Opinion ID: 1828411
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Dr. Crown's Testimony

Text: The trial court did not err in summarily denying Owen's claim that trial counsel was ineffective for not calling Dr. Barry Crown during the guilt phase to testify about Owen's neuropsychological impairment in support of Owen's insanity defense. Dr. Crown did testify during Owen's penalty phase. He testified that neurological testing indicated that Owen suffered from organic brain damage and that due to this damage, Owen likely would have difficulty understanding long-term consequences and controlling his impulsivity. Dr. Crown explained that impairment in reasoning and judgment caused by brain damage exacerbates the problems caused by mental illness. Owen does not allege that Dr. Crown's guilt-phase testimony would be different than that actually presented at the penalty phase. Thus, there is no factual dispute and no need for an evidentiary hearing. After reviewing Dr. Crown's penalty-phase testimony, we agree with the trial court's conclusion that Owen failed to show that counsel was deficient because Dr. Crown's testimony would not have been admissible during the guilt phase. We further agree that Owen has not demonstrated deficiency or prejudice because, even if admissible, Dr. Crown's testimony would actually be harmful to Owen's defense. In keeping with the requirements of the M'Naghten rule, [11] to be relevant to an insanity defense, expert testimony must concern whether the defendant (1) was incapable of distinguishing right from wrong (2) as a result of a mental infirmity, disease, or defect. Hall v. State, 568 So.2d 882, 885 (Fla.1990). Both aspects of the insanity defense must be addressed. Expert testimony that a defendant suffered from a mental infirmity, disease, or defect without concluding that as a result the defendant could not distinguish right from wrong is irrelevant. Id. (citing Gurganus v. State, 451 So.2d 817 (Fla.1984); Kight v. State, 512 So.2d 922 (Fla.1987); Zamora v. State, 361 So.2d 776 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978)). While Dr. Crown testified that Owen suffered from a recognized mental defect or infirmity, he did not conclude that as a result Owen could not distinguish right from wrong. Dr. Crown explicitly testified that he did not form an opinion about Owen's sanity. Thus, Dr. Crown's testimony would not have been admissible during the guilt phase. Trial counsel cannot be deemed ineffective for failing to present inadmissible evidence. Pietri v. State, 885 So.2d 245, 254 (Fla.2004). Moreover, competent, substantial evidence supports the trial court's conclusion that Dr. Crown's testimony would not have been helpful to the defense. The helpful aspects of Dr. Crown's testimony were touched upon by Dr. Faye Sultan, a psychologist who testified on behalf of Owen during the guilt phase. Dr. Sultan testified that Owen suffered from frontal lobe damage, which impacted his decision-making ability and caused impulse control problems. The defense-friendly aspects of Dr. Crown's testimony would have been largely cumulative. See Darling v. State, 966 So.2d 366, 378 (Fla.2007) ([T]rial counsel is not ineffective for failing to present cumulative evidence.). Furthermore, Dr. Crown's testimony was not entirely favorable for Owen. While Dr. Crown emphasized that he did not conduct the full psychological evaluation of Owen that was needed to evaluate sanity, he opined that Owen's brain damage would not have prevented Owen from planning a crime and would not have substantially impaired Owen's capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct.