Opinion ID: 158868
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to Request Mental Health Expert

Text: 36 Petitioner argues that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request the assistance of a mental health expert, both to rebut the State's allegation of petitioner's future dangerousness and to assist in presenting mitigating evidence. Because the State presented evidence of petitioner's future dangerousness, petitioner would have been entitled to appointed psychiatric assistance for sentencing if he could have established the likelihood that his mental condition was a significant mitigating factor. See Rogers v. Gibson, 173 F.3d 1278, 1284 & n.2 (10th Cir. 1999), petition for cert. filed (U.S. Nov. 5, 1999) (No. 99-6954). 37 At the post-conviction hearing, trial counsel asserted that there was nothing that led him to believe petitioner was not competent. Further, the trial record does not contain any suggestion that petitioner's mental condition could have been a significant mitigating factor. Counsel's failure to request a psychiatric expert, therefore, was not deficient. See, e.g., Wilson v. Henry, 185 F.3d 986, 990 (9th Cir. 1999); cf. Roll v. Bowersox, 177 F.3d 697, 699, 701 (8th Cir. 1999) (addressing counsel's failure to investigate and establish petitioner's mental condition at time of crime), cert. Denied, ___ U.S. ___, 120 S.Ct. 94, ___ L.Ed.2d ___ (1999). 38 Even if counsel's performance was deficient, however, petitioner has not shown that this deficiency prejudiced him. A 1995 post-conviction psychological evaluation indicated only that petitioner possesses low average intelligence and suffers from organic brain damage which impairs his judgment and causes him to act impulsively. While this evaluation would have been proper mitigating evidence, this court has, on numerous occasions determined that . . . evidence of low I.Q. and/or organic brain damage does not outweigh evidence supporting . . . multiple aggravating circumstances, Foster, 182 F.3d at 1189, citing cases. The same is true here, in light of the strength of the evidence supporting the aggravating circumstances, the nature of the crime and the limited mitigating effect of this psychiatric evidence. 39