Opinion ID: 449289
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Jury Participation in Resentencing

Text: 5 Although Proffitt concedes that the primary errors cited by this court in overturning the death sentence occurred in the trial judge's deliberation and sentencing, he contends that the opinion intended his relief to include resentencing by a jury. First, he points out that the opinion discussed infirmities in the jury proceeding, and contends that such a discussion demonstrates the court's belief that he should have had a second jury. Second, he contends that the panel must have assumed that he would be entitled to a new jury because it is a constitutionally essential and nonseverable aspect of Florida's death penalty procedure. Finally, he asserts that the panel's refusal to reach his Lockett claim regarding the jury instruction on mitigating circumstances necessarily implied that it believed that its disposition of his other claims already gave him the right to a new sentencing jury. 6 In evaluating Proffitt's first argument, we note initially that since the time of the panel's opinion in Proffitt I the Supreme Court has clarified the role of the jury in Florida's capital sentencing scheme in Spaziano v. Florida, --- U.S. ----, 104 S.Ct. 3154, 82 L.Ed.2d 340 (1984). In that case, the court rejected the petitioner's claim that the jury's recommendation of a life sentence was binding on a judge since there is no constitutional imperative that a jury have the responsibility of deciding whether the death penalty should be imposed. See also Barclay v. Florida, 463 U.S. 939, 103 S.Ct. 3418, 77 L.Ed.2d 1134 (1983). As the state points out, the Court's reasoning calls into question whether any given error in such a merely advisory proceeding should be considered to be of constitutional magnitude. We need not reach that question in this case, however, for we believe that the petitioner's interpretation of Proffitt I reads into the opinion findings of error that do not exist. 7 First, Proffitt points out that the court in Proffitt I noted that the jury's sentencing discretion was not significantly limited by the trial court's instructions on the eighth statutory aggravating circumstance because the court did not define the terms heinous, atrocious and cruel to include the element of torture. See Proffitt I, 685 F.2d at 1263-65 and 1265 n. 57. The court did not, however, find the instruction fatally flawed by any means. Read in context, the court's reference to the instruction was no more than an attempt to lend emphasis to the court's disapproval of the trial judge's treatment of statutory and nonstatutory aggravating factors. As such, the reference reflects a concern that has since been held by the Supreme Court to be unnecessary. On petition for rehearing, the panel noted that Barclay v. Florida, 463 U.S. 939, 103 S.Ct. 3418, 77 L.Ed.2d 1134 (1983), was pending and directed the district court to consider the effects of the Supreme Court's decision on the aggravating circumstances question. See Proffitt, 706 F.2d at 312. Under Barclay, the trial judge's consideration of both statutory and nonstatutory aggravating factors was not improper. Barclay, 463 U.S. at ----, 103 S.Ct. at 3428. 8 Proffitt also claims that there were other errors in the jury sentencing hearing which would warrant the relief he seeks, but we find that these claims were actually disposed of adversely to him in Proffitt I. He suggests that counsel's failure to present any character evidence at the sentencing hearing requires a new hearing to allow consideration of all possible mitigating evidence. Proffitt I held, however, that counsel's failure to present evidence beyond the statutory mitigating factors did not warrant reversal. Proffitt I, 685 F.2d at 1248. We adhere to that conclusion. Proffitt is not entitled to a new sentencing hearing simply because evidence that was available at the time of sentencing was not presented unless it is clear that he was the victim of prejudicial error. Proffitt I also disposed of his contention that the prosecutor improperly presented evidence and argument on nonstatutory aggravating circumstances. It pointed out that he had not argued that point before the panel, presumably because his attorney's failure to object at the time waived his right to assert such a challenge. Id. at 1267 n. 61. We will not consider it now. In essence, Proffitt reads too much into the court's opinion when he argues that its various references to the jury sentencing proceeding must have meant for him to have a new jury sentencing. No aspect of that stage of the sentencing process was found to be fatal error in Proffitt I. 9 Proffitt's second principal argument is that jury participation in the sentencing proceeding is so central to Florida's capital sentencing scheme that he cannot be resentenced by the judge alone. In essence, his argument here is that the panel must have concluded that he was entitled to resentencing by a jury because the constitution demands that the Florida procedure be conducted as a whole. There is merit to his observation that the Florida death penalty statute requires great deference to the jury's advisory opinion in sentencing, see Tedder v. State, 322 So.2d 908 (Fla.1975), so much so that the trial judge must give explicit reasons for choosing death if the jury recommends life. It does not follow, however, that the trial judge's deference is necessarily diminished simply because he finds himself considering the jury's recommendation after appeal and remand. Indeed, in light of the Supreme Court's rejection in Spaziano v. Florida, --- U.S. ----, 104 S.Ct. 3154, 82 L.Ed.2d 340 (1984) of the fundamental premise ... that the capital sentencing decision is one that, in all cases, should be made by a jury, id. at ----, 104 S.Ct. at 3161, it is clear that a defendant is not constitutionally entitled to have a jury consider the penalty in the first instance. Where, as here, the petitioner has already had the benefit of such consideration in a proceeding free of serious errors, there is no constitutional justification for requiring that the proceeding be conducted again. 10 Proffitt's final assertion is that the refusal of the court to reach his complaint about the jury instruction on mitigating circumstances necessarily implied that it believed that he should have had a new jury. He argues that if he had prevailed on the claim, he would under Lockett have been entitled to a new jury proceeding. Since the court did not feel compelled to reach the merits, so his reasoning goes, it must have been because the reversal on the other grounds had already mandated a new jury. This conclusion does not follow ineluctably from the opinion, however. The opinion stated that the court did not want to reach the issue of the mitigating circumstances instruction because the outcome would be directly affected by a case then pending before the court en banc. Proffitt I, 685 F.2d at 1269. Properly read, the court's opinion afforded no implicit grant of relief, but merely left the issue open for future disposition in the event that the en banc court's decision in Ford v. Strickland left petitioner with a meritorious claim. Given that we now have the benefit of Ford, we accede to petitioner's request for a disposition on the merits at this time, and we proceed to decide his Lockett claim.