Opinion ID: 1785882
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Insurance Expert

Text: The trial court summarily denied Larzelere's claim that Wilkins was ineffective for failing to consult and call an insurance expert to testify that the Larzelere family had a reasonable amount of life insurance coverage. The trial court held that such testimony would not likely impact the verdict because the reasonableness of the insurance coverage would not discount the State's theory that Larzelere killed her husband to obtain the insurance proceeds and because the State conceded during closing argument that Dr. Larzelere participated in the acquisition of the insurance policies. We find no reversible error. During his representation of Larzelere, Wilkins consulted two attorneys, Mr. Gibson and Mr. Lilly, whom he considered to be experts in insurance. Lilly, who represented Larzelere's sister, Jeanette Atkinson, in the insurance litigation, testified that he prepared a chart explaining the relationships between the different insurance policies for Wilkins' use in the criminal case. Wilkins used these charts during his opening argument and asserted during both his opening and closing arguments that the State's motive theory did not make sense. He argued that the insurance policies were reasonable for the family, that Dr. Larzelere made $600,000 a year and let Larzelere buy anything that she wanted, and that Larzelere would have made more money by divorcing Dr. Larzelere than by murdering him. While Wilkins did not call a defense witness regarding the insurance policies, he did cross-examine the insurance agents called by the State. His performance was not unreasonable. Moreover, the trial court properly denied this claim because Larzelere did not demonstrate that she was prejudiced by any failure to discredit the State's financial motive theory. The State's first three witnesses, Norman Karn, Ronald Lee Hayden, and Philip Langston, all testified that Larzelere approached them about killing her husband. Karn, who dated Larzelere in early 1989, testified that Larzelere [i]n so many words told him that she wanted Dr. Larzelere dead. He also testified that Larzelere solicited his friend Hayden to kill Dr. Larzelere. Hayden testified next and confirmed that Larzelere asked him if he knew anyone who would kill her husband because she was unable to divorce Dr. Larzelere and wanted to marry Karn. Next, Langston, who met Larzelere in 1989 or 1990 and became romantically involved with her, testified that on one occasion Larzelere told him that she had to get rid of Norm. When he said that he was not capable of murder, she asked if he knew anyone who would kill Dr. Larzelere for $50,000.