Opinion ID: 1090109
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Failure to Challenge Franqui's Confession

Text: Franqui claims that appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to challenge the circumstances of Franqui's confession on direct appeal. This issue is somewhat related to Franqui's postconviction claim challenging trial counsel's effectiveness in seeking suppression of Franqui's confession. After a lengthy hearing on Franqui's motion to suppress, the trial judge concluded that Franqui's confession was not coerced and that his waiver of rights was both free and voluntary. Importantly, Franqui has not demonstrated in his habeas petition that, in all probability, appellate counsel would have been successful in overturning the trial court's findings and rulings on direct appeal. While Franqui testified at the suppression hearing that he was coerced and that his confession was essentially beaten out of him, this testimony was not found credible by the trial judge, who instead credited the officers' testimony that Franqui voluntarily waived his rights and that he was not mistreated in any way. Although the suppression hearing revealed that Franqui was questioned over a lengthy period, the record also demonstrates that he was given refreshment, allowed to take a break to speak with his wife, was repeatedly informed of his rights on multiple occasions, and, according to the State's witnesses, appeared alert the entire time. Based on the totality of the circumstances in the instant case, and the existence of competent, substantial evidence to support the trial court's rulings, we cannot conclude that appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to challenge the denial of the motion to suppress on appeal. See Chavez v. State, 832 So.2d 730, 748-49 (Fla.2002) (finding that continual police custody of more than fifty-four hours was not dispositive of whether or not to suppress a confession since the defendant in that case was provided with frequent breaks, refreshment, and time away from the police facility, and furthermore that the defendant consistently agreed to waive his rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966)); Walker v. State, 707 So.2d 300, 310-11 (Fla.1997) (upholding voluntariness of confession where the defendant was questioned for six hours during the morning and early part of day, was provided with drinks and allowed to use the bathroom when he wished, was never threatened with capital punishment, and was never promised anything other than that the officer would inform the prosecutor that the defendant had cooperated). Further, as the State correctly notes in response to Franqui's alternative argument, Franqui did not argue during trial that his confession should have been suppressed because of the state of his mental health; accordingly, any claim based on his mental health during interrogation was not preserved for review. Perez v. State, 919 So.2d 347, 359 (Fla.2005) (holding that, for an issue to be preserved for appeal, the specific legal argument or ground to be argued on appeal must have been presented to the lower court), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 126 S.Ct. 2359, 165 L.Ed.2d 285 (2006). In turn, since the issue was not preserved, appellate counsel cannot be deemed ineffective for failing to raise it. Groover v. Singletary, 656 So.2d 424, 425 (Fla.1995).