Opinion ID: 1863013
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Claim IV. Penalty-Phase Ineffective Assistance of Counsel

Text: Johnson claims he was denied effective assistance of counsel during the penalty phase of his trial because: (1) counsel failed to perform an adequate investigation in order to obtain necessary background information for mitigation; (2) counsel failed to object to the improper doubling of an aggravator; and (3) counsel failed to object to improper closing argument. In order to prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel in the penalty phase of a capital case the defendant must demonstrate that he or she would have probably received a life sentence but for counsel's errors. See Hildwin v. Dugger, 654 So.2d 107, 109 (Fla. 1995). The circuit court found with respect to the first subclaim that: Trial counsel presented competent evidence to support the only two applicable statutory mitigating circumstances, extreme mental disturbance and capacity to conform conduct impaired. Trial counsel also presented three family members to testify about the defendant's difficult childhood, his abandonment by his parents and his father's alcoholism. The defendant called several potential mitigation witnesses at the evidentiary hearing. The defendant also made the argument that trial counsel should have called these same people during the 1988 proceeding. The witnesses were Joan Soileau, the defendant's ex-girlfriend; Jane Cormier, the defendant's mother; Joyce Kihs, the defendant's aunt and sister of Jane Cormier; and Steve Johnson, the defendant's brother. The substance of the evidence presented was that the defendant was a great person while he lived in California from 1976 to 1978. He never did drugs or engaged in any violent behavior. Apparently he liked to cook and he helped his girlfriend and mother clean their respective houses. Trial counsel testified that he attempted to contact the defendant's mother. The defendant provided an address and phone number, but neither were helpful in locating her. Jane Cormier testified that she had moved several times between 1978 and 1988, but that she was available to testify. There has been no evidence presented that suggests that counsel's failure to locate Ms. Cormier constituted ineffective assistance. If one's own client cannot provide information on how to locate his own mother, counsel cannot be faulted. The other proposed witnesses also had similar tales of relocating and losing touch with the defendant once he returned to Florida in 1978. As to the proffered evidence of Ms. Cormier and the other potential mitigation witnesses, the court finds that there is no reasonable probability that the sentence would have been different even if what was presented to this court had been presented during the penalty phase of the defendant's trial. Stewart v. State, 481 So.2d 1210, 1212 (Fla.1985). Most of the witnesses' knowledge of the defendant came from seeing him for a period of two years while he was in California. What the effectiveness of such a narrow look into the defendant's character and personality would have been is questionable at best. In addition, evidence that the defendant could conform his conduct and refrain from drug use during the California years could have been harmful to some aspects of the case. Having decided that the proposed mitigation evidence would not have made any difference on the outcome of the trial and sentence, counsel cannot be ineffective for failing to present such evidence. State v. Johnson order at 12-13. We agree with the circuit court that Johnson has not shown any deficiency on the part of counsel for failing to pursue additional testimony from Johnson's family members. At the evidentiary hearing, attorney Shearer admitted that he attempted to locate all of the people Johnson gave him information about. In addition, several of the potential witnesses testified that they had moved frequently since their last contact with Johnson. This is not a case in which counsel neglected to make any attempts to locate mitigation witnesses, and counsel's actions were not outside the broad range of reasonably competent performance of counsel. See Ferguson v. State, 593 So.2d 508 (Fla.1992). Even if Johnson had made a showing that counsel's actions in not presenting the testimony of additional witnesses was deficient, Johnson did not demonstrate that but for the lack of this testimony he would have received a life sentence. The trial judge found no mitigation and found aggravation for each of the murders as follows: Evans: 1) previous conviction of violent felony; 2)committed while engaged in robbery, kidnapping, and arson; 3) committed for financial gain; and 4) committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner; Beasley: 1) previous conviction of violent felony; 2) committed during a robbery; 3) committed for [pecuniary] gain; and 4) committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner; and Burnham: 1) previous conviction of a violent felony; 2) committed while fleeing after committing a robbery; 3) committed to avoid or prevent a lawful arrest; and 4) committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner. Johnson v. State, 608 So.2d 4, 11 (Fla. 1992). On direct appeal, this Court struck the committed for pecuniary gain aggravator in the Beasley murder, but otherwise affirmed Johnson's convictions and sentences. Id. Testimony from Johnson's mother and ex-girlfriend that Johnson was a good person, considered together with the aggravating circumstances surrounding these three murders, would not have changed the result. Regarding the second subclaim that counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the jury instruction regarding the improper doubling of an aggravator, the circuit court correctly found that counsel objected to the improper instruction and ensured that the court read the proper instruction. As to the third subclaim, the circuit court correctly found, after reviewing the closing argument, that while there were several objectionable comments during closing arguments, the argument as a whole was proper. Our review of the record demonstrates that Johnson has failed to demonstrate that counsel was ineffective at the penalty phase of Johnson's trial.