimony at trial in some instances. First, Dr. Lauridson asserted that Dr. Hayne was incorrect in his testimony that rigor mortis causes contracture of muscles after death, which Dr. Hayne explained could prevent him from discovering a slight tear. Dr. Lauridson's indication that Dr. Hayne was incorrect is inconsequential to the point of Dr. Hayne's testimony. Both doctors agreed that they did not discover a tear. Dr. Lauridson also belabored the point that Dr. Hayne was incorrect regarding the contracture of the anal sphincter muscle by asserting that photographs of the victim's anus taken in the emergency room compared to photographs taken during autopsy revealed the same amount of anal relaxation. It is difficult to understand how Dr. Lauridson reached this conclusion, because he admitted that no scales were used in either set of photographs. Further, every doctor and/or nurse present in the emergency room who testified at Havard's trial told the jury that the autopsy photograph of Chloe's relaxed anus did not do justice to the dilated anus they each described as being open about the size of a quarter. Again, both doctors agreed that there was no tearing of the anus. ¶ 28. Dr. Lauridson also asserted: [e]xperienced medical examiners commonly encounter dilated anal sphincter's [sic] during postmortem examinations. Experience as well as the medical literature recognizes that this finding does not imply anal sexual abuse. Studies of this phenomenon, in fact have shown that children who have died of brain injuries have an increased likelihood of having a dilated anus. Dr. Lauridson concluded his report stating, Postmortem anal dilation in infants is a commonly recognized artifact that does not signify sexual abuse. However, as the state points out, Chloe's dilated anal sphincter was discovered while Chloe was in the emergency room and still alive. ¶ 29. Further, Dr. Lauridson's conclusion was not only contrary to that of Dr. Hayne, it was contrary to the sworn testimony from experienced emergency-room doctors and nurses. Angel Godbold, a registered nurse for eleven years with eight years experience in the emergency room, testified that Chloe's anus was very unusual for an infant and the trauma she observed to Chloe's anus led her to later seek counseling. She also described seeing tears. Patricia Murphy, a registered nurse of nearly thirty years, twenty years of which were spent in the emergency room, testified that Chloe's rectum was not normal by any means, that she had seen sexual trauma before, that she was of the opinion that the injuries sustained by Chloe were the result of sexual trauma, and that it was the worst she had ever seen. Dr. Laurie Patterson, an emergency-room physician who treated Chloe, testified that what she saw of Chloe's anus was not normal and was indicative of sexual penetration. She also testified that she observed a tear of the anus. Dr. Ayesha Dar, Chloe's pediatrician, also tried to save Chloe in the emergency room. She testified that the injury to Chloe's rectum was from sexual abuse consistent with a foreign object being forcibly inserted. Dr. Dar testified that Chloe was bleeding from the anus and she observed a tear. Reverend James E. Lee, the duly elected Adams County coroner, testified that he observed Chloe and noticed something was terribly wrong. He stated that it appeared that something had penetrated the baby's anus. ¶ 30. Additionally, Dr. Hayne testified that there was a contusion in the victim's rectum measuring approximately one inch. Dr. Hayne further testified that the contusion would be consistent with penetration of the rectum with an object.... Dr. Lauridson stated that [t]he lining of the anus and rectum is a delicate tissue and can easily be injured, producing a contusion if a foreign object is inserted. He then reminded this Court that a thermometer was inserted during resuscitation. He offered this for the explanation of why Dr. Hayne discovered a contusion during the autopsy, yet Dr. Lauridson disagreed in his next report that there was a contusion. There is no histologic evidence for contusion, or laceration of the surfaces of the anal perianal or colonic tissues. ¶ 31. Again, assuming arguendo that Havard's counsel was deficient, Havard has not met the second prong of Strickland in that Dr. Lauridson's reports and affidavits do not contain evidence that would create a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's deficient performance, the outcome of Havard's trial would have been different. Havard's claim thus does not pass the standard set forth in Strickland. This issue is without merit.