Opinion ID: 1611770
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Failure to Request Statutory Mental Mitigators

Text: In his claim two, Cole argues that his trial counsel was ineffective during the penalty phase for failing to request and argue the statutory mental mitigators: (1) the capital felony was committed while the defendant was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance; and (2) the capacity of the defendant to appreciate the criminality of his or her conduct or to conform his or her conduct to the requirements of law was substantially impaired. Cole maintains that there was some evidence adduced during the guilt and penalty phases which supported both mitigators. After an evidentiary hearing on this claim, the trial court denied relief, finding that Cole had failed to establish prejudice. We find no error in the trial court's conclusion that Cole had failed to demonstrate prejudice in respect to the ineffectiveness claim and is therefore not entitled to Strickland relief. The State initially argues that this issue is procedurally barred because trial counsel conceded the nonexistence of the two statutory mental mitigators and that jury instruction issues must be raised on direct appeal. Alternatively, the State contends that Dr. Berland's testimony did not establish that these mitigators existed, and even if it did, Cole suffered no prejudice given the enormity of the aggravating circumstances. We reject the State's argument that this issue is procedurally barred. The failure to request jury instructions is properly evaluated in a rule 3.850 motion for ineffective assistance of trial counsel. This claim is not procedurally barred by the direct appeal because the trial court was never requested to make a ruling on the instructions at trial. Thus, we proceed to the merits of this claim. The trial record reveals that Dr. Robert Berland, a board certified forensic psychologist, performed a mental health examination of Cole. Dr. Berland performed clinical interviews of Cole; talked with family members, although some would not talk to him; reviewed a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) administered in November of 1988; and reviewed voluminous material from Ohio State Prison regarding Cole. Dr. Berland also conducted extensive psychological testing of Cole. As part of this psychological testing, Berland administered to Cole two additional MMPIs and a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale test (WAIS). The WAIS result was that Cole's full scale IQ was scored at 98. From Dr. Berland's first MMPI administration, Dr. Berland concluded that some mental disturbance existed but that he could not diagnose the extent of the problem because Cole was not truthful in his answers. Dr. Berland thereafter administered a second MMPI to Cole. From administration of the second MMPI, Dr. Berland concluded that Cole had a biologically caused manic type disturbance with an indication of delusional paranoid thinking. Dr. Berland testified that he could not be more specific as Cole attempted in the second MMPI to understate the severity of his problems. However, a careful reading of Dr. Berland's testimony shows that Dr. Berland did not testify as to his opinion of whether the two statutory mitigators applied to Cole's murder of John Edwards. The trial court in its sentencing order specifically rejected the existence of either statutory mental mitigator. 2. The murder of John Edwards was not committed while the Defendant was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance. The defense expert, Dr. Robert Berland, a forensic psychologist, testified that the Defendant exhibits symptoms of some form of organic brain damage and mental illness. However, the doctor was unable to establish that such significantly influenced the acts of the Defendant. Though the evidence indicates that the Defendant may have consumed some alcoholic beverages and smoked marijuana on or about the date of the commission of the offense, that evidence is insufficient to establish that such influenced the Defendant's actions in a mitigating manner. . . . . 6. The Defendant's capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law was not substantially impaired. As stated above, Dr. Berland testified that the Defendant exhibited signs of organic brain damage and mental illness; however, such did not affect the Defendant's ability to control the circumstances or understand the consequences of his actions. State v. Cole, No. 94-498-CF-A-X, order at 5-6 (Fla. 5th Cir. Ct. order filed Dec. 20, 1995). Thus, the trial court when sentencing Cole concluded that these two statutory mental mitigators did not exist. The trial court in the same sentencing order then evaluated this evidence as nonstatutory mental mitigation. 2. The Defendant presented expert testimony through Dr. Robert Berland, a forensic psychologist, as to Defendant's organic brain damage and mental disabilities. Dr. Berland testified that the test scores and test taking attitude indicated that the Defendant lied and exaggerated his responses in an attempt to manipulate the results. However, based on additional indicators which are more difficult to skew, the doctor found some indication of mental illness and psychosis, but could not determine the severity of either due to the untruthfulness and exaggeration of the Defendant's responses. Interviews with family members and lay witnesses did not confirm any prior history of mental illness, nor was there independent evidence of brain injury or fetal alcohol syndrome. Dr. Berland testified that mental illness may cloud a person's perception of the world and judgments, but that the Defendant was not delusional or controlled by hallucinations. Further, alcohol and marijuana may intensify the symptoms of psychosis. Although there was evidence that the Defendant had been drinking prior to the murder, there was no evidence that such affected the Defendant's ability to understand the consequences of his actions and control of the circumstances. Also, Dr. Berland testified that the Defendant was of average intelligence. Any brain damage affecting the Defendant's intelligence quotient would only decrease the score down to a normal finding. Upon evaluating the testimony, the Court finds that the Defendant has established the mitigating factors of organic brain damage and mental illness by the greater weight of the evidence. However, the testimony has failed to establish that such affected the Defendant's judgment in any significant manner. Dr. Berland was unable to definitively connect any psychotic influence on the Defendant's criminal acts. Therefore, the Court can only attach slight to moderate weight to this mitigating factor. Id. at 7-8. At the evidentiary hearing no expert evidence was presented that counsel was deficient on the basis of the trial record for not requesting jury instructions on these two statutory mental mitigators. Based upon Dr. Berland's testimony, the trial court's sentencing order, and the rule 3.850 evidentiary hearing record, we find no error in the trial court not granting relief on this claim.