Opinion ID: 1782423
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Evidence of mitigation.

Text: ¶ 35. Turner claims that his attorneys failed to present an adequate case in the mitigation phase of his trial. The defense called four witnesses. The petitioner claims that several more witnesses should have been called; and that the witnesses who did testify should have been better prepared. ¶ 36. Generally, an attorney's decision to call certain witnesses and ask certain questions falls within the ambit of trial strategy and cannot give rise to an ineffective assistance of counsel claim. Bell v. State, 879 So.2d 423, 434 (Miss. 2004) (quoting Jackson v. State, 815 So.2d 1196, 1200 (Miss.2002)). There is no absolute requirement to put on mitigation witnesses, and the failure to present a case in mitigation during the sentencing phase of a capital trial is not, per se, ineffective assistance of counsel. Williams v. State, 722 So.2d 447, 450 (Miss.1998), citing Williams v. Cain, 125 F.3d 269, 277 (5th Cir.1997). The fact that an attorney's strategic choices did not result in a good outcome is not in and of itself definitive evidence of ineffective assistance of counsel. The Sixth Amendment guarantees reasonable competence, not perfect advocacy judged with the benefit of hindsight. Yarborough v. Gentry, 540 U.S. 1, 124 S.Ct. 1, 4, 157 L.Ed.2d 1 (2003) (collecting cases). ¶ 37. Further, this Court has held that: Strickland does not require counsel to investigate every conceivable line of mitigating evidence no matter how unlikely the effort would be to assist the defendant at sentencing. Nor does Strickland require defense counsel to present mitigating evidence at sentencing in every case. Both conclusions would interfere with the constitutionally protected independence of counsel at the heart of Strickland, 466 U.S. at 689, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674. We base our conclusion on the much more limited principle that strategic choices made after less than complete investigation are reasonable only to the extent that reasonable professional judgments support the limitations on investigation. Id., at 690-691, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674. A decision not to investigate thus must be directly assessed for reasonableness in all the circumstances. Id. at 691, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674. Wiggins, 539 U.S. at 533, 123 S.Ct. 2527, 156 L.Ed.2d 471. Under Wiggins, counsel may make strategic decisions to introduce, pursue or ignore certain evidence, but these decisions may amount to ineffective assistance if made based on an inadequate or unreasonable investigation. Byrom v. State, 927 So.2d 709, 716-17 (Miss.2006). ¶ 38. Of the witnesses the defense called in the penalty phase, three were family members who testified about the difficult childhood Turner had experienced. Their testimony included the following: (1) Turner's father was killed in an accident when Turner was twelve years old; (2) Turner's mother drank excessively; (3) and (4) she and her second husband physically and verbally mistreated Turner and his brother, and neglected them badly; (5) Turner's suicide attempts; (6) his disfigurement caused by shooting himself in the jaw; (7) Turner had been institutionalized for psychiatric problems on several occasions without benefit; (8) Turner had been a loving child; (9) he had made good grades; and (10) he had always been kind and respectful to family members. ¶ 39. Finally, the defense called Dr. Rodrigo Galvez, a psychiatrist. Dr. Galvez testified that he had reviewed Turner's voluminous psychiatric records and concluded that Turner had been involuntarily committed to psychiatric hospitals on three occasions. He was diagnosed as suffering from major depression, borderline personality disorder and substance abuse problems. Prozac was prescribed for the depression, but Dr. Galvez testified that the personality disorder had never been treated. Dr. Galvez attributed Turner's problems to Turner's parents and to society in general. Dr. Galvez opined that as a result of Turner's raising and his psychiatric problems, Turner was left with inadequate moral brakes to control his behavior. Coupled with alcohol and drug use, the lack of brakes led Turner into serious crimes. Dr. Galvez testified that, in his opinion, Turner never got the psychiatric care that he really needed. ¶ 40. Turner asserts that defense counsel failed to perform more than a cursory investigation of Turner's background prior to presenting the mitigation case. However, the record reveals that the defense interviewed numerous witnesses and reviewed Turner's extensive medical and psychiatric files. We find no evidence that defense counsel's pre-trial investigation was insufficient. ¶ 41. Turner has submitted affidavits from numerous family members who did not testify at trial. Much of the proposed testimony in those affidavits is repetitive of what was presented to the jury. The jury received testimony about Turner's mother's alcohol problems and the abuse suffered by Turner as a child. Further testimony about Turner's difficult childhood, his suicide attempts, his disfigurement, or the death of his father would only have been cumulative. We find that the lawyers were well within their discretion not to call these additional witnesses. ¶ 42. After a review of the remaining non-cumulative testimony, we find that Turner has failed to show any deficiency in his attorneys' performance. Claims that additional witnesses should have been called are disfavored. See Leatherwood v. State, 473 So.2d 964, 970 (Miss.1985). The record reveals that the attorneys interviewed many family members in addition to those called at trial. Those who were deemed to be the most effective witnesses by counsel were called and testified for Turner. The decision not to call the remaining witnesses falls within the range of trial strategy, and we find that the attorneys were not ineffective in making that choice. ¶ 43. Under the totality of the circumstances here, the Court finds that Turner has not shown that the attorneys were ineffective.