Opinion ID: 2544685
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Penalty Phase: Mitigation

Text: In mitigation, the defense presented the testimony of family members and teachers regarding Allred's academic and social development. Allred's mother, Tora Allred, testified that her son was a happy child until about age five or six, when he became a different child, hyper, and emotional. She took him to a pediatrician, who she said found no physical problems but suggested Allred had been sexually abused; he referred her to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist, however, found Allred had a well-defined tic disorder (licking his hand and rubbing his eye) and diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); he prescribed medication. Allred's mother said that his personality showed in many of his school pictures in which he did not smile. Tora Allred also testified that appellant's paternal grandparents lived either in their home or next door for most of his life. She stated that onceshe did not specify whenappellant's much older cousin filed a police report accusing this same grandfather of sexually molesting him, but she admitted that appellant had never made such an allegation. Regarding Allred's progress in school, Tora Allred testified that in grade school, progress reports indicated that Allred was inattentive and did not do his work. Although it was suggested that Allred might have a learning disability, subsequent school testing revealed that he had a high IQ and qualified for gifted classes. Allred was less social than his brothers and quieter. He left school after eleventh grade and attended a community college to earn his high school diploma. Then, at another nearby college, he obtained a two-year degree in accounting. After graduating from high school, Allred lived alone in a large room that had been added downstairs in the family home. Only Allred had access to the room after he installed a deadbolt lock on the door. Appellant painted the walls and ceiling black and covered the windows with black curtains. At the time of the murders, Allred was essentially self-sufficient. He was employed full time teaching the use of software, and he paid for his own car and cell phone. Allred and Tiffany Barwick had a good relationship and were happy until the birthday breakup. In fact, on the day he turned twenty-one, Tiffany gave him a card that read, Andrew, happy birthday. I am so happy I've spent the last year with you. I love you, hope you like your gift. Tora Allred, however, also testified that after the breakup, Tiffany gave Allred a T-shirt that had Failed written on it. A rebuttal witness, however, subsequently testified at the Spencer [6] hearing that Tiffany gave Allred the T-shirt at his twentieth birthday party, a year before the murders. The word failed was Allred's catchphrase, and the gift was meant to be funny because it was the word he used all the time. In fact, Allred laughed when he saw the shirt. Both of Allred's parents testified that the family kept guns in the house for hunting and skeet and target shooting. Further, when Allred was younger, his father experienced a period in which he had a drinking problem that resulted in multiple DUIs and incidents of domestic violence. On one occasion, Allred's drunken father threatened to shoot himself, and his mother struggled with her husband. The then twelve-year-old Allred observed this and called the police. As a result, his father was arrested. Finally, both parents were concerned about appellant after the breakup with Tiffany, and the weekend after the breakup, his father considered that appellant might commit suicide. Allred's parents tried to encourage appellant, telling him that he would get over Tiffany. Allred's paternal grandfather testified that he and his wife had lived with Allred's family for ten years from the time Allred was a baby. Both grandparents then moved with their son's family from Winter Park to Oviedo, where they lived on adjacent property. According to his grandfather, Allred studied, was good with his hands, and was a computer nut. Although he no longer lived next door, Allred visited him at his new home and brought Tiffany with him sometimes. He was not asked any questions about familial sexual abuse allegations. Three of Allred's teachers testified regarding his school life. A grade school teacher stated that he made good grades but was frequently tired and slept in class. He was generally withdrawn and standoffish, preferring not to participate, and he had trouble making friends. A middle school teacher testified that he had an IQ of at least 130 and qualified for gifted classes. The school was a mix of rural students, such as Allred, and more cosmopolitan students who had computers and academically advanced parents. As a result, the second group often picked on Allred because he did not have a computer at home and he often wore the same clothes two days in a row. Allred was quiet and a loner; he had friends but none in the gifted program. He took fewer gifted classes in seventh grade and then dropped out of the program in the eighth grade. Allred's high school web design teacher agreed that Allred was a loner but said he nevertheless made Bs and Cs in school. At the end of the hearing, victim impact statements from the victims' families were read to the trial court. Afterwards, the prosecutor asked the trial court to inquire whether the defense intended to present mental health mitigation, noting that the defense had listed an expert to testify. The defense responded that after discussion and consultations, they determined not to present such testimony.