Opinion ID: 77368
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Concession of Guilt on Lesser Included Offense

Text: 43 In his state post-conviction proceedings and on habeas review in district court, Atwater argued that his counsel was ineffective for telling the jury during closing argument that the evidence supported a finding of second degree murder. This claim was the subject of an evidentiary hearing in the state trial court, although the trial court did not resolve the factual dispute over whether Atwater's lawyers discussed this strategy with him. Instead, the trial court found that the concession of guilt was a legitimate trial strategy even without the defendant's knowledge or consent. Order Den. Mot. Post-Conviction Relief, Jan. 5, 1999, citing McNeal v. Wainwright, 722 F.2d 674 (11th Cir.1984) (per curiam). The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the denial of the Atwater's claim, finding that the trial court properly relied upon and applied McNeal. Atwater II, 788 So.2d at 230-31. 44 Atwater asserts that his attorneys failed to discuss trial strategy with him and that their decision to concede guilt on second degree manslaughter deprived him of the right to hold the prosecution to its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. In Florida v. Nixon, the Supreme Court stated that an attorney must consult with the client regarding important decisions, including the decision to plead guilty. 543 U.S. at 187, 125 S.Ct. at 560 (internal quotation marks omitted). Therefore, Atwater asserts that his counsel were required to obtain his consent before conceding second degree murder in their closing argument, which in effect constituted a guilty plea. Further, Atwater contends that this case is distinguishable from McNeal because instead of arguing that the state had not proven the element of premeditation, his counsel forcefully argued in favor of a conviction for second degree murder. 45 The state responds that the Florida Supreme Court was correct in distinguishing Nixon from the instant case, as the trial strategy that Atwater's counsel employed did not amount to a guilty plea but rather was a strategy intended to save Atwater's life. See Atwater, 788 So.2d at 232. Additionally, as the state courts recognized, Atwater is unable to demonstrate that his counsel were ineffective because he is unable to satisfy the Strickland standard. 46 In order to succeed on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must show that counsel's performance was deficient and that this deficiency prejudiced the defendant. Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). [T]he question is whether there is a reasonable probability that, absent the errors, the sentencer—including an appellate court, to the extent it independently reweighs the evidence—would have concluded that the balance of aggravating and mitigating circumstances did not warrant death. Id. at 695, 104 S.Ct. at 2069. [S]trategic choices made after thorough investigation of law and facts relevant to plausible options are virtually unchallengeable; and strategic choices made after less than complete investigation are reasonable precisely to the extent that reasonable professional judgments support the limitations on investigation. Id. at 690-91, 104 S.Ct. at 2066. Given our constraints under § 2254, we must find that the Florida Supreme Court's decision was contrary to, or an unreasonable application of, Strickland in order to grant Atwater's petition. 47 The Florida Supreme Court found that Atwater failed to show either deficient performance or prejudice. With regard to the issue of whether counsel's performance was deficient, it concluded that Atwater's counsel subjected the state's case to a meaningful adversarial testing, conducting meaningful cross-examination of fifteen of [the state's twenty] witnesses. Atwater II, 788 So.2d at 231. According to the Florida Supreme Court, [a]t no point during the opening statement or during any of the testimony did defense counsel concede Atwater's guilt. During the first part of defense counsel's closing argument, defense counsel argued that the State failed to prove robbery and therefore could not prove felony murder. Defense counsel stated in the first part of closing arguments that he would address premeditation after the State's closing argument. The State argued in closing argument that it had proven robbery and premeditation, and discussed the evidence presented which included: Atwater had threatened to kill Smith a week before; Smith was afraid of Atwater and hid from him; on the night of the murder Atwater signed in on the clerk's log at Smith's apartment building; Atwater exited approximately twenty minutes later and told the desk clerk that nobody answered the door; Atwater had blood on his shoes and pants that was not from Atwater himself; and Atwater told his aunt and cousin that he killed Smith and enjoyed it. In response, then, and in rebuttal closing argument, defense counsel addressed premeditation and argued that the evidence might support the lesser offense of second-degree murder, but there was nothing to support premeditation. In light of the overwhelming evidence of guilt presented by the State, which we acknowledged in our opinion on the direct appeal, defense counsel's argument was reasonable .... [D]efense counsel did subject the State's case to meaningful testing, and only after the State's case was presented and fully argued did defense counsel resort to making some concession—a trial strategy intended to save Atwater's life. Under the circumstances, this strategy was reasonable. 48 Id. at 231-32. 49 Additionally, at the state trial court evidentiary hearing, one of Atwater's trial lawyers testified that as an experienced attorney of seventeen years with five or six capital trials and over a hundred criminal trials, he did not believe Atwater had a chance at getting an acquittal, and his strategy was to save Atwater's life. Given these considerations, we cannot conclude that the Florida Supreme Court unreasonably applied, or reached a decision contrary to, clearly established federal law. Therefore, Atwater is not entitled to habeas relief on this ground.