Opinion ID: 3163630
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Postconviction Relief Proceedings

Text: -5- On February 14, 2007, Boyd filed a Motion to Vacate Judgment of Conviction and Sentences with Special Request for Leave to Amend, pursuant to Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.851. He raised the following claims: (1) denial of access to public records; (2) violation of his rights of due process and equal protection by failing to apply rule 3.851; (3) counsel was ineffective by failing to adequately conduct voir dire, challenge the admissibility of forensic evidence pursuant to Frye v. United States, 293 F. 1013 (D.C. Cir. 1923), and utilize forensic experts; (4) juror misconduct; (5) denial of adversarial testing during the sentencing phase, including counsel’s ineffectiveness for failure to move for a mistrial based on inflammatory and prejudicial comments; (6) denial of rights under Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68 (1985); (7) denial of the right to interview jurors; (8) cumulative error; and (9) the unconstitutionality of Florida’s lethal injection statute and procedure. On May 29, 2009, Boyd filed an amended motion to vacate his convictions and sentences, adding claims that newly discovered evidence undermined the reliance of the forensic evidence used to convict and sentence, and that the State committed a Brady1 violation. Boyd subsequently filed a second amended rule 3.851 motion on March 23, 2012.
-6- On June 5, 2012, the circuit court granted an evidentiary hearing on some of Boyd’s claims. On August 28 and 29, 2012, the circuit court held an evidentiary hearing on Boyd’s claims of ineffective assistance of counsel for failure to conduct adequate voir dire concerning jurors’ prior criminal histories, juror misconduct, and ineffective assistance of penalty phase counsel for failure to move for a mistrial based on inflammatory and prejudicial comments. In a sixty-two page order, dated January 2, 2013, the circuit court denied these three claims and summarily denied Boyd’s remaining claims. Boyd now appeals the lower court’s order denying postconviction relief and also petitions for a writ of habeas corpus.