Merck v. State

Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder and was sentenced to death. The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's sentence. Defendant filed a postconviction motion alleging ineffective assistance of counsel. The postconviction court denied the motion after an evidentiary hearing. Defendant appealed and also filed a habeas corpus petition. The Supreme Court affirmed the trial court's denial of Defendant's postconviction motion and denied his habeas petition, holding (1) Defendant did not establish that he received ineffective assistance of counsel, and therefore, his postconviction motion was correctly denied; (2) cumulative error did not deprive Defendant of a fair trial; (2) Defendant's sentence did not constitute cruel and unusual punishment; (3) Florida death penalty statute is not unconstitutional as applied to Defendant; and (4) counsel was not ineffective for failing to allege that Florida's capital sentencing statute is unconstitutional on its face and as applied to Defendant. View "Merck v. State" on Justia Law