Opinion ID: 528434
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Unanimity of the Verdict (Claim 9)

Text: 71 The jury returned a general verdict of guilty upon a charge of premeditated murder and felony murder. Bertolotti argues that even if all the jurors agreed that he was guilty, they may not have agreed on a theory of guilt: thus, six jurors may have thought that Bertolotti was guilty of felony murder but not premeditated murder, and vice versa. The Florida Supreme Court found this claim to be procedurally barred because trial counsel made no request for a special verdict, nor did he object to the use of the general verdict form. Bertolotti v. Dugger, 514 So.2d at 1097. Assuming that this claim arises under the fourteenth amendment, we respect Florida's adequate and independent ground of decision; additionally, because the claim was procedurally barred, appellate counsel cannot be faulted for declining to raise it on direct appeal. Francois v. Wainwright, 741 F.2d 1275, 1285 (11th Cir.1984). 72