Opinion ID: 1760832
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Gill Suffered Prejudice as a Result of Counsel's Deficient Performance

Text: Although Gill's counsel's performance fell outside the wide range of professional, competent assistance, Gill must also establish that his counsel's deficient performance prejudiced him. If Gill's counsel had discovered the sexually explicit material on the victim's computer, they could have used the evidence in two ways. First, they could have used the sexually explicit material to persuade the prosecutor to limit the testimony to victim impact rather than to elicit positive character evidence. Second, Gill's counsel could have used the sexually explicit material to rebut the State's positive character evidence about the victim. The jury would have had an alternative description of the victim when it deliberated whether to recommend the death penalty for Gill. There is a reasonable probability that, with the different description of the victim, the jury would have decided that, in its consideration of all of the evidence, the death penalty was not proper punishment for Gill. The reasonable probability of a sentence to life imprisonment rather than a sentence to death is highlighted by counsel's actions and the jury's decision in the later trial of Gill's co-defendant, Justin Brown. That Brown's jury recommended life imprisonment, not death, assists in showing a reasonable probability that, had Gill's counsel discovered the computer's sexual content, Gill would not have been sentenced to death. Because Gill has established that his counsel's performance was deficient and that he suffered prejudice as a result of their deficient performance, he has proven he received ineffective assistance of counsel during the penalty phase of his trial. The motion court's findings of fact and conclusions of law were clearly erroneous in finding otherwise.