IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TENNESSEE
AT NASHVILLE FILED
STATE OF TENNESSEE, )
June 18, 1998
) C.C.A. NO. 01C01-9805-CR-00237
Appellee, )
Cecil W. Crowson
) DAVIDSON COUNTY
Appellate Court Clerk
VS. ) (No.96-B-866 Below)
)
CHRISTOPHER DAVIS, ) The Hon. J. Randall Wyatt, Jr.
)
Appellant. ) (T.R.A.P. 9 Appeal)
ORDER
The defendant has filed application for permission to appeal pursuant to
T.R.A.P. 9 from an order of the Davidson County Criminal Court. In opposing the
application, the state relies on its response in State v. Paul Dennis Reid, Jr., No. 01C01-
9805-CC-00213. After reviewing the pleadings, we grant the defendant’s Rule 9 application
in the present case and affirm as modified the trial court’s order.
The defendant is charged with first-degree murder and an alternate count of
felony-murder. Additional criminal acts, not relevant to the issue presented in this
application, were charged in the indictment. The state has filed a notice of intent to seek
the death penalty against the defendant in the event he is convicted of first-degree murder.
After the state filed a motion to compel discovery, the trial court ordered the
defendant to give written notice if he intends to introduce evidence of his mental condition
during the penalty phase. The defendant appeals this order.
Previously, in State v. Paul Dennis Reid, Jr., No. 01C01-9805-CC-00213
(Tenn. Crim. App., at Nashville, June 10, 1998), this Court entered an order on the
identical issues raised in the present application. In Reid, the defendant sought to appeal
an order of the Davidson County Criminal Court, issued by Judge Cheryl Blackburn, and
an order of the Montgomery County Circuit Court, issued by Judge John H. Gassaway, III.
Upon granting the applications, this Court affirmed the order of the Montgomery County
Circuit Court and affirmed as modified the order of the Davidson County Criminal Court.
In so doing, we ordered the trial courts to implement the following procedure for giving
notice of intent to introduce evidence of a mental condition by a defendant at the penalty
phase:
1. If the defendant intends to introduce mental condition
testimony at a penalty phase, he must file written notice
thereof no later than an appropriate date set forth by the trial
court. The notice shall include the name and professional
qualifications of any mental condition professional who will
testify and a brief, general summary of the topics to be
addressed that is sufficient to permit the State to determine the
area in which its expert must be versed.
2. If the defendant files a notice that he intends to introduce
mental condition testimony at the penalty phase, the defendant
shall be examined by a psychiatrist or other mental health
professional selected by the State, if requested. The State’s
examination shall take place within a reasonable time frame
set forth by the trial court. The report of that examination and
the expert report of any examination initiated by the defendant
(if same exist) shall be filed under seal with the Court before
the commencement of jury selection. The court-appointed
mental condition professional conducting the examination for
the State shall not discuss his/her examination with anyone
unless and until the results of the examination are released by
the Court to counsel for the State and counsel for the
defendant following the guilt phase of the trial.
3. The results of any examination by the State expert and the
defense expert (if same exist) shall be released to the State
only in the event that the jury reaches a verdict of guilty of first
degree murder and only after the defendant confirms his intent
to offer mental condition evidence in mitigation. After the
return of such a verdict, the defendant shall file a pleading
confirming or disavowing his intent to introduce mental
condition testimony at a penalty phase. If the defendant
withdraws his previously-tendered notice, the results of any
mental condition examinations concerning the defendant will
not be released to the State. The reports of any examinations
(whether by the State or defense experts) concerning the
defendant shall be released to the State immediately after the
filing of the pleading confirming the earlier notice. At the same
time, the report of the State’s expert shall be released to
counsel for the defendant. Even if the defendant confirms his
intent to offer mental condition evidence, the defendant may
withdraw his notice of intent to raise a mental condition at any
time before actually introducing such evidence, and, in that
event, neither the fact of notice, nor the results or reports of
any mental examination, nor any facts disclosed only therein,
will be admissible against the defendant.
State v. Paul Dennis Reid, Jr., No. 01C01-9805-CC-00213, Slip Op. at 8.
It appears that the order in the present case is patterned after Judge
Blackburn’s order. Accordingly, the trial court’s order is modified such that it shall comply
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fully with the procedure approved by our opinion in Reid. Costs of this appeal are taxed
to the state.
PER CURIAM
Peay, J., Welles, J., Woodall, J.
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