Opinion ID: 1572715
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Evidence and Argument about Lack of Remorse

Text: Peterson argues that the trial court erred by allowing the State to introduce evidence indicating that Peterson lacked remorse and by allowing the State to argue lack of remorse during closing arguments. The admissibility of evidence is within the sound discretion of the trial court, and the trial court's determination will not be disturbed on appellate review absent a clear abuse of that discretion. Brooks v. State, 918 So.2d 181, 188 (Fla. 2005). Likewise, appellate courts apply an abuse-of-discretion standard when considering whether a trial court erred in overruling objections to comments made during closing arguments. McArthur v. State, 801 So.2d 1037, 1040 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001) (citing Moore v. State, 701 So.2d 545 (Fla.1997)). This Court's precedent prohibits presenting evidence about lack of remorse in support of an aggravating factor. [T]his Court held that `lack of remorse is not an aggravating factor' and that `lack of remorse should have no place in the consideration of aggravating factors.' Tanzi v. State, 964 So.2d 106, 114-15 (Fla.2007) (quoting Pope v. State, 441 So.2d 1073, 1078 (Fla.1983)), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 128 S.Ct. 1243, 170 L.Ed.2d 86 (2008). This Court has further held that the State ordinarily may not present evidence or argument about a defendant's lack of remorse in the context of discussing a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. For example, in Atwater v. State, 626 So.2d 1325, 1328 (Fla.1993), the Court held that the trial court erred in permitting the State to ask on cross-examination whether persons with antisocial personality disorder showed remorse. See also Robinson v. State, 520 So.2d 1, 5-6 (Fla.1988). This Court has further held that the State may not circumvent the prohibition against lack-of-remorse evidence by using synonymous words and phrases. See, e.g., Sireci v. State, 587 So.2d 450, 454 (Fla.1991) (holding that trial court erred in allowing State witness to testify that after Sireci read about the murder in the newspaper, `he seemed rather proud of it.'). [4] Peterson argues that the State's cross-examination of expert witness Dr. Maher about lack of empathy and contemptuousness as symptoms of antisocial personality disorder was tantamount to questioning and argument about lack of remorse. The State contends that the questioning about Peterson's lack of empathy and contempt for his victims was not improper because empathy refers to the defendant's mental and emotional state at the time of the crime whereas remorse refers to the defendant's mental and emotional state after the crime. We agree that this is a relevant distinction. Florida's statutory aggravating and mitigating factors recognize the defendant's mental and emotional state at the time of the crime as factors relevant to sentencing. See § 921.141(5)-(6), Fla. Stat. (2008). The majority of the State's questioning of Dr. Maher properly focused on Peterson's state of mind at the time of the offense as it related to the proposed statutory mitigating factor of substantially impaired capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct. [5] A few of the State's questions did solicit testimony about Peterson's after-the-fact feelings towards the victims of his crimes. While these questions arguably solicited testimony about remorse without using the term remorse, any error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. See Franklin v. State, 965 So.2d 79, 95 (Fla.2007) (applying harmless error analysis to erroneously admitted evidence). We find that the brief references to Peterson's refusal to acknowledge his wrongdoing did not influence the jury's recommendation or the trial court's sentencing decision. The State's closing argument was proper, and there was significant, undisputed aggravation and relatively weak mitigationspecifically Peterson had been convicted of thirteen prior felonies and was on probation at the time of the murder compared to no evidence of major mental illness or other compelling mitigating circumstances. [6] Moreover, while the trial court considered the proper portions of Dr. Maher's testimony as it related to Peterson's state of mind at the time of the crime, it did not rely on the arguably improper evidence or argument in reaching its decision to impose the death penalty. Based on the foregoing, Peterson is not entitled to a new penalty phase. See Randolph v. State, 562 So.2d 331, 338 (Fla.1990) (holding one improper question about lack of remorse harmless beyond reasonable doubt in light of totality of evidence); Atwater, 626 So.2d at 1328 (holding cross-examination of expert witness about whether persons with antisocial personality disorder show remorse was harmless error).