State v. Bilke
| Decision Date | 31 August 1989 |
| Docket Number | No. CR-88-0352-PR,CR-88-0352-PR |
| Citation | 781 P.2d 28,162 Ariz. 51 |
| Parties | STATE of Arizona, Appellee, v. Mitchell Paul BILKE, Appellant. |
| Court | Arizona Supreme Court |
In 1974, defendant Mitchell Paul Bilke was convicted of three counts of armed robbery, three counts of armed rape, one count of armed kidnapping, and six counts of lewd and lascivious acts. Defendant's defense at trial was not insanity, but instead, mistaken identity. He was sentenced to consecutive, indeterminate sentences totalling not less than 59 nor more than 170 years. 1 This proceeding does not involve the validity of the convictions.
In late 1987, defendant filed an amended petition for post-conviction relief (PCR). In it he claimed, as newly-discovered evidence, that he had been recently diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with a resulting partial disability award from the Veterans Administration. The PTSD was a result of defendant's combat military service in Vietnam. He contended that, although only recently diagnosed, he suffered from the disorder at the time he committed the crimes for which he was convicted and sentenced in 1974.
An extensive psychological examination was performed on defendant. The examining psychologist conducted numerous tests and examined military and medical records of the defendant. He confirmed the recent diagnosis of PTSD and also concluded that defendant suffered from it at the time he committed the crimes for which he was convicted. The report described in a graphic and chilling manner the Vietnam experiences that led to the condition. The report concluded that the PTSD had impaired defendant's cognitive abilities and that his criminal activities were the result of the PTSD, resultant alcoholism, massive societal rejection of Vietnam veterans, defendant's isolated paranoid maladjustment to his social environment, and prior inappropriate mental health treatment.
The report pointed out the following as examples of prior inappropriate "treatment": after his return from Vietnam, defendant was assigned to the Marine security guard school in Arlington, Virginia as a result of his outstanding record. While there, defendant, then age twenty-one, began experiencing headaches, memory lapses, nervousness, sleep interruption, recurring thoughts of Vietnam combat, nightmares, guilt, and perceptual distortion (seeing combat or threatening situations during drill practice, i.e., flashbacks). When he sought medical attention, he was given aspirin and told "you'll get over it." When he contacted his commanding officer, he was told he "was weak--Marines don't feel that way."
In addition to the medical and psychological reports, the PCR was supported by affidavits of defendant's relatives and friends which compared, in detail, his pre- and post-Vietnam conduct.
The trial court denied the PCR without an evidentiary hearing. Defendant petitioned Division Two of the court of appeals for review. By order, that court denied relief, holding that the trial court had properly summarily denied the PCR because the newly discovered evidence "would probably not have changed the verdict if a new trial were ordered." The court of appeals' order is silent with respect to the sentencing phase of the case. Satisfied that defendant was properly convicted for the crimes he committed, we limited our review to the sentencing phase of the case.
We must decide whether defendant made a colorable claim entitling him to an evidentiary hearing to determine whether the diagnosis of PTSD and the other materials submitted constituted newly-discovered evidence that might have affected defendant's sentence. We have jurisdiction pursuant to article 6, § 5(3) of the Arizona Constitution and Rule 31.19 of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure.
Rule 32 of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure describes the manner in which a defendant may obtain post-conviction relief. Rule 32.1(e)(1) provides that a defendant may seek relief if newly-discovered material facts exist, which, if introduced, might have affected the verdict, finding, or sentence. A defendant is entitled to an evidentiary hearing on his allegation of newly-discovered evidence if he presents a "colorable claim." State v. D'Ambrosio, 156 Ariz. 71, 73, 750 P.2d 14, 16 (1988); see also State v. Fisher, 141 Ariz. 227, 250-51, 686 P.2d 750, 773-74, cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1066, 105 S.Ct. 548, 83 L.Ed.2d 436 (1984).
A colorable claim in a newly-discovered evidence case is presented if the following five requirements are met: (1) the evidence must appear on its face to have existed at the time of trial but be discovered after trial; (2) the motion must allege facts from which the court could conclude the defendant was diligent in discovering the facts and bringing them to the court's attention; (3) the evidence must not simply be cumulative or impeaching; (4) the evidence must be relevant to the case; (5) the evidence must be such that it would likely have altered the verdict, finding, or sentence if known at the time of trial. See Fisher, 141 Ariz. at 250-51, 686 P.2d at 773-74. The decision whether a colorable claim is presented and an evidentiary hearing is warranted is, to some extent, discretionary with the trial court; however, outer limits to that discretion exist. State v. Adamson, 136 Ariz. 250, 265, 665 P.2d 972, 987 (1983). This case involves the issue of whether the subsequent diagnosis of PTSD which existed at the time of the offenses, together with the other information submitted with the PCR, present a colorable claim insofar as the sentencing phase of the case is concerned.
At least two cases in Arizona have involved PTSD, including one in which the diagnosis of PTSD was offered as...
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State v. Swoopes
...this ground, see Ariz. R.Crim. P. 32.1(e)(2), and the trial court did not abuse its discretion in so ruling. See State v. Bilke, 162 Ariz. 51, 52-53, 781 P.2d 28, 29-30 (1989) (defendant must show evidence existed at time of trial, defendant exercised diligence in presenting claim, and evid......
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Styers v. Schriro
...in Vietnam, the court stated the following: This could also, in an appropriate case, constitute mitigation. See State v. Bilke, 162 Ariz. 51, 53, 781 P.2d 28, 30 (1989) ... However, two doctors who examined defendant could not connect defendant's condition to his behavior at the time of the......
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State v. Valenzuela
...to an evidentiary hearing regarding a claim of newly discovered evidence if he or she presents a "colorable claim." State v. Bilke , 162 Ariz. 51, 52, 781 P.2d 28 (1989). Here, the trial court found no colorable claim requiring an evidentiary hearing. See State v. Amaral , 239 Ariz. 217, 21......
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State v. King
...first requirement" that her post-conviction diagnosis was "in fact" newly discovered and ending there if unproven. State v. Bilke , 162 Ariz. 51, 53, 781 P.2d 28, 30 (1989) (describing the "first requirement" as whether the proffered evidence is newly discovered); Serna , 167 Ariz. at 374,......