Opinion ID: 1572323
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Failure to Object to Inflammatory and Irrelevant Evidence

Text: Lowe next alleges ineffectiveness based on counsel's failure to object to four pieces of evidence that he claims were irrelevant and inflammatory: (1) the presentence investigation report (PSI) [4] ; (2) sunglasses; (3) unredacted portions of Lowe's statement to police officers; and (4) the videotaped police re-enactment of the crime. [5] With regard to the sunglasses, Lowe contends that the State offered the sunglasses to suggest to the jury that these sunglasses were the glasses worn by the person Leudtke saw leaving the store after the robbery and shooting. Lowe asserts that because of counsel's ineffectiveness, the jury never learned that the glasses worn by that person were not sunglasses. This claim lacks merit because defense counsel did argue that the glasses as described by Leudtke and the sunglasses introduced into evidence were different. At trial, Leudtke never testified to the type of glasses the person leaving the store was wearing. He simply testified that he saw the man wearing glasses. Although defense counsel did not question Leudtke's description of the glasses during cross-examination, during closing arguments, defense counsel emphasized that Leudtke testified that the glasses he noticed were wire-rim glasses, and the investigators went to Lowe's house looking for wire rim glasses. However, when the investigators could not find these glasses, they threw in a substitute that were not wire-rim glasses. Counsel pointed out this difference to the jury, indicating that the sunglasses that were introduced into evidence as belonging to Lowe were not the same glasses that were seen on the man leaving the store after the shooting. Counsel cannot be deemed deficient when he did point out the difference in the glasses to the jury. Lowe also fails to show prejudice because this Court found on direct appeal that the introduction of the sunglasses was relevant, and in the alternative, the introduction of the contents of the box, which included the sunglasses, was harmless. Lowe also argues that counsel was ineffective for failing to object to numerous prejudicial statements contained in Lowe's statement to the police. The trial court denied relief and concluded that the claim was procedurally barred. We agree. Every portion of this claim was raised on direct appeal, and this Court did not find merit to any of the arguments. Lowe, 650 So.2d at 972-74. Counsel cannot be deemed ineffective when Lowe's claim that his confession should have been suppressed and certain portions should not have been admitted into evidence was found to lack merit on direct appeal. See Moore v. State, 820 So.2d 199 (Fla.2002) (holding that because defendant's claim of prosecutorial misconduct was raised on direct appeal and was found to have no merit, the claim under the guise of ineffective assistance of counsel was procedurally barred); see also Hardwick v. Dugger, 648 So.2d 100 (Fla.1994) (issues that were raised on direct appeal are procedurally barred and cannot be raised in a postconviction motion). On direct appeal, this Court found that any error in admitting the unredacted portions of the tape was not fundamental error. Lowe, 650 So.2d at 974. Because the Court found no fundamental error, Lowe fails to demonstrate that counsel's failure to object to the comments resulted in prejudice sufficient to undermine the outcome of the trial under Strickland. See Chandler v. State, 848 So.2d 1031, 1046 (Fla.2003) (Because Chandler could not show the comments were fundamental error on direct appeal, he likewise cannot show that trial counsel's failure to object to the comments resulted in prejudice sufficient to undermine the outcome of the case under the prejudice prong of the Strickland standard.). Because Lowe fails to demonstrate deficiency or prejudice under Strickland for any of these claims, postconviction relief is not warranted on this claim.