Opinion ID: 2003518
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Competence to Waive Counsel

Text: Defendant contends that the circuit court in the post-conviction proceedings erred in concluding that he was competent to waive counsel during trial and the second stage of sentencing. A criminal defendant may not waive his right to counsel unless he does so `competently and intelligently.' ( Godinez v. Moran (1993), 509 U.S. 389, 396, 113 S.Ct. 2680, 2685, 125 L.Ed.2d 321, 330, quoting Johnson v. Zerbst (1938), 304 U.S. 458, 468, 58 S.Ct. 1019, 1025, 82 L.Ed. 1461, 1469.) Competence to waive counsel is measured by the same standard as competence to stand trial. ( People v. Mahaffey (1995), 166 Ill.2d 1, 19, 209 Ill.Dec. 607, 651 N.E.2d 1055, citing Godinez, 509 U.S. at 397, 113 S.Ct. at 2685, 125 L.Ed.2d at 330.) A defendant is considered unfit to stand trial if, because of a mental or physical condition, he is unable to understand the nature and purpose of the proceedings against him or to assist in his defense. ( People v. Eddmonds (1991), 143 Ill.2d 501, 512, 161 Ill.Dec. 306, 578 N.E.2d 952.) Fitness speaks only to a person's ability to function within the context of trial; it does not refer to sanity or competence in other areas. (See People v. Fowler (1991), 222 Ill.App.3d 157, 164, 164 Ill.Dec. 770, 583 N.E.2d 686.) A person can be fit for trial although his mind may be otherwise unsound. See Fowler, 222 Ill.App.3d at 164, 164 Ill.Dec. 770, 583 N.E.2d 686. At the post-conviction evidentiary hearing, defendant's trial attorneys and an attorney who represented defendant in a Federal kidnapping prosecution testified that defendant was extremely distrustful, uncooperative and difficult to work with. Defendant also presented the testimony of Dr. Leonard D. Elkun, a physician specializing in forensic psychiatry. Dr. Elkun personally interviewed defendant and reviewed reports from other mental health professionals concerning defendant's mental and emotional health and various materials relating to legal proceedings and defendant's personal background. Dr. Elkun formed the opinion that at the time defendant waived counsel, he was suffering from borderline personality disorder, a serious mental illness characterized by a poor capacity to organize one's life and plan for the future, the elevation of personal motivations above societal values, unstable interpersonal relationships, and instability in mood. According to Dr. Elkun, individuals suffering from borderline personality disorder experience transient psychotic episodes, but may otherwise appear outwardly normal. Dr. Elkun testified that defendant's grandmother, allegedly a practitioner of voodoo, instilled in defendant the belief that he possessed supernatural powers and was exempt from the laws of society. Dr. Elkun believed defendant's condition caused him to overestimate his ability to conduct his own defense. According to Dr. Elkun, defendant's paranoid thinking, characterized by mistrust of his attorneys, combined with his delusions of grandeur, prevented defendant from being able to make a knowing and intelligent decision whether to waive counsel. Defendant contends that in view of Dr. Elkun's testimony, the circuit court erred in denying post-conviction relief. We disagree. Mindful that determinations by the trial court in post-conviction proceedings will not be disturbed on review unless contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence ( People v. Eddmonds (1991), 143 Ill.2d 501, 514, 161 Ill.Dec. 306, 578 N.E.2d 952), we note that the ultimate issue of fitness is for the trial court, not the experts, to decide (see People v. Bleitner (1989), 189 Ill.App.3d 971, 976, 137 Ill.Dec. 487, 546 N.E.2d 241). The mere fact that a psychiatrist expresses the opinion that the defendant was unfit does not require a similar finding by the trial court; it is the trial court's function to assess the credibility and weight to be given to psychiatric expert testimony. See Bleitner, 189 Ill.App.3d at 976, 137 Ill.Dec. 487, 546 N.E.2d 241. The circuit court indicated that in light of all the evidence presented, it did not find Dr. Elkun's testimony to be credible. In this regard we note that the circuit court had the opportunity to observe Dr. Elkun's demeanor on the witness stand, including his demeanor during the State's sometimes vigorous cross-examination. In addition to Dr. Elkun's testimony, the trial court heard testimony from mental health professionals who had examined defendant in 1984 and found him fit to stand trial on criminal charges in another jurisdiction. Other evidence before the circuit court included the observations of defendant's demeanor and behavior by his trial attorneys and others who had frequent contact with him prior to and during his trial. While these witnesses lacked formal training in psychiatry or psychology, nonexperts who have had an opportunity to observe a person may give their opinions of mental condition or capacity based on their observations, and such lay opinions may overcome an expert opinion. (See Bleitner, 189 Ill.App.3d at 976, 137 Ill.Dec. 487, 546 N.E.2d 241.) Moreover, in assessing defendant's fitness the circuit court could properly consider defendant's conduct at trial, as reflected in the trial transcripts. Defendant's conduct at trial clearly demonstrates that he understood the nature and purpose of the proceedings against him. Dr. Elkun's testimony that defendant suffered paranoid thought processes might suggest an inability to assist counsel in his defense. However, there was testimony that while acting pro se defendant was sometimes agreeable to the recommendations of the attorneys acting as his advisors. From this evidence it is possible to infer that defendant's distrustfulness was not so pervasive as to constitute paranoia. While Dr. Elkun offered the opinion that defendant's decision to conduct his own defense was symptomatic of paranoid thinking, the trial court could conclude that the decision may have been in part a response to the fact that in three prior capital cases in other jurisdictions, his attorneys had been unable to save him from the death penalty. In view of all the circumstances, the circuit court's determination that defendant's waiver of counsel was valid is not against the manifest weight of the evidence.