Opinion ID: 1697869
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Background Investigation

Text: In his first issue on appeal, Morton alleges that the trial court erred in rejecting his claim that counsel rendered ineffective assistance in (1) failing to conduct a sufficient investigation into Morton's background; (2) failing to investigate and present evidence of neglect and abuse; (3) failing to investigate and present evidence of sexual abuse; and (4) failing to investigate and present evidence of poverty, neglect, and family dysfunction. Specifically, Morton alleges that reasonably competent counsel would have conducted further investigation after reviewing the sentencing order from the initial trial in order to counter the little weight given to the majority of Morton's mitigating factors and to improve the mitigation presentation upon resentencing. Morton contends that counsel could have discovered records that labeled Morton's father as sexually deviant, information that Morton's family had been repeatedly evicted and had filed for bankruptcy, and information that Morton did not have a close relationship with his stepfather. The trial court denied the claim, concluding that neither deficiency nor prejudice had been established. Specifically, the court stated that the jury had heard testimony about the physical abuse suffered by Morton and thus counsel's failure to present cumulative evidence regarding the abuse was not ineffective. Further, the court found that evidence of any sexual abuse was limited and unclear and therefore failure to present such an argument did not fall below the level of reasonably competent representation. Moreover, the court noted that counsel did not err in failing to present evidence of the alleged alcoholism, posttraumatic stress disorder, deafness, or the criminal offense of Morton's stepfather, Lester Stacy, which occurred years before Morton's birth, because Morton did not demonstrate that these disorders or acts adversely affected or had any relevance to his childhood home environment. Finally, the court found that counsel's failure to introduce evidence of the family's bankruptcy and to dispute the portrayal that Morton had a loving home environment after Morton's mother divorced Morton's abusive father did not establish ineffective assistance. In comparing the testimony presented at the penalty phases and evidentiary hearing, we agree with the trial court's findings and conclude that the court did not err in rejecting Morton's background investigation and mitigation claim. Our review of the facts of this case reveal that Morton has failed to establish either prong of an ineffective assistance of counsel claim under Strickland and its progeny. At the first penalty phase, counsel presented the testimony of eight witnesses, all of whom testified as to the abuse Morton suffered as a child and his family's poor background. [9] Based on this compelling testimony, the trial court found as nonstatutory mitigation Morton's family background and physical and mental abuse. Upon resentencing, except for one witness, counsel chose to present essentially the same mitigation testimony. [10] The trial court again found Morton's family upbringing and abuse as nonstatutory mitigation. At the evidentiary hearing, Gary Urso, Morton's counsel for both penalty phases, testified that he reviewed witness depositions and police reports in order to familiarize himself with the guilt phase. He also testified that the theory of the case was the unattached, unbonded child and that Morton's dysfunctional personality was a result of his family background and genetic traits. In support of this theory, Urso spoke with Morton's mother about his problems at birth and Morton's sister about their family life when they were growing up. He then retained Mimi Pisters, who also talked to Morton's mother and sister and had experience in working with unbonded, unattached children. In consideration of Morton's birth and family upbringing, Urso researched case law and read several books, specifically on the subject of the unattached, unbonded child. Further, Urso testified that he obtained Morton's school records for review and was aware of Morton's juvenile criminal record and his abusive activities with animals. In addition, Urso recalled reviewing the Department of Corrections' records on Morton's father. Finally, Urso hired a private investigator, Paul Krisanda, to investigate the allegations of sexual abuse. [11] In our analysis of whether counsel conducted a reasonable investigation, we recognize that the obligation to investigate and prepare for the penalty portion of a capital case cannot be overstated. State v. Lewis, 838 So.2d 1102, 1113 (Fla.2002). However, we conclude here that counsel's investigation into Morton's background was not deficient and accordingly deny relief as to this allegation in Morton's claim. Regarding the failure to present evidence of physical abuse, neglect, and continued contact with a sadistic father, Morton presented testimony at the evidentiary hearing from Claudia Baker, who was hired to perform a social history investigation on Morton. Although Ms. Baker reviewed a vast amount of documents and performed an extensive investigation into Morton's background, her testimony did not largely differ from the evidence presented at the penalty phases. Ms. Baker testified that Morton suffered physical abuse and that his family had a history of mental illness, alcoholism, and abuse. She further testified that Virgil Morton had a manslaughter conviction and that the Department of Corrections had labeled him sexually deviant. She also testified that Morton's stepfather [12] did not take much interest in him and that his mother did not have much interaction with him. In essence, the sum of her testimony was that Morton was abused and neglected. However, substantially similar evidence was presented at both penalty phases via the testimony of Morton's family members. Although Morton's contact with his father after the divorce was not disclosed at the trials, the evidentiary hearing testimony also did not indicate that any physical abuse occurred during these later meetings between Morton and his father. Because Baker's testimony mirrored what was presented at the penalty phase, it was merely cumulative to the evidence presented concerning the physical abuse and Morton has failed to demonstrate that counsel was deficient on this basis. [13] Morton also asserts that counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate and present evidence of sexual abuse. When asked about his failure to present evidence of sexual abuse, Urso explained that he did not think he could advance a position that he did not believe to be true and the client denied being true. Thus, the decision made was not to ignore or fail to present sexual abuse, but rather not to present evidence that was questionable at best. In further testimony, Urso stated that neither Morton's mother nor his sister could confirm that Morton had been sexually abused by the father, Virgil. [14] Likewise, guilt-phase co-counsel John Swisher stated that, although Morton denied being physically and sexually abused, Angela confirmed that Morton suffered physical abuse but again was unsure of whether Morton was sexually abused. At the evidentiary hearing, counsel also presented the testimony of Morton's aunt, Robin Johnson, who said that she observed Virgil touching Morton in an inappropriate manner; however, this testimony contradicted statements in her deposition that she had never seen Morton being sexually abused by his father. Thus, we conclude that counsel in the instant case was not deficient in failing to present evidence of this abuse, particularly when the victim of the alleged abuse denied that he was ever assaulted. [15] Additionally, Morton contends that counsel was ineffective in failing to present evidence of his poor upbringing and dysfunctional family life, even after his mother remarried. Morton emphasizes that Lester, his stepfather, did not get close to people, partly because of his record of aggravated assault with intent to kill while in the military. However, Morton does not demonstrate how this incident, which occurred years before Morton was born, affected his home life. There was no testimony presented at the evidentiary hearing that his stepfather physically abused him and Morton makes no such allegation now. In fact, the State brought out during cross-examination at the penalty phase that both Kathy Dufoe and Paula Trepp, Morton's aunts, thought Lester was a good stepfather to Morton. The strongest evidence Morton presents is that his stepfather was stand-offish and had hardly any interaction with Morton. Failure to present such weak mitigation does not render counsel ineffective. Likewise, the persuasiveness of Morton's assertion that he was raised in poverty and that the family suffered severe financial difficulties is severely weakened by testimony from his mother that he received a car, television, and video games from his mother and stepfather. Although the evidentiary hearing testimony indicates that much of what Morton received were second-hand items, it is difficult to determine that presenting evidence of the family's financial circumstances would have added to the mitigation considered by the court where evidence of these gifts was elicited on cross-examination. Although Morton's life after the age of eight was far from indulgent, it also does not qualify as the dysfunctional and poverty-stricken existence that counsel would have been deficient in failing to present in this case. Similarly, counsel's failure to present evidence that Morton's stepfather had filed for bankruptcy and that the family had moved several times would not be sufficient to establish ineffective assistance. Accordingly, we conclude that no deficiency has been established. Yet, even if Morton demonstrates that counsel was deficient, he must still show that counsel's deficiency caused prejudice to his defense. See Jones v. State, 949 So.2d 1021, 1028 (Fla.2006) ([F]or an ineffective assistance of counsel claim to be successful, the defendant must establish both deficient performance and prejudice....). We find that he has failed to do so. Evidence of the abuse and neglect, though more detailed at the evidentiary hearing, was merely cumulative to the evidence presented at the penalty phases. Further, counsel's failure to offer evidence of Morton's poor upbringing and strained relationship with his stepfather does not undermine confidence in the outcome of the resentencing because it is not more compelling than the evidence of the physical abuse Morton suffered at the hands of his biological father, which was presented at the penalty phase. Accordingly, we conclude that Morton has failed to establish prejudice under Strickland. Because Morton has failed to demonstrate either deficiency or prejudice in counsel's investigation and presentation of mitigation evidence, we find this claim meritless.