Opinion ID: 1753481
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 19

Heading: Dr. GelbortNeuropsychologist

Text: Dr. Michael Gelbort, a neuropsychologist, evaluated Glass prior to trial. Dr. Gelbort could have testified that, overall, Glass has a slightly above average IQ of 104. Dr. Gelbort's testing indicates that Glass has neuropsychological deficits that impair higher thinking functions such as abstract reasoning, problem-solving, and comprehension. Glass also exhibited learning and memory difficulties, which indicate his temporal lobe functions were mildly impaired. Counsel did not call Dr. Gelbort as a mitigating witness because counsel did not want to open the door to cross-examination questions by the State as to whether Dr. Gelbort knew about the child pornography or women's underwear found in Glass's house. The motion court found that counsel's decision not to call Dr. Gelbort was unreasonable and constituted ineffective assistance of counsel. It found that Dr. Gelbort's testimony would not open the door to the admission of the evidence because the trial court had already determined it was inadmissible. But the inadmissibility of the items as evidence does not necessarily rule out the State asking Dr. Gelbort about them on cross-examination. A substantial inquiry into the factual basis of an expert opinion is a proper object of cross-examination. . . . State v. Thompson, 985 S.W.2d 779, 787 (Mo. banc 1999). The State could have asked Dr. Gelbort whether he was aware of the items and whether that had any bearing on his diagnoses. Even if the jury were instructed that questions were not evidence, the question itself would have informed the jury about the items. Trial counsel's strategic choice not to call a witness after a thorough investigation is virtually unchallengeable. Bucklew v. State, 38 S.W.3d at 398 (affirming motion court's denial of claim that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to call this same expert, Dr. Michael Gelbort, as a witness). Here, counsel made a reasonable choice not to call Dr. Gelbort. Dr. Gelbort's testimony about Glass's average intellect, mild impairments, and probable deficits would not have been beneficial enough to risk informing the jury about the child pornography found in Glass's house or how Glass stole women's underwear and personal identifications and used them for masturbatory purposes. The motion court clearly erred in finding counsel was ineffective for failing to call Dr. Gelbort.