Opinion ID: 1099334
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: ineffective assistance of counsel at the sentencing hearing

Text: Duren also contends that Appell rendered ineffective assistance of counsel during his sentencing hearing. Duren asserts that Appell should have presented evidence of intoxication, substance abuse, and mental disorders as mitigating factors to be considered during his sentencing. In Strickland, the United States Supreme Court held: A capital sentencing proceeding like the one involved in this case ... is sufficiently like a trial in its adversarial format and in the existence of standards for decision ... that counsel's role in the proceeding is comparable to counsel's at trialto ensure that the adversarial testing process works to produce a just result under the standards governing decision. For purposes of describing counsel's duties, therefore, Florida's capital sentencing proceeding need not be distinguished from an ordinary trial. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 686-87, 104 S.Ct. at 2064. Therefore, we must consider Appell's conduct at the sentencing hearing in the same manner as we would consider it at trial. In other words, we must determine whether Duren has shown that the results of the sentencing hearing probably would have been different if Appell had presented evidence of Duren's drug, alcohol, and psychological problems as mitigating factors. Appell testified at the Rule 20 hearing that he had talked with Duren and Duren's family many times in trying to determine what was the best approach to take at both Duren's trial and his sentencing hearing. Appell testified that he decided that a mercy approach would be the best way to present Duren to the jury. Using this approach, Appell prepared Duren to testify that he knew that what he had done was wrong and that he was very sorry for what had happened. In addition, Appell prepared Duren's aunt to testify concerning Duren's traumatic childhood. In taking this approach, Appell testified that he hoped that the jury would show mercy to Duren and sentence him to life without parole rather than sentence him to death. Appell further testified that he felt that if he introduced into evidence the testimony of a psychologist that had examined Duren, all hope would be lost. Appell testified about the psychologist's report and how he thought it would affect Duren's trial and sentencing hearing: He [the psychologist] told me that David was a walking time bomb. He told me that in his opinion David was ready to explode, and if it hadn't been Kathy Bedsole it was going to be somebody else. That he was capable of killing again. And that is basically what I remember. And at that point I didn't believe that he fell within the definition of insanity for the guilt or punishment stage, and I was afraid that if Dr. Bair testified to that or if that was asked during the sentencing phase that there would be no hope. And at that point I had no more funds to try to seek another Appell was also aware of the fact that he had no way of proving that Duren was intoxicated other than Duren's statement that he had taken LSD on the day of the murder. As previously stated, Appell felt that that statement was not believable. Under the Strickland test, a defendant has the burden of proving that, but for the ineffectiveness of his counsel, the outcome of his sentencing hearing probably would have been different. Duren has failed to meet that burden. AFFIRMED. HORNSBY, C.J., and SHORES, ADAMS, HOUSTON, STEAGALL and INGRAM, JJ., concur.