United States v. Hicks

48 M.J. 623, 1998 WL 247621
CourtUnited States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedApril 28, 1998
DocketACM S29354
StatusPublished

This text of 48 M.J. 623 (United States v. Hicks) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Hicks, 48 M.J. 623, 1998 WL 247621 (afcca 1998).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

MORGAN, Judge:

Our original opinion in this case was unpublished (ACM S29354, 31 March 1998). That opinion is hereby withdrawn.

Appellant was convicted, pursuant to his pleas, of three counts of carnal knowledge, 2 counts of sodomy with a child under 16 years of age, an indecent act, breaking a medical quarantine, false official statement, and disobeying the lawful order of a noncommis-sioned officer. The military judge sentenced him to a bad-conduct discharge, five months confinement, and reduction to E-l. Appellant contends that the military judged erred by failing to direct an inquiry to determine if appellant was competent to stand trial, that the Staff Judge Advocate’s Recommendation (SJAR) contained errors which required a new SJAR and convening authority’s action, and that Articles 57(a) and 58b, UCMJ, violate the Ex Post Facto Clause of the Constitution with respect to his case. Finding no merit to appellant’s arguments, we affirm.

Mental Capacity to Stand Trial

Appellant contends that the military judge was aware of information which should have caused her to direct a mental health inquiry pursuant to Rule for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.) 706 to determine if he was competent to stand trial. Appellant asserts that the judge erred by failing to do so and that we should set aside the findings and sentence in his case, order an examination to determine his mental capacity to stand trial and his present mental capacity to participate in his appeal.

Appellant’s mental capacity to stand trial was an interlocutory question of fact to be determined by the military judge. R.C.M. 909(c)(1). We review the judge’s factual determinations that appellant was mentally competent under a clearly erroneous standard. United States v. Proctor, 37 M.J. 330, 336 (C.M.A.1993), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 1091, 114 S.Ct. 919, 127 L.Ed.2d 213 (1994). A military judge is required to direct an inquiry into the mental condition of an accused when it appears to the judge that “there is reason to believe that the accused lacks capacity to stand trial.” R.C.M. 706(a). Trial counsel and defense counsel are also permitted to request a mental examination of an accused. If it appears to counsel or the judge that a mental examination is required, the request for a mental exam must be accompanied by the basis of the belief that such an examination is necessary. Id.

“A person is presumed to have capacity to stand trial unless the contrary is established.” R.C.M. 909(b). “Trial may proceed unless it is established by a preponderance of the evidence that the accused is presently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him or her mentally incompetent to the extent that he or she is unable to understand the nature of the proceedings against the accused or to conduct or cooper[625]*625ate intelligently in the defense of the case.” R.C.M. 909(c)(2). Appellant raised no issue regarding mental capacity to stand trial and in fact both he and his defense counsel affirmatively stated it was not an issue.

Appellant was released from a 4-day hospital stay, apparently related to pretrial stress, the morning his trial began. Appellant had been previously treated for depression, including taking the prescription medication prozac, to relieve his depression. He was being considered for a possible medical separation from the Air Force due to this depression. The military judge questioned him about his ability to proceed with the trial, to understand the proceedings, and to assist in his own defense. Appellant assured the judge that he was feeling fine and was ready to proceed. He told the judge that the people who had helped him while he was in the hospital thought that he should proceed with his trial as scheduled. He said that he had not been given any medication while in the hospital and that he was not under the influence of any drugs or alcohol at the time of the trial. He further said that he hadn’t been on any drugs for his depression for four or five months.

Both appellant and his defense counsel assured the military judge that there was no issue regarding appellant’s mental capacity to stand trial. The record clearly indicates that appellant was alert and responsive throughout his trial. He appeared to be alert when answering the judge’s questions during the guilty plea inquiry. When asked to explain what happened during the various offenses in his own words, he narrated the facts in considerable detail on his own. He also asked the judge on several occasions to allow him to consult with his defense counsel about certain questions. During sentencing, appellant made a detailed unsworn statement in question and answer format and also read a portion of his unsworn statement to the court.

Appellant introduced a medical evaluation board report during sentencing. This report was completed in early 1996 about a year before appellant’s trial. Although appellant had in fact been diagnosed as suffering from a depressive disorder, the report did not give any indication appellant was mentally impaired in a manner which would affect his capacity to stand trial. The mental status examination portion of the report dated February 29,1996, stated:

The patient is a depressed-looking 20-year-old, black male with rather poor eye contact but otherwise cooperative towards the psychiatric examiner and examination process. Speech — regular rate, rhythm but diminished intensity. Mood is depressed, affect is constricted. Thought processes were goal-directed without evidence of loosening of associations. Thought content — no evidence of delusions and/or auditory/visual hallucinations. The patient denied any suicidal or homicidal ideation. Cognitively, the patient is alert and oriented times four. The remainder of the cognitive exam was remarkable only for diminished ability to concentrate. Insight and judgement were considered intact. (Emphasis added.)

This report clearly supported appellant’s own position that he had the requisite mental capacity to stand trial.

Thus, we find the military judge did not err by failing to direct a mental capacity examination of appellant. The military judge effectively found, based on appellant’s own assurances of his mental capacity and her observations of appellant during the trial, that appellant had the requisite mental capacity to stand trial. R.C.M. 909(e)(1). This was reinforced by appellant’s previous mental health evaluation. Having carefully reviewed the record, we likewise find the evidence established that appellant had the necessary mental capacity to stand trial. Article 66(e), UCMJ. Nothing presented during the trial came even close to establishing by a preponderance of the evidence that appellant lacked such mental capacity due to a mental disease or defect. R.C.M. 909(c)(2).

Although not specifically listed in his assignment of error, appellant argues in his brief that we should order a mental health examination “into the appellant’s mental capacity to stand trial and his present capacity to participate in his appeal.” (Emphasis added.) Having found no basis to question his capacity to stand trial, we likewise find [626]*626the record, including matters submitted on appeal, is devoid of any evidence that appellant may lack the necessary mental capacity to assist in his appeal. Therefore, we deny appellant’s request.

Inaccuracy of Staff Judge Advocate’s Recommendation

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Related

United States v. Green
44 M.J. 93 (Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1996)
States v. Rivera
44 M.J. 527 (Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 1996)
United States v. Rivera
46 M.J. 52 (Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1997)
United States v. Gorski
47 M.J. 370 (Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1997)
United States v. Hill
27 M.J. 293 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1988)
United States v. Boyle
30 M.J. 656 (U S Air Force Court of Military Review, 1990)
United States v. Proctor
37 M.J. 330 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1993)
Bedonie v. United States
519 U.S. 955 (Supreme Court, 1996)

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Bluebook (online)
48 M.J. 623, 1998 WL 247621, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-hicks-afcca-1998.