Opinion ID: 1890788
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Issue IV. Prosecutorial Comments on Pace's Silence

Text: Pace alleges that guilt-phase counsel was ineffective for failing to object to and preserve improper prosecutorial comments relating to Pace's silence. Pace alleges that the following prosecutorial comments were improper: The Defendant never makes one mention of Floyd Covington or about the story that he told to either May Green or Michael Green. And you recall their testimony about whether or not it appeared he had been injured in any way or complained about being injured in any way.... .... He never reported it, not to any law enforcement agency, not to May Green, Michael Green, not to anyone else. He never tells anybody that he was injured, never reports what happened to him or Floyd Covington. The postconviction court denied this claim, stating: At [Pace's] trial, Harvey Rich, [Pace's] stepfather, testified that Pace told him the following: Covington had given Pace a ride home on the morning of his disappearance, November 4, 1988; Pace entered the home through an open window and was choked to unconsciousness; Pace regained consciousness in the woods lying next to his brother's shot gun and Covington's car; he picked up the gun and left the scene after noticing blood in the car. During closing argument, [trial counsel] asserted that the State had not presented any evidence to disprove Pace's declaration of innocence to Rich. The prosecutor's comments were a fair response to defense counsel's assertions as well as a permissible comment on the evidence. Viewing the comments in context, the prosecutor was not commenting on Pace's failure to testify but on the reasonableness of the statement [Pace] made to Rich in light of his prearrest behavior. The prosecutor was simply attempting to direct the jury's attention to the testimony and evidence presented that were inconsistent with his declaration of innocence to Rich. See generally Barwick v. State, 660 So.2d 685, 694 (Fla.1995). In addition, the behavior that the prosecutor is referring to deals with actions by [Pace] before he was advised of his right to remain silent. Therefore, trial counsel is not ineffective for failing to object to comments that were not fairly susceptible of being interpreted as comments on Pace's right to remain silent. Postconviction order at 6-7 (record citations omitted). We find no error in the postconviction court's denial of this claim. Pace's ineffective assistance claim is based on portions of the prosecutor's arguments that were taken out of context. The prosecutor was not commenting on Pace's failure to testify but was rather commenting on the inconsistencies in the hypothesis of innocence that Pace presented at trial. Pace has failed to demonstrate ineffective assistance of guilt-phase counsel for the failure to object to these prosecutorial comments.