F I L E D

United States Court of Appeals

Tenth Circuit

PUBLISH

OCT 26 2001

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS

PATRICK FISHER

TENTH CIRCUIT

Clerk

BRYAN ANTHONY TOLES,

Petitioner-Appellant,
v.

No. 00-6337

GARY GIBSON, Warden, Oklahoma

State Penitentiary,
Respondent-Appellee.

Appeal from United States District Court

for the Western District of Oklahoma
(D.C. No. CIV-98-1378-C)
James L. Hankins, Hankins Law Office, Enid, Oklahoma, for the appellant.
Robert L. Whittaker, Assistant Attorney General (W.A. Drew Edmondson, Attorney
General, with him on the brief), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, for the appellee.
Before EBEL, HENRY, and BRISCOE, Circuit Judges.
BRISCOE, Circuit Judge
Petitioner Bryan Anthony Toles, an Oklahoma state prisoner convicted of four
felony counts, including two counts of first degree malice aforethought murder for which

he received two death sentences, appeals the district courts denial of his 28 U.S.C.
2254 petition for writ of habeas corpus. We exercise jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
1291 and affirm.
I.
The facts of Toles crimes were summarized by the Oklahoma Court of Criminal
Appeals (OCCA) in disposing of Toles direct appeal:
The events which culminated in the murder of Juan Franceschi and
his fifteen year old son, Lonnie, began shortly after midnight on July 16,
1993. Bryan Toles, David Flowers and Casey Young walked past the
Franceschi home in Lawton and decided to steal a car. The men were on
their way from the Honeymooners Bar to the home of their friend, Herbie
Foster, and they were tired of walking. None of them knew how to hot-wire
the red Mustang 5.0 in the Franceschis driveway, so they had to get the
keys.
Toles rang the doorbell while Young and Flowers hid around the
corner and put bandannas over their faces outlaw-style. Young had already
loaded a .22 revolver and given it to Toles.
Toles pushed his way into the home when Lonnie opened the door.
He pointed the pistol at Lonnie and told him to get down and shut up.
Young and Flowers went down the hall toward the bedrooms. Norma
Franceschi heard the commotion and met them in the hall. She screamed
for her husband and continued toward the front door. Juan Franceschi
struggled briefly with Young and Flowers in the hall and joined his wife.
Toles, who had been kicking Lonnie, shot Juan Franceschi in the arm.
Toles followed Mr. and Mrs. Franceschi as they retreated toward the
bedroom. He aimed at Mr. Franceschis head, but before he could fire, Mrs.
Franceschi grabbed his arm. Thinking that Mr. Franceschi could identify
him, and that he might as well go ahead and kill him, Toles aimed at
Franceschis chest and shot. Even though he was shot, Franceschi fought
with Toles in the hallway. Toles pants became soaked with Franceschis
blood during the fight. Mrs. Franceschi escaped to their grown daughters
bedroom, hiding first in the closet, and then in the drawer of a waterbed.
She heard someone come into the room and leave.
Meanwhile Lonnie Franceschi was still kneeling on the floor near
2

the front door with his hands behind his back. Toles saw Lonnie on his way
out of the house and thought, damn, theres still him left. Realizing
Lonnie could identify him, Toles turned, extended his arm so the barrel of
the pistol was about six inches from the back of Lonnies head, and fired.
After Toles, Young and Flowers left, Lonnie went to his bedroom
and got in bed. His mother heard him crying and gasping for air. When she
tried to call 911 from the back bedroom, she discovered the phone was dead
and ran to a neighbors home to call. Paramedics arrived shortly and placed
Lonnie on life support. Juan Franceschi died while the paramedics worked
on him. Later that day Lonnie was declared brain dead, removed from life
support and allowed to die.
After they left the Franceschi home, Toles, Young and Flowers
walked two blocks to the home of a friend who gave them a ride to Herbie
Fosters. Toles gave his bloody clothes to a runaway girl who was staying
there and told her to burn them. He called a family friend and told her and
her boyfriend that he shot two people. He then spent the night at the home
of another friend. He was arrested later that afternoon while he was talking
to his mother on a pay phone at the corner of 17th Street and Gore in
Lawton.
Toles v. State, 947 P.2d 180, 184 (Okla. Crim. App. 1997) (Toles I). Following his
arrest, Toles agreed to talk to the police. During his first interview, he admitted entering
the Franceschi home with David Flowers and Casey Young, but insisted that Young was
actually responsible for the murders. During three subsequent interviews, all of which
were videotaped, Toles admitted carrying the gun into the Franceschi home and shooting
Juan and Lonnie Franceschi.
Toles was charged in the District Court of Comanche County, Oklahoma, with five
felony counts. Counts I and II charged him with first degree malice aforethought murder
in the deaths of Juan and Lonnie Franceschi. Count V charged Toles with conspiracy to
commit robbery in the first degree after former conviction of a felony. Count VI charged
3

Toles with attempted robbery in the first degree after former conviction of a felony.
Count VII charged Toles with feloniously carrying a firearm. The state also filed a bill of
particulars alleging the existence of four aggravating circumstances: (1) that Toles
knowingly created a great risk of death to more than one person; (2) the murders were
especially heinous, atrocious or cruel; (3) the murders were committed for the purpose of
avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest or prosecution; and (4) the existence of a
probability that Toles would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a
continuing threat to society.
The case proceeded to trial in September 1994. At the conclusion of the first-stage
proceedings, the jury found Toles guilty of the two murder counts, conspiracy to commit
robbery in the first degree after former conviction of a felony, and feloniously carrying a
firearm. The jury found Toles not guilty of attempted robbery in the first degree after
former conviction of a felony.1 At the conclusion of the second-stage proceedings, the
jury found the existence of all four of the aggravating circumstances alleged by the
prosecution. Based upon the existence of those factors, the jury recommended sentences
of death on each of the two murder counts, twenty years on the conspiracy charge, and ten

The robbery charge was based on the fact that, after the murders were
committed, Mrs. Franceschi was unable to locate a checkbook and a compact disc case
that allegedly contained $200 in cash and two airline tickets. The states evidence on the
robbery charge, however, was fairly weak. Only one witness testified to seeing Toles
with cash immediately after the murders. No witnesses observed Toles or his coconspirators with the CD case, the checkbook, or the airline tickets.
1

years on the firearm charge. The trial court imposed the recommended sentences on
October 27, 1994.
The OCCA affirmed Toles convictions and sentences on direct appeal. Toles I,
947 P.2d at 184, 194. Toles filed a petition for rehearing, which the OCCA denied.
Toles subsequently filed a petition for writ of certiorari, which was denied by the United
States Supreme Court. Toles v. Oklahoma, 524 U.S. 958 (1998). Toles filed an
application for post-conviction relief with the OCCA in September 1997. That
application was denied by the OCCA, and there is no indication in the record that Toles
attempted to file a petition for writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court.
On October 2, 1998, Toles sought post-conviction relief in federal district court by
filing a pro se motion for appointment of counsel and a request to proceed in forma
pauperis. Toles motions were granted by the district court and, on April 15, 1999, Toles
appointed counsel filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus asserting eight grounds for
relief. On August 29, 2000, the district court denied Toles petition. The district court
granted Toles a certificate of appealability (COA) with respect to four of the eight issues
raised in his habeas petition. Toles, however, has chosen to pursue only three of those
four issues on appeal.
II.
Because Toles federal habeas petition was filed after the effective date of the
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (AEDPA), it is governed by the
5

provisions of the AEDPA. Wallace v. Ward, 191 F.3d 1235, 1240 (10th Cir. 1999), cert.
denied, 530 U.S. 1216 (2000). Under the AEDPA, the appropriate standard of review for
a particular claim hinges on the treatment of that claim by the state courts. If a claim was
not decided on the merits by the state courts (and is not otherwise procedurally barred),
we may exercise our independent judgment in deciding the claim. See LaFevers v.
Gibson, 182 F.3d 705, 711 (10th Cir. 1999). In doing so, we review the federal district
courts conclusions of law de novo and its findings of fact, if any, for clear error. Id. If a
claim was adjudicated on its merits by the state courts, the petitioner will be entitled to
federal habeas relief only if he can establish that the state court decision was contrary to,
or involved an unreasonable application of, clearly established Federal law, as determined
by the Supreme Court of the United States, 28 U.S.C. 2254(d)(1), or was based on an
unreasonable determination of the facts in light of the evidence presented in the State
court proceeding. Id. 2254(d)(2).
III.
Denial of funding for neuropharmacologist
Toles, citing Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68 (1985), contends his due process
rights were violated because he was denied funding to present expert testimony at trial in
support of his voluntary intoxication defense.
During preparation for trial, Toles defense counsel retained Dr. Jonathan Lipman,
a neuropharmacologist based in Illinois, to assist in the preparation of a voluntary
6

intoxication defense. Lipman interviewed Toles, examined the available evidence (e.g.,
the videotaped statements Toles gave to the police, interviews with other witnesses), and
prepared a written report that he provided to defense counsel. In his report, Lipman
stated that, during his interview with Toles, he learned that [Toles] consumed - smoked eight rocks of crack cocaine in the four hours preceding the killing[s]. Lipman Memo
at 1. The report further opined that Toles had a blood alcohol concentration of about
590 mg/dl at the time of the crime. Id. The report concluded by stating:
My opinion of the neuropharmacological influences acting upon [Bryan]
Toles during the conduct that led to the killings of Lonnie and Juan
Franceschi is that he was so massively intoxicated under the combined
influence of cocaine and alcohol that his ability to think rationally and to
conform his behavior to the requirements of the law was lost. The
psychotoxic condition in which he found himself was validly describable as
an Organic Brain Disorder.
Id. at 3.
Prior to trial, defense counsel submitted an intra-agency request for additional
funding to allow Lipman to travel from Illinois to Oklahoma to testify. The request was
denied by Robert Ganstine, executive director of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System
(OIDS). During the first stage of trial, defense counsel made the following offer of proof
regarding Lipman's testimony if the funding request had been granted:
At this time, Judge, I want to make an offer of proof as to Dr.
Lipman.
If Dr. Lipman could be here I believe his testimony would be
substantially show that Bryan Toles, based upon his investigation, the in
talking with various witnesses that were with Bryan the night of the
incident, his testimony would be substantially that Bryan that it was his
7

opinion professional opinion that he was under the influence of alcohol

and that he had a BA of I think .53.
I will also state that the reason he is not being called is that the
funding for his travel to and from Illinois has been withdrawn by my
Executive Director, Robert Ganstine, and that is the reason the witness has
not been called.
Tr. at 794. After making the statement, defense counsel rested without presenting any
evidence on Toles behalf.
On direct appeal, Toles asserted that the denial of funding for Lipmans travel and
trial testimony violated his Fourteenth Amendment due process rights. The OCCA
rejected this argument:
Illinois pharmacologist, Dr. Jonathan Lipman, was retained by the
defense team to investigate and develop the defense of voluntary
intoxication. Dr. Lipman interviewed Toles, reviewed his video-taped
statements, and reviewed reports prepared by the police and a forensic
social worker. The defense filed Dr. Lipmans report with the trial court.
Dr. Lipman reported Toles had smoked eight rocks of crack cocaine prior to
the murders, and had drunk beer in sufficient quantities to achieve a blood
alcohol level of .596. He concluded Toles was freefalling . . . through a
maelstrom of brain chemistry and was unable to make rational decisions at
the time of the killings. In his offer of proof at trial, counsel stated Dr.
Lipman would testify to Toles blood alcohol level of .596.
Dr. Lipmans conclusion that Toles was unable to make rational
decisions is controverted sharply by Toles own statements taken six hours
after the murders in which he revealed minute details of the invasion of the
Franceschi home. The only details he did not reveal were those indicating
his very direct involvement. The next day, after Toles spoke with his
mother, Toles again clearly and rationally described the incident in minute
detail, including his own thoughts about getting rid of the male witnesses,
and his belief the woman was too hysterical to worry about. Two days
after the murders Toles stated he had not used any cocaine or chemical
other than alcohol.
Toles was not denied access to an expert witness in the classic Ake
sense. See Ake v. Oklahoma, [470 U.S. 68 (1985)]. Toles obtained an
8

expert who rendered an opinion. While it is true the executive director

denied funding to secure the experts presence at trial, no allegation has
been made at trial or on appeal that but for inadequate financial resources
this witness would have testified at trial.
The executive director of the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System
has the statutory duty to guarantee effective representation for the indigent
criminal defendant, and to serve in an advisory capacity to attorneys
employed by the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System. 22 O.S.1991,
1355.4(C)(6), (17). By statute the executive director is a member of the
defense team, and the Court recognizes the fact that members of a defense
team do not always agree on strategy. The executive director has the final
say regarding issues which ultimately are decided fiscally, for he has the
power to approve or deny requests for the expenditure of funds. See 22
O.S.1991, 1355.4(F).
The record indicates the executive directors decision not to secure
this witness for trial was based on trial strategy. The question therefore
becomes one of effective assistance of counsel and is two-fold. Did the
executive director deny Toles effective assistance of counsel by deciding
Dr. Lipman would not testify at trial, and if so, was trial counsel ineffective
for not pressing the issue at trial?
The familiar standard of review for questions of effective assistance
of counsel was set forth in Strickland v. Washington, [466 U.S. 668
(1984)]. To carry his burden to prove ineffective assistance, Toles must
show the executive directors denial of funds was not reasonable
considering all the circumstances, and this error prejudiced his defense. Id.
[at 687-88]. Under the Strickland analysis we begin with the strong
presumption that the decision not to present this witness was reasonable
trial strategy. Id. [at 689]. If we find the executive directors decision was
reasonable under the circumstances, our analysis ends there. If we find the
decision was not reasonable under the circumstances, we must then
determine whether there is a reasonable probability that but for the decision
not to present Dr. Lipman, the result of trial would have been different. Id.
[at 694].
The contradiction between Dr. Lipmans report of debilitating
intoxication and [Toles'] articulate, rational and thorough recounting of the
facts in the video-taped interview taken just six hours after the murders,
together with the very complete detail he recounted in subsequent
interviews, is striking and irreconcilable. Toles rational behavior was
memorialized for the jury to see and hear. Dr. Lipmans report was based,
in part, on subsequent interviews with Toles. The conclusions of the report
9

are so thoroughly controverted and discredited by the video-taped

interviews, that the jury could not believe both.
It appears the executive director decided the testimony of Dr.
Lipman would not be helpful to the defense. This decision is rational and
based on the facts and circumstances of this case. The decision not to call
Dr. Lipman appears to be sound trial strategy, and the record contains
nothing to overcome this presumption. Having found this decision
reasonable, we need not analyze the question further.
Toles I, 947 P.2d at 187-88.
The threshold question we must address is what standard of review to apply in
deciding Toles claim. When Toles first raised the denial of funding issue on direct
appeal, he requested an evidentiary hearing to determine the circumstances for the denial
of the requested funds. Toles Direct Appeal Br. at i. Although the OCCA rejected
Toles request for an evidentiary hearing, it nevertheless made a critical, and what now
appears to be a clearly erroneous, finding of fact, i.e., that Ganstine denied Toles funding
request for strategic reasons. See 28 U.S.C. 2254(d)(2). Based upon that finding of
fact, the OCCA concluded that Ake was inapplicable, and instead considered whether
Ganstines decision was reasonable under Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984).
When the Ake issue was reasserted in Toles' application for post-conviction relief with
the OCCA, the court held the issue was barred by res judicata.
In light of the evidence submitted by Toles in connection with his application for
post-conviction relief, it is clear that Ganstines decision was not a strategic one.
According to the evidence, Ganstines role was to decide if the agency [OIDS] had the
funds to cover the costs of the tools attorneys needed to do their jobs, and he was never
10

in a participatory or advisory role. Affidavit of Terri L. Marroquin at 8 (see Appendix

to Toles Application for Post-Conviction Relief). Thus, Ganstine was never told the
specifics of [a] case or the name of the client when he was deciding whether to allocate
funds. Id. at 17. Indeed, the record contains an affidavit from Ganstine, submitted in
support of Toles' application for post-conviction relief, in which he states that [i]n
denying the request [for funding] in Mr. Toles case, [he] did not make a strategic
decision as a member of Mr. Toles defense team nor was [his] denial of the request
based on any evaluation of the merits of the proposed defense. Affidavit of Robert
Ganstine at 1. Instead, Ganstine indicates, [i]t was [his] position as administrator to be
concerned about the fiscal welfare of the agency and to insure that the attorneys adhered
to agency policy. Id. In short, contrary to the findings of the OCCA, the uncontroverted
evidence indicates that Ganstines decision was a purely fiscal one.2 See 28 U.S.C.
2254(d)(2), and (e)(1).
Because the OCCA's misperception of Ganstine's role led it not to address the
merits of Toles' Ake claim, we proceed to do so, applying a de novo standard of review.
See Gonzales v. McKune, 247 F.3d 1066, 1072 (10th Cir. 2001) (If a state court did not

There is some evidence in the record on appeal that Dr. Lipman had been
involved in an earlier criminal case arising in Oklahoma County. According to Dr.
Lipman, there was a dispute in that case concerning who would pay his fees, i.e., either
the Oklahoma County Public Defenders Office or the OIDS. Dr. Lipman suggests this
earlier dispute may have had some impact on Ganstines decision not to approve funding
for Lipman to travel to Oklahoma to testify in Toles case.
2

11

hear the petitioner's claims on the merits, . . . we review the district court's legal
conclusions de novo.). In doing so, we note, as did the OCCA and the district court
below, that Toles was not denied access to an expert witness in the classic Ake sense.
Toles I, 947 P.2d at 187. Indeed, we remain uncertain whether the Ake framework
applies to circumstances such as those here, where funding decisions impacting a capital
defendant are made not by the trial court but by the head of a state-funded indigent
defense system. However, because we conclude there is no merit to Toles claim, we
assume, without deciding, that Ake applies in these circumstances.
In Ake, the Supreme Court noted that when a State brings its judicial power to
bear on an indigent defendant in a criminal proceeding, it must take steps to assure that
the defendant has a fair opportunity to present his defense. 470 U.S. at 76. Without
going so far as holding that a State must purchase for the indigent defendant all the
assistance that his wealthier counterpart might buy, the Court explained that indigent
defendants must have access to the raw materials integral to the building of an effective
defense. Id. at 77. Applying these principles to the facts before it, the Court held that
when an indigent defendant demonstrates that sanity at the time of the offense will be a
significant factor at trial, the defendant must be provided access to a competent
psychiatrist who will conduct an appropriate examination and assist in evaluation,
preparation, and presentation of the defense. Id. at 83.
The question here is whether, under the particular circumstances of the case,
12

Lipmans testimony could legitimately be characterized as integral to the building of an

effective defense, i.e., one of the basic tools of an adequate defense. Id. at 77. Under
Tenth Circuit precedent, three factors are generally considered in deciding this question:
(1) the effect on Toles private interest in the accuracy of the trial if the requested service
is not provided; (2) the burden on the governments interest if the service is provided; and
(3) the probable value of the additional service and the risk of error in the proceedings if
such assistance is not offered. Rojem v. Gibson, 245 F.3d 1130, 1139 (10th Cir. 2001).
Because the first two factors are typically satisfied in favor of an indigent capital
defendant, the third factor is the critical one in deciding whether a particular expert is
a required basic tool of an adequate defense. Johnson v. Gibson, 169 F.3d 1239, 124647 (10th Cir. 1999).
Toles goes to great lengths to outline why Lipmans testimony was critical to his
voluntary intoxication defense. In particular, Toles contends that only Dr. Lipman could
have provided the expert testimony needed to describe the physiological and
psychological effects of the combination of alcohol and drugs, and lay witnesses certainly
could neither conduct neuropsychological or neuropharmacological tests nor present the
results of such tests to the jury. Toles Opening Br. at 37. Toles further contends that
the risk of error in the trial proceedings without Lipmans testimony was substantial
because he was essentially deprived of any meaningful first stage defense to the states
assertion that he acted with malice aforethought in killing the two victims. Id. at 41.
13

We assume, without deciding, that Toles can establish that Lipmans testimony
was one of the basic tools of an adequate defense and that the denial of funding for
Lipmans trial testimony therefore resulted in a violation of his due process rights. The
question then becomes whether the error was harmless. The denial of expert assistance in
violation of Ake is trial error subject to harmless error analysis under the standard set
forth in Kotteakos v. United States, 328 U.S. 750, 776 (1946) (asking whether the error
had substantial and injurious effect or influence in determining the jurys verdict).3 See
Brewer v. Reynolds, 51 F.3d 1519, 1529 (10th Cir. 1995). Under this standard, we can
grant relief only if we believe the error substantially influenced the jurys decision, or if
we are in grave doubt as to the harmlessness of the error. See ONeal v. McAninch, 513
U.S. 432, 436 (1995).
In deciding the harmless error question, we turn first to Oklahoma law on the
defense of voluntary intoxication. Under Oklahoma law, voluntary intoxication has long
been recognized as a defense to the crime of First Degree Malice Murder. Taylor v.
State, 998 P.2d 1225, 1230 (Okla. Crim. App. 2000). If voluntary intoxication is to be
relied upon as an affirmative defense, the defendant must introduce sufficient evidence to
raise a reasonable doubt as to his ability to form the requisite criminal intent. Id. More
Although Toles suggests the denial of funding resulted in structural error, he is
clearly mistaken. In Brewer v. Reynolds, we held that a right to which a defendant is
not entitled absent some threshold showing [cannot] fairly be defined as basic to the
structure of a constitutional trial. 51 F.3d 1519, 1529 (10th Cir. 1995) (quoting Starr v.
Lockhart, 23 F.3d 1280, 1291 (8th Cir. 1994)).
3

14

specifically, [a] defense of voluntary intoxication requires that a defendant, first, be

intoxicated and, second, be so utterly intoxicated, that his mental powers are overcome,
rendering it impossible for a defendant to form the specific criminal intent or special
mental element of the crime. Jackson v. State, 964 P.2d 875, 892 (Okla. Crim. App.
1998). Notably, the OCCA has held that a defendants detailed account of the
circumstances surrounding [a] murder defeats [a] claim to a voluntary intoxication
defense. Bland v. State, 4 P.3d 702, 718 (Okla. Crim. App. 2000); Taylor, 998 P.2d at
1230 (same); Turrentine v. State, 965 P.2d 955, 969 (Okla. Crim. App. 1998) (same).
Reviewing the record in light of these principles, it is clear that the first-stage
evidence fell far short of meeting the required standards for establishing a voluntary
intoxication defense. Toles gave four videotaped statements to the police, all of which
were introduced by the prosecution during the first stage of trial. In the first statement,
given approximately seventeen hours after the murders, Toles admitted participating in
the burglary of the Franceschi home, but maintained that Young was responsible for
shooting the two victims. In the second statement, given a day later, Toles acknowledged
that he had lied during the first interview about the extent of his participation. Further,
Toles admitted he was responsible for the murders and outlined in detail what transpired
during the invasion of the Franceschi home. In the third statement, given the same day as
the second statement, Toles again admitted to shooting the two victims and described the
crime in detail, including the events preceding the decision to burglarize the Franceschi
15

home, how the Franceschi home was selected, what type of gun was utilized during the
crime, what actions he, his co-conspirators and the victims took after the home was
invaded,4 and his reasons for shooting the two victims.5 In the fourth statement, taken
two days after the murders, Toles was asked the following questions and gave the
following responses:
Detective:
Toles:
Detective:
Toles:
Detective:
Toles:
Detective:
Toles:
Detective:
Toles:

Okay. Also, I need to ask you about your physical condition

that night. Had you been drinking?
Yes, I had.
But when you did this did you know what you were doing in
your state of mind?
I was aware of everything that was happening.
Were you on any type of drug?
Not chemical drugs, no. Alcohol.
Just alcohol. Im talking about like cocaine or something.
No.
You were completely aware of what was going on, is that
right?
Yes, sir.

Tr. of Interview #4, at 2.

For example, Toles testified that Juan Franceschi was still fighting and
coming towards Toles when Toles shot him in this side of his chest . . . [o]ver by the
heart. Tr. of Interview #3 at 7. Toles continued: And then [Juan Franceschi] staggered
back almost into the hallway and I followed him back there and I shot him once again.
Id.
4

Toles was asked what was going through [his] mind when [he] shot [Juan] the
second time. Tr. of Interview #3 at 8. Toles responded: After I shot him the first time,
to tell you the truth, I was thinking, I said, hell, I shot him so I might as well just go ahead
and kill him then. Id. Likewise, Toles was asked why he shot Lonnie Franceschi in the
head at close range as he was leaving the Franceschi home. Toles responded: [H]e was
raising up and he just had some shorts on. I didnt know if he had a weapon or not or
anything and as I was running out of the house I said, damn, theres still him left was
going through my mind. Since I shot the other one so I just shot at him. Id. at 12.
5

16

Toles videotaped statements were bolstered by testimony from two of the states
other first-stage witnesses. Co-conspirator Casey Young testified that Toles had been
drinking alcohol on the evening of the murders, but he expressly denied that Toles
ingested cocaine or other illicit drugs prior to the murders. Tr. at 571 (No drugs besides
alcohol.). Young further testified that, based upon what he observed from Toles
behavior, it appeared that Toles understood what he was doing. Another witness, Joseph
Vicks, testified that he spoke with Toles immediately following the murders and spent the
next four hours with Toles, during which time Toles talked at length about the crime.
According to Vicks, Toles was not slurring his words or stuttering and did not otherwise
appear to be drunk. None of the witnesses at trial (either first-stage or second-stage)
testified about Toles ingesting crack cocaine or any other illicit drugs prior to the
murders.
In sum, none of the first-stage evidence substantiated Toles voluntary intoxication
theory. Although the evidence indicated that Toles had consumed alcohol prior to the
murders,6 there was no evidence indicating that Toles consumed any illicit drugs.
Further, the evidence indicated that Toles was able to provide acquaintances and police
with repeated, detailed accounts of the crime. Thus, although Toles may have been able
During the second and third statements, Toles indicated to the police that he was
drunk or intoxicated at the time of the crimes. Tr. of Interview #2 at 8 (I was
intoxicated at the time and, as far as I told the detective yesterday at first, I mean, I didnt
have no remorse say about it at first none at all.); Tr. of Interview #3 at 8 (I didnt . . .
you know, I mean, I was drunk, I wasnt thinking all that clear.).
6

17

to establish that he was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the murders, we are
convinced he could not have demonstrated, as required by Oklahoma law, that his mental
powers were overcome by the effects of alcohol, rendering it impossible for him to form
malice aforethought.
For these reasons, we are firmly convinced that the denial of funding for Lipmans
trial testimony did not have a substantial injurious impact on the jurys first-stage
verdicts. Had Lipman appeared at trial, he would have testified, in part, that Toles
reported smoking eight rocks of crack cocaine in the four hours preceding the murders.
Obviously, this testimony would have been directly contradictory to all of the other first
stage evidence, including Toles videotaped, post-arrest statements to the police. Given
the great weight of the evidence indicating that Toles did not ingest any illicit drugs prior
to the murders, we conclude the jury would have rejected this portion of Lipmans
testimony. In turn, it seems certain the jury would have given little, if any, weight to
Lipmans related conclusion that Toles was so massively intoxicated under the combined
influence of cocaine and alcohol that his ability to think rationally and to conform his
behavior to the requirements of the law was lost.7 Thus, any constitutional error arising

Lipmans conclusions regarding Toles blood alcohol level at the time of the
murders also seem highly questionable. Although some of the witnesses presented by the
defense during the second-stage proceedings testified that Toles consumed a large amount
of alcohol in the hours preceding the crimes, that evidence was controverted by the
prosecutions evidence which, as previously indicated, suggested that Toles was not so
intoxicated that he was unable to form the necessary criminal intent.
7

18

out of the denial of funding for Lipmans trial testimony was harmless.
Finally, we note that Toles' appellate brief contains passing references to the effect
Lipman's testimony may have had on the outcome of the second-stage proceedings. See
Toles' Br. at 26 (Absent the expert testimony of Dr. Lipman, Toles . . . was denied
powerful mitigation evidence.), at 45 (noting that the affidavit of one of the jurors
indicated Lipman's testimony would have affected his decision to impose the death
penalty). If Toles is asserting an Ake claim regarding the effect of Lipman's testimony
on the second-stage proceedings, we will not address it because it was not adequately
presented to the district court,8 and has not been presented to and decided by the OCCA.
Indeed, because the OCCA would now conclude the claim is procedurally barred, see
McCracken v. State, 946 P.2d 672, 674 (Okla. Crim. App. 1997) (noting the OCCA will
not consider an issue which could have been raised on direct appeal), it is considered
procedurally defaulted for purposes of federal habeas relief, Thomas v. Gibson, 218
F.3d 1213, 1221 (10th Cir. 2000), and Toles does not assert that the procedural default is
overcome by cause and prejudice or that application of the procedural bar will result in a
fundamental miscarriage of justice.

The only arguable reference to the claim in Toles' federal habeas petition is
found on page 42 where Toles refers to the post-trial statements of one of the jurors
indicating that Dr. Lipman's testimony would have affected his decision to impose the
death penalty. In our view, this single sentence was insufficient to give the district
court adequate notice of the claim.
8

19

Admission of Toles videotaped statements to police

Toles contends that the four videotaped statements he gave to police following his
arrest, all of which contained inculpatory statements, were improperly admitted at trial.
According to Toles, the statements were obtained in violation of the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth,
and Fourteenth Amendments because he did not knowingly and intelligently waive his
constitutional rights as required by Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966).
Toles first raised this issue at trial. The trial court conducted a hearing pursuant to
Jackson v. Denno, 378 U.S. 368, 376-77 (1964), during which Toles and Larry Mahamed,
the lead detective on the case, testified. According to Toles, he was arrested by an
Officer Puccino on July 16, 1993. At the time of his arrest, Toles testified, he asked
Puccino if he could speak to an attorney. Puccino allegedly did not respond to Toles
request, and instead placed him in a patrol car, transported him to the city jail, and placed
him in a conference room. Toles and Mahamed both testified that Mahamed escorted
Toles from the conference room to Mahameds office, where Mahamed advised Toles of
his rights and advised Toles of why he was under arrest. According to Mahamed, he
never saw Officer Puccino and was unaware that Toles had asked to speak to an attorney.
Mahamed testified that Toles stated, after being advised of his rights, that he had an
Oklahoma City attorney he wanted to call. Mahamed allegedly said Fine, and began
escorting Toles to the county jail. Tr. at 675. Mahamed testified that as he was taking
Toles to the jail, Toles said Stop. Just a minute. Ill talk. Id. at 676. Mahamed then
20

escorted Toles to an interview room where he again advised Toles of his Miranda rights,
Toles agreed to waive his rights, and Toles proceeded to give the first of his four
videotaped statements. Mahamed testified that at no time during that interview or any of
the subsequent interviews did Toles indicate he wanted to speak to an attorney. Toles
testified that after the first interview Mahamed told him that if he did not cooperate he
would more than likely receive a death sentence. Toles further testified that Mahamed
told him that if he cooperated fully Mahamed would talk to the district attorney about
getting Toles a life sentence. According to Toles, Mahameds offer to speak to the
district attorney is what prompted him to contact detectives and give his second and third
videotaped statements the following day. Mahamed admitted that he told Toles he could
possibly receive a death sentence, but he testified he did so after Toles third videotaped
statement, and in response to questions posed by Toles. Mahamed denied ever offering to
speak to the district attorney. At the conclusion of the hearing, the trial court found that
Toles statements were freely and voluntarily given after a knowing and intelligent waiver
of his Miranda rights and allowed all of the videotaped statements to be admitted at trial.
Toles challenged the admissibility of the statements on direct appeal. The OCCA
rejected Toles arguments and concluded the videotaped statements were properly
admitted:
Toles asserts . . . that suppression of his custodial statements was
improperly denied by the trial court. In response to the motion to suppress,
the trial court properly held a Jackson v. Denno hearing to determine
whether Toles custodial statements were voluntary. In that hearing
21

uncontroverted evidence established the following sequence of events: 1)

Toles asked for an attorney when he was arrested and placed in a squad car;
2) he received the Miranda warnings and again asked for his attorney when
he arrived at the police station; 3) questioning was not begun, and he was
told he would still have to be booked; 4) he stated he had changed his mind
and he would talk to the police without counsel present; and 5) questioning
was begun after this affirmative waiver.
Toles argues his waiver was not valid, for all police contact should
have stopped when he asked for an attorney upon his initial contact with the
police. He claims the subsequent Miranda warning violated his Fifth and
Sixth Amendment right to counsel.
Under some circumstances the differences between the Fifth and
Sixth Amendment right to counsel are of critical importance to a case. The
Fifth Amendment right to counsel must be asserted by the accused and it
covers interrogation concerning any offense, past or present, charged or
uncharged. The Sixth Amendment right is offense-specific and attaches at
the time judicial proceedings have been initiated against the accused. These
distinctions are not dispositive in the case before us, for the focus of our
inquiry is on waiver.
Once the right to counsel has been asserted under the Fifth
Amendment, or has attached under the Sixth Amendment, a valid waiver of
that right cannot be established by showing only that the accused responded
to further police-initiated custodial interrogation even if the accused has
been advised of his rights. An accused may change his mind, however, and
affirmatively waive the right to counsel secured by either Amendment.
Police interrogation following an affirmative waiver does not run afoul of
the constitution.
Toles asserted his right to counsel twice--first as he got into the
squad car when he was arrested, and again following the administration of
the Miranda warnings at the police station. The record is clear that as soon
as Toles asserted the right to counsel at the station, the police
communication turned immediately to administrative matters and Toles was
advised he would have to be booked into jail. It was not until Toles told the
police he would talk to them without counsel that police questioning began.
Toles waived his right to counsel with this affirmative statement.
Toles also argues the police coerced his confession with offers of
leniency. At the Jackson v. Denno hearing the interrogating officers
expressly denied making any offers to Toles. Relevant evidence on this
question introduced at the hearing included three video-taped statements by
Toles. One statement was taped the day of the murder; two statements were
22

taped the day after the murder.

In the first statement Toles admitted being present during the
murders but denied shooting anyone. In the second statement he admitted
he shot the victims. In the third he more fully explained his motives and the
details of the crime. The interrogator asked Toles during the second taped
interview why he admitted the shootings he had earlier denied. Toles
replied he had talked with his mother who asked him how he would feel if
his father and brother had been murdered.
To defeat a motion to suppress, the State bears the burden to prove
by a preponderance of the evidence the accuseds statements were
voluntary. The video-taped statement in which Toles explains the reason
for his change of heart carries the States burden. The trial court properly
denied Toles motion to suppress.
Toles I, 947 P.2d at 186-87 (internal citations and footnotes omitted).
Much as he did in state court, Toles asserts two general arguments in this federal
habeas proceeding. First, he asserts that his initial statement should have been
suppressed because it was taken in violation of [his] Fifth and Sixth Amendment rights to
counsel. Toles Opening Br. at 68. The remaining three statements, he argues, are
also suppressible because they were obtained as a direct result of the violation of the right
to counsel which occurred prior to the first interview. Id. Second, Toles asserts that his
second and subsequent statements were suppressible because they were induced by
promises of lenience. Id.
In Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477, 484-85 (1981), the Supreme Court held that
an accused, . . . having expressed his desire to deal with the police only through counsel,
is not subject to further interrogation by the authorities until counsel has been made
available to him, unless the accused himself initiates further communication, exchanges,
23

or conversations with the police. The Edwards rule is violated [i]f police initiate
subsequent contact without the presence of counsel, and any statements made by the
accused in that situation will be presumed involuntary, even where his statements would
otherwise be deemed voluntary under traditional standards. Pickens v. Gibson, 206 F.3d
988, 994 (10th Cir. 2000). If, however, the accused initiates further communication with
the police, the Edwards rule is not violated, and the question then becomes simply
whether the accused knowingly and intelligently waived his rights to counsel and to
silence. Oregon v. Bradshaw, 462 U.S. 1039, 1045-46 (1983).
Here, the OCCA reasonably concluded that Detective Mahamed did not violate
Toles constitutional rights in obtaining the initial videotaped statement. It was
uncontroverted that Toles invoked his right to counsel immediately following his arrest by
Officer Puccino. Thus, it is clear that Toles was thereafter protected by the Edwards rule.
Whether Mahamed violated the Edwards rule by escorting Toles from a conference room
to his office and then advising Toles of his Miranda rights is irrelevant because the
Oklahoma courts found, as a matter of historical fact, that Toles responded to Mahameds
actions by again invoking his right to counsel. The Oklahoma courts further found that
Mahamed complied with Toles request and began escorting him to the jail for booking.
Finally, and most importantly, the Oklahoma courts found that it was Toles who
ultimately initiated the critical communications with Mahamed by saying: Stop. Just a
minute. Ill talk. Tr. at 676. Because these factual findings by the Oklahoma courts are
24

presumed to be correct under 28 U.S.C. 2254(e)(1), and Toles has failed to come
forward with evidence sufficient to overcome that presumption, it is clear that the first
videotaped statement was not obtained in violation of the Edwards rule. Thus, the only
remaining question is whether Toles knowingly and intelligently waived his rights by
agreeing to provide Mahamed with the initial videotaped statement. See Bradshaw, 462
U.S. at 1046. On this point, the evidence was uncontroverted. Toles conceded at the
Jackson v. Denno hearing that Mahamed advised him of his rights and that he agreed to
waive them prior to responding to further questioning from Mahamed. The first
videotaped statement confirms this because it begins with Mahamed advising Toles of his
rights and Toles agreeing to waive those rights. Thus, Toles knowingly and intelligently
waived his rights prior to providing Mahamed with the first statement.
The OCCA also reasonably concluded that Toles final three videotaped
statements were voluntarily given. Although Toles asserted the three statements were
coerced by offers of leniency from Mahamed, the OCCA found otherwise. More
specifically, the OCCA found, after reviewing the final three videotaped statements, that
Toles decided to contact Mahamed and confess to the crimes after speaking with his
mother, who asked him how he would feel if his father and brother had been murdered.
Toles I, 947 P.2d at 187. This finding of historical fact is entitled to a presumption of
correctness, and Toles is unable to overcome the presumption with clear and convincing

25

evidence.9 28 U.S.C. 2254(e)(1). In turn, Toles is unable to establish that the OCCA
erred in concluding that the final three videotaped statements were the product of his free
and deliberate choice.

Sufficiency of evidence to support HAC aggravator

Toles contends his death sentences are unconstitutional because the evidence
presented at trial was insufficient to establish the existence of the heinous, atrocious or
cruel (HAC) aggravator. According to Toles, the facts indicate the shootings of both
Juan and Lonnie Franceschi occurred quickly and were not designed to cause great
suffering. Toles Opening Br. at 86. As a result, Toles contends, the record can not
be read rationally to support [the HAC] aggravator beyond a reasonable doubt. Id.
Toles first raised this issue on direct appeal. The OCCA rejected Toles
arguments, concluding the evidence was sufficient to support the HAC aggravator:
In order to prove the heinous, atrocious or cruel aggravator, the
State had to prove beyond a reasonable doubt the death of the victim was
preceded by torture or serious physical abuse. A slow, painful death
satisfies this condition precedent.
When Toles shot Juan Franceschi in the chest, the .22 caliber bullet
pierced his lung and lodged in his back. Franceschi died as a result of two
pints of blood leaking into his chest cavity and suffocating him. The
medical examiner testified the wound did not cause immediate loss of
The OCCAs finding on this point is supported not only by the videotaped
statements, but also by Detective Mahameds testimony at the Jackson v. Denno hearing,
during which he denied making any offers of leniency to Toles after the first videotaped
statement.
9

26

consciousness, and the record shows Franceschi did not die until the
paramedics arrived. This slow, lingering death is sufficient to prove serious
physical abuse.
Toles shot Lonnie Franceschi in the back of the head. After Toles
ran out of the house, Lonnie managed to get to his room where his mother
heard him crying and gasping for air. The medical examiner testified this
injury would have been extremely painful. We do not know exactly when
Lonnie lost consciousness, but we know he did not lose consciousness
immediately. Again, the slow, painful sinking into unconsciousness is
sufficient to prove serious physical abuse.
Toles I, 947 P.2d at 190 (internal citations omitted).
Because Toles challenge to the HAC aggravator is an evidentiary one, the
rational factfinder standard announced in Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307 (1979),
governs our review. See Romano v. Gibson, 239 F.3d 1156, 1176 (10th Cir. 2001). The
issue thus presented is whether there was sufficient evidence to satisfy Oklahomas
constitutionally narrowed standards for establishing the HAC aggravator. Id. A murder
is especially heinous, atrocious or cruel under Oklahoma law if it is preceded by torture or
serious physical abuse. Torture includes the infliction of either great physical anguish or
extreme mental cruelty, while physical abuse requires evidence of conscious physical
suffering. Id. (internal quotations omitted).
A careful review of the trial transcript indicates that the evidence was more than
sufficient to establish that both victims endured conscious physical suffering prior to their
deaths. The forensic pathologist who performed autopsies on the victims testified that the
chest wound incurred by Juan Franceschi could have been extremely painful (it caused
bleeding into the chest cavity, which in turn compressed Juans lung), but would not have
27

caused Juan to lose consciousness immediately. The pathologists testimony on this point
was supported by the testimony of other witnesses who testified that Juan remained
conscious after being shot by Toles in the arm and the chest, and indeed continued to
physically struggle with Toles after the wounds were inflicted. As for Lonnie Franceschi,
the pathologist testified that the gunshot wound to his head, though likely painful and
ultimately fatal, would not necessarily have caused Lonnie to lose consciousness
immediately. The pathologists testimony regarding Lonnie was again bolstered by
testimony from other witnesses. It was uncontroverted that Toles shot Lonnie in the
living room of the Franceschi home, yet Lonnie was found by paramedics in his bedroom.
Further, Norma Franceschi, the only surviving victim of the crimes, testified that as she
lay hiding under her daughters bed, she heard a final gunshot, followed by the sounds of
Lonnie crying and gasping for air. In sum, it is clear that a rational factfinder, viewing
the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, could have found that both
victims endured conscious physical suffering prior to their deaths, and in turn would have
found the existence of the HAC aggravator.
Accordingly, we conclude the OCCAs decision is neither contrary to nor an
unreasonable application of clearly established federal law, and Toles is not entitled to
federal habeas relief on this issue.
The judgment of the district court is AFFIRMED.

28

00-6337, Toles v. Gibson

EBEL, Circuit Judge, Concurring:
I join the majoritys opinion in its entirety, with the following
qualification. In my view, de novo review of the petitioners Ake claim is
appropriate because the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals unreasonably
applied Ake, rather than because that court did not reach the merits of the Ake
claim.

00-6337, Toles v. Gibson

HENRY, Circuit Judge, Concurring:
I, like Judge Ebel, join Judge Briscoes opinion in its entirety, with the
following qualification. In light of Aycox v. Lytle, 196 F.3d 1174, 1177-78
(10th Cir. 1999) (We conclude. . . that we owe deference to the state courts
result, even if its reasoning is not expressly stated.), I think we must conclude
that the OCCA did adjudicate the Ake issue, despite the short shrift given to that
issue. Nevertheless, I agree with both Judges Briscoe and Ebel that pre-AEDPA
standards of review apply. Pre-AEDPA standards of review (and thus de novo
review of Mr. Toles claim under Ake) apply because either: 1) the OCCA
unreasonably applied Ake, as argued by Judge Ebel; or 2) the OCCAs
determination that Mr. Ganstines refusal to fund Dr. Lipmans travel amounted
to trial strategy itself amounted to an unreasonable determination of the facts
under 28 U.S.C. 2254(d)(2), cf. Slip. Op. at 10-11 (essentially reaching the
same conclusion: [The OCCA] made a critical, and what now appears to be a
clearly erroneous, finding of fact, i.e. that [Mr.] Ganstine denied [Mr.] Toles
funding request for strategic reasons. . . . In short, contrary to the findings of the
OCCA, the uncontroverted evidence indicates that [Mr.] Ganstines decision was
a purely fiscal one.). It was this unreasonable determination that led the OCCA
to conclude that, because Mr. Toles, through his counsel Mr. Ganstine, had
himself chosen to forego Dr. Lipmans testimony, the balance of the analysis

should proceed under Strickland rather than Ake. See Toles v. State, 947 P.2d
180, 187 (Okla. Crim. App. 1997) (effectively concluding its Ake analysis by
reasoning: The record indicates [Mr. Ganstines] decision not to secure [Dr.
Lipman] for trial was based on trial strategy. The question therefore becomes one
of effective assistance of counsel. . .).