Alisha Ann Murphy v. State
Case Information
*1 IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF IDAHO
Docket No. 40483
ALISHA ANN MURPHY, ) ) Boise, November 2013 Term
Defendant-Appellant. ) ) 2014 Opinion No. 24 v. ) ) Filed: February 25, 2014 STATE OF IDAHO, ) ) Stephen W. Kenyon, Clerk Plaintiff-Respondent, )
) Appeal from the District Court of the Fifth Judicial District, State of Idaho, Twin Falls County. Hon. John K. Butler, District Judge.
District court order denying appointment of counsel and summary dismissal of successive petition for post-conviction relief, affirmed.
Sara B. Thomas, Idaho Appellate Public Defender, Boise, for appellant. Erik R. Lehtinen, Deputy Idaho Appellate Public Defender argued.
Hon. Lawrence G. Wasden, Idaho Attorney General, Boise, for respondent. Lori Anne Fleming, Deputy Attorney General argued.
__________________________________
BURDICK, Chief Justice
Alisha Ann Murphy petitioned this Court for review of the Court of Appeals’ opinion
regarding her successive petition for post-conviction relief in
Murphy v. State
, No. 37254 (Idaho
Ct. App. July 26, 2012). On appeal, Murphy argued that the district court erred in denying her
request for counsel, summarily dismissing her successive petition, and denying her I.R.C.P.
60(b) motion for reconsideration. She argued that her ineffective assistance of trial counsel
claims were properly before the district court on successive petition because, under this Court’s
decision in
Palmer v. Dermitt
, 102 Idaho 591, 635 P.2d 955 (1981), ineffective assistance of
post-conviction counsel constituted sufficient reason to bring a successive petition under
We hold that that ineffective assistance of post-conviction counsel is not a sufficient
reason under
I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
On September 26, 2001, Murphy was convicted of first degree murder of her husband, James Murphy. She appealed the conviction and sentence, which were affirmed in an unpublished opinion. State v. Murphy , No. 27853 (Idaho Ct. App. Jan. 8, 2003).
Murphy filed a pro se application for post-conviction relief asserting numerous claims of
ineffective assistance of counsel, police misconduct, prosecutorial misconduct, and judicial
misconduct, together with a motion for the appointment of counsel. At all relevant times during
the proceedings for post-conviction relief, Murphy was represented by appointed counsel. The
court summarily dismissed Murphy’s petition for post-conviction relief in its entirety. On appeal,
the Court of Appeals affirmed the district court in part, reversed in part, and remanded the bulk
of Murphy’s claims to the district court for further proceedings.
Murphy v. State
,
On remand, after authorizing Murphy to hire an independent forensic pathologist at public expense, the district court ultimately granted Murphy an evidentiary hearing to address her remaining claims of ineffective assistance of counsel for defense counsel’s failure to: (1) retain a forensic pathologist; (2) retain a gunshot residue (“GSR”) expert; (3) retain a blood spatter expert; and (4) investigate mobile phone records. Murphy’s counsel waived all of her remaining claims for post-conviction relief except the claim that counsel was ineffective for failing to retain a forensic pathologist.
At the conclusion of the evidentiary hearing, the district court entered a decision addressing all of the claims, including those waived by counsel, and denied post-conviction relief to the petitioner. Murphy then appealed for a third time contending that the district court erred in denying relief as to the lone claim that was the subject of the evidentiary hearing. The Court of Appeals affirmed the district court’s denial of this claim discerning no prejudice to Murphy from defense counsel’s failure to hire a forensic pathologist. Murphy v. State , No. 34920 (Idaho Ct. App. Apr. 17, 2009).
While Murphy’s third appeal was pending, she filed a successive petition for post- conviction relief re-raising claims concerning her trial counsel’s failure to obtain phone records and his failure to retain the services of a GSR expert, and also raising new issues concerning her trial counsel’s failure to object to the admission of certain trial testimony. She asserted that these claims were properly before the district court on successive petition because her previous post- conviction attorneys had either failed to raise them in an amended petition, or had failed to properly present them in the first post-conviction proceeding. She also moved for appointment of counsel.
The State answered Murphy’s petition and moved to dismiss it. On September 30, 2009, the district court entered an order conditionally denying Murphy’s motion for the appointment of counsel and giving her notice of its intent to dismiss the successive petition along with 30 days to respond. Having received no response from Murphy, the district court entered an order denying the appointment of counsel and dismissing Murphy’s successive petition with prejudice on November 3, 2009.
On December 1, 2009, Murphy filed a motion for reconsideration of the summary dismissal order, asserting that she had timely responded. The district court treated Murphy’s motion as an I.R.C.P. 60(b) motion and found that Murphy “did in fact attempt to timely respond to the court’s notice of intent to dismiss.” The court then evaluated Murphy’s response to determine if Murphy “set forth a meritorious claim in her successive petition for post-conviction relief to justify . . . reconsideration or the setting aside of [the] prior order of dismissal.” The court ultimately denied Murphy’s motion for reconsideration, concluding that Murphy failed to show that her prior post-conviction counsel inadequately presented her claims in her original petition or otherwise waived meritorious claims. Murphy timely appealed from the district court’s orders dismissing her successive petition and denying her motion for reconsideration.
The Court of Appeals reversed in part and affirmed in part the district court’s orders denying counsel and summarily dismissing Murphy’s successive post-conviction petition. Specifically, the Court of Appeals concluded that, with the exception of her claim that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to obtain telephone records, Murphy failed to allege sufficient facts to establish even the possibility of a valid claim warranting the appointment of post- conviction counsel. Having reached this decision, the Court of Appeals remanded the case to the district court for the appointment of counsel. Murphy then filed a petition for review, which this Court granted.
II. ANALYSIS
“When a case comes before this Court on a petition for review from a Court of Appeals decision, serious consideration is given to the views of the Court of Appeals, but this Court reviews the decision of the lower court directly.” Kelly v. State , 149 Idaho 517, 521, 236 P.3d 1277, 1281 (2010). Relying on the arguments set forward in her previously filed briefs, Murphy argues on review that: (1) the district court erred in denying her motion for appointment of counsel; (2) the district court erred in summarily dismissing her successive petition, and later, in denying her motion for reconsideration; (3) this Court denied her due process by refusing to augment the record on appeal; and (4) the district court erred in taking judicial notice of the proceedings in her prior case generally without being more specific. Murphy raises the argument for the first time on review that having found the existence of one possibly valid claim, the Court of Appeals should have vacated the summary dismissal order and remanded the case for appointment of counsel generally.
A. Ineffective assistance of post-conviction counsel is not a “sufficient reason” under
Murphy’s successive post-conviction petition asserted that her post-conviction counsel
was ineffective for a number of reasons and sought the appointment of counsel to pursue her
petition’s claims. A request for appointment of counsel in a post-conviction proceeding is
governed by
In her successive petition, Murphy asserted that her post-conviction counsel was ineffective for (1) failing to seek to amend her petition to add a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel for her trial counsel’s failure to object to the admission of certain testimony; (2) failing to subpoena certain phone records; and (3) failing to hire a GSR expert. Murphy argues that implicit in each of these claims is an ineffective assistance of trial counsel claim.
Generally,
All grounds for relief available to an applicant under this act must be raised in his original, supplemental or amended application. Any ground finally adjudicated or not so raised, or knowingly, voluntarily and intelligently waived in the proceeding that resulted in the conviction or sentence or in any other proceeding the applicant has taken to secure relief may not be the basis for a subsequent application, unless the court finds a ground for relief asserted which for sufficient reason was not asserted or was inadequately raised in the original, supplemental, or amended application.
This Court provided the following analysis of
The intent of this language is clear: all allegations relating to a request for
postconviction relief should be asserted in one petition. However, the language of
To determine whether Murphy can bring a successive petition under
On remand, a forensic pathologist was appointed and an evidentiary hearing was held. Although Murphy’s post-conviction counsel chose to focus on the claim relating to the forensic pathologist, the district court addressed all of the remaining claims in its decision denying post- conviction relief. Murphy only appealed the denial of her claim that her counsel was ineffective for not retaining a forensic pathologist, which the Court of Appeals ultimately affirmed. While that appeal was pending, Murphy filed a successive petition for post-conviction relief alleging a number of claims regarding ineffective assistance of post-conviction counsel and seeking the appointment of counsel. The district court found that Murphy had failed to raise the possibility of a valid claim as to any of her claims and so denied the appointment of counsel and summarily dismissed her successive petition, which Murphy now appeals.
Murphy argues that although she has already brought one post-conviction petition and
has no new evidence to present,
Palmer v. Dermitt
allows her to bring a successive petition
raising new claims and reasserting claims from her first petition. In
Palmer
, this Court concluded
that an allegation of ineffective assistance of prior post-conviction counsel may provide
sufficient reason under
Postconviction relief is even further removed from the criminal trial than is discretionary direct review. It is not part of the criminal proceeding itself, and it is in fact considered to be civil in nature. It is a collateral attack that normally occurs only after the defendant has failed to secure relief through direct review of his conviction. States have no obligation to provide this avenue of relief, and when they do, the fundamental fairness mandated by the Due Process Clause does not require that the State supply a lawyer as well.
Because “[t]here is no constitutional right to an attorney in state post-conviction
proceedings,” the Court ruled in
Coleman v. Thompson
that “a petitioner cannot claim
constitutionally ineffective assistance of counsel in such proceedings.”
[1]
501 U.S. 722, 752
(1991). Based on
Coleman,
several courts have ruled claims of ineffective assistance of post-
conviction counsel simply cannot be raised in an application for post-conviction relief.
See, e.g.,
State v. Stewart
, 496 N.W.2d 524, 529 (Neb. 1993);
Bejarano v. Warden
, 929 P.2d 922, 925
(Nev. 1996);
House v. State
, 911 S.W.2d 705, 712 (Tenn. 1995);
Ex parte Graves
, 70 S.W.3d
103, 117 (Tex. Crim. App. 2002). As the Nevada Supreme Court explained, “The logic behind
such a rule is that if counsel for post-conviction proceedings, as well as trial and direct appeal,
must meet the same standards, then claims of ineffective assistance of counsel in the immediate
prior proceeding may be raised ad infinitum.”
Bejarano
,
Where states have allowed ineffective assistance of post-conviction counsel claims it is
generally where a state statute expressly mandates appointment of post-conviction counsel.
See,
*8
e.g.
,
Lozada v. Warden
,
In contrast, under
While it may be regrettable, we cannot guarantee every defendant effective counsel for every claim that may be raised. Defendants have made a sham out of the system of justice and thwarted imposition of their ultimate penalty with continuous petitions for relief that often present claims without a legal foundation. As one court stated, “We have created a web of procedures so involved that they threaten to engulf the penalty itself.” State v. Steffen, 70 Ohio St.3d 399, 639 N.E.2d 67, 73 (1994) (limiting post-conviction relief for capital cases).
Where there is no right to counsel, there can be no deprivation of effective assistance of counsel. Therefore, we overrule Palmer and hold that because Murphy has no statutory or constitutional right to effective assistance of post-conviction counsel, she cannot demonstrate “sufficient reason” for filing a successive petition based on ineffectiveness of post-conviction counsel. We hold that the district court did not err in denying her appointment of counsel or summarily dismissing her successive petition.
*9 B. The denial of Murphy’s motion to augment the appellate record did not violate her due
process rights.
Murphy’s due process argument is based on the following language from the district court’s notice of intent to dismiss her successive post-conviction petition:
[T]he Court will review and take judicial notice of the proceedings in Alisha Ann Murphy v. State of Idaho, Twin Falls County Case No. CV-2004-1292: 1. Murphy’s appeal of her sentence and conviction was decided on January 8, 2003, and the Remittitur was filed on April 14, 2003.
2. Murphy filed her original post-conviction petition pro se on March 15, 2004. The petition as originally filed alleged in excess of 23 claims and sub-claims for post-conviction relief based on ineffective assistance of counsel; prosecutorial misconduct; police misconduct; and judicial misconduct.
3. The court had issued a Notice of Intent to Dismiss and the State filed a Motion for Summary Dismissal and appointed counsel filed affidavits and a brief in opposition to summary dismissal as well as a motion for funding of forensic pathologist.
… Thus, after stating that it would take judicial notice of the proceedings from Murphy’s earlier case, the court listed nine proceedings of which it was taking notice. Based on this statement, Murphy sought to augment the appellate record of this case with an as yet unprepared transcript of a May 29, 2007, hearing in her original post-conviction action and, alternatively, with an audio recording of that hearing. This Court denied Murphy’s motion to augment reasoning that “the requested transcript could not have been considered in the 2008 [successive] post-conviction case because it did not exist at that time and there is nothing to indicate that the district court reviewed the audio recording.”
Murphy now contends that this Court violated her due process rights by denying her motion to augment the appellate record with either the requested transcript or an audio recording. Alternatively, Murphy argues that the district court erred in taking judicial notice of the “proceedings” in her prior post-conviction case generally without being more specific as to what it considered. Neither of these claims have merit.
Idaho Rule of Evidence 201(c) requires that when a court takes judicial notice of another court file, it must “identify the specific documents or items that were so noticed.” In this case, the district court’s statement that it was taking judicial notice of proceedings from Murphy’s prior post-conviction case was followed by a colon and a list of nine items of which the court *10 was taking notice. “A colon introduces an element or a series of elements illustrating or amplifying what has preceded the colon.” Chicago Manual of Style (Univ. of Chic. Press, 15th ed. 2003). Thus, it is clear that the enumerated list following the colon did in fact identify the specific items taken under judicial notice and the district court did not violate I.R.E. 201(c).
Murphy’s due process claim also fails. This claim also turns on the district court’s language that it was “taking judicial notice” of the proceedings in Murphy’s prior case. Murphy contends that this language directly contradicts our prior conclusion that there is no evidence that the district court considered the audio recording from the May 29, 2007 hearing. She contends that the district court’s general language clearly indicates that it considered this audio recording, or at a minimum, this Court cannot assume that the district court did not consider it. The list of nine items the district court was taking notice of indicates that the court did not in fact consider the audio recordings from the May 29, 2007 status hearing. Therefore, Murphy’s due process rights were not violated by the denial of her request to augment the record on appeal.
III. CONCLUSION
In sum, we do not recognize an independent right to effective assistance of counsel
during post-conviction proceedings. We overrule
Palmer v. Dermitt
, 102 Idaho 591, 635 P.2d
955 (1981), and hold that ineffective assistance of post-conviction counsel is not a sufficient
reason under
Justices, EISMANN, J. JONES, HORTON and SCHROEDER, J., pro tem, CONCUR.
Notes
[1] In
Coleman
, the defendant claimed that attorney error led to the default of his claims in state court and thus,
constituted cause to excuse the default in federal habeas.
[2] There, the court interpreted a statute similar to