Opinion ID: 1135212
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Defendant's Right to Testify

Text: England also claims that the trial judge abused his discretion in not permitting England to fully testify on his own behalf during the penalty phase. Both section 921.141(1), Florida Statutes (2005), and Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.780 provide that a defendant will be permitted to present evidence of a mitigating nature that the court deems relevant to the nature of the crime and the character of the defendant. A trial judge has discretion in determining what is admissible as mitigating evidence. As with other evidentiary rulings, a trial judge's ruling on the admissibility of mitigating evidence will not be disturbed absent an abuse of that discretion. See Fitzpatrick, 900 So.2d at 514-15. The trial judge determined that most of England's testimony went to the issue of guilt rather than mitigation and prohibited it. This Court has followed the holding of the United States Supreme Court that there is no constitutional right to present `lingering doubt' evidence related to the guilt of the defendant. Darling v. State, 808 So.2d 145, 162 (Fla.2002). Because England had already been found guilty during the guilt phase of the trial, he had no constitutional right to have evidence addressing his guilt heard during the penalty phase. The trial judge did not abuse his discretion in limiting this testimony.