ROBERT PERNELL McCLOUD, Appellant, vs. STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellee.
No. SC12-2103
Supreme Court of Florida
November 17, 2016
This case is before the Court on appeal from a judgment of convictions of first-degree murder and sentences of death. We have jurisdiction. See
STATEMENT OF THE CASE & FACTS
Robert McCloud appeals his convictions and sentences for the first-degree murders of Dustin Freeman and Tamiqua Taylor. During the afternoon of October 3, 2009, McCloud and Andre Brown were driving around the Malibu neighborhood of Orlando, Florida, when they ran into Joshua Bryson. The three
That evening, before leaving Orlando, the men equipped themselves with various firearms, including a .38 caliber revolver, a .40 or .45 caliber semiautomatic, and a 9 millimeter semiautomatic. They then traveled to Poinciana in two vehicles and, upon reaching Merilan‘s neighborhood between 10 and 11 p.m., drove down his cul-de-sac to surveil his house. The group then drove to the local Walmart and parked there to further discuss their plan. They may have made a second trip to Merilan‘s house and back to Walmart. After traveling back to the neighborhood just past midnight, Bryson positioned himself in his vehicle somewhere in close proximity to Merilan‘s street, while the others positioned themselves in Merilan‘s backyard. The group realized that Merilan in fact was home and also that a party was underway at an adjacent house. This caused them to pause and wait for about three hours while refining their plan.
The group ransacked the house, collecting about $4,000 to $5,000 in cash, $10,000 worth of marijuana, a .38 caliber revolver, and possibly a small quantity of cocaine. Believing more was in the house, they turned their attention to Merilan and began demanding the whereabouts of the rest of his drugs and cash. While still tied up and laying on the floor, Merilan was kicked and had a forty-pound dumbbell dropped on his head. His arms were sliced with a steak knife. Merilan also had boiling water laced with bleach poured on his back; the water seeped into the carpet and scalded his thighs, stomach, and groin area. He indicated that the drugs and money were in the tires of his Hummer vehicle in hopes that a pedestrian would see the cohorts or that the vehicle‘s alarm would activate. It was about that time that Bryson was summoned to the house.
In investigating the crimes, the Polk County Sheriff‘s Office (PCSO) focused on Bryson as a suspect after detecting his fingerprint in the back compartment of Merilan‘s vehicle. Bryson was arrested in Orlando on October 20, 2009. He initially denied his involvement, but after being confronted with the fingerprint evidence, he provided deputies with a statement implicating McCloud, Griffin, Andre, and Jamal as participants in the crimes. Griffin was arrested the following day but did not provide a statement to law enforcement officers. Andre was arrested one week later and Jamal months thereafter; both provided statements concerning the crimes.
McCloud and the other four men were charged by separate indictments, each alleging two counts of first-degree murder, and one count each of attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit burglary, armed robbery, and armed burglary of an occupied dwelling with an assault or battery. Griffin was deemed legally incompetent to stand trial and diagnosed as intellectually disabled; thus, he was statutorily ineligible for the death penalty. Bryson, Andre, and Jamal entered into negotiations with the State and, among other terms, agreed to plead “no contest” to two counts of second-degree murder and testify truthfully in all proceedings
McCloud argued throughout the trial proceedings that his video-recorded statement with Detective Gallegos-Bias was involuntary and thus inadmissible because it was elicited through excessively coercive tactics by law enforcement officers. He further denied having any participation in the various crimes and admitted that he only engaged in the earlier stages of the discussions that occurred in Orlando on the afternoon of October 3, 2009. Also, McCloud insisted that at the times of the actual robbery, burglary, murders, and attempted murder, he was babysitting a child or children in the Apopka/Maitland area while his wife was in the hospital. He testified and called other witnesses in support of this alibi.
On March 5, 2012, a jury found McCloud guilty on each count charged in his indictment. The jury further determined by special interrogatory that he actually possessed a firearm but did not discharge it during the commission of the crimes. During the penalty phase, the defense presented testimony of several family members, including McCloud‘s wife, older sister, sister-in-law, and mother-in-law. The defense also presented expert testimony from two psychologists. The jury recommended death sentences for the murder convictions by an eight-to-four
In imposing the death sentences, the trial court concluded that the State proved five statutory aggravating circumstances2 beyond a reasonable doubt, and found two statutory mitigating circumstances3 and sixteen nonstatutory mitigating circumstances.4 The trial court further concluded that “the aggravating
ANALYSIS
Motion to Suppress
McCloud contends that the trial court erred by denying his motion to suppress his confession and the corresponding video recording of it. In Jackson v. State, 18 So. 3d 1016 (Fla. 2009), we explained the standard for reviewing rulings on motions to suppress:
“A trial court‘s ruling on a motion to suppress comes to the appellate court clothed with a presumption of correctness and the court must interpret the evidence and reasonable inferences and deductions derived therefrom in a manner most favorable to sustaining the trial court‘s ruling.” Rolling v. State, 695 So. 2d 278, 291 (Fla. 1997) (citing McNamara v. State, 357 So. 2d 410, 412 (Fla. 1978)). In reviewing a trial court‘s ruling on a suppression motion, this Court conducts a two-step analysis in which we determine whether (1) competent, substantial evidence supports the trial court‘s findings of historical fact; and (2) the trial court reached the correct legal conclusion. See Thomas v. State, 894 So. 2d 126, 136 (Fla. 2004) (citing Connor v. State, 803 So. 2d 598, 608 (Fla. 2001)).
Invocation of the Right to Remain Silent
McCloud specifically challenges the admissibility of the statement he provided to PCSO detectives on the ground that he reasserted his Miranda right to remain silent before providing inculpatory information. The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution decrees that “no person shall be . . . compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against oneself.” Accord
[W]here a defendant has received proper Miranda warnings and waived his Miranda rights, he must make an unequivocal or unambiguous request to terminate an interrogation in order to reassert those rights. State v. Owen, 696 So. 2d 715, 719 (Fla. 1997) (citing Davis v. United States, 512 U.S. 452, 461 (1994)). If a defendant‘s attempt to revoke his waiver is ambiguous or equivocal, police are not required to either cease questioning or to clarify whether the defendant‘s statement was in fact a reassertion of his Miranda rights. Id. A revocation “is unambiguous if a reasonable police officer under the circumstances would understand that the suspect is invoking the right.” Womack v. State, 42 So. 3d 878, 883 (Fla. 4th DCA 2010). When determining whether a revocation is unambiguous, we consider “whether the response refers to specific questions about the crime or about the underlying right to cut off all questioning.” Id. (citing Cuervo v. State, 967 So. 2d 155, 163 (Fla. 2007)).
Braddy v. State, 111 So. 3d 810, 830 (Fla. 2012). Still, “context is generally as important, if not more important, than the exact words a suspect uses in a statement that is alleged to be an invocation of the right to remain silent.” Bailey, 31 So. 3d at 814-15.
Here, it is undisputed that after his arrest but before interrogation, McCloud was properly instructed of his Miranda rights but agreed to speak with PCSO detectives at the OCSO. We therefore conclude that McCloud initially waived his right to remain silent. Hence, the only relevant inquiry is whether he unambiguously revoked that waiver. McCloud chiefly highlights his interview
In reviewing Evans’ testimony in its entirety, it appears that any indication that McCloud no longer wished to speak or refused to divulge further information was in direct response to questions about the extent of his role in the robbery aspect of the crimes. In fact, immediately before these questions were asked, McCloud had already disclosed the shooter‘s identity (Griffin, according to McCloud) and requested that Evans inform Andre that he did not implicate the others as the shooter. As such, we are not convinced that McCloud‘s statements to Evans show anything more than a declination to answer questions about a specific aspect of all of the crimes that transpired on the night in question.
This observation is bolstered by McCloud‘s subsequent interactions with Consuelo Gallegos-Bias, the third and final detective to interview McCloud. Gallegos-Bias testified that McCloud initiated the interview with her by asking if she had any questions. She also testified that McCloud admitted that he lied to the first two interrogating detectives, but assured her that he would tell the truth and that she could relay the information to the others. The video recording of McCloud‘s confession depicts this precise agreement between the two. And, Lieutenant Louis Giampavolo testified at trial that it is not atypical for a suspect to
For these reasons, McCloud has failed to demonstrate that he unambiguously reasserted his Miranda right to remain silent before providing the statement at issue. Accordingly, we deny relief as to this claim.
Voluntariness of Confession
McCloud argues that his confession is nevertheless unreliable because it resulted from coercive police tactics, including repeated threats to seek first-degree murder charges and the death penalty and promises not to do so if he cooperated. In evaluating the admissibility of a confession to be used against a defendant at trial, we have instructed that “[t]he test is . . . one of voluntariness, or free will, which is to be determined by an examination of the totality of the circumstances surrounding the confession.” Baker v. State, 71 So. 3d 802, 814 (Fla. 2011) (quoting Owen v. State, 862 So. 2d 687, 695 (Fla. 2003); Traylor v. State, 596 So. 2d 957, 964 (Fla. 1992)). “As this Court and the United States Supreme Court have made clear, ‘the ultimate issue of voluntariness is a legal rather than factual
In this case, the evidence presented by the State and defense at the suppression hearing is directly conflicting. McCloud‘s testimony was the only evidence adduced by the defense to prove that his interrogation was interlaced with
In stark contrast, Giampavolo, Evans, and Gallegos-Bias, as well as PCSO Detective Lung expressly testified that no threats or promises were made to McCloud during their respective interactions with him. Each officer also denied observing such activity by other law enforcement personnel. Based on our independent review of McCloud‘s video-recorded statement, we have detected no apparent signs in McCloud‘s demeanor or interaction with Gallegos-Bias indicating that he was threatened in any way. “We have, in the past, upheld the admission of confessions in situations where the defendant‘s testimony was inconsistent with the testimony of every other witness at the suppression hearing.” Johnson v. State, 696 So. 2d 326, 330 (Fla. 1997) (citing Maqueira v. State, 588 So. 2d 221, 223 (Fla. 1991); McDole v. State, 283 So. 2d 553, 554 (Fla. 1973)); see also Hall v. State, 107 So. 3d 262, 272 (Fla. 2012) (holding that the State
Moreover, the evidence supports the conclusion that McCloud‘s confession resulted from his own realization that the attendant circumstances were heavily stacked against him. Prior to McCloud‘s arrest, codefendant Bryson provided a statement to deputies in which he implicated himself, McCloud, and the other codefendants. As previously noted, the OCSO officers who arrested McCloud found a gun on him—which McCloud knew was stolen from Merilan‘s house on the night of the crimes—and believed it to be connected with the murders of Freeman and Taylor. The video recording of McCloud‘s statement depicts him uttering as an aside, “I done admitted to being in the house so that f***ed me up off rip. That‘s conspiracy.” He later commented that he “just f***ed up,” which, according to Gallegos-Bias’ testimony, meant McCloud realized he should not have made inculpatory admissions. Also, Evans testified that McCloud pleaded for him to inform codefendants Andre and Jamal that McCloud had confessed only to
Given this evidence, McCloud certainly would have known it was in his best interest to provide his version of the criminal events in order to minimize his culpability. Indeed, the record also reflects that Detectives Evans and Gallegos-Bias encouraged McCloud to do so during their respective interviews with him. Merely “[e]ncouraging or requesting a person to tell the truth does not result in an involuntary confession.” Reeves v. State, 67 So. 3d 380, 386 (Fla. 4th DCA 2011) (citation omitted).
McCloud maintains that detectives purposely did not record the interrogation segments during which the alleged misconduct occurred. The record is devoid of legally sufficient evidence supporting this accusation. First, OCSO Corporal Duana Pelton explained that when a guest agency requests to utilize the OCSO‘s interrogation facility, OSCO personnel would maintain control of the monitoring system‘s operations, including the recording function. Pelton further explained that the OCSO adopted an informal policy of recording all interrogations in their entirety to safeguard against potential accusations of witness and defendant abuse. Pelton testified that because she was not present at the OCSO during McCloud‘s
Also, Giampavolo explained the circumstances surrounding his decision to instruct Gallegos-Bias to record McCloud‘s confession:
Q: In the Polk County Sheriff‘s Office homicide division in 2009, was it your practice if you were at your own facility to always record every minute of anytime a suspect‘s in a room?
A: No.
Q: You said that you recall instructing someone at some point to record Mr. McCloud. What types of things do you consider as a supervisor in telling someone to turn a recorder on?
A: It was brought to my attention that Mr. McCloud went through a statement with Detective Bias and she was gonna get a recorded statement on a digital recorder and Mr. McCloud did not want to give the statement on a digital recorder. So at that point when I was made aware of that, I instructed someone to turn the audio on and, you know, the video and record that interview.
Giampavolo added:
Q: Lieutenant Giampavolo, if as a supervisor you‘re aware that a suspect is denying his involvement in what you suspect him to be involved in and continues to deny it, do you typically record that?
A: No.
Q: If a suspect starts making inculpatory or incriminating statements saying that he was involved in a crime, do you typically direct that those statements be recorded?
A: Yes.
Q: Was it your understanding when you were told this about Detective Bias that Mr. McCloud had changed from denial toadmission and that‘s why Detective Bias wanted to record his statement?
A: Yes, sir.
Q: And so you wanted to capture it?
A: Yes, sir.
Giampavolo further recalled handling other tasks while supervising the interviews associated with McCloud‘s investigation, including the interview of McCloud‘s wife. Consequently, Giampavolo was unaware that McCloud was providing incriminating information during Evans’ interview. Accordingly, Giampavolo did not instruct anyone to record it and did not instruct Evans to walk McCloud through his admissions again for purposes of recording them. Finally, Evans and Gallegos-Bias testified that they were unaware of the monitoring system‘s recording feature until after they had completed their interviews.
It is evident that the dominant purpose of the officers’ decisions against recording McCloud‘s entire interrogation was not to conceal any improper conduct but instead to document only admissions pertinent to the investigation. Moreover, there is no indication in the record of collusion between the law enforcement agencies. In fact, the OCSO‘s foolproof recording policy was intended to prevent the very accusations that McCloud now asserts in this case. Therefore, any notion that the host agency, OCSO, would have exposed itself to said accusations by knowingly sanctioning the less-stringent recording policy that the visiting agency, PCSO, employed for McCloud‘s interrogation is dubious. The failure to record the
On balance, we are not left with a definite and firm conviction that the trial court erred in finding that McCloud‘s confession was given voluntarily and free of threats or coercion. See Smith v. State, 59 So. 3d 1107, 1121 (Fla. 2011). Accordingly, relief is denied as to this claim.
False-Confession Expert Testimony
McCloud also argues that the trial court erred by precluding Dr. William Kremper from testifying that his statement to law enforcement was coerced. We review a trial judge‘s decision to exclude expert witness testimony for an abuse of discretion. Parker v. State, 89 So. 3d 844, 870 (Fla. 2011); McWatters v. State, 36 So. 3d 613, 629 (Fla. 2010). This standard is met if “the judicial action is arbitrary, fanciful, or unreasonable, which is another way of saying that discretion is abused only where no reasonable [person] would take the view adopted by the trial court.” Lynch v. State, 2 So. 3d 47, 80 (Fla. 2008) (citations omitted).
Citing Boyer v. State, 825 So. 2d 418 (Fla. 1st DCA 2002), McCloud specifically asserts that the jury was entitled to hear Dr. Kremper‘s testimony about the phenomena of false confessions, how to recognize them, and how, based on diagnostic testing, McCloud‘s statement was involuntary. We agree, but find the error harmless.
explained the factors that increase likelihood of false confessions, many of which were present in Ross‘s case, such as increasing the pressure, exaggerating evidence, challenging a person‘s memory, continuing an interrogation for a lengthy amount of time, showing photographs of the crime scene, and using isolation. The very fact that Ross confessed that he might have taken his mother‘s jewelry when in fact the evidence reveals that Kathleen Ross herself had actually taken the jewelry from her house and placed it in her mother‘s house highlights this danger.
In this case, Dr. Kremper‘s testimony would have regarded the “phenomena of false confessions, how to recognize them, and how, based on diagnostic testing, McCloud‘s confession was involuntary.” Expert testimony concerning false confessions is particularly important because we know that false confessions are one of the leading causes of subsequent findings of innocence, just like unreliable
eyewitness testimony. SeeFurther, Dr. Kremper‘s proffered testimony did not just concern the general factors that would lead to a false confession. Rather, he also explained the results of several diagnostic evaluations he conducted on McCloud, including that McCloud‘s verbal intellectual abilities fell within the borderline range; that his verbal memory as it relates to narrative information was “very, very poor“; that he had a tendency to add details to stories that were not told as parts of the original narrative; and that these and other tests would indicate that McCloud was susceptible to suggestion and compliance. Certainly this part of Dr. Kremper‘s testimony showing that McCloud was vulnerable to being induced to falsely confess to a crime requires specialized knowledge and should not have been excluded.
However, the improper exclusion of McCloud‘s false confession expert testimony was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. In the instant case, McCloud not only attacked the reliability of his confession, but also proffered an alibi at trial. Namely, McCloud insisted that, at all relevant times, he was babysitting at his father-in-law‘s house an hour away from the crime scene while his wife was in the hospital. McCloud presented the testimony of several witnesses to corroborate this alibi. The State presented conflicting evidence, including video surveillance
The above reasons support the conclusion that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by excluding Dr. Kremper‘s testimony. Accordingly, we deny relief as to this claim.
Caldwell Claim
McCloud claims that the trial court erred by “advis[ing] the jury on five or six occasions that the ultimate decision to impose the death penalty rested with the court,” in violation of the United States Supreme Court‘s holding in Caldwell v. Mississippi, 472 U.S. 320, 328-29 (1985) (“[I]t is constitutionally impermissible to rest a death sentence on a determination made by a sentencer who has been led to believe that the responsibility for determining the appropriateness of the
Jury‘s Request for Confession Transcripts
McCloud argues that error was committed when, in response to the jury‘s request to review transcripts of his and codefendant Andre‘s confessions, the trial judge informed the jury that there were no written transcripts but did not advise that the requested portions of the confessions could be read back by the court reporter under
McCloud likewise has not demonstrated fundamental error as to a read-back of Andre‘s confession. Foremost, unlike McCloud‘s confession, there is no indication in the record that Andre‘s confession was used by either party during any of the trial proceedings. In other words, the out of court statement was not received in the course of trial and subject to the adversarial process. See Russ v. State, 95 So. 2d 594, 600 (Fla. 1957) (prohibiting jurors from receiving or adjudicating one‘s guilt based on evidence independent of that properly received in the course of trial); see also State ex rel. Pryor v. Smith, 239 So. 2d 85, 86 (Fla. 1st DCA 1970) (“The entry into the jury room of the unadmitted evidence amounted to
Even assuming the jury wished to review Andre‘s trial testimony, the jury ultimately found that McCloud merely possessed a firearm but did not discharge it during the commission of the crimes—indicating that he was not found to be a shooter. To the contrary, Andre testified that McCloud simultaneously kicked in the door of Merilan‘s house and fired two shots from his firearm. Andre also testified that he saw McCloud shoot Taylor. Additionally, codefendant Bryson testified that he and Andre encountered one another in prison and that Andre said he shot Freeman and wanted Bryson to testify at McCloud‘s trial that McCloud shot Taylor. Given that this evidence attributes more culpability to McCloud as a shooter than what the jury verdict actually reflects, it would have bolstered McCloud‘s guilt. As such, a read-back of Andre‘s testimony would not have further assisted the jury in reaching its conclusions.
For these reasons, McCloud cannot show that the trial court‘s failure to advise the jury that the requested confessions could be read back reached down into the validity of the trial. See Davis, 136 So. 3d at 1202. Accordingly, we deny relief as to this claim.
McCloud insists that there clearly was a dispute as to whether he actually committed some act with intent to cause Merilan‘s death or whether he acted with premeditated design. As such, McCloud submits that it was fundamental error for the trial court to provide
This Court has repeatedly held that “omitting from the instructions a necessary element of the crime ‘over which the record reflects there was no dispute’ is not fundamental error.” Battle v. State, 911 So. 2d 85, 89 (Fla. 2005) (quoting State v. Delva, 575 So. 2d 643, 645 (Fla. 1991)). In Battle, a certified conflict case, Battle was convicted for attempted felony murder with a firearm pursuant to
Here, McCloud conceded that he, in fact, conspired to burglarize Merilan‘s house and also conceded that the evidence showed that the burglary, robbery, murders, and attempted murder in question did occur. However, McCloud filed a notice of alibi, arguing that he did not actually participate in the crimes because he was not present at the Poinciana crime scene at any relevant time. Instead, he alleged that he had been babysitting at his father-in-law‘s Maitland house while his wife was in the hospital. The record reflects that McCloud emphasized this alibi in various regards: he elicited alibi-witness testimony showing his whereabouts at the time of the crimes; he testified on his own behalf as to the same; defense counsel vigorously cross-examined other codefendants about their involvements and plea deals, which ultimately led to Jamal admitting that his testimony inculpating McCloud was untruthful; and counsel also highlighted during closing arguments that no physical evidence tied McCloud to Merilan‘s house, but that the codefendants had personal motives of placing him at the crime scene with the murder weapon. In addition, McCloud argued at various points of the trial that his video-recorded confession was unreliable because it was the product of coercive interrogation tactics.
Furthermore, the record reflects that during the charging conference, the trial court, State, and defense reviewed the jury instructions to consider modifications. The trial court invited the parties to make additional arguments with respect to the instructions. Although the defense requested the addition of the name “Wilkins Merilan” as the subject victim into the language of the attempted murder instruction, the parties ultimately agreed on the instruction as proposed and altered. Defense counsel otherwise did not voice his desire to insert additional language into the attempted murder instruction or suggest a different instruction altogether. Florida courts have consistently held that “where a trial court has extended counsel an opportunity to cure an error, and counsel fails to take advantage of such an opportunity, the error is considered acquiesced to and does not warrant reversal.” Calloway v. State, 37 So. 3d 891, 896-97 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010) (citing Ray v. State, 403 So. 2d 956, 960 (Fla. 1981)). Accordingly, we deny relief as to this claim.
Although not contested by McCloud, this Court independently reviews the sufficiency of the evidence supporting the convictions in cases where a death sentence has been imposed. King v. State, 130 So. 3d 676, 689 (Fla. 2013);
Both the sentencing court and McCloud characterized the form which the jury used to convey its verdict as a “Special Interrogatory Verdict.” However, the forms in the record more closely resemble general verdict forms accompanied by a special interrogatory as to whether McCloud merely possessed a firearm or actually discharged one during the commission of the crimes with which he was charged. See 11B Fla. Pl. & Pr. Forms § 95:88 (Verdict—General form). “A general guilty verdict rendered by a jury instructed on both first-degree murder alternatives, as in this case, may be upheld on appeal where the evidence is sufficient to establish either felony murder or [premeditated murder].” Ellerbee v. State, 87 So. 3d 730, 748 (Fla. 2012) (quoting Crain v. State, 894 So. 2d 59, 73 (Fla. 2004)). The record in this case is replete with competent, substantial
The record generally reflects that on October 3, 2009, McCloud, Andre, Bryson, Griffin, and Jamal met in the Malibu neighborhood of Orlando and agreed to “hit a lick” against Merilan, meaning rob him. Bryson and Griffin had robbed Merilan on Father‘s Day of that same year, and so it was believed that a lot of cash and drugs were going to be found. Bryson testified that the initial plan was to burglarize Merilan‘s house while he was away. McCloud admitted that he agreed with the others to burglarize Merilan‘s house because he needed money. Direct testimony reflects that McCloud, Griffin, Andre, and Jamal equipped themselves with several firearms, including a .40 or .45 semiautomatic, a .38 caliber revolver, and a 9 millimeter semiautomatic. They then traveled in two vehicles to Merilan‘s Poinciana residence, which was about an hour away from Orlando, at around 10 or 11 p.m. Once they arrived in Poinciana, the codefendants drove past Merilan‘s house and to the local Walmart parking lot, possibly twice, to discuss the details of the intended burglary. Video surveillance and still photographs from the gas station that shared the parking lot with Walmart placed McCloud at the gas station just after 11 p.m. on the evening in question. Bryson confirmed that the
The record also shows that the codefendants returned to Merilan‘s house and positioned themselves in his backyard just after midnight. After observing that Merilan was home and that a party was underway at a neighboring house, the codefendants lay in wait and refined their plan in the backyard for three hours. They eventually kicked in the front door and fired off several gunshots toward the master bedroom. Merilan and Freeman were immediately subdued, bound by their wrists and ankles, and placed on the master bedroom floor. Taylor complied with the codefendants’ orders to take Merilan‘s three-year-old daughter and sit on the couch in the living room. During his confession, McCloud stated that Taylor requested a tampon and that he retrieved one for her from the bathroom. Medical expert testimony indicates that Taylor was menstruating at the time she was killed.
Merilan‘s entire house was ransacked by the codefendants. For about twenty to thirty minutes, he repeatedly lied about the whereabouts of his money, inciting the cohorts to kick and drop a forty-pound dumbbell on his head, slice his arms with a steak knife, and pour boiling water laced with bleach on his back. At some point, Merilan either broke his restraints and ran into the master bedroom closet or was placed in the closet by one of the codefendants. Multiple gunshots
Based on this evidence, the jury could have found beyond a reasonable doubt that Taylor and Freeman were shot and killed execution style during the commission of a burglary-turned-robbery, in which McCloud agreed to participate. The jury likewise could have found that Taylor was killed during the murder of Freeman, or vice versa, and/or that both Taylor and Freeman were murdered during an attempt to kill Merilan. Because the record sufficiently supports a finding of McCloud‘s participation in the felony murders, we affirm his first-degree murder convictions.
McCloud‘s argument that his convictions for armed robbery and armed burglary violate the prohibition against double jeopardy is a pure question of law and thus subject to de novo review. See Pizzo v. State, 945 So. 2d 1203, 1206 (Fla. 2006). In Pizzo, we explained that “[a] defendant is placed in double jeopardy where based upon the same conduct the defendant is convicted of two offenses, each of which does not require proof of a different element.” Id. (citing Blockburger v. United States, 284 U.S. 299, 304 (1932);
The cases McCloud cites for support are uninstructive because each stands for the proposition that contemporaneous convictions for burglary of a dwelling and home invasion robbery (or attempted home invasion robbery) implicate the double jeopardy clause. See, e.g., Mendez v. State, 798 So. 2d 749, 750 (Fla. 5th DCA 2001). The general consensus among the cited decisions is that the latter offense subsumes the former. Id. As the Fifth District explained, “[h]ome invasion robbery is in essence an aggravated form of burglary, because it requires a burglary and robbery.” McAllister v. State, 718 So. 2d 917, 918 (Fla. 5th DCA 1998).
Penalty Phase Claims
McCloud raises various issues regarding the penalty phase in his trial, including: (1) improper prosecutorial comments; (2) disproportionality of death sentences based on sentences in other cases, disparate sentencing treatment in this case, and the dictates announced in Tison v. Arizona, 481 U.S. 137 (1987), and
McCloud argues that his death sentences are disproportionate in light of the term-of-years sentences imposed against his codefendants and his lesser role in the crimes. We agree. This Court generally conducts a qualitative assessment of capital cases to ensure that the death penalty is imposed against the most aggravated and least mitigated first-degree murder convictions. Wade v. State, 41 So. 3d 857, 879 (Fla. 2010) (citing Lebron v. State, 982 So. 2d 649, 668 (Fla. 2008)). However “where more than one defendant is involved, the Court performs an additional analysis of relative culpability guided by the principle that equally culpable co-defendants should be treated alike in capital sentencing and receive equal punishment.” Blake v. State, 972 So. 2d 839, 849 (Fla. 2007) (quoting Brooks v. State, 918 So. 2d 181, 208 (Fla. 2005)). If “the circumstances indicate that the defendant is more culpable than a codefendant, disparate treatment is not impermissible despite the fact the codefendant received a lighter sentence for his participation in the same crime.” Gonzalez v. State, 136 So. 3d 1125, 1165 (Fla. 2014) (quoting Brown v. State, 721 So. 2d 274, 282 (Fla. 1998)). But, “[w]hen a
We recognize that this Court has generally held that the relative culpability of a codefendant is implicated “only when the codefendant has been found guilty of the same degree of murder.” Shere v. Moore, 830 So. 2d 56, 62 (Fla. 2002); accord Brown v. State, 143 So. 3d 392, 406-07 (Fla. 2014); Wade, 41 So. 3d at 868. We now reject this limitation, because we do not see the utility in a blanket rule prohibiting a relative culpability analysis when a codefendant is convicted or pleads guilty to a different degree of murder than the primary defendant. As Justice Anstead wrote over a decade ago, such a rule would do a substantial injustice in cases like the one at bar:
Due to the uniqueness and the finality of death, this Court addresses the propriety of all death sentences in a proportionality review upon appeal. See Porter v. State, 564 So. 2d 1060, 1064 (Fla. 1990). In conducting this review, this Court considers the totality of all the circumstances in a case as compared to other cases in which the death penalty has been imposed, see Robinson v. State, 761 So. 2d 269 (Fla. 1999), thereby providing for uniformity in the application of this sentence. As a corollary to this analysis of comparing the
circumstances of a case in which death had been imposed to others with a similar sentence, the Court also performs an additional analysis of relative culpability in cases where more than one defendant was involved in the commission of the killing. While the first analysis focuses on the larger universe of death sentences that have been imposed, the latter analysis [hones] in on the smaller universe of the perpetrators and participants in a given capital murder. We explained the principle in Slater v. State, 316 So. 2d 539, 542 (Fla. 1975), when we declared: “We pride ourselves in a system of justice that requires equality before the law. Defendants should not be treated differently upon the same or similar facts.” More recently, in Ray v. State, 755 So. 2d 604, 611 (Fla. 2000), this Court again emphasized and reaffirmed the principle that equally culpable codefendants should be treated alike in capital sentencing.
Shere, 830 So. 2d at 64 (Anstead, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part).
When ensuring that our proportionality analysis conforms to these basic principles of capital sentencing, it may be apparent why a codefendant received a life sentence through the entry of a plea agreement with the State. Indeed, one valid reason for such a plea agreement might be the lesser culpability of the codefendant. But the acceptance of a plea agreement does not automatically mean that the codefendant was less culpable. We reject any principle of law that hamstrings this Court‘s ability to conduct a full proportionality review, including a relative culpability analysis, simply because the State allowed a codefendant to enter a plea to murder that resulted in a life sentence. Here, the relative culpability of the defendant as compared with the codefendant is so clear under the unique
In this case, the jury explicitly determined by special interrogatory that McCloud was not the shooter. We have long recognized “that the less culpable, non-triggerman defendant cannot receive a death sentence when the more culpable, triggerman defendant receives” a lesser sentence. Hazen v. State, 700 So. 2d 1207, 1214 (Fla. 1997) (citing Slater v. State, 316 So. 2d 539, 542 (Fla. 1975)).
In addition to the fact that McCloud was not the shooter, the trial court‘s determination that he also was not an instigator of the crimes is significant. Competent, substantial evidence and particularly McCloud‘s confession and Andre‘s testimony show that Bryson presented the initial idea to “hit a lick” against or rob Merilan. Bryson and Griffin previously robbed Merilan that same year, and so it was believed that a lot of cash and drugs were going to be found. McCloud admitted that he agreed with the others to burglarize Merilan‘s house because he needed money. He also stated that Griffin indicated that he intended to seriously injure Merilan because Merilan “bucked on” Griffin during the prior robbery. Andre testified that while discussing the initial plan at the Poinciana Walmart, Bryson explained the details for executing the robbery. He added that Bryson stood out because he was the most knowledgeable about Merilan‘s
On balance, the fact that McCloud‘s codefendants were convicted of a lesser degree of murder is not dispositive of their relative culpabilities. Rather, the record taken as a whole sufficiently demonstrates that McCloud was, in fact, less culpable than those who escaped the death penalty. We therefore conclude that the term-of-years sentences imposed against McCloud‘s codefendants preclude McCloud‘s
CONCLUSION
For the reasons set forth above, McCloud‘s convictions of first-degree murder are affirmed. However, we vacate his sentences of death and remand to the trial court for entry of an order sentencing McCloud to life imprisonment.
It is so ordered.
LABARGA, C.J., and PARIENTE, and PERRY, JJ., concur.
QUINCE, J., concurs in result.
CANADY, J., concurs in part and dissents in part with an opinion, in which POLSTON, J., concurs.
LEWIS, J., dissents.
NOT FINAL UNTIL TIME EXPIRES TO FILE REHEARING MOTION, AND IF FILED, DETERMINED.
CANADY, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I concur in the decision to affirm McCloud‘s convictions, but I dissent from the decision to vacate his death sentences based on the majority‘s relative culpability analysis. The relative culpability of McCloud as compared to his codefendants is irrelevant here because all of the codefendants were either convicted of a lesser degree of murder or otherwise ineligible for the death penalty. Therefore, I would affirm McCloud‘s death sentences.
We have previously held that “once a codefendant‘s culpability has been determined by a jury verdict or a judge‘s finding of guilt we should abide by that decision, and only when the codefendant has been found guilty of the same degree of murder should the relative culpability aspect of proportionality come into play.”
In Brown, we stated that “by virtue of [Brown‘s codefendant‘s] plea and second-degree murder conviction, the relative culpability of [Brown‘s codefendant] for the murder . . . has already been determined to be less than that of Brown,” who was convicted of first-degree murder. 143 So. 3d at 407. In Caballero v. State, 851 So. 2d 655, 663 (Fla. 2003), we similarly concluded that we could not conduct a relative culpability analysis because Caballero‘s codefendant was convicted of second-degree murder. Although the evidence presented at Caballero‘s trial showed that it was the codefendant who actually offered to kill and thereafter strangled the victim, we stated that “[i]t is not this Court‘s role to consider or re-weigh the evidence that led to [the codefendant]‘s conviction of a lesser degree of murder than Caballero‘s.” Caballero, 851 So. 2d at 663. Instead,
In cases in which the only codefendant to receive a death sentence is the only codefendant convicted of first-degree murder, this Court has consistently declined to undertake a relative culpability analysis. We have held that the sentence of a codefendant who was not convicted of first-degree murder is “not relevant to a claim of disparate sentencing.” Steinhorst v. Singletary, 638 So. 2d 33, 35 (Fla. 1994). Thus, because McCloud‘s codefendants who received lesser sentences were convicted of a lesser degree of murder, the trial court was correct that “from a legal point of view,” McCloud did not receive disparate treatment. McCloud‘s convictions for first-degree murder render him more legally culpable than his codefendants.
“Underlying our relative culpability analysis is the principle that equally culpable co-defendants should be treated alike in capital sentencing and receive equal punishment.” Shere, 830 So. 2d at 60. However, “[i]t is the crime for which the defendant is convicted that determines his or her culpability,” not the particular facts of the case. Id. at 62. Thus, the principle underlying our relative culpability analysis is inapplicable here; because McCloud was convicted of first-degree murder, he and his codefendants are not “equally culpable” under the law. Nor
Notwithstanding the fact that McCloud was the only codefendant convicted of first-degree murder, the majority proceeds to conduct a relative culpability analysis based on its own assessment of the facts of the case. The reason provided for this departure from our precedent is the majority‘s view that “the relative culpability of the defendant as compared with the codefendant is so clear under the unique circumstances of this case that his death sentence must be reduced to a life sentence.” Majority op. at 37-38. The “circumstances” referenced are based on the majority‘s conclusions that McCloud was not “the shooter,” the “prime instigator,” the “ringleader,” or “a dominant player.” Id. at 38-39. But the majority‘s analysis is flawed in several respects.
First, the majority improperly made its own factual finding that “McCloud was not the shooter.” Id. at 38. Neither the jury nor the trial court made such a finding, and this Court is not in a position to do so. See Carr v. State, 156 So. 3d 1052, 1073 (Fla.) (Pariente J., concurring) (“A determination regarding relative culpability requires factual findings that this Court is not in a position to make in the first instance.” (citing Puccio v. State, 701 So. 2d 858, 860 (Fla. 1997))), cert. denied, 136 S. Ct. 55 (2015). The majority‘s conclusion that McCloud was not the shooter is based on the jury‘s interrogatory verdict. See majority op. at 25 (“[T]he jury ultimately found that McCloud merely possessed a firearm but did not discharge it during the commission of the crimes—indicating that he was not found to be a shooter.“). But the interrogatory verdict cannot be interpreted as an affirmative finding by the jury that McCloud was not a triggerman. Instead, it reflects only the jury‘s conclusion that the State failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that McCloud actually discharged a firearm during the commission of the crimes. It provides no indication as to whether the jury actually concluded that McCloud was in fact not a triggerman rather than that the evidence presented was insufficient to support the conclusion that he was a triggerman beyond and to the exclusion of every reasonable doubt. See State v. McCloud, No. 2009CF-007439-XX (Fla. 10th Cir. Ct. Sept. 4, 2012) (Sentencing Order at 18) (“[T]he jury either concluded that someone else shot Dustin Freeman and Tamiqua Taylor, or that there was insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Robert McCloud was the shooter.“). Indeed, the majority recognizes that the evidence presented at trial “attributes more culpability to McCloud as a shooter
Second, each of the cases cited by the majority in support of its decision to vacate McCloud‘s death sentences is readily distinguishable from this case and does not actually support the majority‘s decision. In Gonzalez v. State, 136 So. 3d 1125 (Fla.), cert. denied, 135 S. Ct. 193 (2014), Ray v. State, 755 So. 2d 604 (Fla. 2000), Puccio, 701 So. 2d 858, and Hazen v. State, 700 So. 2d 1207 (Fla. 1997), our relative culpability analyses were undertaken because each case involved codefendants who were also convicted of first-degree murder. Craig v. State, 510 So. 2d 857, 869-70 (Fla. 1987), was a judicial override case in which we upheld Craig‘s death sentence despite the jury‘s recommendation of a life sentence and the triggerman codefendant‘s plea to reduced charges and receipt of a life sentence because there was evidence to show that Craig was the planner and the instigator of the murder and that the codefendant acted under the domination of Craig. In that case, we held that the disparate treatment of the codefendant was not a factor that required the trial court to follow the jury‘s recommended sentence for the
Finally, the law is clear that “[i]n instances where the codefendant‘s lesser sentence was the result of a plea agreement or prosecutorial discretion” claims of disparate sentencing are rejected. England v. State, 940 So. 2d 389, 406 (Fla. 2006) (quoting Kight v. State, 784 So. 2d 396, 401 (Fla. 2001)); see also Krawczuk v. State, 92 So. 3d 195, 207 (Fla. 2012) (concluding that defendant‘s disparate sentencing claim was without merit where codefendant‘s sentence of thirty-five years was the result of plea to second-degree murder); Brown v. State, 473 So. 2d 1260, 1268-69 (Fla. 1985) (concluding that death sentence was proper even though accomplice received disparate prosecutorial and judicial treatment after pleading to second-degree murder in return for life sentence); Melendez v. State, 612 So. 2d 1366, 1368-69 (Fla. 1992) (“Arguments relating to proportionality and disparate treatment are not appropriate . . . where the prosecutor has not charged the alleged accomplice with a capital offense.“); Scott v. Dugger, 604 So. 2d 465, 471 (Fla. 1992) (“Prosecutorial discretion in plea bargaining with accomplices is not unconstitutionally impermissible and does not violate the principle of
“[U]nder
McCloud also asserts that he is entitled to relief from his death sentences under Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584 (2002), and Hurst v. Florida, 136 S. Ct. 616 (2016). As I explained in my dissent in Hurst v. State, the only flaw identified by the Supreme Court that rendered Florida‘s former death penalty statute
The other penalty-phase issues raised by McCloud are without merit. Accordingly, I would affirm McCloud‘s death sentences.
POLSTON, J., concurs.
Donald G. Jacobsen, Chief Judge - Case No. 532009CF0074390000XX
Ita M. Neymotin, Regional Counsel, and Byron P. Hileman, Jr., John Andrew Crawford, and Joseph Thye Sexton, Assistant Regional Counsel, Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel, Bartow, Florida,
for Appellant
Pamela Jo Bondi, Attorney General, Tallahassee, Florida; Candance M. Sabella, Chief Assistant Attorney General, and Christina Z. Pacheco, Assistant Attorney General, Tampa, Florida,
for Appellee