Opinion ID: 1880670
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: issue 8. waiver of mitigation

Text: Boyd claims that the trial court did not comply with the requirements of Koon in accepting his waiver of mitigation. In Koon, the defendant ordered his penalty phase counsel not to present any testimony or evidence. 619 So.2d at 249. While counsel followed Koon's wishes, he still presented an argument for mitigation based upon testimony presented during the guilt phase. Id. at 250. This Court emphasized that it has repeatedly recognized the right of a competent defendant to waive presentation of mitigating evidence. Id. at 249. However, we also held that when a defendant waives presentation of mitigation against his attorney's wishes, the trial court must be informed of this decision, the attorney must indicate on the record whether there is mitigating evidence that could be presented and what that evidence would be, and the defendant must confirm that he has discussed these matters with his attorney and that despite his attorney's recommendation, he still wishes to waive mitigation. Id. at 250. This ensures that a defendant knowingly and intelligently makes a waiver of mitigation. Chandler v. State, 702 So.2d 186, 200 (Fla.1997). Thus, the record should reflect a defendant's knowing waiver of his or her right to present mitigating evidence. Mora v. State, 814 So.2d 322, 332-33 (Fla.2002). We hold that this case is distinguishable from Koon because Boyd did not ultimately waive his right to present mitigation. After discussing matters with his friends and family, Boyd elected to testify during the penalty phase and allowed his pastor to testify. Thus, the requirements of Koon are not applicable in this case because Boyd presented mitigating evidence. Moreover, the record reflects that the trial judge inquired about the mitigation issue several times and concluded that the mitigation presented was all Boyd wished to present. He stated that Boyd was making the decision freely and voluntarily with the assistance of able counsel. Additionally, several times defense counsel commented that it had mitigation witnesses to testify on behalf of Boyd, including his mother and brother. Thus, the trial court was aware of the potential mitigation evidence available for Boyd. The record also reflects that the trial court was wholly aware of and was seeking to act in compliance with this Court's decision in Mora. Accordingly, we hold that the trial court did not err. See Waterhouse v. State, 792 So.2d 1176, 1184 (Fla.2001) ( Koon requirements were met when defendant made it abundantly clear that he was waiving mitigation); Chandler, 702 So.2d at 200 n. 19 (as long as it was demonstrated that waiver was made knowingly, intelligently, and voluntarily, defense counsel was not required to go into explicit detail about what the favorable mitigation evidence would be).