Opinion ID: 4198315
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Crime, Arrest, and Pre-Trial Interrogations

Text: On March 29, 1982, Petrocelli went on a test drive of a Volkswagen pickup truck with James Wilson, a used car salesman, in Reno, Nevada. At some point during that test drive, Petrocelli shot and killed Wilson. Wilson’s body was found buried in a crevice under some rocks and brush near Pyramid Lake. The lake is about thirty-five miles north of Reno. Wilson had been shot in the neck, chest, and back of the head. Nearly a year before killing Wilson, in May 1981, Petrocelli had pleaded guilty in Washington State to kidnaping his girlfriend, Melanie Barker. He had received a suspended sentence conditioned on his completion of a drug treatment program. Petrocelli absconded from the treatment program twice and never completed it. Petrocelli shot and killed Barker in Washington State in October 1981, five months before he killed Wilson in Nevada. Petrocelli was arrested for the Wilson murder in Las Vegas on April 18, 1982. The following day, he was 6 PETROCELLI V. BAKER interrogated in Las Vegas. Petrocelli was advised of his Miranda rights, and he signed a statement indicating that he understood them. Petrocelli stated during the interrogation, “I’d sort of like to know what my . . . lawyer wants me to do.” (Ellipsis in original.) He nonetheless continued to answer questions. Later in the interrogation, he admitted to having previously stolen a car from a “Dub Peterson” dealership in Oklahoma City after taking it for a test drive with a salesman. Petrocelli was subsequently transported to Reno. On the afternoon of April 20, he was interrogated by Sergeants Glen Barnes and Abel Dickson, as well as two prosecutors from the District Attorney’s Office of Washoe County, Bruce Laxalt and Don Nomura. At the beginning of the interrogation, Petrocelli made a variety of requests that he characterized as “preconditions” to talking. They included locating some of his property, facilitating a visit by his wife, bringing him photographs of Barker, arranging a television interview, and receiving psychiatric counseling. Dickson testified at a hearing outside the presence of the jury that no promises were made, but that Petrocelli was told that if his requests “could be done they would be done.” After being informed of his Miranda rights, Petrocelli confessed to shooting both Wilson and Barker. On April 20, the Public Defender of Washoe County was appointed as counsel for Petrocelli by order of the Reno Justice Court. On April 21, Petrocelli personally appeared in the Justice Court, where he was arraigned and bail was set. The visitors’ log for the Washoe County Jail shows that Larry Wishart, an attorney from the Washoe County Public Defender’s Office, and Tim Ford, an investigator from that PETROCELLI V. BAKER 7 office, visited Petrocelli on April 21, the day of his arraignment, at about 1:50 pm. (A date and time stamp of “82 APR 21 P 1 :5” appears on the photocopy of the log. The number specifying the minute is cut off on the photocopy in the trial court record.) A date and time stamp shows that their visit lasted about half an hour (“82 APR 21 2 :2”). The log shows a visit from Dr. Lynn Gerow later that day. Gerow was a psychiatrist who had been asked by Chief Deputy District Attorney Laxalt to evaluate Petrocelli’s competency to stand trial. The relevant page of the visitors’ log is dedicated exclusively to visitors to Petrocelli. Wishart and Ford’s entry, with their signatures, is on line three of the page. They wrote “WCPD/ATT” in the box asking for their “relationship.” Dr. Gerow’s entry, with his signature, is on line four, immediately below. He wrote “D.A.” in the box asking for his “relationship.” The entry by Wishart and Ford, stating their relationship to Petrocelli, would have been apparent to Gerow when he signed the log. A date and time stamp show that Gerow signed in at about 3:50 (“82 APR 21 P 3 :5”). There is no stamp showing when his visit ended. Gerow testified at trial that he spent two hours interviewing Petrocelli. Petrocelli testified that he believed that Dr. Gerow had come to see him in response to his request for counseling. During his April 20 interview in Reno, Petrocelli had specified as one of his “preconditions” that he receive psychiatric counseling. Petrocelli testified consistently at a hearing outside the presence of the jury, saying that he had stated as one of his preconditions: “I wanted to have psychiatric counseling while I was in the jail.” He testified that he “saw a doctor Gerow once.” When asked how long he 8 PETROCELLI V. BAKER spoke to Gerow, Petrocelli responded, “[I]t didn’t seem like it was very long.” When asked to estimate the time, Petrocelli responded, “Well, I never did even finish my conversation. He just cut me off in the middle and left.” On April 27, Dr. Gerow sent a letter labeled “confidential” to Prosecutor Laxalt in the District Attorney’s office. He wrote: At your request I examined Mr. Maida [the name under which Petrocelli was then being held] at the Washoe County Jail on April 21, 1982. I had an opportunity to discuss his case with you prior to the psychiatric evaluation. ... Mr. Maida was abused as a child. He was adopted at three years of age. . . . He was in trouble at school and home at an early age. He developed a psychopathic personality which is complicated by a history of severe drug abuse. . . . In my opinion Mr. Maida is both competent for understanding the charges and assisting his attorney and responsible (mens rea) for any alleged offense. I have determined to see Mr. Maida in the future on an “as needed” basis. If you require my involvement as circumstances develop, please feel free to call me. PETROCELLI V. BAKER 9 Gerow testified in state post-conviction proceedings that when he wrote “as needed,” he meant “as needed by Mr. Laxalt.” Wishart testified in state post-conviction proceedings that when he met with Petrocelli on April 21, he did not know that Dr. Gerow was going to see his client later that afternoon. Wishart testified that he would not have employed Gerow because he “had a prosecution bias.” Petrocelli was interrogated again on April 27. After being advised of his Miranda rights, Petrocelli made another statement.