Opinion ID: 2686833
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Victim’s Perineal Injuries

Text: - 12 - Johnson raises three claims relating to post-mortem injuries that the victim sustained to the perineum, the area between the anus and the external genitalia. At trial, the State’s theory with respect to the perineal wounds was that Johnson inflicted the perineal injuries after the victim died in order to cover his tracks because he had sex with the victim. The defense’s theory was that the injuries were caused by marine life while the body was submerged in water. In his first claim related to this issue, on which an evidentiary hearing was granted, Johnson contends that his trial counsel were deficient for failing to object to the prosecutor’s comments characterizing the victim’s perineal wounds as a “cut” or “cutting,” where the medical examiner, Dr. Diggs, testified that the injuries could have been either the result of a human cutting the body or of marine life. Johnson argues that the State’s repeated use of the terms “cut” or “cutting” during its questioning of Dr. Diggs was prejudicial because the jury was left with the inescapable impression that Dr. Diggs conclusively determined that the victim was cut and that Johnson was the one who did it. Dr. Diggs, the medical examiner, testified at trial that the victim sustained post-mortem injuries to the perineum and referred to the injuries as “laceration(s),” “cut(s),” “cutting,” and “tearing.” The State then inquired as to the cause of the injuries and asked whether two knives recovered from Johnson and Vitale’s residence, which were introduced into evidence, could have caused the injuries. - 13 - Dr. Diggs testified that the knives “could have been” used to cause the injuries, but he could not definitely attribute the injuries to a cutting action. Dr. Diggs also testified that he could not rule out damage caused by marine life while the victim’s body was submerged in water as a possible cause. After Dr. Diggs used the terms “cut” and “cutting,” the State then used those terms in some of its questioning, with many of the questions focusing on whether the injuries were the result of cutting. We conclude that trial counsel were not deficient for failing to object, or failing to renew an objection, to the State’s use of the words “cut” or “cutting” during its questioning of Dr. Diggs. The State’s use of the terms “cut” and “cutting” was consistent with Dr. Diggs’ testimony. Further, throughout the State’s questioning, Dr. Diggs repeatedly testified that he could not rule out marine life as the cause of the injuries, but that human cutting was the more likely scenario. The State was entitled to present testimony and evidence in support of its theory that the wounds to the perineal area were caused by Johnson in order to destroy any evidence linking him to the victim, just as the defense was entitled to present evidence and testimony as to its theory that the injuries were caused by marine life. Moreover, trial counsel consulted with two forensic experts, Dr. Wright and Dr. Feagle, neither of whom disagreed with Dr. Diggs’ findings. In fact, defense - 14 - counsel Garland testified at the evidentiary hearing that Dr. Wright had concluded that he could not testify that marine life caused the injuries because the injuries were too smooth to be caused by jagged jaws or teeth. Significantly, Johnson did not present any forensic evidence or testimony at the evidentiary hearing. As Garland testified at the evidentiary hearing, the issue of whether it was human cutting or marine life that caused the perineal injuries was ultimately not the biggest issue in the case, as the defense theory was that Vitale had killed the victim and that either the injuries were the result of marine life after Vitale disposed of the body in the water or were the result of Vitale cutting the victim. Thus, counsel were not deficient for failing to object, or failing to renew an objection to, the prosecutor’s comments, and we deny relief on this claim. Johnson contends in his second and third claims relating to the victim’s perineal injuries that the postconviction court erred in denying an evidentiary hearing on two summarily denied claims, which were as follows: (1) trial counsel were ineffective for failing to object to the admission of kitchen knives into evidence, where the State had failed to establish that the knives belonged to Johnson and the relevancy of the knives; and (2) trial counsel were ineffective for failing to object to Dr. Diggs’ testimony concerning the knives that were admitted into evidence and the possibility that the knives could have caused the victim’s wounds. Because we conclude that the knives were properly admitted under the - 15 - facts of this case, and because Dr. Diggs’ testimony that the perineal wounds could have been caused by the knives was proper, these arguments are without merit. Counsel cannot be deficient for failing to raise a meritless objection. Schoenwetter, 46 So. 3d at 546. Accordingly, we conclude that the postconviction court properly denied these two claims without an evidentiary hearing.