Opinion ID: 3047718
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Comer’s Waivers at Trial and Sentencing

Text: Comer was charged with one count of first degree murder, three counts of armed robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of kidnaping, two counts of sexual abuse, and three counts of sexual assault. After Comer waived his presence at his 1988 trial, the jury found him guilty on all counts. Comer also waived his presence at the April 8, 1988 mitigation/aggravation sentencing hearing where the parties presented evidence and argument regarding whether Comer should be sentenced to death or to life in prison. Nor did Comer want to appear at the April 11, 1988 hearing for the pronouncement of his sentence.2 Arizona state law, trial court must satisfy itself that the waiver of his constitutional rights is knowing and voluntary”); Moran v. Godinez, 57 F.3d 690, 698 (9th Cir. 1995), amending 40 F.3d 1567 (9th Cir. 1994) (“Whether a waiver of constitutional rights was made knowingly and voluntarily is a mixed question of law and fact which we review de novo”); Crandell v. Bunnell, 25 F.3d 754 (9th Cir. 1994) (per curiam) (reviewing de novo petitioner’s claim that he did not voluntarily waive his right to counsel in state municipal proceedings); United States v. Amano, 229 F.3d 801, 803 (9th Cir. 2000) (reviewing Miranda waiver de novo). 2 “There were no arguments to be heard or evidence to be taken” at the sentence imposition hearing; it “was the time for the [sentencing] Court’s rendition of the special verdict, a copy of which was furnished to both counsel.” See September 22, 1998 Arizona Superior Court Order at 3 (dismissing second state post-conviction petition); see also August 2, 1996 3118 COMER v. SCHRIRO however, required that Comer be present when his sentence was pronounced. On the day of the pronouncement, Comer refused to voluntarily attend the hearing. He barricaded his cell door with a mattress and threatened jail staff with a 10inch shank. Jail correctional officers, in order to disarm Comer and extract him from his cell, sprayed Comer with water from a fire-hose with a 150-pound water pressure capacity. Even when being sprayed with the fire hose, Comer still fought back. A prison doctor, one day after the incident, testified that he was present at the jail on April 11, 1988 when Comer refused to come out of his cell. It was clear to the doctor that Comer was “willing and able” to do serious bodily harm to anyone who came within his reach. The doctor considered it a potentially lethal situation, to both Mr. Comer as well as any of the guards there, that was handled in a “very humane manner with no one getting hurt.”3 The District Court later concluded that Comer gave officers no choice but to remove Comer from his cell by force. After finally disarming Comer, jail correctional officers brought Comer to the sentencing courtroom in a wheelchair, his head slumped to one side, apparently unclothed except for a blanket covering his lap, with a contusion on his forehead. At the trial court’s request, a medical doctor checked Comer to see if Comer was conscious and aware. In the doctor’s District Court Order at 27 (rejecting argument that Comer’s physical appearance at the April 11, 1988 imposition of sentence hearing could have affected Comer’s sentence for the state trial court “had already determined the sentence based on the evidence presented at a prior aggravation/ mitigation hearing”). 3 See August 2, 1996 District Court Order at 27; see also September 22, 1998 Arizona Superior Court Order at 3 (state trial court, in its order dismissing second state post-conviction petition as procedurally barred, noted that Comer “brought the whole situation on himself”). COMER v. SCHRIRO 3119 opinion, Comer was competent and conscious throughout all of the court proceedings on April 11, 1988. The complete transcript of the April 11, 1988 pronouncement of sentence supports the doctor’s opinion that Comer understood the proceedings.4 Despite his physical appearance, Comer was responsive to the judge’s questions. For example, when told by the prison doctor that he (Comer) was “in court in front of the Judge,” Comer responded “I know.” When the trial judge asked Comer, “I know you don’t want to be here today, is that right?,” Comer responded: “We made it though, huh?” When the Court replied “I guess we did but I’ll tell you —,” Comer interjected “With a little help from my friends, man.” The trial court then explained to Comer: Arizona law requires that you have to be here at the time of sentencing and that is why you are here. [¶] I wish I could accommodate your wish not to be here but because the law says you have to be here. That is why they had to bring you up. Do you understand that? Comer responded: “Yeah.” After the trial court read to Comer the counts of conviction, the trial court noted that Comer had already served 431 days in custody. When asked “Does that number of days sound right to you, Mr. Comer?,” Comer replied: “Yeah.” The trial court then asked Comer whether there was “anything you want to say now before I pronounce sentence?” Comer 4 See 4/11/88 complete RT; see also September 22, 1998 Arizona Superior Court Order at 3 (state trial court, in its order dismissing second state post-conviction petition as procedurally barred, noted that on April 11, 1988 it had determined that Comer was conscious and aware of the proceedings and there was no issue as to Comer’s competency); see also August 2, 1996 District Court Order at 27 (District Court found that “the record of the sentencing proceeding itself shows that [Comer] was competent”). 3120 COMER v. SCHRIRO responded: “Yeah. Are you going to sentence me for the piece, the tool?” The trial court replied “We are going to get into that later . . . .” After Comer twice more stated he had nothing he wished to say before the pronouncement of his sentence, the trial court sentenced Comer to death for the murder and to aggravated, consecutive terms of imprisonment on the remaining counts, resulting in a sentence of imprisonment totaling 339 years.