Opinion ID: 1751020
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Suppression of the Hair Evidence

Text: McDonald's pro se postconviction motion alleged three sub-claims of ineffective assistance of counsel concerning his hair sample obtained by police and submitted to the FBI for comparison with the hair found on the sweatshirt seized from the Days Inn. First, McDonald alleged that his hair samples were illegally seized by fraud, without court order, and that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to move to suppress. Second, McDonald alleged that the testimony of Detective Celona and FBI Agent Allen was false concerning the dates of submission of McDonald's hair samples and the result of the FBI's comparison, that the State knew it was false, and that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to move to suppress. Third, McDonald alleged fundamental error and ineffective assistance for failure to require adherence to Frye. In denying postconviction relief, the circuit court ruled that counsel was not deficient for not moving to suppress McDonald's hairs, which could have been legally obtained and tested again at any time. Next, the circuit court ruled that McDonald did not show that the testimony of Detective Celona and Agent Allen was false. Finally, the circuit court concluded that no Frye hearing is required before the opinion testimony of a hair analyst can be admitted in a trial. CCRC again asserts that trial counsel was ineffective in failing to adequately challenge the testimony of FBI Agent Allen and investigate the State's hair evidence. [W]here defense counsel's failure to litigate a Fourth Amendment claim competently is the principal allegation of ineffectiveness, the defendant must also prove that his Fourth Amendment claim is meritorious. Zakrzewski v. State, 866 So.2d 688, 694 (Fla.2003) (quoting Kimmelman v. Morrison, 477 U.S. 365, 375, 106 S.Ct. 2574, 91 L.Ed.2d 305 (1986)). First, with regard to the police illegally obtaining McDonald's hair samples, the police may obtain a defendant's hair sample without a search warrant if the defendant voluntarily consents to providing the sample. See Murray v. State, 692 So.2d 157, 159-60 (Fla.1997) (allowing for the seizure of hair samples after the defendant waived his Miranda rights and consented to giving the samples). Here, the detectives testified that they asked McDonald for his hair samples to eliminate him as a suspect. [9] Further, McDonald signed Miranda waiver forms in the presence of Detectives Noodwang and Taranto on February 23 and 24, 1994, once as Rudolph Bowens and once as Meryl McDonald. Moreover, he voluntarily consented to giving the detectives samples of his hair. Based on the record, the circuit court stated that it would not have suppressed the hair evidence; therefore, trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to file a motion to suppress the hair evidence. We hold that the lower court did not err in finding that the hair samples were not illegally obtained and that trial counsel was not ineffective for not filing a motion to suppress this evidence. Next, in denying McDonald's second sub-issue, we find no error in the conclusion that there was no hair evidence that defendant's trial counsel could have moved to suppress because of the detectives' alleged false testimony. Detective Celona testified that he received defendant's hair sample from Detective Noodwang on March 1, 1994, placed it in evidence, and later sent it to the FBI on March 17, 1994, the same date that codefendant Gordon's hair samples were sent. He identified the hair samples that he had received from Detective Noodwang. On direct examination, Agent Allen identified his initials and designations on McDonald's hair samples that he found to match with trace evidence hair he collected from the sweatshirt. He explained that hair comparison is not a positive identification, as is fingerprint comparison, but did identify the hairs as included for a possible match. Agent Allen described the unusual dyed characteristics of defendant's known hair samples and those of the facial and head hairs he had found on the sweatshirt. McDonald's girlfriend, Carol Cason, testified at trial that McDonald had dyed his hair and beard but that it had gotten lighter by the time of trial. Trial counsel did not file a motion to suppress this evidence, but he did cross-examine these witnesses about the hair evidence. We find no error in the circuit court's conclusion that trial counsel was not ineffective for failing to file a motion that would not have been granted. Finally, Agent Allen conducted only a microscopic and visual comparison of the hair evidence. Visual and microscopic hair comparison is not based on new or novel scientific principles and, therefore, does not require a Frye analysis. See Jent v. State, 408 So.2d 1024, 1029 (Fla.1981). As a result, the trial court did not err in concluding that counsel was not ineffective for failing to request a Frye hearing.