Opinion ID: 4557266
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Boyd’s trial

Text: The State of New Jersey charged Boyd with aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, and terroristic threats. Before trial, Boyd moved to fire his lawyer. Though the court warned him of the dangers of self-representation, Boyd still chose to represent himself. At the hearing, Boyd noted that he takes pain medication but not psychotropic drugs. Finding that his waiver of counsel was knowing and voluntary, the trial court granted his motion but ordered his lawyer to stay on as standby counsel. The trial did not go smoothly. For the first three days, Boyd kept protesting that the jail had not given him his medications. The first morning, he told the judge that he had not eaten breakfast or slept in thirty hours because he had gotten into a quarrel in jail. He also said that he needed Clonidine (for high blood pressure), Ultram and Pheldene (for pain), and Zantac (for stomach ulcers), but the jail had not given him these medications. Later that morning, Boyd took all but the Zantac, which would have to wait until he met with the jail doctor. That afternoon, the court noted on the record that in another trial, Boyd had made the same allegations. There too, Boyd said he had gotten into a quarrel at the jail, had not had his blood-pressure medicine, and had neither eaten nor slept in thirty hours. State v. Boyd, No. 01-12-3098, 2006 WL 1096622, at  (N.J. Super. Ct. App. Div. Apr. 27, 2006)