Opinion ID: 3045451
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Evidence Presented During the Penalty Phase

Text: The sole defense witness to testify during the penalty phase of Burgess’s trial was Dr. John Goff, a neuropsychologist. The thrust of Dr. Goff’s testimony was that he had diagnosed Burgess as suffering from a “cyclothymic disorder,” less 5 Case: 12-10444 Date Filed: 07/30/2013 Page: 6 of 28 severe than bi-polar disorder but reflecting “that the patient has a substantial problem with fluctuating moods, going from episodes of elation and over stimulation, to episodes of being profoundly depressed.” However, in the course of his testimony Dr. Goff repeatedly indicated that his own assessment of Burgess had been difficult. He had met with Burgess for five hours, during which time he found it difficult to communicate with Burgess, whom he described as being in a manically excited state. He also repeatedly described the “collateral evidence” of Burgess’s educational and familial history as “sparse.” He cursorily stated that Burgess’s mother suffered from mental illness, that he had a dysfunctional family life, that at least one of his uncles beat him on a regular basis, that he had mentally retarded family members, and that he did poorly in school. Burgess’s school records were also introduced into evidence, demonstrating his poor academic performance over the course of his life: his need to repeat the first grade, his eventual placement into special education classes where he continued to do extremely poorly, and leaving school after the completion of the ninth grade with all failing grades with the exception of one D. As to Burgess’s intellectual functioning, Dr. Goff explained that he had conducted no investigation into the matter and administered no intelligence testing. Rather, Dr. Goff testified that he had read the reports of a Dr. Shealy, an expert for the defense, and a Dr. Maier, an expert for the state. Dr. Shealy’s report indicated 6 Case: 12-10444 Date Filed: 07/30/2013 Page: 7 of 28 that he administered intelligence testing after Burgess’s arrest, from which he concluded that Burgess was “borderline mentally retarded.”2 Dr. Goff also read into the record portions of a report written by Dr. Maier, who examined Burgess on behalf of the state. Dr. Maier did not report having administered any IQ testing, but rather “estimated” that Burgess’s intelligence was “below normal probably in the borderline range, IQ estimate somewhere between 70 and 80.” Dr. Maier further reported that Burgess “may even be mildly mentally retarded,” and found this to be consistent with Burgess’s “very limited educational and/or vocational achievements.”