Opinion ID: 1697772
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to Adequately Prepare Mental Health Expert Testimony

Text: First, Raleigh claims that defense counsel was ineffective for failing to adequately prepare the testimony of Dr. Upson at the penalty phase proceeding. In support of this argument, Raleigh points to the testimony the State elicited on cross-examination from Dr. Upson about Dr. Upson's lack of knowledge regarding the facts surrounding the crime scene and criminal episode. [15] The thrust of Raleigh's claim is that his penalty phase presentation was undermined by Dr. Upson's lack of credibility and that his sentence is, therefore, unreliable. However, even assuming a deficiency in performance, Raleigh has failed to establish prejudice. He has not established that Dr. Upson's testimony would have been more favorable or materially more credible if Dr. Upson had been provided with these facts. At the penalty phase proceeding, Dr. Upson testified that he was comfortable with his opinion and that he was not sure if additional facts would change it. [16] Moreover, Dr. Upson was not called to testify at the evidentiary hearing to establish that the additional facts would indeed have changed his opinion. Thus, based on the record, Raleigh has failed to establish prejudice, and we affirm the denial of this claim. See Ferrell, 918 So.2d at 170.