Opinion ID: 2331517
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Penalty PhaseIneffective Assistance of Counsel

Text: Finally, Miller asserts that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to submit to the jury three additional mitigating factors: (1) that he was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance; [13] (2) that his capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law was substantially impaired; [14] and (3) that he acted under extreme duress or the substantial domination of another person. [15] The Commonwealth counters that trial counsel presented evidence of these mitigating circumstances and did not submit the actual mitigators to the jury on the sentencing verdict slip as a matter of trial strategy. To prove ineffectiveness of trial counsel, Miller must prove that: (1) the underlying argument has merit; (2) counsel had no reasonable strategic basis for his action or inaction; and (3) but for the errors and omissions of counsel, there is a reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceedings would have been different. Commonwealth v. Tilley, 566 Pa. 312, 780 A.2d 649, 652 (2001). Counsel is presumed to have been effective and the defendant has the burden of proving otherwise. Id. Generally, where matters of strategy and tactics are concerned, counsel's assistance is deemed constitutionally effective if he chose a particular course that had some reasonable basis designed to effectuate his client's interests. Commonwealth v. Howard, 553 Pa. 266, 719 A.2d 233, 237 (1998). Nor can a claim of ineffective assistance generally succeed through comparing, by hindsight, the trial strategy employed with alternatives not pursued. Id. A finding that a chosen strategy lacked a reasonable basis is not warranted unless it can be concluded that an alternative not chosen offered a potential for success substantially greater than the course actually pursued. Id. Miller's trial counsel presented significant evidence of Miller's mental health and emotional disturbance. Miller was raised without a father and helped raise his five disabled siblings. (N.T. September 30, 1999, pp. 57-60, 62, 65, 68). He became depressed and withdrawn at age fourteen. (N.T. September 30, 1999, pp. 60-62, 66-69). Doctors and counselors at various institutions for mental health problems treated Miller and he even attempted suicide twice. (N.T. September 30, 1999, pp. 61-66). He took Prozac and other medications for manic depression (N.T. September 30, 1999, pp. 64, 66-68). Miller had only been out of his latest mental health institution for three months before the murders. (N.T. September 30, 1999, p. 68). Both Miller's mother and his stepfather testified that Gregory was a bad influence and had a negative impact on Miller. (N.T. September 30, 1999, pp. 69-71, 74-77). Miller relies on the plurality opinion in Commonwealth v. Smith, 544 Pa. 219, 675 A.2d 1221 (1996), cert. denied, 519 U.S. 1153, 117 S.Ct. 1090, 137 L.Ed.2d 223 (1997), rehearing denied, 520 U.S. 1183, 117 S.Ct. 1464, 137 L.Ed.2d 568 (1997), in which this Court held that where counsel is informed that his client has suffered some mental problems that may provide evidence of mitigation in the penalty phase, counsel is ineffective if he fails to pursue such evidence. Id. at 1234. In Smith, defense counsel pursued two mitigating factors: age and remorse. While the record indicated that the defendant had some mental and emotional problems, defense counsel failed to present any of this evidence during the penalty phase and failed to seek mental state as a mitigating circumstance. Nevertheless, during their deliberations, the jury asked the court if they could consider the defendant's mental health as a mitigating circumstance, which the court permitted. The jury found the defendant's remorse and his mental state as mitigating circumstances. The plurality opinion concluded that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to present evidence of mental state because, if admissible evidence of mental problems existed, had the jury heard about it, [they] might have come to a different conclusion, i.e., life in prison instead of death. Id. As the Commonwealth contends, Miller's reliance on Smith is misplaced. Unlike defense counsel in Smith, counsel for Miller pursued evidence of his mental state during the penalty phase. Therefore, the crux of Miller's argument is that he suffered prejudice because his counsel presented evidence of mental state under the catchall mitigating circumstance, rather than pursuant to the mental state mitigating circumstance. It is well settled that the weighing of mitigating circumstances is a qualitative and not quantitative procedure. Commonwealth v. Dennis Miller, 555 Pa. 354, 724 A.2d 895 (1999), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 903, 120 S.Ct. 242, 145 L.Ed.2d 204 (1999); see also Commonwealth v. John Wesley Brown, 538 Pa. 410, 648 A.2d 1177, 1186 (1994) (balancing aggravating against mitigating circumstances is not a quantitative processthat is, if more aggravating than mitigating circumstances are found, the jury is not required to impose a death sentence; likewise, if more mitigating than aggravating circumstances are found, the jury is not necessarily precluded from imposing a death sentence). Miller cannot demonstrate that, had the jury characterized the evidence of his mental state pursuant to the mental state mitigating circumstance rather than the catchall mitigating circumstance, they would have afforded it more weight and been swayed to render a sentence of life imprisonment instead of death. See also Commonwealth v. Holland, 556 Pa. 175, 727 A.2d 563, 567 (1999) ([b]y not specifically tying his argument to one particular [mitigating factor], counsel encouraged a greater range of favorable responses ...). Accordingly, we hold that trial counsel was not ineffective when he submitted evidence of Miller's mental state during the penalty phase, even though he did not submit mental state as a mitigating circumstance pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S. § 9711(e)(2) and (e)(3). Miller further alleges that his trial counsel should have obtained records and expert testimony regarding Miller's mental health and should have requested a psychological examination. However, Miller has not indicated how his counsel's failure to present more evidence of his mental state prejudiced Miller. In fact, in Commonwealth v. Christy, 540 Pa. 192, 656 A.2d 877 (1995), cert. denied, 516 U.S. 872, 116 S.Ct. 194, 133 L.Ed.2d 130 (1995), we held that presentation of in-depth evidence of a defendant's psychological makeup during the sentencing phase of a capital murder prosecution could have a negative impact on the jury, because it could portray the defendant as a dangerous murderer who could kill again. A strategy of offering expert testimony of mental state on top of other evidence in that regard would not necessarily have been favorably interpreted by the jury and, therefore, defense counsel's failure to present such evidence cannot be said to have no reasonable strategic basis. Accordingly, this claim lacks merit. Miller's final contention is that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to introduce evidence that he acted under duress or the substantial domination of Gregory. However, the evidence of record completely belies this argument because Miller, Lloyd, and Blakeney divided the fifteen hundred-dollar proceeds of the robbery amongst themselves, agreeing to tell Gregory that they had obtained no money. Accordingly, this contention is without merit, and counsel will not be deemed ineffective for failing to proceed on a theory without merit.