Opinion ID: 1036479
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Pretrial Mental Evaluations

Text: Prior to trial, Lee’s trial counsel2 had the benefit of three mental health evaluations: (1) Dr. Winston Pineda at the jail; (2) the court-appointed expert Dr. Kathy Ronan; and (3) the defense’s retained expert Dr. Donald Blanton. Lee called Dr. Blanton as a witness in the guilt phase and the State called Dr. Ronan in rebuttal. We review their evaluations of Lee. Although neither party called Dr. Pineda, we also review the evidence concerning his evaluation of Lee.
At the State’s request, the state trial court ordered a mental evaluation of Lee. On July 20, 1999, clinical psychologist Dr. Kathy Ronan evaluated: (1) Lee’s present mental condition and competency to stand trial; and (2) Lee’s mental condition at the time of the murders. In her August 11, 1999 report, filed in the state trial court in September 1999, Dr. Ronan recounted Lee’s family background. Prior to his incarceration, 2 The state trial court appointed criminal defense attorneys Michael Jackson and Joseph Hagood III to represent Lee. Lead counsel Jackson was an experienced criminal law attorney, who worked several years as a prosecutor in a district attorney’s office in Alabama, and then as a criminal defense attorney in private practice for five years. 9 Case: 12-14421 Date Filed: 08/01/2013 Page: 10 of 128 Lee lived with his family, and had two sisters, three half-brothers, and one halfsister. Lee told Dr. Ronan that he was “mentally abused” by his mother, and that he was cursed and all his life told he “ain’t gonna amount to nothing.” But Lee “denied any physical or sexual abuse, or any significant difficulties while growing up.” As for physical or mental health problems, Lee reported that he once suffered a head injury that knocked him unconscious and necessitated a hospital visit, although he was not sure if he had sustained a concussion. Lee denied any other medical problems. Lee said that he had never received psychiatric services until after his incarceration for these murders. As to mental capacity, Dr. Ronan observed that Lee exhibited “a few areas of below normal functioning . . . but no significant deficits.” Lee’s test results “suggested that his overall intellect is probably within the low average to perhaps borderline range,” but Dr. Ronan found “no indication of retardation.” Dr. Ronan also recounted how Lee had a “fairly significant history of substance abuse, including Marijuana Dependence; Alcohol Dependence; and Cocaine Dependence.” Ultimately, Dr. Ronan concluded that Lee was competent to stand trial, as Lee did not “have any type of major psychiatric illness,” “[t]here is no indication of retardation,” and Lee “demonstrated adequate knowledge in all areas assessed 10 Case: 12-14421 Date Filed: 08/01/2013 Page: 11 of 128 related to legal proceedings.” Dr. Ronan also evaluated Lee’s mental state at the time of the murders. Lee told Dr. Ronan that immediately prior to the murders, he smoked “a blunt” of marijuana laced with cocaine and consumed a half pint of whiskey. Lee said that earlier that same day: (1) his head was burning and when he awoke that morning, he saw what he believed was a dead woman dressed in white who attempted to wake him; and (2) he smoked a joint of marijuana. Other than those reported facts, Dr. Ronan found “no indication that [Lee] had any type of command hallucinations or delusions directing him to be engaged in the behaviors related to the alleged offense.” Accordingly, Dr. Ronan’s opinion was that “there were no significant mental illness symptoms which interfered with [Lee’s] ability to appreciate the consequences of his actions during the time of the alleged offense” and any “substance induced perceptual anomalies . . . did not interfere with his ability to understand right from wrong during the time of the alleged crime.”
On September 20, 1999, after receiving Dr. Ronan’s report and certain school records, Lee’s counsel moved for the appointment of and $5,000 in funds to hire a clinical neuropsychologist who would interview, test, evaluate, and present trial testimony regarding Lee. Defense counsel asserted that an expert was necessary to assist counsel in determining and presenting mitigation evidence, 11 Case: 12-14421 Date Filed: 08/01/2013 Page: 12 of 128 including but not limited to “the fact that this Defendant has, through his life, functioned with very limited intellectual ability. . . . [and] other factors relating to his traumatic upbringing and mental impairments . . . which constitute mitigating circumstances.” Lee’s counsel specifically recognized that “[m]ental impairment is the most compelling mitigating factor[].” After the state trial court granted this motion, Lee’s counsel hired Dr. Donald Blanton to evaluate Lee. Dr. Donald Blanton has a Ph.D. in counseling and educational psychology and is an experienced psychometrist with expertise in administering psychological and educational tests. Dr. Blanton consulted with Lee on October 29, 1999, and conducted his evaluation of Lee on March 31, 2000. Dr. Blanton performed a number of psychological tests on Lee. Dr. Blanton first gave Lee the full Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, Revised (“WAIS-R”). Lee scored an IQ of 67, which indicated to Dr. Blanton that Lee was “in the middle range of mental retardation.” Dr. Blanton administered the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test, on which Lee did “fine.” Dr. Blanton also administered the Wide Range Achievement Test-Rephrased III, a reading, spelling, and arithmetic test, on which Lee scored at the sixth grade level in reading, the second grade level in spelling, and the second grade level in arithmetic. Dr. Blanton concluded that Lee “was not psychotic and that he was having 12 Case: 12-14421 Date Filed: 08/01/2013 Page: 13 of 128 some depression secondary to his situation.” In his report, Dr. Blanton stated that “[t]hroughout testing [Lee] appeared to put good effort into his work and anxiety did not appear to be a significant factor.” As for Lee’s substance abuse history, Dr. Blanton said that Lee admitted to him that he used marijuana on a daily basis and cocaine on a weekly basis. Dr. Blanton’s report noted that Lee’s mother and father both allegedly suffered from “nervous trouble” and had been treated for “nerves.” Additionally, Lee’s “[f]amily history . . . reveal[ed] a drug addicted uncle and another alcoholic uncle.”
Although not called at trial, we review what the record states about Dr. Pineda’s evaluation of Lee. Following his arrest, Lee was evaluated by Dr. Pineda, a psychiatrist working for the State, on January 7, 1999. Dr. Pineda’s evaluation and treatment are referenced in Dr. Ronan’s report, which both the state trial court and Lee’s counsel had. Dr. Pineda reported that, during his consultation, Lee complained of “persecutory auditory hallucinations” starting immediately before the murders and that Lee was “quite distraught and remorseful.” Dr. Pineda stated that Lee had an unspecified psychiatric disorder, as well as a dependence on marijuana. Dr. Pineda prescribed for Lee in jail certain anti-psychotic medications, including Zyprexa, Navane, and Congentin. 13 Case: 12-14421 Date Filed: 08/01/2013 Page: 14 of 128