Opinion ID: 178830
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Claim 12: Ineffective Assistance of Counsel: Failing to Investigate and Present Evidence Regarding Cole's Exemplary Prison Conduct

Text: Cole argues that his trial counsel performed deficiently during the penalty phase by failing to investigate and present evidence of Cole's good prison conduct. The Missouri Supreme Court rejected this claim, citing trial counsel's testimony at the Rule 29.15 motion hearing that her experience with presenting evidence on a defendant's good behavior in jail was generally ineffective, and by stating that the testimony of jail witnesses would have overlapped other good character evidence that was presented at the sentencing. Cole II, 152 S.W.3d at 269-70. The three witnesses Cole argues should have been investigated and presented by his counsel were two jail employees, and a nun who ran the jail religious services, Sister Judith Klump. One prison employee allegedly would have testified that Cole was an ideal inmate who followed rules, was mild mannered, and an excellent worker. The other apparently would have testified that Cole was an exceptional worker with no discipline problems. Sister Klump met Cole through the religious classes that she taught at the jail. She now claims she would have testified that she often asked Cole to start her class with a prayer because he spoke from the heart, and that Cole was a polite class leader who was respected among the inmates. The Missouri Supreme Court's opinion rejecting this claim was not contrary to, nor an unreasonable application of, Strickland. We may not second-guess counsel's reasonable strategic decisions. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690, 104 S.Ct. 2052 (describing informed strategic choices as virtually unchallengeable). And counsel did, in fact, put on good character evidence during the penalty phase of Cole's trial, including Cole's family members, friends, and his church pastor. At the postconviction hearing, counsel testified that she interviewed correctional officers at the jail but learned of no potentially relevant testimony. Counsel admitted that she did not investigate any potential witnesses regarding Cole's attendance at religious services and Bible study groups while he was incarcerated and that she was unaware he attended such services in jail. Counsel's primary concern was that Cole had a prior conviction for failure to return to confinement, and that might be a negative issue if she put jail employees on the stand. She felt that a reminder of the prior conviction would outweigh any good character evidence a jail employee could provide. Cole argues the Missouri court's adjudication of this issue was contrary to or an unreasonable application of Skipper v. South Carolina, 476 U.S. 1, 106 S.Ct. 1669, 90 L.Ed.2d 1 (1986). In Skipper, the Court held that evidence of a defendant's disposition to make a well-behaved and peaceful adjustment to life in prison is relevant mitigating evidence. Id. at 7, 106 S.Ct. 1669. However, while Skipper held that such evidence is relevant and admissible, the failure to put on this evidence does not make counsel's performance deficient. And under our doubly deferential standard of review, it does not mean that the Missouri Supreme Court unreasonably applied Strickland. The district court did not err in denying this point.