Miller v. Dunn, CIVIL ACTION NO. 2:13-00154-KOB

• Decision Date: 29 March 2017
• Docket Number: CIVIL ACTION NO. 2:13-00154-KOB
• Parties: ALAN EUGENE MILLER, Petitioner, v. JEFFERSON S. DUNN, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections, Respondent.
• Court: U.S. District Court — Northern District of Alabama

ALAN EUGENE MILLER, Petitioner, v. JEFFERSON S. DUNN,Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections, Respondent.

CIVIL ACTION NO. 2:13-00154-KOB

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA SOUTHERN DIVISION

March 29, 2017

MEMORANDUM OPINION

This case is again before the court upon the petitioner Alan Eugene Miller's "Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus By Prisoner In State Custody Under Sentence of Death," pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254.¹ (Doc. 1). Miller alleges that he was denied effective assistance of counsel both at trial and on appeal, and that his death sentence violates the United States Constitution.

Table of Contents

I. The Offense Conduct ........................................... 9

II. Trial: Guilt and Penalty Phases ................................... 12

III. Sentencing Hearing ............................................ 16

IV. Procedural History ............................................. 17

A. Motion for a New Trial .................................... 18

B. Direct Appeal ........................................... 19

C. Rule 32 Proceedings in Shelby County Circuit Court ............ 21

V. Legal Standard ................................................ 25

A. Exhaustion of State Court Remedies: The First Condition Precedent to Federal Habeas Review ................................... 25

B. The Procedural Default Doctrine: The Second Condition Precedent to Federal Habeas Review ................................... 26

C. Overcoming Procedural Default: The Cause and Prejudice Analysis . 27

D. The Statutory Overlay: The Effect of "the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996" on Habeas Review ................ 28

1. Title 28 U.S.C. § 2254(e)(1) ........................... 29

2. 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d) ................................. 29

E. An Introduction to Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Claims ...... 32

1. The performance prong .............................. 332. The prejudice prong ................................. 34

3. Deference accorded state court findings of historical fact, and decisions on the merits, when evaluating ineffective assistance of counsel claims ...................................... 35

VI. Miller's Claims ............................................... 36

A. Miller's Ineffective Assistance of Trial Counsel Claims .......... 41

1. Claims Raised and Exhausted On Direct Appeal ........... 41

a) Claim A(ii): Miller's Claim That Trial Counsel Was Ineffective For Sabotaging the Work of the Defense Psychiatric Expert and For Withdrawing the Plea of Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Disease or Defect ....... 43

b) Claim A(v): Miller's Claim That Trial Counsel Was Ineffective In His Guilt phase Opening Statement . ... 46

c) Claim A(vi): Miller's Claim That Trial Counsel Was Ineffective During The Presentation of The State's Guilt phase Evidence ............................... 51

d) Claim A(vii): Miller's Claim That Trial Counsel was Ineffective for Failing to Present Mental Health Evidence During the Guilt Phase ......................... 53

e) Claim A(xii): Miller's Claim That Trial Counsel Denied Miller Effective Assistance in His Penalty phase Opening Statement .................................... 56

2. Claims Raised For the First Time On Collateral Appeal ..... 64

3. Claims Raised For the First Time Before This Court ....... 67

B. Miller's Ineffective Assistance of Appellate Counsel Claims ...... 68

1. Claim B(i): Miller's Claim That Miller's Claim That Appellate Counsel was Ineffective for Raising the Issue of Ineffective Assistance of Trial Counsel In the Motion for New Trial .... 71

a) No Procedural Default .......................... 72

b) Merits ....................................... 72

2. Claim B(ii & iii): Miller's Claim That Appellate Counsel Was Ineffective for Failing to Conduct an Adequate Investigation Concerning the Ineffective Assistance Miller Received from Trial Counsel AND Failing to Present Sufficient Evidence During the Hearing on the Motion for New Trial to Establish That Miller Suffered Prejudice as a Result of Trial Counsel's Performance . . ................................................. 74

a) No Procedural Default .......................... 75

b) Merits ....................................... 75

3. Claim B(iv): Miller's Claim That Appellate Counsel was Ineffective for Failing to Adequately Present the Claims of Ineffective Assistance of Trial Counsel That Were Raised in Miller's Motion for New Trial ......................... 79

a) Miller's claim that trial counsel's opening statement during the guilt phase was ineffective .................... 80

(1) No Procedural Default ..................... 81

(2) Merits .................................. 81

b) Miller's claim that trial counsel was ineffective for withdrawing the insanity defense ................. 83

(1) No Procedural Default ..................... 84(2) Merits .................................. 84

c) Miller's claim that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to present mental health evidence during the guilt phase of trial ......................................... 93

(1) No Procedural Default ..................... 94

(2) Merits .................................. 94

d) Miller's claim that trial counsel's penalty phase opening statement was ineffective ........................ 98

(1) No Procedural Default ..................... 98

(2) Merits .................................. 99

e) Miller's claim that trial counsel failed to adequately investigate and present mitigation evidence during the penalty phase ................................ 101

(1) No Procedural Default .................... 102

(2) Merits ................................. 102

(a) The abuse Miller suffered at the hands of his father ............................ 104

(b) Miller's impoverished childhood and exposure to the criminal behavior of his family members .................... 105

(c) The Miller family history of mental illness . . ................................. 106

(d) Miller's good employment history and relationship with his family ........... 108(e) Miller's behavior prior to the shootings . . . . ................................. 109

(f) Miller's behavior on the day of the shootings . ................................. 109

(3) Prejudice analysis ....................... 109

4. Claim B(v): Miller's Claim That Appellate Counsel was Ineffective for Failing to Raise Other Claims of Ineffective Assistance of Trial Counsel .......................... 118

a) Trial Counsel's performance during jury voir dire . . . 119

(1) No Procedural Default .................... 120

(2) Merits ................................. 120

b) Failure to object to the admission of testimony and photographs during the guilt phase of trial ......... 127

(1) Procedural Default ....................... 128

(2) Merits ................................. 129

c) Ineffective cross-examination of crucial prosecution witnesses .................................... 131

(1) Procedural Default ....................... 132

(2) Merits ................................. 133

d) Failure to object to portions of the state's guilt phase closing argument ............................. 134

(1) Procedural Default ....................... 135(2) Merits ................................. 135

e) Ineffective guilt phase closing argument ........... 136

(1) No Procedural Default .................... 136

(2) Merits ................................. 136

f) Failure to request jury instructions to protect Miller's rights ........................................... 140

(1) Procedural Default ....................... 141

(2) Merits ................................. 141

g) Relying on Dr. Scott as the sole mitigation witness during the penalty phase of trial ....................... 144

(1) No Procedural Default .................... 145

(2) Merits ................................. 145

h) Failure to move for a directed verdict during the penalty phase ....................................... 146

(1) Procedural Default ....................... 147

(2) Merits ................................. 148

i) Inadequate penalty phase closing argument ........ 151

(1) Procedural Default ....................... 152

(2) Merits ................................. 153

j) Failure to object to the court's penalty phase jury instructions .................................. 159(1) Procedural Default ....................... 160

(2) Merits ................................. 160

k) Failure to request a special verdict form ........... 164

(1) Procedural Default ....................... 165

(2) Merits ................................. 165

l) Inadequate representation at the sentencing hearing . . 168

(1) No Procedural Default .................... 169

(2) Merits ................................. 169

m) Failure to bring the Supreme Court's decision in Apprendi v. New Jersey to the trial court's attention .......... 173

(1) Procedural Default ....................... 174

(2) Merits ................................. 175

5. Claim B(vi): Miller's Claim That Appellate Counsel was Ineffective in the Appeal to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals .......................................... 176

a) Procedural Default ............................ 177

b) Merits ...................................... 177

C. Validity of the Death Sentence ............................. 178

VII. Conclusion ................................................. 188

I. THE OFFENSE CONDUCT

The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals provided the following summary of the evidence of the offense when it considered Miller's direct appeal. The state has adopted this summary for the purpose of answering Miller's petition. (Doc. 15, at 2).

The evidence presented at trial tended to establish the following. Around 7:00 a.m. on August 5, 1999, Johnny Cobb arrived at his place of employment, Ferguson Enterprises in Pelham. Cobb, the vice president of operations, recognized several other vehicles in the company's parking lot as belonging to sales manager Scott Yancy and delivery truck drivers Lee Holdbrooks and Alan Miller. As Cobb prepared to enter the

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