Provenzano v. Dugger

561 So. 2d 541, 1990 WL 55956
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedApril 26, 1990
Docket73981, 74101
StatusPublished
Cited by71 cases

This text of 561 So. 2d 541 (Provenzano v. Dugger) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Provenzano v. Dugger, 561 So. 2d 541, 1990 WL 55956 (Fla. 1990).

Opinion

561 So.2d 541 (1990)

Thomas H. PROVENZANO, Petitioner,
v.
Richard L. DUGGER, Etc., Respondent.
Thomas H. PROVENZANO, Appellant,
v.
State of Florida, Appellee.

Nos. 73981, 74101.

Supreme Court of Florida.

April 26, 1990.
Rehearing Denied June 26, 1990.

*543 Larry Helm Spalding, Capital Collateral Representative, Billy H. Nolas, Chief Asst. Capital Collateral Representative, Julie D. Naylor, Asst. Capital Collateral Representative, Bret B. Stand and K. Leslie Delk, Staff Attys., Office of the Capital Collateral Representative, Tallahassee, for petitioner/appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen., and Richard B. Martell and Margene A. Roper, Asst. Attys. Gen., Daytona Beach, for respondent/appellee.

PER CURIAM.

Thomas Harrison Provenzano, a state prisoner under sentence and warrant of death, files an appeal from the denial of his motion for postconviction relief, a petition for habeas corpus, and a request for stay of execution. We have jurisdiction. Art. V, § 3(b)(1) & (9), Fla. Const.

Aggrieved by his arrest for disorderly conduct, Provenzano threatened to kill the arresting officer. When his case was scheduled for trial, he smuggled some guns into the Orange County Courthouse. A bailiff approached him for the purpose of searching him, and Provenzano began shooting. Before he could be subdued, Provenzano killed one person and shot and injured two others. He was convicted of one count of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted first-degree murder. The trial court followed the jury's recommendation and imposed the death sentence for the first-degree murder. The conviction and sentence of death were affirmed by this Court in Provenzano v. State, 497 So.2d 1177 (Fla. 1986), cert. denied, 481 U.S. 1024, 107 S.Ct. 1912, 95 L.Ed.2d 518 (1987).

After the governor signed a death warrant, Provenzano filed a petition for post-conviction relief under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850. The trial court denied the motion without holding an evidentiary hearing. Provenzano appealed the order of denial to this Court and also filed with us a petition for habeas corpus. In order to give these matters full consideration, we entered an order staying Provenzano's execution.

Motion for Postconviction Relief

I. Whether the summary order of denial was erroneous as a matter of law and fact.

Provenzano argues that the court should have held an evidentiary hearing on his motion. His premise is correct unless the motion and the files and records in the case conclusively show that he is entitled to no relief. Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.850. Therefore, it is necessary to determine whether any of *544 his several claims is legally sufficient to require an evidentiary hearing.

II. Whether Provenzano was competent to stand trial.

Relying upon a recent examination by Dr. Fleming, Provenzano claims that he was not competent to stand trial. The record reflects, however, that this issue was thoroughly explored before the trial commenced. Several doctors were appointed to examine Provenzano, and each of them concluded that he was competent to stand trial. Three psychiatrists testified to this effect at the competency hearing. The trial judge conducted a proper hearing and ruled Provenzano to be competent. Provenzano's assertion that his counsel should have called Dr. Pollack to testify at the competency hearing is without merit. Like the other doctors, Dr. Pollack believed Provenzano to be competent and simply cautioned that he was a violent individual who could become disruptive in court.

III. Trial counsel was ineffective during the guilt phase.

Provenzano asserts that his counsel was ineffective in numerous particulars during the guilt phase of the trial.

A. Provenzano says that his lawyer should have moved for a change of venue. The venue issue came up early in the case when trial counsel stated on the record that he had been advised that any change of venue would involve a trial in St. Augustine and that he preferred the trial to be held in Orlando. He felt that a juror's knowledge of the case would not necessarily be an impediment, since an insanity defense would be presented and he believed an Orlando jury would be more receptive to such a defense than a more conservative one in St. Augustine. Trial counsel stated that this had been explained in detail to Provenzano and that the latter understood that the defense would not be seeking a change of venue. However, when Provenzano later said that he did not think he would be tried by Orange County jurors, even though the trial were held in Orlando, defense counsel made an oral motion for change of venue, subject to the court's determination of whether or not a fair and impartial jury could be selected. Thereafter, a jury was selected and the motion was not formally renewed. In his original appeal, Provenzano contended that venue should have been changed because of the extensive pretrial publicity surrounding the case. In rejecting the claim, this Court observed:

The trial court did not have great difficulty in impaneling a fair and impartial jury. When Provenzano first made his oral motion for change of venue, defense counsel, the prosecutor and the trial judge all agreed that it would be best to attempt to impanel an impartial jury before ruling on the motion. We approved the procedure in Manning v. State, 378 So.2d 274 (Fla. 1979). The fact that defense counsel never renewed his motion for change of venue and the judge never ruled on the motion creates a strong presumption that a fair and impartial jury was ultimately impaneled.
Of the eighty-seven veniremen called, twenty-seven potential jurors expressed fixed opinions as to Provenzano's guilt due to information received pretrial. This is a far cry from Irvin v. Dowd, 366 U.S. 717, 81 S.Ct. 1639, 6 L.Ed.2d 751 (1961), in which the United States Supreme Court noted that the trial court had great difficulty in selecting a jury where 268 of 430 veniremen were excused because they were inclined to believe the accused guilty. Rather, this case is more analogous to Murphy v. Florida, 421 U.S. 794, 95 S.Ct. 2031, 44 L.Ed.2d 589 (1975), in which the United States Supreme Court failed to find that the trial court had great difficulty in selecting a jury where only twenty of the seventy-eight persons questioned were excused because they indicated an opinion as to the petitioner's guilt. Further, the trial court did everything within its power to ensure that Provenzano received a fair trial. Any potential juror with even a hint of prejudice was immediately removed for cause, and a comprehensive gag order covered even peripheral participants.

*545 Provenzano, 497 So.2d at 1182-83. It is evident that counsel's decision not to renew the motion for change of venue was a tactical decision. Moreover, it is most unlikely that a change of venue would have been granted because there were no undue difficulties in selecting an impartial jury. Also, as noted in our prior opinion, Provenzano personally acquiesced to the selection of the jury panel after consulting with his attorney, and the defense did not use all of its peremptory challenges. Counsel was not ineffective for not renewing the motion for change of venue, and Provenzano was not prejudiced as a result.

B.

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Bluebook (online)
561 So. 2d 541, 1990 WL 55956, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/provenzano-v-dugger-fla-1990.