Opinion ID: 1772363
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: issue 2. substantial domination mitigator

Text: Regarding the substantial domination mitigator, the trial court's written findings state in pertinent part: Although the experts suggest Lawrence is easily led, Lawrence failed to establish that Rodgers substantially dominated him or that he acted under extreme duress. Other than Lawrence's self-serving confession, the record does not contain any direct evidence that Rodgers dominated Lawrence or that Lawrence's participation in the crime was minor. As discussed in the cold, calculated, and premeditated section, the evidence demonstrates that Lawrence's involvement was anything but minor. His involvement was significant. Lawrence participated in all phases of the murder: the planning, the preparation, the implementation of the plan, and the concealment of the crime. The following details particularly demonstrate Lawrence's involvement in Jennifer Robinson's murder: Lawrence wrote the notes after he had been involved in two other violent crimes with Rodgers; Lawrence furnished the murder weapon as well as the majority of the items used in the murder; Lawrence was more familiar with the remote areas of Santa Rosa County; and Lawrence never withdrew his assistance even after the murder had been committed. Although Lawrence indicates in his taped confession that he wrote the note at Rodgers' direction, he continually contradicts this implication with his extensive use of the term we. In fact, Rodgers' and Lawrence's collaboration is best illustrated with the following statement: [y]eah, he'd just tell me just bad things to write down. I'd think of a few and write stuff down. In addition, one of the instructions on the notes is get Jereimaih [Jeremiah] to make phone calls. This statement does not appear to be written at Rodgers' instruction nor is it characteristic of a dominant/submissive relationship. At the Spencer hearing, the State presented additional evidence that supports Lawrence's active involvement. A footlocker at Lawrence's residence contained numerous books as well as a scrapbook. These items are very telling. Among the books found were: (1) William Powell, The Anarchist Cookbook, Barricade Books, Inc. (1971); (2) The Editors of Time-Life Books, Serial Killers, Time-Life Books (1992) which contains pictorial essays on Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, David Berkowitz and Dennis Nilsen; and (3) Five books about snipers including Maj. John L. Plaster, The Ultimate Sniper: An Advanced Training Manual For Military & Police Snipers, Paladin Press (1993) and J. David Truby, Silencers, Snipers & Assassins: An Overview of Whispering Death, Paladin Press (1972). The scrapbook contained various items that included: his GED certificate, karate certificate, numerous articles on the Ku Klux Klan and serial killers. Many of the items date back several years prior to Lawrence's involvement with Rodgers. The certification of Lawrence's Citizenship in the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan is dated February 23, 1998, a month before the attempted murder of Layton Smitherman. Rodgers did not arrive in Pace until March 1998. The books and the scrapbook reveal Lawrence's interests and support the State's contention that he would have actively participated in the murder. The State also introduced into evidence the human body book, The Incredible Machine, which was recovered from the toolbox on [Lawrence's] truck. Several sections in this book were marked with a pen including a picture of the muscle structure of a female body with the calf section marked. The possession of this book, along with the other evidence (e.g., admission that he cut the leg and the calf muscle was found in his freezer), indicate that Lawrence initiated and carried out this aspect of the plan. Regardless of who was the leader, the evidence demonstrates that Lawrence's involvement was active, significant and voluntary. He was a major participant, not a minor accomplice. There is insufficient evidence to establish [that] Mr. Rodgers substantially dominated Lawrence or that he was under extreme duress. Therefore, Lawrence has failed to establish by the greater weight of the evidence the presence of these two mitigators. Sentencing order at 14-16 (citations and footnotes omitted.) Lawrence claims that the trial court erroneously excluded evidence of Rodgers' criminal history and then erroneously refused to find the statutory mitigator that Lawrence may have been acting under the substantial domination of Rodgers. The trial court found that Rodgers' National Crime Information Center (NCIC) record was not relevant because there was no evidence to establish that Lawrence had knowledge of Rodgers' record prior to the instant crime. Lawrence argues that this refusal imposed on Lawrence a Hobson's choice of having to forfeit his right not to testify in exchange for presenting evidence to support his claim of mitigation. We, however, do not find support in the record for Lawrence's contentions. There was no evidence presented or proffered indicating how Rodgers' record influenced Lawrence's behavior in the instant crime. While Lawrence argued to the trial court that the time Lawrence and Rodgers spent together in a mental hospital suggested that Lawrence knew the substance of Rodgers' record, no evidence was presented or proffered to further this assertion. The mere possibility that Lawrence might have been able to establish this foundation through his own testimony does not create a constitutional infirmity. See State v. Raydo, 713 So.2d 996, 1000 (Fla.1998). Moreover, if the trial court erred in excluding Rodgers' record, that error was harmless given the extensive evidence in the record regarding Rodgers' history with Lawrence. See State v. DiGuilio, 491 So.2d 1129, 1135 (Fla.1986). Regarding the trial court's finding that the substantial domination mitigator was not established by the evidence, we find that there is competent, substantial evidence to support the trial court's finding. While Lawrence's witnesses opined that Lawrence had the propensity to be a follower, there is no evidence establishing that Lawrence was dominated by Rodgers. Lawrence provides no evidence that Rodgers threatened him, coerced him, or intimidated him in any way. There is evidence that Lawrence wrote the notes planning the murder, that he purchased or acquired the items used during the murder, and that he directly assisted in concealing Robinson's body. The trial court noted that Lawrence was a major participant rather than a minor accomplice. Thus, we deny Lawrence's claim. Cf. San Martin v. State, 705 So.2d 1337, 1348 (Fla.1997); Valdes v. State, 626 So.2d 1316, 1324 (Fla. 1993).