Watkins v. Haas

143 F. Supp. 3d 632, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 144002, 2015 WL 6438905
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Michigan
DecidedOctober 23, 2015
DocketCivil No. 2:10-CV-13199
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 143 F. Supp. 3d 632 (Watkins v. Haas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Michigan primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Watkins v. Haas, 143 F. Supp. 3d 632, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 144002, 2015 WL 6438905 (E.D. Mich. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER GRANTING THE PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS

Arthur J. Tarnow, Senior United States District Judge

Gary Eugene Watkins,(“Petitioner”), confined at the Macomb Correctional Facility in New Haven, Michigan, filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254.1 In his petition, filed through attorneys James C. Thomas and Phillip D. Comorski, petitioner challenges his convictions for second-degree murder, M.C.L.A. 750.317; assault with intent to commit murder, M.C.L.A. 750.83; and two counts of felony-firearm, M.C.L.A. 750.227b.

This Court finds that petitioner was denied the effective assistance of trial coun[634]*634sel when his attorney failed to request an additional or independent evaluation as to petitioner’s mental competency to stand trial after petitioner continued to exhibit signs of mental illness and an inability to understand the proceedings. Accordingly, the petition for writ of habeas corpus is CONDITIONALLY GRANTED.

I. Background

Petitioner was originally charged with open murder,2 assault with intent to commit murder, and two counts of felony-firearm. Petitioner was convicted of second-degree murder on the open murder charge, and guilty as charged of the remaining charges.

At the initial date for the preliminary examination, petitioner’s trial counsel requested that petitioner be evaluated for mental competency and criminal responsibility. (Tr. 1/24/06, p. 3). Petitioner was referred to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry. Two evaluations were performed, one on March 27, 2006 and the other on April 13, 2006.

At petitioner’s preliminary examination, the reports from the March 27, 2006 and April 13, 2006 evaluations were admitted. (Tr. 5/26/06, pp. 4-5). The March 27, 2006 report concluded that petitioner was incompetent to stand trial. The April 13, 2006 report, however, indicated that petitioner had been restored to competency. This second evaluation determined that petitioner’s refusal to verbally communicate was entirely voluntary. The examiner concluded that petitioner was faking. Based on that, and on a full examination of his history and behavior, the second examiner concluded that petitioner was malingering, he was aware of what was going on, was able to aid in his defense, and so was competent to stand trial. Petitioner’s counsel requested an independent evaluation. The state district court judge never explicitly ruled on the request. Rather, the judge found petitioner competent to stand trial. (Id., pp. 8). Petitioner was later bound over to the Washtenaw County Circuit Court for trial. (Id., p. 96).

The trial judge in circuit court subsequently ordered that petitioner be evaluated primarily for criminal responsibility. (Tr. 7/11/06, p. 4).

A third forensic evaluation, dated July 17, 2006, was not specifically aimed at evaluating petitioner’s trial competency, but rather a determination as to whether petitioner was criminally responsible at the time of the criminal offense. This evaluation found that petitioner was neither mentally ill nor mentally retarded at the time of the offense and could appreciate the wrongfulness of his action. In passing, the psychologist who wrote this evaluation also believed that petitioner was malingering and came to the same conclusion as the second evaluation, namely, that petitioner was competent.

Four months later, defense counsel again moved for an independent competency evaluation:

Mr. Watkins has been sent to the forensic center on two different occasions for evaluation. And on one brief occasion for treatment. The staff of the forensic center has got it into their head that he is faking. That his affectations are deliberate on his part and there’s nothing psychologically wrong with him. On the other hand, having tried to communicate with my client for I believe close to eight months now there are issues. His behavior is not normal'behavior and my fear after reading the reports of the forensic [635]*635center is that all the subsequent evaluators did was simply pick up the line that was laid down by the original evaluator. Well I’m sorry. The original evaluator said that he was incompetent. And he was sent to the forensic center for treatment based upon that evaluation. But somebody on the staff got it into their head that he was faking it. And that’s all they’ve done since that time is just — is just mirror that same — they just pick up that same line over and over and over again. And yet you know trying to communicate with him, listening, listening to him talk. Listening to him make comments that are totally inappropriate there is no communication between myself and Mr. Watkins. And I do believe that there is something -wrong with him that is making it difficult.

(Tr., 9/19/2006, pp. 3-4).

The judge granted counsel’s request and a fourth psychiatric evaluation was ordered. (Id., p. 6).

Petitioner’s counsel subsequently informed the trial court:

I did have an oral report from Doctor Clark about a month ago but I didn’t get the written report until the end of last week. Basically I can summarize. He felt that although Petitioner Watkins — there were some psychological issues with Petitioner Watkins there was nothing sufficient in them to make a finding of lack of criminal responsibility.

(Tr., 12/12/06, p. 4)(emphasis added).

At a final pretrial conference one week later, petitioner remarked:

I have an attorney’s license and I’ll be representing myself. He’s [defense trial counsel’s] been fired. If I can’t have her, the public defender, then I will be representing myself and this is a preliminary exam. Am I correct?

(Tr., 12/19/06, p. 4).

On the first day of trial, prior to jury selection, petitioner told the trial court, among other things:

Don’t play with me. I ain’t got no time for your games. This ain’t no real court. Get me back to the real world. I’m going back to my wife and I’m eating dinner. You heard me.

(Tr, 1/8/07, p. 10).

The following exchange also occurred:
THE COURT: Good morning, Mr. Watkins. Are we going to—
THE DEFENDANT: Your name is Michelle.
THE COURT: Um-hum.
THE DEFENDANT: Ah. You want to split yourself in half get people up early for -court. To this fake ass court. You know this is garbage, right? Um-hum, na, na I’ll chop him up.
THE COURT: I didn’t hear you, what did you say?
THE DEFENDANT: I said I’ll chop you up.
THE COURT: Oh.
THE DEFENDANT: If I can get a temper. You know I got like a preacher sword, right?
THE COURT: A preacher sword? I didn’t hear.
THE DEFENDANT: I’m not going to repeat words.
THE COURT: Yeah, so I can hear you. THE DEFENDANT: —Sesame Street. You ain’t the real Shelton. You know you ain’t. This ain’t the real world. Get me off this pop bar.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
143 F. Supp. 3d 632, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 144002, 2015 WL 6438905, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/watkins-v-haas-mied-2015.