Opinion ID: 1212322
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evidence of Whatley's Background

Text: Whatley argues that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to contact certain witnesses and by failing to use the testimony of other witnesses, including, in particular, witnesses from the District of Columbia. Whatley argues that counsel failed to make use of testimony from his mother; however, the defense investigator testified that he made repeated attempts to contact her but that she was not that cooperative and that his first interview with [her] went to hell in a handbasket. Whatley contends that trial counsel failed to contact the defense attorney who had represented him in the District of Columbia; however, the defense investigator testified that he contacted the attorney and then put him on the phone with trial counsel when the investigator grew nervous answering the attorney's questions about Whatley's murder case. Whatley argues that trial counsel failed to obtain criminal records in the District of Columbia, but transcripts of Whatley's criminal proceedings were served on defense counsel and placed in the trial record by the prosecution, so trial counsel certainly were aware of them. The psychological records associated with those criminal proceedings are discussed below. Whatley argues that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to contact his step-siblings; however, these minors were living with Whatley's uncooperative mother. He argues that trial counsel should have contacted one of his aunts and two of his uncles; however, a review of their affidavit testimony reveals little mitigating evidence that was unknown to trial counsel and that would have been admissible. We note that these affidavits in large part concern things that affected Whatley's family members, such as his mother, aunts, and uncles, rather than things that would have directly affected Whatley. Whatley argues that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance in failing to develop evidence regarding Cleveland and Marie Thomas, Whatley's great uncle and great aunt, who raised him but who had passed away by the time of Whatley's trial. First, the evidence shows that the investigation into Whatley's life with the Thomases was not deficient, because the defense investigator testified that he met 16 times with Whatley and contacted the Thomases' son, who testified at trial. Whatley told trial counsel and testified at trial that he had an ideal childhood living with the Thomases. Vague allegations now that Cleveland Thomas drank too much, abused Marie Thomas, shared a bed with Whatley, and touched him inappropriately fail to show that the defense team was deficient in its attempts to find mitigating evidence, because the defense investigator testified that Whatley never revealed these alleged facts. The allegation that Cleveland Thomas raped Whatley's mother might have been discoverable pretrial, because there are references to it in her mental health records; however, this allegation, and the alleged fact that she informed Whatley of the rape when he was a boy, would not have been significantly mitigating, particularly in light of the fact that use of the allegations may have offended the jurors if they perceived counsel as attacking the one couple who, while they were still living, had taken care of Whatley. Whatley argues that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to obtain evidence that Whatley, along with other inmates, had been involved in a successful lawsuit against guards at the prison in the District of Columbia where he was previously incarcerated. He argues that evidence that he suffered brutal treatment at the prison could have been used at trial to explain why he never returned to a halfway house in the District of Columbia when he was out past curfew one night. This argument lacks merit, because the jury would not have been significantly swayed by an argument that Whatley's fear of returning to prison justified his escape from the halfway house. Furthermore, Whatley has not shown that he informed his trial counsel of the alleged brutality, and Whatley did not mention being afraid of returning to prison when he testified in the sentencing phase about his escape from the halfway house. Whatley argues that trial counsel made deficient use of the testimony available from Eugene Watson, a caseworker in the District of Columbia who designed a rehabilitation plan for Whatley as part of Whatley's criminal proceedings there. Based on the testimony of the defense investigator and billing records, it is clear that trial counsel had repeated contacts with Watson and considered Watson's testimony to be the centerpiece of the sentencing phase strategy. The record shows that, not only did counsel communicate with Watson by telephone, but counsel also met with Watson in person several times once he arrived in Georgia and that counsel even arranged to have Watson with him and Whatley in a room near the courtroom during breaks at trial. Watson's habeas testimony downplaying the level of contact he had with trial counsel does not show the habeas court's conclusion that counsel performed adequately to be error in light of the entire record. Whatley also argues that trial counsel failed to properly prepare mitigation witnesses for their testimony. The record supports the habeas court's finding that the defense team, through the efforts of both trial counsel and the defense investigator, interviewed the mitigation witnesses and were aware of their potential testimony. Although it might be understandable that those witnesses now state that they felt ill at ease because trial counsel did not give them detailed instructions about what they should expect at trial, it was not unreasonable attorney conduct for trial counsel not to rehearse his witnesses' testimony with them. As the habeas court found and as was supported by the testimony of the defense investigator, trial counsel reasonably chose not to overly prepare his witnesses, because he wanted their testimony to come across as sincere. [31] Whatley argues that trial counsel failed to obtain several mental health reports that had been prepared in the District of Columbia as a result of his criminal activities there and that trial counsel failed to interview the experts who authored the reports. The habeas court's conclusion that trial counsel performed adequately with regard to these reports is reasonable, as it is supported by the presumption that counsel performed adequately, by documentary evidence showing that counsel obtained a signed release from Whatley and requested the materials from Whatley's caseworker in the District of Columbia, and by testimony from the defense investigator confirming that counsel sought the records from Whatley's caseworker. This conclusion is not made erroneous simply because Whatley's caseworker, in giving his habeas testimony, could not recall providing the materials to counsel. The habeas court also correctly concluded that Whatley would not have been prejudiced by counsel's alleged failure to obtain and use these mental health reports or to present testimony from the experts who authored them. A review of the reports confirms the habeas court's finding that they contain material that would have been damaging to Whatley's mitigation case, including statements that he lacked remorse for his crimes and believed he could get away with anything. The reports did note signs of neglect by Whatley's biological mother and a potential for psychotic symptoms under stress; however, these tentative findings would have proved of little effect, particularly in light of the fact that no clear findings of mental illness were noted in another mental health examination performed in preparation for Whatley's murder trial. Trial counsel presented testimony from Whatley himself suggesting that he was remorseful. However, Whatley argues that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to present additional testimony about his alleged remorse from his friends and from jail guards. This additional testimony about Whatley's remorse would not have had a significant impact on the jury, particularly because the prosecutor would have been able to explain Whatley's emotional reaction to learning that the victim had died as being a concern for his own punishment rather than true remorse for his actions. Whatley argues that trial counsel failed to present any records from his past other than his school records. Other than the records discussed elsewhere in this opinion, Whatley has not elaborated on what records trial counsel failed to obtain or how that failure affected his trial.