IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF_________ COUNTY, ____________ NAME OF PLAINTIFF) )) V. )NO.))NAME OF DEFENDANT) )) MOTION FOR ALLOWANCE TO HIRE INVESTIGATOR AND TRANSLATOR Comes now ____________, one of the attorney's of record for _________, and moves
this Honorable Court to allow the payment of expenses for the hiring of an investigator and
translator to travel to __________ and would show unto the Court that the following are the
reasons and documents necessary which can only be obtained in __________ for hiring an
experienced investigator and translator to travel to __________: 1. _________'s birth certificate, birth record, and other vital records. __________ was born
on _________________, at _____________ Hospital in ________________. This hospital
would be the starting point in locating birth records, and other medical records for
____________ and members of his family.a.Hospital/clinic records, physician's records (including checkups during
pregnancy, family albums, family Bible, newspaper announcement, "welfare"
department, and recollection of family members, friends and neighbors.b.General information on birth experiences should be researched as well. What
prenatal care is available? Nourishment? Mid-wife involvement? Post-partem
services/records?
c.Family members must be located and a document authorizing a "release" be
obtained. d.The purpose of this investigation is to locate and provide to medical, social,
psychological and psychiatric experts, evidence of edema, anemia, patterns of weight
loss/gain, medications used during pregnancy and at birth, illnesses during pregnancy,
length of labor, fetal distress, use of forceps, birth weight, alcohol/drug use during
pregnancy, stress that would interfere with delivery of oxygen, mother's age at birth,
medical complications, mother's mental state (depression/nervousness), trauma, infancy
diseases. This information will direct the defense to necessary avenues of expert
investigation, and is important to each of the experts in developing adequate testimony.2.Birth certificates and birth records for all members of ___________'s immediate family.
Defendant has no information on where _____________'s siblings were born or how to locate
their birth records; neither does Defendant have any information or documentation of family
medical history. To Defendant's knowledge, all of ___________'s blood relatives, except his
children, presently reside in _____________.3. Death Certificates for family and friends. It will be helpful to know the cause of
___________'s father's death, as well as other of his family or friends. This provides not only
medical evidence, but also provides a dramatic portrait of the client's social situation. 4.Early Childhood Records - All of ___________'s early childhood was spent in
__________. The only source of information presently available on this period is
_____________ and his step-father, ________________; their recollections and ability to
corroborate events during this period is not sufficient. The Defendant has no documentation on
this period.
a.All hospital/clinic records on _______________ and his family from this period.
These should include all emergency rooms visits, physician's records, and any social
service type records (these may be extensive in a communist country).b.The import of those is to investigate, corroborate, and document a comprehensive
family history, including physical trauma, head injuries and other sources of hypoxia,
abuse/neglect complains or concerns, medical treatment for fever, seizures, weight
gain/loss, accident, trauma, disease, lead poisoning, inoculations, health growth charts,
etc.5. Immediate Family: Defendant knows no documentation whatsoever on ___________'s immediate family, other
than his stepfather. We cannot document their existence, let alone the social, psychological,
education, medical, criminal, or professional history.
a. _________________ presumed biological father; deceased. Apparently killed in
resistance to Fidel's communist overthrow. ________________ owned and operated a
grocery store near the hospital where ______________ was born. Apparently, upon his
death, ________________ family took over the property without any provisions made for
the care of ______________ wife and children. _______________ father wanted to be a
police officer; ___________'s grandmother died in _________. After the death of
______________ his family rejected ___________, his mother and his brothers and
sisters.b. __________________________ - biological mother; resides in ____________.
______________ and ___________________ were not legally married. _________'s
maternal grandmother, _________________, is apparently still alive in ____, aged ___.
_______________ and her children lived for a time with ________________.c. _______________ - __.d.____________ - __. _____________ was pregnant with _____________ when
she met ___________. ______________ now describes _____________ as "slightly
retarded."e. _____________ - sister, died in her sleep in ________.Children of f.____________ - __. Party member. Lived some time in __________, stationed
__________ soldier. Now in __________.g.___________ - __.h._____________ - __. Kindergarten teacher. __________.i._________ - __. Presently in school. __________.6.All information on siblings, particularly regarding births, deaths, school records
(counseling, testing, and contact any teachers), criminal justice system records (juvenile and
adult), medical and social services. Comprehensive records are needed to construct the family's
history, especially with an eye toward mental, emotional, physical, and legal problems. a. No one could understand ___________'s life without a clear
description/explanation of his family's response to the experience of the __________
Revolution; the conflict and mixed loyalties would be important to a competent
psychologist psychiatrist in presenting mitigationb.When looking at school records it is necessary to locate every school attended. At
present it appears _____________ attended three schools: _______________ Elementary
School, high school and a vocational school in ______________. ________'s family will
be able to give names and locations for these. Two of __________'s siblings currently
work in the education system in ___________.c.Generally, it is important that documents from schools contain records on
attendance, any teacher's notes or evaluations, cumulative scores, standardized tests, IQ
tests and scores (raw data - as apposed to summary conclusions - is always important
because it provides for further analysis and may reveal "mis-diagnosis"), teachers and
coaches names, family's home addresses, parents and siblings, school nurse entries,
truancy reports, special academic, social, and athletic achievements, ...etc.d.Juvenile records, for all family members, should contain information about any
shelters, juvenile homes, detention or delinquent facilities, youth clubs (in __________
this may have a special military flavor to it, including evidence of
propaganda/indoctrination). Involvement of ____________'s family with any of these
should be followed up with investigation into the nature and records of the
organization/facility; find out if complaints have been made, scandals.e.Look especially for psychological testing, suicide attempts, reports of child abuse,
references to school and medical records, job assignments, names of caseworkers/
counselors, social workers, housing assignments, disciplinary reports, and medical
records.7. Psychiatric Records - Investigate for ___________ and any family member whether they
were treated by any psychologist, psychiatrist, or other mental health worker, were involved with
any hospital government agency (e.g., social service type), law enforcement military,...etc.
Investigate especially the involvement of any family in government directed or required projects
such as behavior modification programs, experiments, or therapy (particularly excessive therapy
such as electric-shock).a.These are, of course, documents that may appear in other categories, but it is very
important to get everything, Investigation must not be limited to a single generation, but
must be multi-generational in order to establish patterns of mental illness, either genetic
or social.8. Other Family Membersa._____________ - __________'s step-father. Now lives in _____________.b._________________ - maternal uncle. Presently lives in ___________________.
Helped support his sister and her children while in ______________.c. ____________ common law wife/girlfriend," ____________; also __________
and ___________'s daughter still lives in __________.d. Records must be obtained as above for siblings.9.School Age Friendsa.b.10.Social Service Records - Because of the autocratic bureaucracy in __________ this
category may be extensive. Investigation must include the __________n counterparts to
agencies in the U.S. such as Welfare, AFDC, job training services, Job Corps, Food Stamps, SSI,
etc.a.Look for documentation of the family's economic status, and any investigations
conducted by agencies into family members substance abuse, mental health, etc. obtain
any social caseworker's names, address and notes, and any referral made by an agency to
another agency or person.11.Criminal Records - For ____________ and all family members. Locate court records,
lawyers’ files, law enforcement files, or any reports submitted to the court for review.a.The absence of serious criminal behavior in _________'s history is absolutely
essential to any presentation of his case. Should _________ authorities thwart efforts to
obtain these materials, a record must be available to clearly show this fact to the court in
support of a motion for an instruction granting this statutory mitigating circumstance.12.Prison/Jail Records - For ____________ and all family members. As above, these are
essential to show _____________'s non-violent history.a.Records should include pretrial detention, disciplinary reports (or the lack
thereof), jail/visiting logs, any medical, educational or psychological testing, job
assignments,...etc.b. Included in this category is the need for reports and evaluations on general
condition of prisons in __________. It is also likely that with sufficient history of his
__________n incarceration, a mental health professional would find evidence of PTSD
resulting from ______________'s prison experience.c. Look especially for medication administered to _________ in jail\prison (e.g.,
anti-psychotic,...), intelligence tests, potential rehabilitation, any acts of heroism or
compassion; review guards notes/observations.13.Military Records - There is compulsory military service in __________.
_____________'s stomach ulcer was first detected at this examination, at age __. It is possible
that these are the most comprehensive records available. Although ____________ was refused
admission to serve due to his medical condition, other family members have definitely served. It
is likely that one family member's file will have extensive information on others in the family.a. Look for records of substance abuse, IQ scores, educational/vocational tests,
referrals, medical history, injuries, awards, disciplinary reports, station posts, exposure to
violence/stress, exposure to toxins, involvement in experimental programs, anecdotal
history.14.Employment Records - ____________ went to work at an early age due to his step-
father's incarceration. He also received placements from a local "employment agency" situation.
________'s family can direct investigators to this agency or potential records.a.Look for job assignments, personnel reports, medical leave, reports on work
conditions from sources other than the employer, records of compensation. Also keep an
eye out for use of organic solvents or toxins in the work environments, general
health/safety concerns of a particular job, stress.15.Attend to and follow-up references in the above categories to co-defendants cellmates,
fellow soldiers or co-workers.a.Look for persons who would influence, dominate, or otherwise control
___________. Note the lack of violence in these relationships.16. Other Contacts in__________ Defendant needs to locate and interview family members,
friends, neighbors, coworkers, teachers, principals, coaches, military superiors and peers, spouse,
children, girlfriends, any prior attorneys or prosecutors, in-laws, law enforcement officers,...etc.
a.Generally, these interviews look for history of trauma, medical treatment or
medication, slow development, infant and early childhood illness, anecdotal history of
family, physical injuries (including head injuries), scars on body, evidence of seizures,
hallucinations, black-outs, headaches, dizziness, substance abuse, poor school
performance, absenteeism below normal testing performance, marked changes in
behavior, mood swings, nightmares, child abuse, exposure to toxins domination by
others, fears/phobias, confusion, paranoia, physical ailments or diseases, car/employment
accidents.b.History of family psychiatric illnesses, hospitalizations, suicides or attempts,
depressions, mental retardation, organic brain disorders, congenital diseases and
disorders, seizures, alcoholism, sexual, physical, or psychological abuse and neglect.c.Defendant cannot presume that the important (or accurate) information will be
conveyed on one visit. The paranoid atmosphere of a communist country, plus the
language barrier, will require time in order to build sufficient trust. This will take time.WHEREFORE, PREMISES CONSIDERED, ___________, attorney for Defendant,
requests that this Court will enter its Order allowing the hiring and expenses for travel to
__________ by an investigator and translator. There is little or no success obtaining information
or documentation without a personal visit by such persons. Respectfully submitted, ________________________________ ________________________________ ATTORNEY FOR DEFENDANT
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I, ____________, do hereby certify that I have on this day delivered, by hand, a true and
correct copy of the foregoing Motion to This the ____ day of __________ ____.______________________________ __________