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In the Supreme Court of Florida IN THE SUPREME COURT OF FLORIDA CASE NO. SC04-674 MICHAEL GEORGE BRUNO, SR., Appellant, v. STATE OF FLORIDA, Appellee. ON APPEAL FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR BROWARD COUNTY, STATE OF FLORIDA INITIAL BRIEF OF APPELLANT TODD G. SCHER Special Assistant CCRC-South Fla. Bar No. 0899641 Law Office of Todd G. Scher, P.L. 5600 Collins Avenue #15-B Miami Beach, FL 33140 (305) 861-9252 WILLIAM M. HENNIS III Fla. Bar No. 383007 CCRC-South 101 N.E. Third Avenue, Suite 400 Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301 (954) 713-1284 COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT PRELIMINARY STATEMENT This proceeding involves the appeal of the circuit court's denial of Mr. Bruno’s Rule 3.851 post-conviction relief and his Rule 3.853 motion for DNA testing. No evidentiary hearing was conducted. References to the record in this appeal will be as follows: "R." -- record on direct appeal to this Court; “PCR-1.” -- record on first 3.850 appeal to this Court; “T.” – refers to evidentiary hearing transcript from first 3.850 proceeding; “PCR-2.” – record on instant appeal to this Court. All other references will be self-explanatory. REQUEST FOR ORAL ARGUMENT Mr. Bruno has been sentenced to death. The resolution of the issues involved in this action will therefore determine whether he lives or dies. This Court has not hesitated to allow oral argument in other capital cases in a similar procedural posture. A full opportunity to air the issues through oral argument would be more than appropriate in this case, given the seriousness of the claims involved and the stakes at issue. Mr. Bruno, through counsel, accordingly urges that the Court permit oral argument. i TABLE OF CONTENTS Preliminary Statement ................................................................................... i Request for Oral Argument ........................................................................... i Table of Contents .......................................................................................... ii Table of Authorities ...................................................................................... iv Statement of the Case and Procedural History ............................................... 1 Statement of the Facts Relevant to Issues on Appeal..................................... 6 A. Introduction ................................................................................. 6 B. The Motion to Suppress................................................................ 6 C. The Case Against Mr. Bruno ....................................................... 11 1. Lay Testimony.................................................................... 11 2. Scientific Evidence ............................................................ 25 Summary of Arguments ................................................................................. 30 ii Argument I – Mr. Bruno was Erroneously Denied his Right Under Florida Law to Obtain DNA Testing of the Available Physical Evidence in Violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments ................................ 32 A. Substantive Right to DNA Testing................................................. 32 B. The “Reasonable Probability” Standard ........................................ 34 C. The Circuit Court’s Analysis was Erroneous.................................. 37 Argument II – To the Extent that the State has Destroyed Latent Fingerprint Lifts and/or Other Physical Evidence without Notice to Mr. Bruno, Mr. Bruno’s Due Process Rights Have been Violated................. 54 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 58 Certificate of Service .................................................................................. 59 Certificate of Compliance .......................................................................... 59 iii TABLE OF AUTHORITIES Amendment to Fla. R. Crim. P. Creating Rule 3.853, 807 So. 2d 633 (Fla. 2001)............................................................ 32 Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000)........................................................................ 5 Arizona v. Youngblood, 488 U.S. 51 (1988).......................................................................... 55 Borland v. State, 848 So. 2d 1288, 1290 (Fla. 2003).................................................. 35, 49 Brown v. Singletary, 229 F. Supp. 2d 1345 (S.D. Fla. 2002)............................................ 50 Bruno v. Moore, 838 So. 2d 485 (Fla. 2002).............................................................. 5 Bruno v. State, 574 So. 2d 76 (Fla.), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 834 (1991)........................................... 2, 41, 43 Bruno v. State, 807 So. 2d 55 (Fla. 2001)................................................................. 4, 41 California v. Trombetta, 467 U.S. 479 (1984)......................................................................... 55 Collins v. State, 869 So. 2d 723 (Fla. 4th DCA 2004).................................................. 44 Evitts v. Lucey, 469 U.S. 387 (1985)........................................................................ 33 iv Ford v. Wainwright, 477 U.S. 399 (1986)........................................................................ 34 Freeman v. State, 761 So. 2d 1055, 1061 (Fla. 2000).................................................. 49 Garcia v. State, 622 So. 2d 1325, 1330-31 (Fla. 1993).............................................. 35 Gaskin v. State, 737 So. 2d 509, 516 (Fla. 1999)....................................................... 49 Hewitt v. Helms, 459 U.S. 460, 466 (1983)................................................................ 34 Herrera v. Collins, 506 U.S. 390, 419 (1993)................................................................ 50 Huffman v. State, 837 So. 2d 1147, 1149 (Fla. 2d DCA)............................................. 37 Knighten v. State, 829 So. 2d 249, 251 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002)........................................ 37 Knighten v. State, 829 So. 2d 249, 252 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002)........................................ 35, 41, 44 Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 434 (1995)............................................................... 36 Lightbourne v. State, 742 So. 2d 238, 247-48 (Fla. 1999)................................................. 36 Manual v. State, 855 So. 2d 97 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003).................................................. 37, 44 v Marsh v. State, 812 So. 2d 579 (Fla. 3d DCA 2002)................................................. 42 Ohio Adult Parole Authority v. Woodard, 523 U.S. 272 (1998)......................................................................... 33 Riley v. State, 851 So. 2d 811 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003)................................................. 37, 44 Ring v. Arizona, 122 S. Ct. 2428 (2002)..................................................................... 5 Robinson v. State, 865 So. 2d 1259 (Fla. 2004)............................................................. 41 Saffold v. State, 850 So. 2d 574, 577 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003)......................................... 45, 50 Schlup v. Delo, 513 U.S. 298 (1995)........................................................................ 50 Schofield v. State, 861 So. 2d 1244 (Fla. 2d DCA 2003)............................................... 50 Spencer v. State, 842 So. 2d 52, 69 (Fla. 2003).......................................................... 49 State v. Smith, 100 Was. App. 1064 (Ct. App. Wash. 2000).................................... 40 State v. Underwood, 518 S.E. 2d 231 (Ct. App. S.C. 1999).............................................. 40 Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984)......................................................................... 35 United States v. Bagley, vi 473 U.S. 667 (1985)......................................................................... 35 Wasko v. State, 505 So. 2d 1314 (Fla. 1987)............................................................. 3 Young v. State, 739 So. 2d 553, 559 (Fla. 1999)...................................................... 36 Zollman v. State, 820 So. 2d 1059, 1062 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002)..................................... 33 vii STATEMENT OF THE CASE AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY On September 11, 1986, Mr. Bruno was indicted by a grand jury of Broward County, Florida, for one count of first-degree murder and one count of armed robbery with a firearm against the victim, Lionel Merlano. The guilt phase of Mr. Bruno’s trial was held August 5, 1987, through August 11, 1987. After a two-day deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict on both counts. After a sentencing hearing before the jury, the jury returned an advisory recommendation for the death penalty by a vote of eight (8) to four (4). On September 25, 1987, Mr. Bruno was sentenced to death by Broward County Circuit Court Judge Thomas M. Coker, Jr. In his sentencing order, the court found the existence of six statutory aggravating circumstances: (1) that, at the time of the crime, Mr. Bruno had been previously convicted of another capital offense or of a felony involving the use of violence to some person, to wit, Mr. Bruno’s contemporaneous conviction of the murder of Lionel Merlano and the robbery against Mr. Merlano; (2) that, at the time of the crime, Mr. Bruno was engaged in the commission of a robbery against Mr. Merlano; (3) that the murder was committed for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest or effecting an escape from custody; (4) that the murder was committed for pecuniary gain, (5) that the
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