Opinion ID: 1810649
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Failure to object to inadmissible evidence and testimony

Text: ¶ 71. Crawford asserts that counsel was ineffective for not objecting to three specific pieces of testimony which, he claims, were designed to and did inflame the jury. He first claims prejudice as a result of F.B.I. agent Jackson's statement that he had a daughter close in age to the victim. When read in context, however, the statement was no more than an indication of his desire to find the victim as soon as possible in hopes that she might still be alive. Failure to object here was certainly not deficient. ¶ 72. Next, Crawford asserts that counsel should have objected to two statements made by F.B.I. Agent Summerlin. One statement referred to Crawford's professed opinion that at one point, it seemed as if the victim was attempting to witness to him. Another statement, actually made by the prosecution asks [a]nd that is when he killed her? While these statements were certainly objectionable, Crawford provides no case law on point or sufficiently analogous to back up his assertions that the failure to object to these individual statements rendered counsels' assistance ineffective. Indeed, the record reflects counsels' vigorous participation during the testimony of Agent Summerlin, making several objections. ¶ 73. In addition, it cannot be shown that Crawford was prejudiced by any of the above statements. Crawford has failed to show that there was a reasonable probability that the jury would have returned a different verdict had these statements been objected to and stricken from the record as this Court requires. See Mohr, 584 So.2d at 430. Because Crawford has failed to show deficiency or prejudice, this claim fails. See Woodward, 843 So.2d at 7.