Johnnie M. Talley, III v. State of Tennessee ( 2005 )


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  •             IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE
    AT NASHVILLE
    Assigned on Briefs December 15, 2004
    JOHNNIE M. TALLEY, III v. STATE OF TENNESSEE
    Direct Appeal from the Criminal Court for Williamson County
    No. 1199-360    Donald P. Harris, Judge
    No. M2002-02179-CCA-R3-PC - Filed June 8, 2005
    After a bench trial, the Williamson County Criminal Court convicted the petitioner, Johnnie M.
    Talley, III, of five counts of making a false report and sentenced him to an effective sentence of eight
    years in the Department of Correction (DOC). Subsequently, the petitioner filed a petition for
    post-conviction relief, alleging (1) that his counsel was ineffective for failing to have him evaluated
    by a psychologist and (2) that he did not knowingly and voluntarily waive his rights to a jury trial
    or to testify. After an evidentiary hearing, the post-conviction court dismissed the petition, and the
    petitioner now appeals. Upon review of the record and the parties’ briefs, we affirm the judgment
    of the trial court.
    Tenn. R. App. P. 3 Appeal as of Right; Judgment of the Criminal Court Affirmed.
    NORMA MC GEE OGLE , J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which JERRY L. SMITH and JOHN
    EVERETT WILLIAMS, JJ., joined.
    Tony L. Maples, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and Mark M. Mizell, Franklin, Tennessee, for the
    appellant, Johnnie M. Talley, III.
    Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; Kim R. Helper and Renee W. Turner, Assistant
    Attorneys General; Ronald L. Davis, District Attorney General; and Derek K. Smith, Assistant
    District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.
    OPINION
    I. Factual Background
    On appeal, this court stated the following facts:
    On January 14, June 13, July 1, August 2, and
    September 8, 1996, defendant placed the 9-1-1 calls
    giving rise to his convictions. In each case, he
    claimed injury or a need for assistance. Some of the
    ailments claimed by defendant included: bleeding
    from the head; spider bite; heatstroke; back, neck, and
    chest pains. In each instance, the emergency medical
    personnel found defendant in no distress and in no
    need of emergency medical treatment. Per agency
    policy, however, they transported defendant to the
    Williamson Medical Center emergency room at his
    request.
    In the majority of these visits, emergency
    room medical records indicate a final diagnosis of
    toluene inhalation, substance abuse and/or a history of
    schizophrenia. On July 1, the diagnosis was
    insomnia.
    The defense presented expert testimony by
    Robert N. North, D.Ed., who testified that defendant
    suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
    His evaluation of defendant indicated that defendant
    may have known “down deep” that there was nothing
    wrong, but that he was driven by a compulsion to call
    9-1-1 and could not help himself. This proof was
    deemed inadmissible at the guilt phase of the hearing,
    but was considered for sentencing purposes.
    The trial court found the petitioner guilty of five counts of making a false report, a Class E felony,
    and sentenced him as a Range II, multiple offender to an effective sentence of eight years in the
    DOC. This court affirmed the petitioner’s convictions. See State v. Johnnie M. Talley, III, No.
    01C01-9710-CC-00450, 1998 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 1326 (Nashville, Dec. 30 1998).
    On November 8, 1999, the petitioner filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging
    numerous grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel at trial. The post-conviction court appointed
    counsel to represent the petitioner, and the petitioner filed an amended petition. In the amended
    petition, the petitioner alleged that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel because his trial
    attorney did not have him psychologically tested for competency and failed to appeal this court’s
    affirmation of his convictions to the Tennessee Supreme Court. He also argued that the he did not
    knowingly and voluntarily waive his right to a jury trial. The trial court granted the petitioner a
    delayed appeal to the supreme court but denied the petitioner relief on all other grounds. On March
    4, 2004, the supreme court denied the petitioner’s application for discretionary appeal. See Johnnie
    M. Talley, III, v. State, No. M1997-00330-SC-DAT-CD, 2004 Tenn. LEXIS 164 (Nashville, Mar.
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    1, 2004).
    At the evidentiary hearing, the petitioner’s trial attorney testified that the petitioner originally
    had been charged with nine counts of filing a false report. He said that he discussed the charges with
    the petitioner and listened to the 9-1-1 tapes. He related that he was concerned about the petitioner’s
    mental state, that the petitioner’s mental state was relevant to the petitioner’s defense, and that he
    did not believe the petitioner intended to violate any law. Dr. Robert North had been treating the
    petitioner, who had a history of inhaling paint thinner, and had completed a psychological evaluation
    of the petitioner in 1997. Counsel testified that he never had trouble communicating with the
    petitioner and that he did not believe another psychological evaluation was necessary. He said he
    was shocked that the trial court found the petitioner guilty of five counts and “totally shocked” that
    the trial court sentenced the petitioner to eight years in the DOC. Counsel testified that he did not
    specifically remember talking with the petitioner about the petitioner’s right to a jury trial or his right
    to testify. However, he stated that he always discussed these rights with his clients and that it was
    a defendant’s ultimate decision to waive the right to a jury trial and the right to testify. He said he
    had recommended that the petitioner not testify at trial but that the petitioner could have testified if
    he had wanted to.
    On cross-examination, the petitioner’s trial attorney testified that he talked with Dr. North
    and that his investigator talked with Dr. John Cain, a psychiatrist, about the petitioner’s case. Dr.
    North believed the petitioner suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and counsel filed
    a notice of the defense’s intent to introduce expert testimony regarding the petitioner’s mental
    disease or defect. However, he said that neither Dr. North nor Dr. Cain believed the petitioner was
    incompetent to stand trial or insane at the time of the offenses. Counsel stated that he became
    licensed to practice law in Tennessee in 1972 and had tried about three hundred jury trials.
    The petitioner testified that he was thirty-eight years old and had been receiving Social
    Security disability payments for his mental condition. He said that he was taking medication during
    his bench trial, that he had been under the influence of his medicine, and that Dr. Cain should have
    testified for him at trial. The petitioner testified that he waived his right to a jury trial because his
    trial attorney told him that “the judge is on your side” and that “this would be the end of it.” He said
    that he had wanted a jury trial and that if he had had one, he did not believe he would have served
    any time in confinement. Regarding his right to testify, the petitioner said that he was “messed up”
    at the time of trial and could not assist his attorney with his defense. On cross-examination, the
    petitioner acknowledged that he had many prior convictions, that he had previously had a jury trial,
    and that he knew he had a right to a jury trial in this case. He acknowledged that he never asked the
    trial court for a jury trial but stated that he trusted his trial attorney’s advice.
    Regarding his claim that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel because his trial
    attorney failed to present evidence about his mental condition, the trial court noted that the petitioner
    did not have Dr. Cain testify at the evidentiary hearing. It also noted that in a 1997 letter written by
    Dr. Cain and introduced into evidence at the hearing, Dr. Cain stated that the petitioner had been
    diagnosed with schizophrenia complicated by chronic substance abuse. However, the trial court held
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    that neither Dr. North nor Dr. Cain had established a diminished capacity or insanity defense for the
    petitioner. Regarding the petitioner’s claim that he did not knowingly and voluntarily waive his right
    to a jury trial, the trial court accredited the petitioner’s trial attorney, who testified that he
    recommended the petitioner waive his right to a jury trial but that it was the petitioner’s ultimate
    decision to do so. The trial court did not address the petitioner’s claim that he did not knowingly and
    voluntarily waive his right to testify.
    The petitioner claims that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel because his
    attorney failed to have him “examined to determine his competency to stand trial” and because he
    did not knowingly or voluntarily waive his rights to a jury trial or to testify. The State claims that
    the trial court properly denied post-conviction relief. We agree with the State.
    II. Analysis
    In a post-conviction proceeding, the petitioner bears the burden of proving the grounds raised
    in the petition by clear and convincing evidence. Tenn. Code Ann. § 40-30-110(f) (2003).
    “Evidence is clear and convincing when there is no serious or substantial doubt about the correctness
    of the conclusions drawn from the evidence.” Hicks v. State, 
    983 S.W.2d 240
    , 245 (Tenn. Crim.
    App. 1998) (citing Hodges v. S.C. Toof & Co., 
    833 S.W.2d 896
    , 901 n.3 (Tenn. 1992)). Issues
    regarding the credibility of witnesses, the weight and value to be accorded their testimony, and the
    factual questions raised by the evidence adduced at trial are to be resolved by the post-conviction
    court as the trier of fact. Henley v. State, 
    960 S.W.2d 572
    , 579 (Tenn. 1997). Therefore, we afford
    the post-conviction court’s findings of fact the weight of a jury verdict, with such findings being
    conclusive on appeal absent a showing that the evidence in the record preponderates against those
    findings. Id. at 578.
    On appeal, a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel presents a mixed question of law and
    fact subject to de novo review. State v. Burns, 
    6 S.W.3d 453
    , 461 (Tenn. 1999). As such, the
    post-conviction court’s findings of fact are entitled to a presumption of correctness unless the
    evidence preponderates against those findings. Fields v. State, 
    40 S.W.3d 450
    , 458 (Tenn. 2001).
    However, a post-conviction court’s conclusions of law, such as whether counsel’s performance was
    deficient or whether that deficiency was prejudicial, are subject to a purely de novo review with no
    presumption of correctness. Id.
    When a petitioner seeks post-conviction relief on the basis of ineffective assistance of
    counsel, “the petitioner bears the burden of proving both that counsel’s performance was deficient
    and that the deficiency prejudiced the defense.” Goad v. State, 
    938 S.W.2d 363
    , 369 (Tenn. 1996)
    (citing Strickland v. Washington, 
    466 U.S. 668
    , 687, 
    104 S. Ct. 2052
    , 2064 (1984)).
    Because a petitioner must establish both prongs of the test, a failure
    to prove either deficiency or prejudice provides a sufficient basis to
    deny relief on the ineffective assistance claim. Indeed, a court need
    not address the components in any particular order or even address
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    both if the [petitioner] makes an insufficient showing of one
    component.
    Id. at 370.
    To establish constitutionally deficient performance, the petitioner must demonstrate that
    counsel’s representation fell below an objective standard of reasonableness. Strickland, 466 U.S.
    at 687-88, 104 S. Ct. at 2064; Burns, 6 S.W.3d at 462. Specifically, the petitioner must show that
    counsel’s performance was not within “the range of competence demanded of attorneys in criminal
    cases.” Baxter v. Rose, 
    523 S.W.2d 930
    , 936 (Tenn. 1975). On appeal, this court will neither
    second guess the tactical and strategic decisions of defense counsel, nor measure the representation
    by “20-20 hindsight.” Cooper v. State, 
    849 S.W.2d 744
    , 746 (Tenn. 1993). To establish prejudice,
    the petitioner must show that “there is a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s unprofessional
    errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different. A reasonable probability is a
    probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.” Strickland, 466 U.S. at 694, 104
    S. Ct. at 2068; see also Dean v. State, 
    59 S.W.3d 663
    , 667 (Tenn. 2001).
    As to the petitioner’s claim that he received the ineffective assistance of counsel because his
    attorney failed to have him psychologically tested for competency, no mental health experts testified
    at the hearing. Without any proof at the hearing as to the petitioner’s competency, he cannot
    demonstrate that he was prejudiced by his attorney’s failure to have him evaluated or to call
    witnesses to testify on his behalf at trial. See Black v. State, 
    794 S.W.2d 752
    , 757 (Tenn. Crim. App.
    1990).
    Regarding the petitioner’s claim that he did not knowingly and voluntarily waive his right
    to a jury trial, the petitioner’s attorney testified that he recommended to the petitioner that he waive
    a jury trial but that it was the petitioner’s ultimate decision to do so. The trial court accredited the
    trial attorney’s testimony. We have viewed a videotape of the petitioner’s trial. The tape shows the
    petitioner signing a written waiver to a jury trial. The tape also shows that the trial court asked the
    petitioner if he understood that he had an absolute right to a jury trial and that the petitioner
    answered, “Yes.” The trial court also asked the petitioner if his waiver was voluntary and if his
    attorney had advised him that he was giving up his right to a jury trial. The petitioner answered,
    “I’m going along with what my lawyer says.” Finally, the trial court asked the petitioner if any
    medications he was taking would affect his ability to think, and the petitioner answered, “I’m
    alright.” We do not believe the evidence preponderates against the trial court’s finding that the
    petitioner knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to a jury trial.
    Regarding the petitioner’s claim that he did not knowingly and intelligently waive his right
    to testify, it is unquestionable that a criminal defendant has a fundamental, constitutional right to
    testify at trial. See Momon v. State, 
    18 S.W.3d 152
    , 161 (Tenn. 1999). This fundamental right may
    only be waived by the defendant himself. Id. “Generally, a right that is fundamental and personal
    to the defendant may only be waived if there is evidence in the record demonstrating ‘an intentional
    relinquishment or abandonment of a known right or privilege.’” Id. at 161-62 (quoting Johnson v.
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    Zerbst, 
    304 U.S. 458
    , 464, 
    58 S. Ct. 1019
    , 1023 (1938)). A waiver of this right may not be presumed
    by a silent record. Id. at 162.
    The trial in this case occurred prior to Momon, and Momon has no retroactive effect. Id. at
    162-63. Therefore, the failure to have the petitioner waive his right to testify on the record is not
    determinative of the issue. Although the post-conviction court did not address it, the petitioner’s
    trial attorney testified that it was the petitioner’s ultimate decision not to testify, and the
    post-conviction court implicitly accredited the testimony of counsel. Moreover, the petitioner never
    stated at the hearing that he had wanted to testify or that his attorney had coerced him into waiving
    the right to testify. The trial court properly denied the petitioner’s request for post-conviction relief.
    III. Conclusion
    Based upon the record and the parties’ briefs, we affirm the judgment of the trial court.
    ___________________________________
    NORMA McGEE OGLE, JUDGE
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