Opinion ID: 1709393
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Decisions Involving Witness Stone

Text: Gore argues that counsel was ineffective in deciding to call witness Stone during resentencing. This claim fails on the merits. Gore never produced lead counsel Nickerson at the evidentiary hearing, which would have provided insight into his decisions with regard to witness Stone, so the available testimony is relegated to that of co-counsel Udell. Despite Udell's description of Nickerson's decision to call Stone as surprising, we conclude that the decision could have been considered sound trial strategy from the perspective of Nickerson at the time. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690, 104 S.Ct. 2052. The decision to call Stone was made solely by Nickerson. At the evidentiary hearing, Udell testified, I think it's quite clear that we all kn[e]w that Mr. Stone was not going to be friendly to David Alan Gore in his testimony. . . . Despite this predicted unfriendliness, Stone was seemingly called for a strategic reason that both Udell and this Court recognized on direct appeal: to elicit testimony that Waterfield was not sentenced to death and, because the State had argued that both Gore and Waterfield were equally culpable, proportionality necessitated that Gore also not receive the death penalty. See Gore, 706 So.2d at 1335. Other possible strategic reasons for calling Stone include the presentation of testimony that Gore had received life sentences for the kidnapping and sexual battery crimes perpetrated on Elliot and Martin (illustrating that Gore would likely never be released from prison), and to elicit testimony demonstrating the inconsistent statements that the State made with regard to the culpability of Gore and Waterfield. With three viable strategies, Nickerson's decision to call Stone does not qualify as deficient performance. Gore has not met his burden in overcoming the presumption of sound trial strategy. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690, 104 S.Ct. 2052. Indeed, it appears that Gore's counsel should have located and presented evidence from Nickerson, as his testimony would have directly revealed his strategies in calling Stone. [16] Gore also argues that counsel was ineffective for the failure to interview or depose Stone between the time he was subpoenaed and the time he testified. At the evidentiary hearing, Stone testified that after he was subpoenaed by Gore's counsel, he had no contact with either Nickerson or Udell, but he did discuss what his testimony on cross-examination might be as to parole possibilities with the State. Udell speculated that Nickerson's reason for not speaking with or deposing Stone was that perhaps Nickerson already knew the testimony Stone would deliver. Again, Gore's claim is hindered by Nickerson not testifying at the evidentiary hearing. Speculation by co-counsel Udell as to why Nickerson did not speak to Stone prior to the hearing is insufficient to meet Gore's weighty burden on this ineffective assistance claim. Gore presented no evidence at the hearing that this failure to contact Stone prior to the hearing fell below prevailing professional standards. Maxwell, 490 So.2d at 932. Moreover, even if Nickerson's performance was deficient, there was no prejudice. It still would have been reasonable to call Stone due to the aforementioned strategic reasons. Gore also argues that counsel was ineffective for the failure to object to Stone's testimony that Gore could receive parole at any time, which led to a waiver of this issue for direct appeal. We conclude that Gore's counsel at resentencing was not deficient for failing to object. As previously described, this questioning occurred in the narrow context of the kidnapping and sexual battery charges, rendering the any time response to be arguably technically correct. Thus, the decision to not object can be considered within sound trial strategy at the time. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 690, 104 S.Ct. 2052; see Wright v. State, 581 So.2d 882, 883 (Fla.1991) (holding that the ineffective assistance claim with regard to the failure to object had no merit, because this error was strategic in nature and this Court will not second guess trial strategy employed by trial counsel). Again, because lead counsel Nickerson did not testify at the evidentiary hearing, Gore has not met his weighty burden. To satisfy the deficient performance requirement, evidence was needed but lacking that alternative courses were not considered in deciding upon this trial strategy of not objecting to Stone's any time testimony. See Occhicone, 768 So.2d at 1048. Additionally, there was also no prejudice. As described above, if the any time testimony was error it was nothing more than harmless error due to the record and overwhelming evidence supporting the trial court's finding of the six aggravators at resentencing. Accordingly, the failure to object does not undermine our confidence in the outcome. Gore also argues that counsel was ineffective for the failure to present additional witnesses to illustrate that Gore could not receive parole for fifty years. We disagree. At the evidentiary hearing, Udell testified that he remembered testimony from Stone that Gore received life sentences for the kidnapping and sexual batteries involving Elliot and Martin, so it was unlikely that Gore would ever be released from prison. The likely combined or practical effect of Gore's various sentences was already illustrated to the jury, so Gore's counsel did not need to present another witness. See Whitfield v. State, 923 So.2d 375, 380 (Fla.2005) (holding that the failure to call certain witnesses was not ineffective assistance, because witnesses had already presented similar evidence and counsel is not required to present cumulative evidence). Additionally, the significance of the testimony that the combined or practical effect of Gore's sentences was that he would not receive parole for fifty years would have been immediately negated through damaging cross-examination that could potentially reveal that Gore could technically receive parole after twenty-five years for Elliot's murder in isolation. See Jones v. State, 928 So.2d 1178, 1185 (Fla.2006) (citing Johnson v. State, 921 So.2d 490, 501 (Fla.2005)) (Counsel cannot be deemed ineffective for failing to present evidence that would open the door to damaging cross-examination and rebuttal evidence that would counter any value that might be gained from the evidence.). Even if deficient performance was found, the prejudice requirement has not been met. On direct appeal, this Court held that the jury instruction indicating that Gore would be eligible for parole after twenty-five years was not error. See Gore, 706 So.2d at 1332. With the jury being instructed on the possibility of parole after twenty-five years, it is highly unlikely that a witness who testified that Gore, for all practical purposes, could not receive parole for fifty years would have changed the outcome at the resentencing. Additionally, the trial court at resentencing found six aggravating circumstances and no statutory mitigating circumstances. See id. at 1331-32. Accordingly, we conclude that the failure of Gore's counsel to offer a witness on this subject did not so affect[] the fairness and reliability of the proceeding that confidence in the outcome is undermined. Maxwell, 490 So.2d at 932.