Cartrette v. State

448 S.E.2d 553, 323 S.C. 15, 1994 S.C. LEXIS 181
CourtSupreme Court of South Carolina
DecidedAugust 15, 1994
Docket24139
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 448 S.E.2d 553 (Cartrette v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of South Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Cartrette v. State, 448 S.E.2d 553, 323 S.C. 15, 1994 S.C. LEXIS 181 (S.C. 1994).

Opinions

Toal, Justice:

We granted certiorari to review the postconviction relief court’s findings of ineffective assistance of counsel and granting of a new trial. We disagree and reverse.

FACTS

Jerry Coleman attempted to rob Henderson Wood of the daily proceeds from his convenience store as Wood was getting into his car. Coleman shot Wood once, killing him instantly. In March 1984, Respondent Cartrette, along with Coleman and Paul Eugene Long, was indicted for criminal conspiracy, attempted armed robbery, and the murder of Henderson Wood. The State sought the death penalty and Cartrette was tried in a bifurcated trial pursuant to the South Carolina Death Penalty Statute, S.C. Code Ann. § 16-3-20 (1976). In April 1984, Cartrette was found guilty at trial on all three charges; however, during the sentencing phase, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous decision on the question of punishment. Consequently, the trial judge sentenced Cartrette to life imprisonment for murder, twenty years for attempted armed robbery, and five years for criminal conspiracy, all to be served concurrently.

Cartrette’s convictions and sentences were affirmed under former Supreme Court Rule 23,1 in our unpublished decision State v. Cartrette, Memo. Op. No. 85-Mo-182 (S.C. Sup. Ct. [17]*17filed Aug. 5,1985). Following his direct appeal, Cartrette filed an application for postconviction relief alleging, inter alia, that he received ineffective assistance of counsel. On February 25, 1992, a postconviction relief hearing was held and on May 8,1992, an Order was issued granting Cartrette’s request for relief. The State now appeals the postconviction relief court’s findings of ineffective assistance of counsel and the granting of a new trial.

ISSUES

The State asserts two issues on appeal:

1. Did Cartrette waive his statutory right to make a final argument to the jury during the guilt phase of the trial?2

2. Was trial counsel ineffective for failing to request a jury instruction that the homicide was required to be a natural and probable consequence of the acts actually agreed upon by Cartrette and his co-defendants? State v. Peterson, 287 S.C. 244, 335 S.E. (2d) 800 (1985).

LAW/ANALYSIS

Cartrette’s Right to Final Argument

Cartrette argues that he did not waive his statutory right to make a final argument to the jury during the guilt phase of the trial. In State v. Torrence, 305 S.C. 45, 406 S.E. (2d) 315 (1991) (Toal, A.J., concurring), we noted that the question of whether there was a waiver of last argument was most appropriate on PCR.3 In State v. Rocheville, — S.C. —, 425 S.E. (2d) 32 (1993), we further emphasized that the waiver of last argument should be viewed in light of the [18]*18facts surrounding trial. The postconviction relief process is specifically designed to allow for an inquiry into the relevant facts surrounding the adequacy of a defendant’s information and/or waiver of rights, and where this evidence is lacking, the appropriate remedy is to remand for a hearing to determine whether the defendant was apprised of his rights. Id.

Here, the record reveals that Cartrette was counseled on this right. Further, the record shows a strategic decision by the defense to not have Cartrette make the last argument. At the postconviction relief hearing, trial counsel was asked:

Q. Prior to the trial did you and Mr. Long have a discussion with Mr. Cartrette concerning his constitutional rights in this case, and primarily that being the opportunity for him to argue before the jury during summation?
A. ... [tjhroughout the preparation, yes, there was discussion with him, of course, about his — he had already— we already knew that he was going to demand trial by jury for capital murder, so you don’t sit down and tell him, “Oh, you’ve got a right to trial by a jury.” He knew that. He knew that he had a right to take the stand or not to take the stand, and, quite frankly, up until the Gerald Hooper [a cellmate to whom Cartrette made certain admissions of culpability] situation arose, there was a question about how we were going to handle whether he was going to take the stand or not, and he knew that. Now, with regard particularly to the situation of him making a statement at the guilt stage, which was basically a strategy determination, there had been discussions with him. We knew right up at the last minute that, yes, he was going to have to — to take the stand. Not only did we know it, he knew it____Now with regard to actually making a statement before or in the presence of the jury at the argument stage was a very dangerous thing to do because it could undermine everything that we had been attempting to do at that point because you still had a jury sitting out there that was going to take instructions from the Court and make a decision, and just let him say the wrong thing then, so in my opinion it would have been a very dangerous thing to do.
[19]*19THE COURT: Did he know he had the right?
THE WITNESS: As I recall, he did because he wasn’t too — he didn’t feel, al I recall, all that comfortable about testifying... there was no question but that Mr. Long had specific conversations and specific attempts, not only in explaining to him taking the stand but what he had to present, how he had to act, and whether or not he wanted to make statements, so hopefully that answers the question.
Q. It does. It does.
A. Because I can tell you this. There was again another discussion, and I know this because I participated in it, about whether he wanted to make a closing statement before the jury at the sentence stage.
Q. And what did he decide to do?
A. He said, “Yes.”
THE COURT: Did he make a statement?
THE WITNESS: Yes, he did. Yes, sir.

The record clearly establishes that Cartrette was aware of his right to last argument and that during the guilt phase, Cartrette chose not to exercise that right. In our opinion, there is absolutely no evidence which would support the post-conviction relief court’s findings. Gallman v. State, 307 S.C. 273, 414 S.E. (2d) 780 (1992) (wherein a postconviction relief judge’s findings will not be upheld if the findings are not supported by probative evidence).

State v. Peterson Instruction

Cartrette argued at the postconviction relief hearing that his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to request a jury instruction that a verdict of murder would require a finding that the homicide was a natural and probable consequence of the acts actually agreed upon by Cartrette and his co-defendants. State v. Peterson, 287 S.C. 244, 335 S.E. (2d) 800 (19850. We disagree.

In State v. Peterson, supra, we held that: [d]uring the penalty phases of death penalty cases which involved conspiracy liability, the trial judge should charge that the death penalty can not be imposed on an individual who aids and abets in a crime in the course of which a murder is committed by others, but who did not himself kill, at[20]

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Holland v. State
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Glover v. State
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Cartrette v. State
448 S.E.2d 553 (Supreme Court of South Carolina, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
448 S.E.2d 553, 323 S.C. 15, 1994 S.C. LEXIS 181, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/cartrette-v-state-sc-1994.