Torres-Arboleda v. Dugger

636 So. 2d 1321, 1994 WL 137855
CourtSupreme Court of Florida
DecidedApril 21, 1994
Docket75751, 79246
StatusPublished
Cited by92 cases

This text of 636 So. 2d 1321 (Torres-Arboleda 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
Torres-Arboleda v. Dugger, 636 So. 2d 1321, 1994 WL 137855 (Fla. 1994).

Opinion

636 So.2d 1321 (1994)

Oscar TORRES-ARBOLEDA, Petitioner,
v.
Richard L. DUGGER, etc., Respondent.
Oscar Torres-Arboleda, Appellant,
v.
STATE of Florida, Appellee.

Nos. 75751, 79246.

Supreme Court of Florida.

April 21, 1994.
Rehearing Denied June 6, 1994.

*1322 Michael J. Minerva, Capital Collateral Representative, and Stephen M. Kissinger, Asst. Capital Collateral Representative, Office of the Capital Collateral Representative, Tallahassee, for petitioner-appellant.

Robert A. Butterworth, Atty. Gen., and Robert J. Landry, Asst. Atty. Gen., Tampa, for respondent-appellee.

*1323 PER CURIAM.

Oscar Torres-Arboleda, a prisoner under sentence of death, seeks postconviction relief. He appeals the trial court's denial of his Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850 motion for postconviction relief and petitions this Court for a writ of habeas corpus. We have jurisdiction pursuant to article V, sections 3(b)(1) and (9) of the Florida Constitution. We reverse the trial court's order denying rule 3.850 relief because we find that Torres-Arboleda was denied effective assistance of counsel during the penalty phase of his trial. However, we deny Torres-Arboleda's petition for a writ of habeas corpus.

Torres-Arboleda was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery for the 1981 homicide of Tampa resident Patricio Lorenzo. The jury recommended life imprisonment by a vote of seven to five. The trial judge overrode the jury's recommendation and imposed a death sentence, based upon his finding of two aggravating circumstances (previous felony conviction and committed while attempting to commit a robbery) and no mitigating circumstances. On direct appeal, this Court affirmed both the conviction and the sentence. Torres-Arboledo v. State, 524 So.2d 403 (Fla.), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 901, 109 S.Ct. 250, 102 L.Ed.2d 239 (1988).[1] We affirmed the jury override because the sole factors upon which the jury could have relied in making its recommendation, namely Torres-Arboleda's intelligence and potential for rehabilitation, were not of "such weight that reasonable people could conclude that they outweigh the aggravating factors proven." Id. at 413.

After the Governor issued a death warrant in 1990, Torres-Arboleda filed an "Emergency Motion to Vacate Judgment of Conviction and Sentence" raising fourteen claims. The circuit court granted a stay of execution, ordered an evidentiary hearing as to all claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, and ore tenus summarily denied all other claims. After evidentiary hearing, the circuit court denied relief as to the ineffective assistance of counsel claims as well.

Torres-Arboleda raises the following thirteen claims[2] in the appeal of the denial of his rule 3.850 motion: 1) defense counsel was ineffective at the guilt phase; 2) newly discovered evidence proves his innocence; 3) defense counsel was ineffective at the penalty phase; 4) prosecutorial comments rendered his trial unfair; 5) his absence during the charge conferences and lack of transcription of the conferences denied him due process; 6) the trial court and this Court failed to properly evaluate mitigation evidence; 7) the prosecutor improperly argued nonstatutory aggravating factors; 8) improper victim impact and victim characteristic evidence was considered; 9) felony murder constituted an automatic aggravating circumstance; 10) hearsay statements were improperly introduced during the penalty phase; 11) the trial court relied on an unconstitutional prior conviction as an aggravating circumstance; 12) the cumulative effect of procedural and substantive errors deprived him of fair trial; and 13) the application of Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.851 violated his due process rights.

The majority of these claims are either procedurally barred or without merit. Proceedings under rule 3.850 are not to be used as a second appeal; nor is it appropriate to use a different argument to relitigate the same issue. Medina v. State, 573 So.2d 293, 295 (Fla. 1990). Likewise, issues that could have been raised on direct appeal, but were not, are not cognizable through collateral attack. See Johnson v. State, 593 So.2d 206 (Fla.) cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 113 *1324 S.Ct. 119, 121 L.Ed.2d 75 (1992); Smith v. State, 445 So.2d 323 (Fla. 1983), cert. denied, 467 U.S. 1220, 104 S.Ct. 2671, 81 L.Ed.2d 375 (1984). Applying this standard to the claims raised by Torres-Arboleda, we find that issues four, five, and seven through twelve are procedurally barred because they should have been raised on direct appeal but were not. To the extent that issue four also raises a claim that the State made an improper "Golden Rule" argument during the guilt phase closing arguments, that claim was previously raised on direct appeal and specifically rejected by this Court. Torres-Arboledo, 524 So.2d at 411. We find no merit to issue six that claims that both the trial court and this Court failed to properly evaluate the mitigation evidence presented. See Torres-Arboledo, 524 So.2d at 413, for discussion of jury override and mitigation evidence presented. We also find issue thirteen to be without merit. To the extent that these issues raise claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, we find no merit as Torres-Arboleda has failed to demonstrate deficient performance or prejudice as required by Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 687, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 2064, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). Consequently, we deny claims four through thirteen.

Torres-Arboleda also claims that counsel rendered ineffective assistance during both the guilt and penalty phases. Under the two-prong Strickland test, Torres-Aboleda must demonstrate that 1) counsel's performance was deficient and 2) there is a reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceeding would have been different. Id. at 687, 694, 104 S.Ct. at 2064, 2068. A court considering a claim of ineffective counsel need not determine whether counsel's performance was deficient when it is clear that the alleged deficiency was not prejudicial. Kennedy v. State, 547 So.2d 912, 913 (Fla. 1989).

In issue one, Torres-Arboleda argues that counsel was ineffective during the guilt phase for failing to: investigate and present alibi evidence; impeach State witnesses on the number of their prior convictions; urge that State witnesses were biased; and challenge the State's evidence regarding the murder weapon. The record reflects that defense counsel did ask State witnesses Raymond Jacobs, Fernando Munoz, and George Williams about previous convictions. Although the exact number of convictions was not elicited in each instance, each of the witnesses admitted that he had previous convictions. Counsel also elicited that witness Eva Munoz was married to Fernando Munoz and that Fernando was currently serving time in prison. Furthermore, counsel did question Williams about a reduction in his sentence, but Williams denied that the State had made any deal with him. Based upon this record, we do not find that defense counsel was deficient in either impeaching State witnesses or arguing witness bias. Moreover, we do not find that counsel's performance relating to the murder weapon was deficient.

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Bluebook (online)
636 So. 2d 1321, 1994 WL 137855, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/torres-arboleda-v-dugger-fla-1994.