Opinion ID: 213981
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Turner's Atkins Claim in State Court

Text: Subsequently, as to Turner's second Rule 3.850 motion, the state trial court denied Turner's Atkins claim and on September 28, 2010, the Florida Supreme Court affirmed. Turner v. State, 46 So.3d 568 (Fla.2010) (unpublished). The Florida Supreme Court stated that Turner had not met his burden of showing he had significantly subaverage intellectual functioning, the first of the three prongs of the mental retardation definition. Id. The Florida Supreme Court stressed that one expert determined Turner's IQ was 98 and another expert determined it was 108, both within the average intelligence range: To prove mental retardation, a defendant must demonstrate: (1) significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning; (2) concurrent deficits in adaptive behavior; and (3) manifestation of the condition before age eighteen. See § 921.137(1), Fla. Stat. (2007). To satisfy the first prong, the defendant must establish that he or she has an IQ of two or more standard deviations below the mean. Cherry v. State, 959 So.2d 702, 713 (Fla.2007). In accordance with Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.203, the trial court appointed two mental health experts to examine Turner. One mental health expert determined that Turner's full-scale IQ was 98, and the other expert determined that Turner's full-scale IQ was 108. Both of these scores fell within the average intelligence range. Because the expert reports conclusively rebutted the first-prong of Turner's Atkins claim, the trial court did not err in summarily denying Turner's claim that he was mentally retarded. Id. On February 28, 2011, the Supreme Court denied Turner's certiorari petition as to the Florida Supreme Court's decision. Turner v. Florida, ___ U.S. ___, 131 S.Ct. 1573, ___ L.Ed.2d ___ (2011). On March 9, 2011, Turner filed his application with this Court for permission to file a second federal habeas petition.