Opinion ID: 1351808
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Armann's conduct and the court-martial proceedings

Text: Kurtis Armann served as a private in the United States Army and was stationed in Germany. In October 1998, he attempted to kill Private Toni Bell by shooting her. Armann and Bell had previously entered into an agreement in which Bell would pay Armann to kill Bell's in-laws. However, when Bell backed out of the agreement and demonstrated reluctance to pay, Armann planned to kill her. On the night of the shooting, Armann, dressed in black clothing, waited with a makeshift rifle near the gate at which Bell stood guard. When Bell arrived for duty, Armann peered through the rifle scope, taking aim for her head. He fired the rifle but the bullet struck Bell in her neck and she survived. Armann was charged with attempted premeditated murder with a firearm, conspiracy to commit premeditated murder, violating a lawful general regulation by wrongfully possessing a firearm with a silencer, and wrongfully using marijuana, in violation of Articles 80, 81, 92, and 112a of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), respectively. He was held in pretrial custody at the Mannheim Confinement Facility in Germany. The Military Judge held a pretrial hearing where Master Sergeant Carlos Perez, Chief of Correctional Supervision Branch, testified that since arriving at the Mannheim facility, Armann was taking medication to treat migraine headaches. The Judge ordered a Sanity Board to evaluate Armann's mental health. Armann's trial counsel objected, arguing that neither the medical officers at the confinement center nor the other government authorities had come forth with questions about Armann's mental health. Counsel stated that he had no basis to question Private Armann's ability to assist in his defense or ... appreciate the ongoing proceedings. On February 8, 1999, the Sanity Board released its findings, stating that Armann was not suffering from any severe mental disease or defect at the time of his criminal conduct and that he had sufficient mental capacity to understand the nature of the proceedings and to conduct his own defense, or cooperate intelligently in his own defense. The Board made such findings after reviewing Armann's outpatient records, other medical records, and the documents relating to the charges. It also reported negative findings of repeated medical examinations and laboratory tests regarding the extent of any organic brain damage. At a court-martial proceeding held on March 19, 1999, Armann pleaded guilty to all four counts. Prior to accepting Armann's plea, the Military Judge reviewed the allegations, which Armann elaborated upon and accepted as true. The Judge ensured that Armann was voluntarily pleading guilty and that by doing so Armann was waiving certain rights. Armann's attorney also acknowledged that he had received a copy of the Sanity Board determination. Following the plea, the Judge held a sentencing hearing at which Armann's expert testified that, although Armann was taking medication for his migraine headaches, he was sane at the time of the offense. The Judge sentenced Armann to a dishonorable discharge and thirty-eight years' imprisonment, which was then reduced to thirty-five years pursuant to a plea agreement. On the day of (and the day before) Armann's plea and sentencing, the Mannheim facility administered various medications to him. The medical logs for the facility document that on March 18 and 19, Mannheim officials administered Seconal, Fironal, Fioricet, Compazine, Midrin, Phenergan, and Elavil to Armann at various times throughout each day. In his habeas petition, Armann provides various filings which indicate that such drugs may produce sedative effects that may impair one's mental and/or physical abilities or impact one's nervous system. At the plea and sentencing proceeding, the Military Judge did not inquire into whether Armann had taken any medication that day nor did Armann or his attorney raise any competency issues.