Opinion ID: 75487
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Ineffective Assistance at Sentencing Phase

Text: 135 Grayson next contends that trial counsel was ineffective at the sentencing phase due to counsel's failure to gather and present the evidence developed during Grayson's state habeas proceedings regarding: (1) Grayson's impoverished and dysfunctional family background; (2) Grayson's history of alcoholism; (3) Grayson's intoxication at the time of the offense; (4) Grayson's domination by his co-defendant; (5) Grayson's remorse over Mrs. Orr's death; and (6) Grayson's family's desire that his life be spared. 136 The purpose of a sentencing hearing is to provide the jury with the information necessary for it to render an 'individualized sentencing determination . . . [based upon] the character and record of the individualized offender and the circumstances of the particular offense. Dobbs v. Turpin, 142 F.3d 1383, 1386-87 (11th Cir. 1998) (quoting Penry v. Lynaugh, 492 U.S. 302, 316 (1989) (citations omitted)). A sentencing jury should 'not be precluded from considering as a mitigating factor, any aspect of a defendant's character or record and any of the circumstances of the offense that the defendant proffers as a basis for a sentence less than death.' Id. at 1387 (quoting Lockett v. Ohio, 438 U.S. 586, 604 (1978) (emphasis in original)). 137 Although no absolute duty exists to investigate particular facts or a certain line of defense, this Circuit has held that, in preparing for a death penalty case, [a]n attorney has a duty to conduct a reasonable investigation, including an investigation of the defendant's background, for possible mitigating evidence. Porter v. Singletary, 14 F.3d 554, 557 (11th Cir. 1994) (citations omitted). A failure to investigate can be deficient performance in a capital case when counsel totally fails to inquire into the defendant's past or present behavior or life history. Housel v. Head, 238 F.3d 1289, 1294 (11th Cir. 2001). However, counsel is not required to investigate and present all mitigating evidence in order to be reasonable. See Tarver v. Hopper, 169 F.3d 710, 715 (11th Cir. 1999). For that reason, even when trial counsel's investigation and presentation is less complete than collateral counsel's, trial counsel has not performed deficiently when a reasonable lawyer could have decided, under the circumstances, not to investigate or present particular evidence. See Housel, 238 F.3d at 1294. 138 In this case, we need not decide whether counsel's performance was in fact deficient because Grayson so clearly fails to satisfy the prejudice prong of the Sixth Amendment analysis. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 697 (If it is easier to dispose of an ineffectiveness claim on the ground of lack of sufficient prejudice, which we expect will often be so, that course should be followed.). Under the prejudice prong of Strickland, [i]t is not enough for the defendant to show that the errors had some conceivable effect on the outcome of the proceeding. Id. at 693. Instead, the question is whether there is a reasonable probability that, absent the errors, the sentencer . . . would have concluded that the balance of aggravating and mitigating circumstances did not warrant death. Id. at 695; see also Tompkins v. Moore, 193 F.3d 1327 (11th Cir. 1999); Dobbs v. Turpin, 142 F.3d 1383, 1390 (11th Cir. 1998) (Our analysis of the prejudice prong, however, must also take into account the aggravating circumstances associated with Dobbs's case, to determine whether 'without the errors, there is a reasonable probability that the balance of aggravating and mitigating circumstances would have been different.') (quoting Bolender, 16 F.3d at 1556-57); see also Chandler v. United States, 218 F.3d 1305, 1328 (11th Cir. 2000) (The ultimate question is whether Chandler has shown that any deficient performance prejudiced him such that, without the errors, there is a reasonable probability that the balance of aggravating and mitigating circumstances would have been different.) (Cox, J., specially concurring). 139 Even assuming arguendo ineffective assistance in the mitigating case at sentencing, there is no reasonable probability that the balance of aggravating and mitigating circumstances that led to the imposition of the death penalty in this case would have been different had counsel introduced the evidence compiled and presented in Grayson's state habeas proceedings. Two aggravating circumstances were found during the sentencing phase: (1) that the murder was committed during the commission of a rape, robbery, and burglary and (2) that the murder was especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel, especially when compared to other capital felonies. Several mitigating circumstances were also found: (1) Grayson had no long history of prior criminal involvement; (2) Grayson was nineteen years old at the time of the offense; and (3) Grayson was relatively poor and unemployed, had abandoned his education in the tenth grade, although he did receive training at a technical school, had been raised without a father, and had given his mother little trouble in growing up, at the time of the capital felony. 140 The sentencing judge specifically rejected several other possible mitigating circumstances. The court found that [t]here was no evidence that the Defendant was under the influence of extreme mental or emotional disturbance while committing the capital felony. Further, the court found that [w]hile the Defendant was an accomplice in the capital felony, he did in fact commit the capital felony and certainly his participation was not relatively minor. With respect to Grayson's domination by his co-defendant, the sentencing judge found that there was no compelling evidence that Grayson acted under extreme duress or the substantial domination of any other person. Finally, the court found that there was no compelling evidence that the Defendant lacked the capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law. He clearly knew what he was going to do, what he was doing, and what he did, was wrong and illegal. 141 Based upon these factual findings, the sentencing judge found that the actions of the Defendant were completely barbaric, showing a complete and utter disregard for not only human life, but human dignity. The Court cannot think of a case it has seen, heard, or even read, that would equal the cruelty shown in this case by the Defendant to Mrs. Orr. Indeed, the Court has some difficulty i[n] imagining what more the Defendants could have done to make this crime any more heinous, atrocious, or cruel. 16 142 In light of the brutal nature of this crime against an elderly victim and the specific findings made by the court that sentenced Grayson to death, we find no reasonable probability that the mitigating circumstances gathered and presented in connection with Grayson's state habeas proceedings would have altered the balance of aggravating and mitigating factors in this case. First, none of the evidence developed in connection with the state habeas proceedings served to alter in any way the aggravating circumstance of a heinous and atrocious crime that supported the imposition of the death penalty in this case. The medical evidence presented at the state habeas proceeding, like the evidence at trial, showed that Mrs. Orr lived through a substantial portion of her ordeal, fighting her attackers and attempting to defend against repeated rapes, before finally dying. (Testimony of Dr. Joseph Burton, (opining that Mrs. Orr's bruises show that she was not unconscious during the attack, but awake and struggling). Grayson offered nothing at the state habeas hearing to alter his statements or his trial testimony that he repeatedly raped Mrs. Orr and that he taped the pillow case that killed her over her head. Nothing presented at the state habeas hearing undermined Grayson's trial testimony that he could have worked for the money he wanted, but that he had terrorized Mrs. Orr for it instead. Nor did the evidence presented at the state habeas hearing change Grayson's statements that he raped and terrorized Mrs. Orr to the point that he thought she might have a heart attack even though she had always been nice to him. Thus, the mitigating evidence not heard by the judge and the jury would not have served to alter the extreme aggravating circumstances present in this case. 143 Second, some of the information developed at the state habeas hearings may have been harmful to Grayson's request for a life sentence. The jury would have heard that Dr. Zimmerman's MMPI analysis of Grayson stated that Grayson was not a candidate for rehabilitation. (The long-range prognosis for this individual is not good as this type does not learn from experience, including psychotherapy and incarceration.). The jury also would have heard Dr. McClaren's testimony that Grayson received a verbal IQ score of 88, a performance IQ of 80, and a full scale IQ of 83, which suggests average intellectual functioning. The jury also would have heard McClaren's opinion that Grayson was able to appreciate the consequences of his actions on the night of the murder despite his intoxication. Furthermore, we note that emphasizing Grayson's alcoholic youth and intoxication may also have been damaging to Grayson in the eyes of the jury. See Tompkins v. Moore, 193 F.3d 1327, 1338 (11th Cir. 1999) ([A] showing of alcohol and drug abuse is a two-edged sword which can harm a capital defendant as easily as it can help him at sentencing.) (citing Waldrop v. Jones, 77 F.3d 1308, 1313 (11th Cir. 1996)); Clisby v. Alabama, 26 F.3d 1054, 1056 (11th Cir. 1994) (Precedents show that many lawyers justifiably fear introducing evidence of alcohol and drug use.); Rogers v. Zant, 13 F.3d 384, 388 (11th Cir. 1994) (noting reasonableness of lawyer's fear that defendant's voluntary drug and alcohol use could be perceived by the jury as aggravating instead of mitigating) (emphasis in original). Despite presenting evidence regarding Grayson's horrific childhood, Grayson presented no evidence that any of his eleven siblings had ever been convicted of any violent crime. 17 The fact that Grayson was the only child to commit such a heinous crime also may have undermined defense efforts to use his childhood in mitigation. Thus, some of the mitigation evidence presented at the state habeas hearing actually may have been damaging to Grayson in the eyes of the judge and jury that sentenced him to death. 144 Third, some of these mitigating factors were known to the jury and the sentencing judge. They heard testimony that Grayson was intoxicated, that he was bad with alcohol, and that he would not have committed the crime if he had been sober. The jury was specifically instructed that voluntary intoxication could negate a defendant's intent. Nonetheless, the jury recommended a sentence of death and the trial judge imposed a sentence consistent with that recommendation. The sentencing judge made a factual finding that Grayson had been drinking wine on that night. 145 Although the expert testimony presented at Grayson's state habeas proceedings offered a more complete picture of the possible role of alcohol in Grayson's history and in Mrs. Orr's death, we cannot find a reasonable probability that it would have changed the outcome for Grayson's sentencing judge or the members of the jury, all of whom heard testimony that Grayson was heavily intoxicated and that he would not have committed the crime but for alcohol. 146 The sentencing judge also acknowledged Grayson's family and cultural background as a mitigating circumstance in this case. He noted Grayson's impoverished background, his lack of education, and the absence of a father figure in his life. Although the graphic picture of Grayson's home life painted at the state habeas proceedings was not presented at trial, the judge did not wholly disregard Grayson's unfortunate background in sentencing him to death. In light of the horrendous nature of this crime, we find no reasonable probability that the sentence would have been different if the judge and jury had possessed detailed information regarding Grayson's history. 18 147 In sum, we find no reasonable probability that the balance of aggravating and mitigating circumstances underlying Grayson's death sentence would have been different if the judge and jury had heard the state habeas evidence. We note that '[m]any death penalty cases involve murders that are carefully planned, or accompanied by torture, rape or kidnapping.' Dobbs v. Turpin, 142 F.3d 1383, 1390 (11th Cir. 1998) (emphasis added) (quoting Jackson v. Herring, 42 F.3d 1350, 1369 (11th Cir. 1995)). In these types of cases, this court has found that the aggravating circumstances of the crime outweigh any prejudice caused when a lawyer fails to present mitigating evidence. Id. (citing Francis v. Dugger, 908 F.2d 696, 703-04 (11th Cir. 1990) (finding that the failure to present mitigating evidence of a deprived and abusive childhood did not prejudice capital defendant at trial for torture-murder of government informant) and Thompson v. Wainwright, 787 F.2d 1447, 1453 (11th Cir. 1986)). 148 In Thompson v. Wainwright, 787 F.2d 1447 (11th Cir. 1986), this court found that Thompson's trial counsel was ineffective in connection with the capital sentencing phase of his murder trial. In that case, Thompson and a co-defendant pled guilty to the brutal torture-murder of a woman at a motel after she failed to supply them with sufficient money. Id. at 1448. This court found that Thompson's counsel was ineffective in handling the capital sentencing trial that followed the guilty plea where counsel: (1) failed to investigate the background of the co-defendant; (2) failed to consider offering psychiatric reports despite counsel's belief that the defendant was retarded; and (3) failed to investigate the defendant's background, including early family life, school records, and service records. Id. at 1451-52. 149 Thompson's school records, ignored by his trial counsel, indicated that Thompson was mildly retarded, that he had poor motor skills, was hyperactive and difficult. Id. at 1453. Four psychiatric reports prepared in advance of trial and ignored by Thompson's counsel revealed Thompson's troubled childhood and other potentially mitigating evidence: [t]hree of the psychiatrists diagnosed Thompson as having a personality disorder; the fourth questioned the extent of Thompson's participation in the crime due to possible intoxication and drug use. Id. at 1453. Further, investigation regarding Thompson's co-defendant revealed that the co-defendant was involved with violent motorcycle gangs, had been convicted of intimidating a government witness, and at age fourteen had killed a playmate. Id. 150 Despite the existence of this mitigating evidence that was unreasonably ignored and omitted by Thompson's counsel during Thompson's sentencing trial, this court found no prejudice: 151 Even had the jury heard this evidence, however, we are confident that Thompson's sentence would have been the same. The jury's determination was strongly supported by the aggravating circumstances introduced in the record. Nothing [counsel] could have presented would have rebutted the testimony concerning Thompson's participation in the brutal torture murder. The testimony indicated that although Surace initiated the beatings, Thompson took over, beating the victim with a chain, his fist, a chair leg, and a billy club. The testimony also indicated that it was Thompson who actually raped the victim with the chair leg and billy club. After hearing testimony that Thompson committed these atrocities, the jury heard nothing from Thompson himself in reply. . . . We do not believe that there is a reasonable probability that evidence of a difficult youth, an unsavory co-defendant, and limited mental capacity would have altered this jury's decision. 152 Id. at 1453. Thus, in light of the horrific nature of the killing, the court did not find a Sixth Amendment violation despite counsel's unreasonable handling of the sentencing phase of Thompson's case. See also Thompson v. Haley, No. 00-15572 (11th Cir. July 3, 2001); Gilreath v. Head, 234 F.3d 547, 552 (11th Cir. 2000) (finding no reasonable probability that relatively weak mitigation evidence would have changed outcome of capital sentencing); Tompkins v. Moore, 193 F.3d 1327, 1339 (11th Cir. 1999) (finding no prejudice to support claim of ineffective assistance of counsel in capital case because aggravating circumstances surrounding strangulation of fifteen year old girl in the course of a sexual assault outweighed additional mitigating circumstances that could have been presented at sentencing of defendant's physical abuse as a child, substance abuse problems, and mental deficiencies); Clisby v. Alabama, 26 F.3d 1054, 1057 (11th Cir. 1994) (finding no prejudice from failure to present additional mitigating evidence at capital sentencing and stating: [W]e are aware that, in reality, some cases almost certainly cannot be won by defendants. Strickland and several of our cases reflect the reality of death penalty litigation: sometimes the best lawyering, not just reasonable lawyering, cannot convince the sentencer to overlook the facts of a brutal murder - or, even a less brutal murder for which there is strong evidence of guilt in fact.) (emphasis in original); Daugherty v. Dugger, 839 F.2d 1426, 1432 (11th Cir. 1988) (given the severity of the aggravating circumstances, failure to present psychiatric testimony was not prejudicial); Tafero v. Wainwright, 796 F.2d 1314, 1320 (11th Cir. 1986) (rejecting claim of ineffective assistance of counsel in sentencing phase under prejudice prong where aggravating circumstances of murders and direct evidence of guilt outweighed the relatively weak mitigating evidence available). 19 153 As in Thompson, the murder in this case involved torture for money: Grayson and Kennedy repeatedly and brutally raped an 86 year-old woman when they could not find sufficient money to satisfy their greed. Despite Mrs. Orr's pleas that they take anything they want and leave her unharmed, Grayson and his co-defendant continued to beat and sexually assault her. As in Thompson, the victim survived this brutal ordeal, dying only after Grayson and Kennedy were through with her. Although the jury did hear from Grayson in this case, Grayson did not deny any of these extreme aggravating factors. As in Thompson, nothing contained in the mitigating evidence undermined Grayson's active participation in this heinous crime. Therefore, we are confident that Grayson's sentence would have been the same despite the presentation of mitigating circumstances in light of the brutality of the crime against an elderly widow who had been nothing but nice to him. 20 Thus, Grayson has failed to meet his burden of demonstrating that he was prejudiced by the absence of additional mitigating evidence at sentencing and his Sixth Amendment claim fails. 154