Opinion ID: 2519733
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: What investigative steps, if any, did trial counsel take in an effort to gather mitigating evidence to be presented at the penalty phase?

Text: Trial counsel took two trips to Mobile, searching the court records for petitioner's priors, and documents relating to his background. On one such trip, they drove around petitioner's neighborhood searching for relatives or witnesses. They also contacted petitioner's mother and spent some time interviewing her about petitioner as well as her own history. In her factual findings, the referee explained that petitioner's trial attorneys made only limited efforts to gather penalty phase evidence on petitioner's behalf. The two defense investigators worked solely on the guilt phase; the attorneys themselves did the investigative work on the penalty phase. Counsel did not have petitioner examined by a psychologist, psychiatrist, or any other mental health expert. Both attorneys traveled to Mobile on February 4, 1983, for one day. There, they spent time searching for records relating to petitioner at the Mobile County courthouse and driving around Mobile in taxis unsuccessfully looking for relatives and making inquiries. Miller testified that they were seeking evidence of good character and good deeds, but he could not remember precisely whom or what he and Lenoir were trying to find. [7] On counsel's second trip to Mobile, after petitioner's first trial resulted in a hung jury, they again visited the county courthouse, where they obtained the information about petitioner's prior murder conviction. Later that day, they flew to Pensacola, Florida, where they spoke with petitioner's mother at the airport for an hour and a half or more. Among other matters discussed, they obtained information about the fact that petitioner had been a slow learner, that he had been raised by his grandparents, and that he started getting into trouble as a teenager.... Counsel provided her with their business cards and ... Mr. Miller specifically recalled that he told her they would contact her if they could convince petitioner to `cut us loose in the investigation' to obtain more information about other family members or any others that may have helped.