Opinion ID: 615299
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Mitigating Evidence Claim

Text: Jackson argues that his case is factually analogous to Williams v. Taylor, 529 U.S. 362 (2000) because, like the defendant’s counsel in Williams, Walls failed to present mitigating evidence during sentencing. This argument is also unavailing. In Williams, the Supreme Court found that the defendant was denied his constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel when trial counsel failed to investigate and present mitigating evidence at sentencing. Id. at 390–91. The only mitigating evidence trial counsel presented during 16 Case: 10-70029 Document: 00511631846 Page: 17 Date Filed: 10/13/2011 No. 10-70029 sentencing was the fact that the petitioner turned himself in and demonstrated remorse for his actions. Id. at 398. This, in conjunction with the fact that counsel failed to explore several other mitigating factors, led to the conclusion that the defendant’s counsel was ineffective. Id. at 396–97. Williams is immediately distinguishable from the circumstances in Jackson’s case. First, unlike the defendant’s counsel in Williams, Jackson’s attorney presented extensive mitigating evidence during the sentencing proceedings. Witnesses testified as to Jackson’s self-elected choice to turn himself into authorities, his remorse, anger disorder, potential metabolic disorders, toxic disorder, traumatic brain injuries, low IQ, and his lack of criminal or anti-social behavior prior to the murders. Second, there exists none of the additional mitigating evidence in Jackson’s case that existed in Williams. For example, Jackson does not claim that his attorney failed to return phone calls or present evidence of his good behavior while incarcerated or that there is evidence of child abuse in his history. Therefore, the facts of the two cases do not align. The district court’s determination that Jackson’s counsel did not provide ineffective assistance is not debatable or wrong. Mitchell, 641 F.3d at 142. Accordingly, we do not grant Jackson’s request for a COA on these grounds.