Opinion ID: 2612518
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Failure to give intoxication instruction

Text: Defendant argues that the trial court's failure to instruct the jury on voluntary intoxication was reversible error. Because defendant did not request such an instruction, we review the trial court's action only for fundamental error. Reffitt, 145 Ariz. at 463, 702 P.2d at 692. An intoxication instruction is unwarranted where it is not reasonably supported by the evidence. State v. Borbon, 146 Ariz. 392, 398, 706 P.2d 718, 724 (1985). Here, test results failed to show the presence of alcohol or drugs in defendant's blood and urine. Additionally, the defense theory was misidentification, not voluntary intoxication, and the failure to so instruct was not fundamental error. State v. Marlow, 163 Ariz. 65, 786 P.2d 395 (1989). 8. Aggravation/Mitigation Hearing The trial court granted defendant's request to leave his aggravation/mitigation hearing. He was taken to the hearing in shackles, and for this reason, did not wish to remain. On appeal, he claims that this action violated his constitutional rights. First, defendant argues that, in a capital case, the right to be present at all stages of the proceeding may not be waived. The sixth amendment to the United States Constitution, made applicable to the states through the fourteenth amendment, protects the right of an accused to be present at trial. However, it is unclear whether the right to be present at post-verdict proceedings is constitutional, rather than procedural. See Proffitt v. Wainwright, 685 F.2d 1227, 1256 (11th Cir.1982). The United States Supreme Court has held that sentencing is a critical stage of the proceedings in a capital case, and must conform to the requirements of due process. Gardner v. Florida, 430 U.S. 349, 97 S.Ct. 1197, 51 L.Ed.2d 393 (1977). Thus, the right to be present at sentencing in a capital case is of constitutional magnitude. Arizona recognizes a defendant's right to be present at a presentence hearing. The defendant is entitled to be present at a presentence hearing and shall be present at sentencing. Rule 26.9, Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure. We have held that defendant must be present at his sentencing except in extraordinary circumstances. State v. Fettis, 136 Ariz. 58, 664 P.2d 208 (1983). Our rule clearly distinguishes between the right to attend a presentence hearing and the right to be present at sentencing. Regardless of the nature of the right to attend a presentence hearing, whether it be constitutional or procedural, we decline to hold that a defendant may not waive the right in a capital case, provided the waiver is knowing, voluntary and intelligent. We recognize that the United States Supreme Court held, more than 100 years ago, that one accused of a capital crime may not constitutionally waive his right to be present at trial. Hopt v. Utah, 110 U.S. 574, 4 S.Ct. 202, 28 L.Ed. 262 (1884); see also Diaz v. United States, 223 U.S. 442, 32 S.Ct. 250, 56 L.Ed. 500 (1912) (non-capital case). However, these cases do not address waiver of the right to be present at presentence hearings; in any event, more recent Supreme Court decisions have suggested that these holdings are ripe for reconsideration. See Drope, 420 U.S. at 182, 95 S.Ct. at 909; Illinois v. Allen, 397 U.S. 337, 90 S.Ct. 1057, 25 L.Ed.2d 353 (1970). The Eleventh Circuit has held that a defendant may not waive his right to be present at presentence hearings. Proffitt, 685 F.2d at 1258. We find the reasoning of Proffitt unpersuasive. Several courts have held that although a defendant may validly waive his right to be present at a presentencing hearing in a non-capital case, that waiver must be knowing, voluntary, and intelligent. Proffitt, 685 F.2d at 1258 n. 45 (listing cases). We believe that the right to waive presence extends to presentence hearings in capital cases. Here, defendant was informed of the hearing, attended with counsel, and asked to be removed just as the hearing was to begin. Before allowing his removal, the trial court explained that defendant had a right to be present and outlined the general purpose of the hearing. Defendant nevertheless insisted that he be removed. We find his waiver knowing, voluntary, and intelligent, and hold that the trial court did not err by allowing defendant to leave the aggravation/mitigation hearing. Defendant's argument that he was incompetent to waive this right is misplaced because his conduct at the time did not mandate further inquiry into his competency. Additionally, defendant argues that the trial court erred by ordering that he be shackled at the aggravation/mitigation hearing and shackled and gagged at sentencing. He claims that this action violated his rights to confrontation and allocution. An appellate court will not find error on the ground that the defendant was shackled unless it is shown that the jury saw the shackles. State v. McMurtrey, 136 Ariz. 93, 98, 664 P.2d 637, 642 (1983). Regarding allocution, although defendant was gagged, the trial court gave him an opportunity to speak, and he refused. The record contains ample evidence to support the court's decision to gag defendant. The trial court stated on the record that she directed the sheriff to gag defendant because he is intentionally and knowingly hindering and obstructing the administration of justice. Defendant was given every opportunity to exercise his right of allocution. We find no error. 9. Death Penalty A. Constitutionality Defendant challenges the constitutionality of the Arizona death penalty statute, A.R.S. § 13-703, on several grounds. He argues (1) the statute and its judicial construction provide inadequate standards for weighing aggravating and mitigating factors, allowing imposition of the death penalty in an arbitrary and capricious manner; (2) the statutory aggravating factor of especially heinous, cruel or depraved is unconstitutionally vague; (3) the statute violates due process by requiring imposition of the death penalty upon a finding of one aggravating factor and no mitigating factors; (4) the statute improperly places the burden of proving mitigating circumstances on the defendant; (5) the statute does not require that aggravating factors outweigh mitigating factors beyond a reasonable doubt; (6) the statute is unconstitutional because it fails to provide for jury determination of aggravating and mitigating factors; and (7) the statute violates due process by giving the prosecutor unfettered discretion in deciding to seek the death penalty. Recently, the United States Supreme Court provided a definitive answer to many of the constitutional challenges defendant raises. Walton v. Arizona, ___ U.S. ___, 110 S.Ct. 3047, 111 L.Ed.2d 511 (1990). A majority of the Court agreed that (1) the sixth amendment to the United States Constitution does not require that a jury determine whether the death penalty should be imposed or make findings of aggravating and mitigating circumstances; and (2) our construction of the statutory aggravating circumstance especially heinous, cruel or depraved meets the requirements of the eighth and fourteenth amendments. Sections 3 and 4 of the Court's opinion were not joined by Justice Scalia, who wrote separately concerning these issues. In those sections, the plurality upheld our requirement that defendants establish mitigating circumstances by a preponderance of the evidence and rejected Walton's argument that our statute creates an unconstitutional presumption that death is the proper sentence in cases where one or more aggravating circumstances are present and the court finds no mitigating circumstances sufficient to require leniency. See also Lewis v. Jeffers, ___ U.S. ___, 110 S.Ct. 3092, 111 L.Ed.2d 606 (1990). We interpret Walton as clearly upholding our death penalty statute and this court's judicial construction of its provisions against all constitutional challenges raised in that case. Justice Scalia, in his concurrence, criticizes the Court's death penalty jurisprudence in the area of mitigating circumstances for imposing requirements not mandated by the constitution. Essentially, he argues that the Arizona death penalty scheme is more constitutionally acceptable than the majority would concede. Therefore, we interpret Walton as a clear statement by a majority of the Court upholding our statute against all challenges considered, including those sections in which Justice Scalia concurred. This court, in a long line of cases, has consistently rejected the constitutional arguments raised by defendant. See State v. McCall, 160 Ariz. 119, 770 P.2d 1165 (1989), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 110 S.Ct. 3289, 111 L.Ed.2d 798 (1990) (vagueness); Walton, 159 Ariz. 571, 769 P.2d 1017 (imposition not arbitrary and capricious, vagueness, judicial discretion, burden of proof in weighing aggravation and mitigation, burden of proof of mitigation, jury participation); State v. Fulminante, 161 Ariz. 237, 260, 778 P.2d 602, 625 (1988) (vagueness, judicial discretion, standard for balancing aggravating and mitigating factors, burden of proof of mitigation, jury participation), cert. granted on other grounds, ___ U.S. ___, 110 S.Ct. 1522, 108 L.Ed.2d 762, and cert. denied, Fulminante v. Arizona, ___ U.S. ___, 110 S.Ct. 1528, 108 L.Ed.2d 768 (1990); State v. Beaty, 158 Ariz. 232, 762 P.2d 519 (1988) (burden of proof in weighing aggravation and mitigation, judicial discretion, standards for balancing aggravating and mitigating factors, jury participation), cert. denied, Beaty v. Arizona, 491 U.S. 910, 109 S.Ct. 3200, 105 L.Ed.2d 708 (1989); State v. Harding, 137 Ariz. 278, 670 P.2d 383 (1983) (unfettered prosecutorial discretion). We are aware of the decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit invalidating our death penalty on some of the grounds raised here. Adamson v. Ricketts, 865 F.2d 1011 (9th Cir.1988), cert. denied sub nom. Lewis v. Adamson, ___ U.S. ___, 110 S.Ct. 3287, 111 L.Ed.2d 795 (1990). Denial of a petition for certiorari by the United States Supreme Court imports no expression on the merits of the case. United States v. Carver, 260 U.S. 482, 490, 43 S.Ct. 181, 182, 67 L.Ed. 361 (1923); see R. Stern, E. Gressman & S. Shapiro, Supreme Court Practice § 5.7, at 269 (6th ed. 1986). However, Walton specifically holds contrary to the Ninth Circuit opinion on each of the constitutional challenges to our statute considered in Adamson. The following arguments, considered in Adamson, were rejected by the Court in Walton: (1) Does the sixth amendment require jury determination of aggravating circumstances? (2) Is the aggravating factor that the offense was committed in an especially heinous, cruel or depraved manner, along with judicial narrowing by the Arizona Supreme Court, unconstitutionally vague? (3) Does the Arizona statutory scheme preclude consideration of all mitigating evidence by requiring that defendants prove the existence of mitigating factors by a preponderance of the evidence? (4) Does the Arizona statute impose an unconstitutional presumption of death where the court finds the existence of one aggravating circumstance and no mitigating circumstances sufficiently substantial to call for leniency? We therefore conclude that Walton has rejected Adamson by rejecting arguments identical to those forming the basis for the Ninth Circuit opinion. This court will follow the clear directive of the United States Supreme Court in Walton. B. Independent review of sentence This court has a duty to independently review the existence of aggravating and mitigating circumstances and to ensure that the death penalty has not been improperly imposed. Fulminante, 161 Ariz. at 254, 778 P.2d at 619. Defendant argues that the trial court erred in finding the murder was committed in an especially cruel, heinous, or depraved manner. See A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(6). Additionally, he claims that the court erred by failing to find the existence of mitigating factors sufficiently substantial to outweigh the aggravating factors.
By special verdict, the trial court found the murder to be especially cruel, heinous, and depraved based on the following factors: a. 26 stab wounds and 8 lacerations caused great suffering and anguish to the victim, who did not die immediately; b. the court finds that the defendant knew of the victim's pregnancy and had been treated kindly by her; c. the court finds that the defendant inflicted an execution style murder by shooting the victim in the ear while she was still alive; and d. the defendant showed no remorse. The terms cruel, heinous, or depraved are considered disjunctively; a finding of any one of the three constitutes an aggravating circumstance under our statute. Fulminante.
We have defined cruelty as the pain and suffering of the victim suffered prior to death, including mental distress. Fulminante, 161 Ariz. at 254, 778 P.2d at 619; State v. Castaneda, 150 Ariz. 382, 393, 724 P.2d 1, 12 (1986). A finding of cruelty requires that the victim be conscious at the time of the offense in order to suffer pain and distress. When evidence of consciousness is inconclusive, a finding of cruelty is unsupported. Fulminante, 161 Ariz. at 259, 778 P.2d at 620; State v. Gillies, 135 Ariz. 500, 513, 662 P.2d 1007, 1020 (1983). In this case, the victim's sister testified that after the victim answered her assailant's knock, the victim exclaimed leave me alone, I'll give you the gun, and then her sister heard scuffling noises. Additionally, defensive wounds on the victim's hands indicate that she struggled to save her life. We find this evidence sufficient to establish that the victim suffered conscious pain and mental distress, supporting a finding of cruelty. See State v. Summerlin, 138 Ariz. 426, 436, 675 P.2d 686, 696 (1983). Although conflicting evidence was presented as to whether the stabbing or the gunshot occurred first, we find that the physical evidence refutes defendant's contention that the gunshot came first, immediately disabling the victim. The crime scene exhibited signs of a violent and bloody struggle. Blood was splattered through several rooms, indicating that defendant pursued the victim as she unsuccessfully fought for her life. We note that the authority defendant relies upon is easily distinguishable. See State v. Ortiz, 131 Ariz. 195, 639 P.2d 1020 (1981). In Ortiz, no evidence existed to indicate a violent struggle. There, the victim may have been killed by a quick stab wound to the chest after being taken by surprise. This court held that the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim suffered during commission of the murder. Ortiz, 131 Ariz. at 210, 639 P.2d at 1035. As this court recently stated, [o]ur case law does not [require] that the victim be conscious for each and every wound. State v. Lopez, 163 Ariz. 108, 115, 786 P.2d 959, 966 (1990). We hold that the trial court's finding of cruelty is supported by the record.
An especially heinous murder has been defined as one that is hatefully or shockingly evil. State v. Knapp, 114 Ariz. 531, 543, 562 P.2d 704, 716 (1977). A murder is depraved if marked by debasement, corruption, perversion or deterioration. Knapp. The terms heinous and depraved focus upon a defendant's state of mind at the time of the offense. Fulminante, 161 Ariz. at 255, 778 P.2d at 620. We have enumerated five factors properly considered in determining whether conduct is heinous or depraved: 1. the relishing of the murder by the defendant; 2. the infliction of gratuitous violence on the victim beyond that necessary to kill; 3. mutilation of the victim's body; 4. the senselessness of the crime; and 5. the helplessness of the victim. State v. Gretzler, 135 Ariz. 42, 51-52, 659 P.2d 1, 10-11 (1983). The record supports the finding of heinous and depraved conduct. The large number of stab wounds and contact gunshot wound to the victim's head show gratuitous violence beyond that necessary to kill. See Clabourne, 142 Ariz. at 348, 690 P.2d at 67. The victim and her husband befriended defendant and provided him with food, shelter, and clothing. Clearly, this was a senseless crime. See State v. Clark, 126 Ariz. 428, 437, 616 P.2d 888, 897 (1980). Defendant's argument that we must look beyond the facts of the crime to determine whether heinousness and depravity are present is misplaced. Our previous holdings make it clear that we judge heinousness and depravity by a defendant's words and acts. Surely, when faced with the brutal and senseless murder of one who had been kind to defendant, we are justified in finding the crime heinous and depraved. See generally Annotation, Sufficiency of Evidence, For Purposes of Death Penalty, To Establish Statutory Aggravating Circumstance that the Murder was Heinous, Cruel, Depraved, or the Like  Post Gregg Cases, 63 A.L.R. 4th 478 (1988). We hold that the trial court properly found the existence of statutory aggravating circumstances that would support imposition of the death penalty in the absence of mitigating circumstances.
Defendant argues that the trial court's failure to find mitigating circumstances sufficiently substantial to outweigh the aggravating circumstances violated his constitutional rights. The trial court considered the following mitigating circumstances offered by defendant: (1) lack of prior felony convictions; (2) limited intelligence and formal education; (3) deprived cultural background; (4) character evidence indicating no previous history of violence; (5) cooperation with law enforcement at time of arrest; (6) age at time of offense; (7) lack of required intent; and (8) remorse at time of arrest. Some of these arguments are not factually supported. Although defendant eventually confessed, he did not cooperate with law enforcement. Rather, he attempted to flee the jurisdiction, asked to be deported to Mexico immediately after his apprehension, and denied committing the crime when initially questioned. As to defendant's cultural background, the trial court had little information because of defendant's refusal to discuss the matter. Defendant's other claims in mitigation have been held insufficient to merit leniency in prior cases. See, e.g., Clabourne, 142 Ariz. at 348, 690 P.2d at 67 (age  20 years, alleged incompetency, deprived cultural background, remorse); State v. Harding, 137 Ariz. 278, 670 P.2d 383 (1983) (low I.Q.); Ortiz, 131 Ariz. at 211, 639 P.2d at 1020 (low I.Q., lack of prior criminal record, lack of intent); Clark, 126 Ariz. at 437, 616 P.2d at 897 (age  20 years, poor home life, lack of prior criminal record, emotional problems). In addition, we have independently reviewed the record for evidence of other possible mitigating circumstances and find none sufficient to merit leniency. We have considered defendant's arguments relating to his alleged incompetency and an anonymous letter containing a totally unsubstantiated charge that someone other than defendant committed the murder. The trial court was aware of the contents of the letter, and defense counsel mentioned it at the aggravation/mitigation hearing. Apparently, the trial court refused to make it part of the record on appeal because its contents were not only unsubstantiated, but clearly false. In any event, we note that once a defendant is found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, unfounded and unsupported claims of innocence do not constitute mitigation for sentencing purposes, and the letter is analogous to a claim of innocence. State v. Bracy, 145 Ariz. 520, 538, 703 P.2d 464, 482 (1985); State v. Carriger, 143 Ariz. 142, 162, 692 P.2d 991, 1011 (1984). Finally, defendant contends that the trial court improperly received victim impact statements and other prejudicial information contained in the presentence report. As to the victim impact statements, we have previously rejected this argument. Absent proof to the contrary, the trial judge in a capital case must be presumed to be able to focus on the relevant sentencing factors and to set aside the irrelevant, the inflammatory, and the emotional factors. Beaty, 158 Ariz. at 244, 762 P.2d at 531. See State v. Hinchey, 165 Ariz. 432, 799 P.2d 352 (1990). Furthermore, defense counsel failed to object to the information in the presentence report. Absent fundamental error, which we do not find, the argument has been waived. Our independent review discloses that the aggravating circumstance found by the trial court justified imposition of the death penalty and that no mitigating factors outweighed those in aggravation. C. Proportionality review This court conducts a proportionality review to determine whether the sentences of death are excessive or disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the defendant. Fulminante, 161 Ariz. at 258, 778 P.2d at 623. We find that defendant's sentence is proportional to the sentences imposed in other cases in this jurisdiction. See Clabourne, 142 Ariz. at 348, 690 P.2d at 67 (victim strangled and stabbed twice in chest); State v. Gillies, 135 Ariz. 500, 513, 662 P.2d 1007, 1020 (1983) (victim pushed off a 40-foot cliff and pelted with rocks). We have reviewed cases in which this court has reduced the sentence imposed to life imprisonment, and also have compared the penalty to that imposed for similar crimes in other jurisdictions. We find defendant's sentence neither excessive nor disproportionate. 10. Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Defendant contends that the trial court erred in denying his petition for post-conviction relief based on ineffective assistance of counsel. He alleges that the following acts and omissions of defense counsel constituted ineffective assistance: 1. failure to adequately investigate his mental condition; 2. failure to interview and prepare witnesses; 3. failure to seek independent testing to rebut expert testimony offered by the state; 4. failure to make proper legal objections and motions, including: a. failure to move to suppress physical evidence and confession; b. failure to challenge destruction of evidence; c. failure to move to continue when confronted with surprise testimony; d. failure to move to exclude irrelevant and unsubstantiated information; e. filing bare bones motions; f. failure to produce exculpatory testimony; g. inadequate cross-examination of witnesses; h. failure to object to hearsay used to establish chain of custody; i. failure to object to admission of irrelevant and prejudicial evidence; j. failure to exclude victim's relatives from courtroom; k. failure to object to identification of gun based on serial number found on gun box, which was hearsay. 5. failure to adequately investigate the source of the anonymous exculpatory letter, made available to defense counsel before sentencing. Absent an abuse of discretion, we will not disturb a trial court's denial of post-conviction relief. State v. Adamson, 136 Ariz. 250, 665 P.2d 972 (1983). To determine whether a conviction should be reversed due to ineffective assistance of counsel, we apply a two-pronged test: (1) whether counsel's performance was reasonable under all the circumstances; and (2) whether a reasonable probability exists that, but for counsel's unprofessional errors, the result of the proceeding would have been different. Fulminante, 161 Ariz. at 260, 778 P.2d at 625. The court need not address the reasonableness of counsel's conduct if it fails to find that defendant suffered prejudice as a result of the alleged deficiencies. Fulminante. Initially, we note that defendant's trial attorney, Susan Kettlewell, was quite experienced. She had conducted more than 40 jury trials before representing defendant, although she had not tried a capital case. Additionally, the defense was difficult, due to the strength of the state's case and defendant's refusal to cooperate with Ms. Kettlewell and co-counsel Anthony Ramos. The only viable defense theory was misidentification, a theory belied by the substantial evidence implicating defendant in the murder. Considering the totality of the evidence before the jury, we do not believe counsel's alleged errors support an ineffective assistance claim. First, we found that the trial court took adequate steps to assure defendant's competency, and similarly reject defendant's contention that counsel failed to properly investigate his mental condition. In view of defendant's failure to cooperate, it is difficult to comprehend what further steps reasonably could be required. Defendant's psychiatric records from prison, which were presented for the first time at the rule 32 hearing, do not establish ineffective assistance of counsel. The records contain reference to defendant's occasional complaints of depression and other mental problems, but consistently note the possibility that defendant was malingering. The records show no more evidence of incompetency than was originally rejected by the trial court. Second, defendant claims that he was prejudiced by his counsel's failure to interview and prepare witnesses. In fact, defense counsel interviewed all the major state's witnesses, and testified at the rule 32 hearing that she was allowed complete discovery. Even assuming, without deciding, that the failure to interview 5 witnesses for the prosecution was professional error, we find no prejudice to defendant. Even if the interviews had been conducted, they would have been useful only for impeachment and would not have affected the result of the proceeding in light of the state's other evidence, including defendant's confession. Additionally, defendant argues that his counsel's failure to procure expert testimony on the political situation in El Salvador constituted ineffective assistance. Again, he fails to show prejudice, because of our holding today that such testimony was properly ruled inadmissible. Third, defendant challenges his counsel's failure to seek independent testing to rebut testimony offered by the state. Specifically, he points to testimony concerning the bloody footprint, the possibility that the knife found in the truck could have caused the fatal wounds, results of drug and alcohol testing, blood grouping tests on his bloodstained clothes, and gun powder residue testing. The state's testing, especially the blood grouping tests, was largely inconclusive, and even if defendant had been able to rebut it, no reasonable probability exists that the result of the proceeding would have been different. Fourth, defendant argues that his counsel failed to make proper motions and legal objections. Some of his claims clearly show no prejudice, such as failure to exclude the victim's relatives from the courtroom and failure to object to identification of the gun found in defendant's possession. We have rejected his other arguments on the merits; therefore, defendant has shown no prejudice. These are: failure to object to irrelevant and prejudicial evidence, such as the alleged victim impact statements and failure to object to hearsay used to establish chain of custody. Also, in view of our reversal of defendant's manslaughter conviction, we need not address his argument that his lawyer should have moved to dismiss the manslaughter charge based on the nonviability of the fetus. Defendant makes several other arguments, but again fails to show prejudice resulting from the alleged errors. He complains that his attorney failed to move to continue the trial when confronted with surprise testimony. This alleged surprise testimony consisted of statements that the knife found in the victim's truck may have inflicted the fatal wounds and testimony attempting to show that the bloody footprint was made by the killer, and not by someone who discovered the body later. Even if defendant had been granted a continuance and presented testimony in rebuttal, we find no reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceeding would have been different. Likewise, defendant has utterly failed to show that he has been prejudiced by the filing of bare bones pretrial motions. Defendant also contends that his attorney should have cross-examined a sheriff's I.D. technician, called by the state, regarding her report that she had photographed a revolver at the crime scene. Defendant argues that this line of cross-examination would have substantiated his theory that the gun was planted on him by law enforcement agents. We again find that defendant has failed to show prejudice, and note that he merely seeks to exploit a simple error made by the technician, who actually photographed a revolver case. Finally, defendant contends that his attorney erred by failing to call the rule 11 doctors to testify that he lacked understanding of his Miranda rights. We have previously rejected this claim on the merits and found his waiver knowing, voluntary, and intelligent, so we do not accept his contention of ineffective assistance of counsel on this basis. Defendant's final contentions relating to failure to make proper legal objections merit further discussion. He claims that his attorney's failure to move to suppress defendant's confession and the revolver found on his person based on an unlawful detention constituted ineffective assistance of counsel. We reject this argument on the merits. The Southern Pacific Railroad police arrested defendant for trespassing on railroad property. They turned him over to the Border Patrol, along with a group of about 15 other trespassers, because the circumstances of their apprehension made it likely that they were in the United States illegally. The arrest was clearly valid, and counsel's failure to move to suppress was reasonable. We find no prejudice to defendant. Defendant also challenges his counsel's failure to move to dismiss for destruction of evidence. Apparently defendant's clothing was not refrigerated until it arrived at the laboratory for testing, approximately two months after the murder. The results of blood grouping tests were inconclusive. They indicated that human blood was present, but did not show whether the source of the blood was the victim or defendant, because they had similar blood types. However, testimony adduced at trial shows that the reason no further genetic marker testing could be performed was because of the small size of the bloodstains and the dirty condition of the clothing  not because of a lack of refrigeration. Again, defendant has failed to show prejudice. Fifth, defendant challenges his counsel's failure to adequately investigate the source of the anonymous exculpatory letter that was discovered shortly before sentencing. The letter carried no postmark or signature, and it is unclear what further steps Ms. Kettlewell could have taken to investigate its origin. Defendant has completely failed to show prejudice, and we reject his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. 11. Failure to Appoint Experts for Rule 32 Hearing Defendant contends that the trial court's refusal to appoint experts, as requested in his rule 32 petition, denied his right to effective assistance of counsel, constituted unconstitutional discrimination based on indigency, and violated A.R.S. § 13-4013. Section 13-4013(B) provides: When a person is charged with a capital offense the court may on its own initiative and shall upon application of the defendant and a showing that the defendant is financially unable to pay for such services, appoint such investigators and expert witnesses as are reasonably necessary adequately to present his defense at trial and at any subsequent proceeding. Compensation for such investigators and expert witnesses shall be such amount as the court in its discretion deems reasonable and shall be paid by the county. As part of his rule 32 petition, defendant moved for appointment of experts to evaluate the forensic evidence offered by the state, as well as his mental condition. Whether additional experts are reasonably necessary is a decision within the sound discretion of the trial court. Absent substantial prejudice to defendant, we will not disturb that decision. Clabourne, 142 Ariz. at 342, 690 P.2d at 61. Defendant's principal contention is that the refusal to appoint experts prevented him from demonstrating that he was denied effective assistance of counsel. We have rejected that claim. He also sought the appointment of mental health experts to perform additional testing. We have determined that the rule 11 examination was adequate to assure defendant's competency to stand trial. Defendant requested experts to refute the state's forensic and serological evidence, which was largely inconclusive, and the requested experts would have merely developed impeachment testimony. Evidence that merely impeaches or contradicts trial testimony that was inconclusive on the issue of defendant's guilt would not support a finding of substantial prejudice where, as here, there is overwhelming independent evidence of culpability. In view of the overwhelming evidence of defendant's guilt, principally his confession, we hold that he has failed to show substantial prejudice. The trial court did not abuse its discretion by refusing to appoint additional experts. 12. Limitation on Length of Appellate Brief Defendant initially submitted a 164-page brief to this court. Because our rules generally limit the length of briefs to 30 pages if printed, and 40 pages if typed, defendant moved to file an oversized brief. We granted the motion, but ordered that the brief submitted not exceed 120 pages. See rule 31.13, Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure. When filed, defendant's brief contained an additional argument  that the court-mandated editing violated his due process right to effective representation under the United States and Arizona Constitutions. He contends that the 120-page limit resulted in choppy and incomplete arguments. We note that this court was able to address the 21 arguments submitted by defendant under 11 issues, reflecting our belief that the brief could have withstood further editing without compromising the quality of its arguments. Defendant is clearly entitled to a meaningful opportunity to be heard under the requirements of due process. He was permitted to file a brief more than twice the size normally accepted, to file a 34-page reply brief, and to engage, through his counsel, in oral argument before this court. No more is constitutionally required. Additionally, the page limitation did not deny defendant his right to effective representation, because all arguable issues were raised and analyzed in the brief submitted. We hold that the court-mandated editing of defendant's appellate brief did not violate his constitutional rights. See State v. Brown, 397 N.W.2d 689, 700-01 (Iowa 1986).