Opinion ID: 1100664
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Henry's Waiver of His Right to Present Mitigation

Text: Henry's arguments regarding ineffective assistance of counsel during the penalty phase all culminate in his broader assertion that his decision to waive his right to mitigation was not knowingly and intelligently made. In other words, he claims that since trial counsel did not adequately investigate all of the mitigation that was available to him at the time, Henry was unable to fully appreciate the magnitude of his waiver, thus making his waiver invalid. Initially, we note that this Court expressly considered the issue of Henry's waiver of mitigation in his direct appeal, finding that the instant trial court carefully and conscientiously considered this case, as evidenced by the finding of two mitigators in spite of Henry's refusal to allow presentation of more testimony. Thus, we see no error arising from Henry's knowing and voluntary waiver .... Henry, 613 So.2d at 433. Henry's present claim appears to be an attempt to revisit an issue already raised and rejected by this Court on direct appeal. Such relitigation of old issues under new arguments is prohibited. See Harvey v. Dugger, 656 So.2d 1253, 1256 (Fla.1995) (It is also not appropriate to use a different argument to relitigate the same issue.). Regarding the merits of this claim, Henry relies on this Court's decision in Lewis. As previously noted, in Lewis, this Court held that trial counsel was ineffective for not spending sufficient time preparing for mitigation prior to Lewis's waiver. Lewis, 838 So.2d at 1114. In that case, as here, the defendant waived his right to present mitigation; Lewis likewise later argued ineffective assistance of trial counsel, claiming that his attorney did not conduct an adequate penalty phase investigation and therefore could not properly advise him as to the ramifications of waiving his right to present mitigation. Id. at 1108. Furthermore, like Henry, Lewis informed his attorney that he did not want any family members to testify at the penalty phase or for any other form of mitigation to be presented. Id. at 1110. However, these two cases involve significant differences. First, this Court did not rule on Lewis's waiver of his right to present mitigation on direct appeal, as we did in Henry. Furthermore, trial counsel in Lewis did not obtain any mental competency testing before trial, waiting to retain an expert until after the guilty verdict was rendered. Lewis, 838 So.2d at 1109. In fact, the expert did not have time to render a professional conclusion before the penalty phase began. Id. However, in the instant case, a mental health evaluation had already been performed by the time trial counsel took over, and counsel also moved successfully for the appointment of two additional mental health experts to ensure competency. Also, while the defendants in each case requested that family members not testify at the penalty phase, in Henry's case, trial counsel still contacted and subpoenaed five witnesses so they would be present and available, should Henry change his mind regarding his waiver. Ultimately, we find no reason, based on the evidence presented at the postconviction hearing, to disturb our earlier ruling approving the trial court's acceptance of Henry's decision to waive his right to present mitigation in the penalty phase of this trial. Furthermore, we do not find that trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance under these circumstances. This Court held in Stewart v. State, 801 So.2d 59 (Fla.2001), that the reasonableness of counsel's actions may be determined or substantially influenced by the defendant's own statements or actions. Id. at 67 (quoting Cherry v. State, 781 So.2d 1040, 1050 (Fla.2000)). Wiggins instructs that the inquiry regarding ineffective assistance and mitigation should focus on whether trial counsel's decision was reasonable at the time the decision was made, without the benefit of hindsight. Certainly, both Wiggins and the ABA Guidelines for Appointment and Performance of Counsel in Death Penalty Cases § 10.11 (rev. ed.2003) on counsel's duties mandate mitigation investigation and preparation, even if the client objects. However, in this case, trial counsel complied with those dictates, investigating mental health issues and other mitigation and even subpoenaing witnesses against his client's consent for the penalty phase in case he changed his mind. Given Henry's adamant, informed refusal to participate in the investigation and preparation of any type of mitigation, we conclude that counsel's preparation and Henry's decision to waive his rights did not deny him of a reliable penalty phase proceeding. See Power v. State, 886 So.2d 952, 959-61 (Fla.2004) (denying ineffectiveness claim based on failure to present mitigating evidence because the failure was a result of compliance with the defendant's request, not lack of investigation).