Opinion ID: 2686798
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Trial Counsel Barry Wax

Text: Trial counsel Barry Wax testified first about his criminal defense work experience at the public defender’s office in Miami-Dade County, at a law firm, and as a solo practitioner. Wax worked on a capital case before representing Mendoza. Wax was primarily responsible for the penalty phase. His theory was “to try to establish that [Mendoza] was not the individual that shot the victim Mr. Calderon in this case and to try to establish that it was one of the Cuellar brothers who shot Mr. Calderon.” At a minimum, Wax hoped to show that it was the Cuellar brothers’ “actions that precipitated Mr. Calderon being killed.” “[S]ince they had received plea[] negotiations to . . . lesser sentences[,]” Wax expected that “on a proportionality concept . . . we would be able to persuade a jury that a term of years or a life sentence would be appropriate.” Wax also planned to present a “psychological mental health aspect” of the defense. To do so, Wax first worked with Drs. Haber and Toomer. Wax advised Dr. Toomer to contact the Mendoza family and obtain background information about Mendoza. Wax also obtained a competency evaluation conducted by Dr. 33 Case: 13-14968 Date Filed: 07/31/2014 Page: 34 of 58 Castiello after Mendoza claimed to suffer from hallucinations. After the jury recommended a death sentence, Wax requested the appointment of Dr. Eisenstein to conduct yet another examination. Wax testified that when he decided to hire non-Spanish speaking experts Drs. Haber, Toomer, and Eisenstein, he did so because he “respected them” and felt they were “good witnesses” who could impart “their information to a jury effectively.” Wax also attended many meetings with Mendoza and the family members and “met with [Mendoza’s] mother on several occasions with Mr. Suri or one of [Wax’s] secretaries translating.” Like Suri, Wax never considered requesting funds to travel to Cuba. When asked if he knew of “defense attorneys who [in 1992 through 1994] represented Cuban nationals . . . [who] were going to Cuba to investigate their [clients’] background[s],” Wax said that he was not aware of any attorneys who did so.