664 F. 2d 181 - Collins v. Housewright

David Ray Collins appeals from the district court's1 denial of his petition for writ of habeas corpus following an evidentiary hearing. Appellant argues that the state trial court denied him a fair trial by failing to make a pretrial inquiry into his competence to stand trial. For the reasons discussed below, we affirm the judgment of the district court.

Appellant was found guilty by a jury of aggravated robbery and theft of property in 1979 and sentenced to a total of thirty years imprisonment. Appellant's conviction was affirmed by the Arkansas Court of Appeals2 and the Arkansas Supreme Court.3

In 1980 appellant filed two pro se petitions in federal district court attacking his state conviction on a variety of grounds.4 The district court consolidated the petitions and appointed counsel. Appellant, with the assistance of counsel, then filed an amended petition alleging that the state trial court (1) erroneously admitted into evidence a coerced confession obtained while he was denied the right to consult with an attorney and (2) failed to make a pretrial determination of competence, pursuant to Ark.Stat.Ann. §§ 41-605, 41-606 (1977).5 In connection with the second claim, appellant argued that he was denied effective assistance of counsel because his attorney did not pursue the question of competency. Following an evidentiary hearing at which appellant and his defense attorney testified, the district court found no merit in appellant's allegations and denied relief. Collins v. Cartwright, Nos. PB-C-80-50/217 (E.D.Ark. Mar. 23, 1981).

On appeal appellant raises only the state trial court's failure to make a pretrial determination of his competence to stand trial, pursuant to applicable state law. Appellant does not challenge the constitutional adequacy of the state law nor does he allege that he was in fact incompetent at the time of trial. We, of course, make no determination in this habeas proceeding whether or not the state trial court violated applicable state law. Our concern is whether the state trial court's failure to make a pretrial determination of competency violated the federal constitutional standards set forth in Pate v. Robinson, 383 U.S. 375, 86 S.Ct. 836, 15 L.Ed.2d 815 (1966), and Drope v. Missouri, 420 U.S. 162, 95 S.Ct. 896, 43 L.Ed.2d 103 (1975). See, e. g., Pedrero v. Wainwright, 590 F.2d 1383, 1388-89 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 943, 100 S.Ct. 299, 62 L.Ed.2d 310 (1979); Chenault v. Stynchcombe, 546 F.2d 1191, 1192 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 878, 98 S.Ct. 231, 54 L.Ed.2d 158 (1977).

We note preliminarily that appellant has not raised the question of the state trial court's failure to make a pretrial competency determination in the state courts. Ordinarily we would require appellant to exhaust his available state remedies. E. g., Conner v. Auger, 595 F.2d 407, 413 (8th Cir.) (per curiam), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 851, 100 S.Ct. 104, 62 L.Ed.2d 67 (1979). We think, however, that it would be useless to require exhaustion of state remedies with respect to a meritless federal constitutional claim. E. g., Russell v. Missouri, 511 F.2d 861, 863 (8th Cir. 1975).

Due process requires that a defendant not be made to stand trial for a criminal charge unless he (or she) has a sufficient present ability to consult with his (or her) lawyer with a reasonable degree of rational understanding, and possesses a rational and factual understanding of the proceedings against him (or her). To safeguard that due process guarantee, the Supreme Court announced in Pate v. Robinson a separate procedural due process right to a competency hearing whenever the facts or events presented to the trial court raise a bona fide doubt as to the defendant's competency.

... (W)hen habeas relief is sought on grounds of a violation of the Pate procedural right to a competency hearing, a petitioner shoulders the burden of proving that objective facts known to the trial court were sufficient to raise a bona fide doubt as to the defendant's competency. The emphasis in a Pate analysis is on what the trial court did in light of what it knew then.

Reese v. Wainwright, 600 F.2d 1085, 1090-91 (5th Cir.) (citations omitted), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 983, 100 S.Ct. 487, 62 L.Ed.2d 410 (1979); accord, Harkins v. Wyrick, 552 F.2d 1308, 1311 (8th Cir. 1977); cf. Lindhorst v. United States, 658 F.2d 598 at 606-07 (8th Cir. 1981) (§ 2255 proceeding).

"The question to be asked by the reviewing court is whether a reasonable judge, situated as was the trial court judge whose failure to conduct an evidentiary hearing is being reviewed, should have experienced doubt with respect to competency to stand trial." DeKaplany v. Enomoto, 540 F.2d 975, 983 (9th Cir. 1976) (banc), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1075, 97 S.Ct. 815, 50 L.Ed.2d 793 (1977); accord, Harkins v. Wyrick, supra, 552 F.2d at 1311 (citations omitted). "While the Supreme Court has not articulated a general standard for the nature or quantum of evidence necessary to trigger a competency procedure, it has focused on three factors that should be considered: the existence of a history of irrational behavior, defendant's demeanor at trial, and prior medical opinion." Chenault v. Stynchcombe, supra, 546 F.2d at 1193, citing Drope v. Missouri, supra, 420 U.S. at 180, 95 S.Ct. at 908.

We have carefully reviewed the record and agree with the district court that the evidence presented to the state trial court, before or during trial,6 did not raise a reasonable or bona fide doubt as to appellant's competence. Appellant did not establish a history of irrational behavior or any indication that his demeanor at trial was in any way unusual. Compare Drope v. Missouri, supra, 420 U.S. at 178-82, 95 S.Ct. at 906-09 (defendant had a history of "pronounced irrationality" and attempted suicide during trial). Nor did appellant present any medical opinion as to his competence. Appellant's defense attorney did file a pretrial motion for a psychiatric examination,7 which was granted by the state trial court. Appellant was to have been evaluated by Dr. Henry G. Hearnsburger at a local community mental health center. Because he had some kind of accident at the jail, appellant was unable to keep this appointment. Defense counsel did not pursue the motion for a psychiatric examination and did not raise the question of competence during trial.8

In addition, we reject appellant's argument that the state trial court's granting of the motion for a psychiatric examination necessarily raised the requisite reasonable or bona fide doubt as to his competence. Whatever the effect of the granting of the motion for a psychiatric examination may be under state law, we do not think that such a motion alone, supported only by the representation of defense counsel that appellant had blackouts and difficulty in remembering the events in question, was sufficient to raise the requisite reasonable or bona fide doubt. See Pedrero v. Wainwright, supra, 590 F.2d at 1388 (evidence that defendant had spent a year in a mental institution held insufficient to create bona fide doubt as to competence); DeKaplany v. Enomoto, supra, 540 F.2d at 982-83 & n.8, citing People v. Laudermilk, 67 Cal.2d 272, 431 P.2d 228, 238, 61 Cal.Rptr. 644, 654 (1967) (contention of defense counsel that defendant was incompetent to stand trial was of "limited probative value"), cert. denied, 393 U.S. 861, 89 S.Ct. 139, 21 L.Ed.2d 128 (1968); Jordan v. Wainwright, 457 F.2d 338, 339 (5th Cir. 1972) (per curiam) ("(N)o sanity hearing is mandated by Pate v. Robinson, by a naked suggestion that the defendant may be incompetent."). This is particularly true where, as in the present case, the issue of competency was not raised again during the trial. See Reese v. Wainwright, supra, 600 F.2d at 1092.

Accordingly, the judgment of the district court is affirmed.