Opinion ID: 1697053
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Failing to Object to State's Closing Argument Concerning Mutually Exclusive Factual Theories of Prosecution

Text: Evans argues that counsel was ineffective for failing to object during the State's guilt-phase closing argument when the prosecutor told the jury that they could find Evans guilty of first-degree murder as a principal or as the shooter and that this decision need not be unanimous on this point. [22] The trial court denied the claim based on Evans' failure to demonstrate prejudice. [23] This Court has never specifically decided whether a jury must unanimously find a defendant guilty under either a principal or shooter theory or whether the jury may be split between the two. Because this Court has neither prohibited the State from arguing to jurors that they can be split on the principal or shooter factual theories nor required the use of special verdict forms in such situations, counsel's failure to object to this comment cannot be deemed deficient performance. See Occhicone, 768 So.2d at 1048. Based on counsel's multiple attempts to prevent the State from proceeding under dual theories and considering his perspective at the time given this Court's precedent, we affirm the trial court's denial.