Opinion ID: 1697955
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Trotter's Prior Conviction

Text: Trotter's final argument on appeal is that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to file a timely motion to vacate a prior conviction. In September 1985, Trotter pled no contest to charges of robbery and burglary, and the court sentenced Trotter to two years of community control. Then in June 1986, Trotter committed the murder for which he now stands sentenced to death. At both penalty phases, the first in 1987 and the resentencing in 1993, the 1985 robbery conviction and sentence served as the basis for two aggravators: prior violent felony and on community control at the time of the murder. [9] In November 1992, Trotter's defense counsel filed motions to withdraw Trotter's plea in the 1985 case and to vacate that conviction, which the trial court denied. Trotter contends that the circuit court erred in denying his 3.850 motion to vacate the 1985 conviction. He also claims that defense counsel was ineffective for not filing a motion to vacate the 1985 conviction at the time of his first murder trial and sentencing. We address each claim in turn. First, on direct appeal from resentencing, Trotter argued that the trial court erred in denying his motion challenging the validity of his 1985 conviction. See Trotter, 690 So.2d at 1236 n. 8. Without discussion, we affirmed denial of the issue as meritless. Id. at 1237. Accordingly, not only could Trotter have raised a claim on direct appeal, but he did so, and is thus procedurally barred from raising any claim regarding the 1985 plea and conviction. Trotter also claims that defense counsel was ineffective for failing timely to file a motion attacking the 1985 conviction. Assuming this issue is not moot in light of our prior remand for a new penalty phase, we find the claim lacks merit. The trial court in 1992 denied the motions to withdraw the plea and to vacate the conviction as procedurally barred because they were filed beyond the two-year limit of rule 3.850. The trial court, however, also denied the motions on the merits because the evidence presented was legally insufficient. In denying this ineffective assistance claim, the postconviction court held that because the trial court previously also denied the motions on the merits, Trotter failed to establish prejudice for counsel's untimely filing of the motions. We agree that Trotter has failed to establish prejudice and affirm denial of relief on this claim.