Full opinion text
HULL, Circuit Judge: Florida death row inmate Frederick W. Cummings petitioned the district court, pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2254, for a writ of habeas corpus. After review and oral argument, we conclude that Cummings’s trial counsel did not provide ineffective assistance in the investigation and presentation of mitigation evidence at the penalty phase of Cummings’s murder trial. Thus, Cummings’s § 2254 petition must be denied. I. BACKGROUND A. Facts of the Crime In Florida state court, Cummings was convicted of murdering his girlfriend Kathy Good (after she obtained a restraining order against him) and of the armed burglary of Good’s home. The Florida Supreme Court summarized how Cummings broke into Good’s home and stabbed her repeatedly: Fred Cummings-El dated the victim, Kathy Good, for a short period and the two lived together for several months. After the relationship ended, Cummings-El harassed Good and she eventually obtained a restraining order after he assaulted her at a neighbor’s house. He then made numerous verbal threats, such as: “Kathy, I’m going to kill you. Kathy, I’m going to kill you[ ]”; and “I love her. If I can’t have her, nobody [can] have her”; and finally “If I can’t have you, ain’t nobody going to have you.” Cummings-El broke into Good’s home in the early morning hours of September 16, 1991, and stabbed her several times while she was sleeping, killing her. Several people heard Good’s screams and saw Cummings-El at the scene. Good’s eight year-old son, Tadarius, was asleep in bed with his mother and awoke to see Cummings-El “punching” his mother. Good’s twenty year-old nephew, Michael Adams, was asleep on the floor of Good’s bedroom and saw Cummings-El fleeing from the house. And Good’s mother, Daisy Adams, confronted Cummings-El as he was leaving the bedroom. Cummings-El, whose face was only one or two feet from Daisy’s, shoved Daisy to the ground and ran. Good then staggered from the bedroom and collapsed in her mother’s arms, saying, “Fred, Fred.” Cummings-El v. State, 684 So.2d 729, 730-31 (Fla.1996) (“Cummings /”) (brackets in original). In short, Cummings “armed himself with a knife, waited outside Good’s home until she arrived ;.., broke into her house after she was asleep, and attacked her in her sleep.” Id. at 731. Trial evidence showed that Good received numerous stab wounds from Cummings, including defensive ones; was conscious for several minutes after the attack; and died from the blood filling her lungs — in essence, “she drowned in her own blood.” Id. On the date of the crime (September 16, 1991), Cummings was 33 years old. B. Pre-Trial Proceedings Cummings was charged with first-degree murder and armed burglary. On January 4, 1993, the state trial court conducted a pretrial hearing. Cummings’s trial counsel Theodore Mastos informed the court that Cummings did not want to present any mitigation evidence if he was convicted, and was refusing to provide Mastos with mitigation-related information. Mastos and the State Attorney jointly requested that the state trial court (1) conduct a colloquy with Cummings about his desire not to present mitigation evidence, and (2) order a psychiatric evaluation to ensure that Cummings’s decision not to present mitigation evidence was a knowing and voluntary waiver rather than the product of a mental infirmity. The state trial court conducted a colloquy. Cummings said he was not guilty and did not want his family testifying for him: When [Mastos told] me ... that [if the] State finds me guilty they were going to execute me, do I want to plead for my life? Like I told Mr. Mastos, I’m not guilty of this charge. Now, if you want to talk to my family members, he’s welcome to. Now, when this go to trial and however the outcome may be, which I’m not guilty of this case, whatever the outcome may be, I don’t want my family standing up here pleading for something that I’m not guilty for. I’m not guilty of this charge. Why should my family have to stand up here to plead for my life? They don’t have no evidence saying I killed nobody. The only thing they say is what people say. The state trial court informed Cummings that presenting mitigation would not be inconsistent with maintaining his innocence and would not waive his right to appeal his conviction. Cummings again told the court that he did not want to present mitigation evidence. Cummings said he might as well be dead if the jury found him guilty, as he did not want to sit in prison for life and he did not want his family begging for his life: What’s the difference between a life sentence and death? I’m not guilty. There’s no difference .... I am not going to sit in no prison for something I didn’t do the rest of my life. I might as well be dead if you find me guilty of something I’m not guilty for. So I’m not going [to have] my family beg for my life .... I have children out there. I’m not going to have them begging for my life. The state trial court then explained to Cummings that it would order a psychological evaluation to ensure Cummings’s decision was knowing and voluntary, and that he was competent to make it. The state trial court explained that it was ordering an evaluation “[b]ecause there’s very little down side risk” if Cummings’s family testified in the penalty phase, and that it was not begging but rather providing information for the jury “about you as a human being, as a father, as a brother, as a son, as a person, so the jury has a better idea of who you are and what’s happened to you during your life.” Cummings said he understood, but Cummings again said that serving a life sentence in prison and being unable to do anything for his children would be torture, and he would rather be dead: THE DEFENDANT: You know, I understand fully what you are saying. But when you’re locked up and you have children — I have teen-age children. I don’t need to be hearing about they going through these changes, they going through these changes. They are locked up. My daughter is going to be 16 years old. My baby is 10. My daughter will be nine months old. You see what I am saying? When these kids get big I’m sitting in prison with a life sentence. What can I do for them? What can I provide for them? What are they going to say, my daddy is in prison? I rather they say my father is dead. What is the difference? What can I do for my child[?] THE COURT: You could be available to get letters from them, to see them. THE DEFENDANT: That’s torture. The state trial court then questioned Cummings about permitting an investigation into mitigation evidence, and Cummings said Mastos could talk to his family members: THE COURT: Would you have any objection if your lawyer at least were able to talk with family members to find out about you? THE DEFENDANT: As I stated to him and told you, he can talk to all my family members and who he wants to talk to. THE COURT: And if he finds something that would ... have benefit for you, then I assume that he would be able to talk to you about that first, so that there may be a possibility that maybe a week from now or 10 days from now Mr. Mastos might say something to you, believe it or not, which may change your mind as to the second phase of the trial. I want him to at least be able to gather information so that he can say to you, Fred, look, I know your feeling, but this is what I have heard and according to the law this may be helpful for you. How about that? Will he be able to do that at least? THE DEFENDANT: Yes, sir. THE COURT: All right. [THE DEFENDANT:] As I said, I’m not guilty and I’m not going to be found guilty, I believe. Cummings informed the state trial court that he wanted to go to trial as soon as possible. The next day, Dr. Sanford Jacobson evaluated Cummings with regard to his mitigation decision. Dr. Jacobson found that Cummings was competent and had an acceptable appreciation of the charges against him, the nature of the legal process, and the possible penalties he could incur. Dr. Jacobson further concluded: With respect to [Cummings’s] feelings about family members testifying in any sentencing phase if it were necessary, I can only state that [Cummings’s] explanation does not appear to me to be irrational or bizarre. It may not be in his best interest at this time but [Cummings] might, if necessary, alter that opinion or view. Additionally, Dr. Jacobson reported that, during his interview with Cummings, Cummings “talked about his family and noted that he was the 7th of 12 children. He described a good relationship with his mother and his siblings.” Cummings reported he had used marijuana, alcohol, and cocaine, but no longer abused them, was not dependent, and had no problems with drugs. C. Penalty Phase On January 25, 1993, the trial began. It lasted four days. The jury found Cummings guilty of the first-degree murder of Kathy Good and the armed burglary of her home. The state trial court recessed to permit Mastos and Cummings to confer. Cummings’s family members, including at least two sisters, attended the trial. After the recess, Mastos indicated he was prepared to proceed with the penalty phase because Cummings did not want to present any evidence. Cummings told the state trial court he did not want to spend his life in prison, did not care if he was sentenced to death, and wanted no mitigation evidence presented on his behalf: THE DEFENDANT: ... [T]he people found me guilty of First Degree Murder. What everybody wants is to see my family pay for it and what’s the difference between a life and twenty-five years in prison or in an electric chair. They’re looking for sympathy. You all got it. You wouldn’t see no justice here. There is no need. I ain’t going to beg. I never was a begg[a]r and ain’t going to start now. THE COURT: Mr. [Cummings], it’s not a matter of begging anybody, sir. It’s a matter [of] presenting information to people to help me. THE DEFENDANT: ... I don’t want to spend my life in prison. I’m thirty-five years old. There’s a twenty-five year mandatory. Give me a break. What’s the difference? What’s the difference? Who’s going to take care of me for twenty-five years in prison? You’re telling me that you want me to get up everyday knowing that my life is in prison having to deal with the hustle and [bustle] in prison? That’s for a fool. That’s like me saying have mercy on me .... I’m not going to beg, your Honor. One of Cummings’s sisters addressed the court, and Cummings objected to her testifying for him, saying: She cannot ask anything because it’s my right not to have my family getting on the stand. I told my family from the start, when he came with me over a year ago, I told him I don’t want my family begging for nothing and I don’t want no tears in here from my family. The state trial court asked Cummings’s sister whether “there [are] people who know Mr. Cummingsf], members of his family, that want to be here and talk to the jury.” When his sister said yes, the state trial court re-set the penalty-phase hearing for the following week. Cummings again objected, and reminded the court he had been sent to the psychiatrist and found competent and that he had chosen not to have his family members plead for him and he didn’t want his family testifying. Mastos told the court that although Mastos “found it frustrating that [Cummings] didn’t want [his family] involved,” Mastos “respect[ed] him and his opinion and he articulates it well.” The state trial judge responded that the only issue in the case at that time was the sentencing decision that he would have to make, and “I ... want to hear from [Cummings’s] family.” The state trial court reiterated that “[a]s far as ... this Judge is concerned[,] I’m going to ask the jury [to reconvene next week and] I’m going to suggest that [Cummings’s] family ... contact Mr. Mastos between now and then.” The state trial court added, “I’m going to be ready for the sentencing phase ... [unless] the State ... find[s] any case law that will prohibit me from doing so. This is not only for the jury’s benefit, but, quite frankly, for mine as well.” Cummings again said he did not want his family begging for his life, and the state trial court said that it “appreciate^] that discussion, but at this point, we’re going to proceed.” The state trial court set the penalty phase to begin five days later. The day before the penalty phase began, the State informed the state trial court that it intended to present the testimony of Laura Friar, a records custodian from the North Carolina Department of Corrections. Friar would testify about the records of Cummings’s prior convictions and imprisonment in North Carolina for two armed robberies. Although Friar brought Cummings’s North Carolina prison file with her, Friar had notified the State that some portions of that file were not public record and that she would not release those without a court order. Friar informed the state trial court that the public portions of Cummings’s file included conviction, parole, and prison disciplinary records; the sealed, non-public portions included mental health records and records relating to Cummings’s dealings with the parole commission. The state trial court permitted the State to receive a copy of the public portions of Cummings’s North Carolina file, but ordered that the non-public portions were to be sealed and given only to Mastos for his review. Mastos received the sealed, non-public records the next morning, when the penalty phase began. He reviewed them when the court recessed at the close of the State’s case. When the court reconvened, the state trial court asked Mastos whether he would present any portion of it to the jury. Mastos said he would not, because “there is no evidence whatsoever of any psychoses or psychological problems that would affect a person’s behavior and I have had a chance to review it and I will not be introducing anything from that.” At the start of the penalty-phase hearing, Mastos addressed the state trial court regarding mitigation evidence and advised that Cummings up to that point would not let family members testify but now had “softened a little bit on that” and would allow two sisters to testify. The state trial court asked Cummings directly whether he would permit them at least to make a statement, and Cummings said he would. Cummings’s four children were also at the penalty phase hearing, and Mastos told the court “the boys and the daughter don’t wish to testify.” The penalty phase commenced. The State presented evidence of Cummings’s prior violent felony convictions: (1) one count of aggravated battery with great bodily harm in Gadsden County, Florida; and (2) the two robberies with a dangerous weapon in North Carolina. The State also called Good’s mother, Daisy Adams, and her nephew, Michael Adams. Daisy and Michael Adams testified about Good’s suffering during the moments between the time Cummings stabbed her and her death. After it rested its penalty-phase case, the State sought to reopen its case to present the disciplinary record from Cummings’s North Carolina prison files. The State Attorney told the court that the North Carolina files contained “evidence of five violent acts” by Cummings while he was in prison there. Mastos opposed the motion to reopen, arguing that that evidence was not properly admitted. The state trial court ruled the prison disciplinary record was not to be admitted and denied the motion to reopen the State’s case. Cummings called as witnesses two sisters, Diane St. Fleur and Catherine Covington. Both sisters testified Cummings was a loving and good father, was honest, came from a large and supportive family, was protective of his family and was not violent. Specifically, St. Fleur testified that she was seven years older than Cummings, and that their mother had six sons and six daughters, although three of the sons had already died. St. Fleur testified that Cummings was born Frederick Wooden (Wooden was their mother’s surname), but changed his name to F.W. Cummings so he would have both his mother’s and his father’s names. St. Fleur testified that Cummings had four children, all of whom were present in the courtroom: a fifteen-year-old daughter, and sons aged ten, thirteen, and fourteen. St. Fleur then testified about Cummings’s character: Q. I want you to tell the jury what kind of a man is your brother? How does he treat members of his family for instance, let’s start there. How does he treat the members of his family? A. He has treated them fine. You know, he is protective of his family, always [has] been, of his mother, his sisters, mother, brothers and his children. Q. How does he treat his children? A. He treat[s] his children very good. Q. Now during the last couple of years how would you characterize your relationship with Fred? A. We always have been close. Q. Is Fred an honest person? .... A. Yes. Q. Is he a violent person? A. I don’t think he is a violent person. St. Fleur’s testimony then turned to the sentence to be imposed: Q. Now Diane, we are here of course because the jury has to make a recommendation as to what sentence the Court might impose in this ease. What would you like to say to the jury about this penalty? What would you like to tell these 12 people? A. Well, I don’t believe in the death penalty. I know the jury found him guilty, but I personally I don’t believe it. Q. Well, we can’t argue that. The jury has made that finding but as to a recommendation, do you want the jury to spare your brother’s life? A. Yes. Q. Why? Is he a good person? Should they take that into account? A. Yes. I think they should. You know he has four kids which I have been taking care of those kids plus I have four more. It’s kind of a lot on you when you are taking care of eight children that are not yours and I feel like his life should be spared. My mother, she is very sick. That’s why she couldn’t even come to this trial you know. She had one slight stroke. Q. So you are hoping that there comes a time when Fred can come back and be with his loving family? A. Yes. Q. Would you characterize your family as a loving family, a close knit family? A. Yes. Very close. Q. In fact, you have been here the whole time haven’t you during this trial? A. Yes. Q. So what would you like the jury to do with this case? If you could sit in that jury room, what would you say to these 12 people? A. I would like for my brother[’s] life to be spared you know. You know because if you take his life, you know you are going to be taking more than him .... Because my mother, she can’t take no more. On cross-examination, St. Fleur stated that Cummings was the seventh oldest of their mother’s twelve children, and the third-oldest son. The State asked St. Fleur when was the last time she lived with Cummings full-time, and she didn’t remember, but thought it was sometime in the 1980s. St. Fleur reiterated her opinion that Cummings was not a violent person, but conceded that he had been convicted of earlier crimes, including armed robbery. St. Fleur also repeated that she did not believe Cummings was guilty of murdering Good. The State asked St. Fleur about the relationships among members of her and Cummings’s family, and she said they were close: Q. Are you a close family? You and your brothers and sisters? A. Yes. Q. So your brother has always had the attention and affection of the whole family, right? A. Yes. My whole family, yes. Q. So he was never abandoned by the rest of the family, was he? A. No. Q. He always had that support? A. My mother raised— Q. All of you? A. Yes. Although St. Fleur testified that Cummings always took care of his children, she admitted on cross that either she or the mother of Cummings’s children cared for them while he served prison terms in North Carolina and Florida. Another sister, Covington, was Cummings’s second and final witness. Covington testified that she was eight years older than Cummings and was his oldest sister. Like St. Fleur, Covington testified that Cummings had good character: Q. ... I want you to tell the jury what kind of a man is Fred. I mean you ... know[ ] him now as a brother, I want you to tell the jury. How does he treat you as a sister? A. As a sister Fred treats me very nice, nicely and also he is very nice[ ] to all his family. Not just his family, to other people as well. Q. Is Fred a[n] honest man? A. Very honest. Q. Yes? A. I think so. Q. Is he a violent man? A. I don’t think — not a violent person, no. Q. I mean he has had some problems with law enforcement? A. Yes, he has. Q. He has gone to prison and we don’t dispute that, but the Fred that you have known, have you ever seen him beating up anybody or striking anybody? A. Well actually, yes. Yes, when he was a little younger, with a cousin, they just had like a little run in but other than that— Q. So that was many, many years ago? A. Yes. It’s been a while back. When asked why the jury should spare her brother’s life, Covington said because he was innocent: Q. Hypothetically if you could sit around the table with the 12 members of the jury, what could you say to them in asking them to spare Fred’s life? Why should his life be spared? A. Because to be truthful, I really don’t feel like Fred killed the girl .... Q. What about Fred? Why should this jury vote to recommend life in prison as opposed to taking his life in the electric chair? A. Well, I don’t feel like Fred done it. I really don’t feel like Fred killed the girl. Covington testified that Cummings tried to be a good father to his children, though he had been away from them at times, and had a good relationship with his children. On cross-examination, Covington admitted that for most of the last ten years, Cummings was not around his children because he was in jail. Covington acknowledged that several of the crimes of which he was convicted involved violence, but testified that she never saw him do such things. Following the penalty-phase hearing, the jury recommended a death sentence by an eight-to-four vote. The state trial court followed the jury’s recommendation and imposed the death penalty. The state trial court found four statutory aggravating circumstances: (1) a prior violent felony conviction; (2) the murder was committed in the course of a burglary; (3) the killing was especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel; and (4) the killing was committed in a cold, calculated, and premeditated manner. See Fla. Stat. § 921.141(5) (1993) (listing potential aggravating circumstances). The state trial court found no statutory or non-statutory mitigating circumstances to exist. See id. § 921.141(6) (listing potential mitigating circumstances). The court considered Cummings’s sisters’ testimony that Cummings was undeserving of death because he was a loving father, came from a close and supportive family, and was not a violent man, but rejected it. The state trial court acknowledged that St. Fleur and Covington “testified from their hearts,” but concluded that their “family portrait of the defendant isn’t based on fact or in reality as reflected by the evidence of this case.” D. Direct Appeal Cummings appealed, arguing, inter alia, that the state trial court erred in: (1) striking two jurors for cause; and (2) finding the “heinous, atrocious, or cruel” (“HAC”) circumstance applicable. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed. Cummings I, 684 So.2d at 731 (concluding the juror strike claim was not preserved for review, and the HAC finding was proper because “[t]he record contains voluminous evidence of [Good’s] suffering”). E. Rule 3.850 Motion and Hearings In May 1998, Cummings filed in the state trial court a Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850 motion to vacate his convictions and death sentence. The same Florida trial court judge presided over Cummings’s criminal trial and his Rule 3.850 proceedings. In the context of Cummings’s state collateral proceedings, we refer to the state trial court as the “Rule 3.850 court.” Cummings amended his Rule 3.850 motion in June 1999. As amended, Cummings’s Rule 3.850 motion contained eleven claims, including a claim that Mastos was ineffective for not investigating and presenting mitigation evidence at the penalty phase. The Rule 3.850 court held a Huff hearing to determine the issues for which an evidentiary hearing was required. See Huff v. State, 622 So.2d 982 (Fla.1993). At that hearing, Cummings’s initial Rule 3.850 counsel Lee Weissenborn indicated that Cummings still did not wish to cooperate with the investigation or presentation of mitigation evidence. Weissenborn stated that Cummings was “concerned that he didn’t get a fair trial at the guilt phase, but he didn’t want to hear anything from me ... about the penalty phase.” Afterward, on July 29, 1999, the Rule 3.850 court issued an order denying ten of Cummings’s Rule 3.850 claims — all but his claim that his trial counsel Mastos was ineffective for failing to investigate and present mitigation evidence at the penalty phase. As to this claim, the Rule 3.850 court, out of “an abundance of caution,” granted an evidentiary hearing despite Cummings’s failure to allege what mitigation evidence should have been presented or even how he was prejudiced. Before the evidentiary hearing, Cummings moved to discharge Weissenborn, his first Rule 3.850 counsel, because Weissenborn allegedly was not working hard enough on Cummings’s case, was not representing Cummings zealously enough, and was pursuing penalty-phase issues rather than guilt-phase issues. During the hearing on his motion to discharge Weissenborn, Cummings reaffirmed that he would rather have a death sentence than a sentence of life imprisonment; I don’t want no life sentence. I just want a fair trial on the evidence and not the stuff that they concocted. That’s not evidence .... I want a lawyer that’s going to do the case for me. I don’t know nothing about the law, but I don’t want no life sentence. I want a death sentence, like you done gave me the first time. I don’t want no life walking around in prison. In January 2000, the Rule 3.850 court granted the motion and appointed new counsel to represent Cummings. Cummings’s new Rule 3.850 counsel, Reginald Moss, amended Cummings’s Rule 3.850 motion twice to raise four additional claims. The Rule 3.850 court held a second Huff hearing. Afterwards, it denied all the additional claims except Cummings’s claim of ineffective trial counsel for failing to interview Cummings’s mother and sister for mitigation purposes, which the Rule 3.850 court considered a supplement to Cummings’s earlier claim of failure to investigate and present mitigation evidence. In November and December 2000, the Rule 3.850 court held a six-day evidentiary hearing on the mitigation evidence claim, but Cummings did not testify although he was present. His new counsel called Cummings’s sister, Covington; his niece, Catherine Wooden; his son, Frederick; the mother of his children, Deborah Dawson; his middle school principal, Moses Pool; a childhood friend, Eddie Webster; and three expert witnesses, Dr. Lynn Schram, Dr. Merry Haber, and Dr. Bruce Frumkin. The State called Mastos and two expert witnesses: Dr. John Spencer and Dr. Jane Ansley. We summarize the testimony. Covington testified that Cummings was her half-brother and nine years her junior. Covington said their mother, Martha Wooden, was a good mother but was absent most of the time and was frequently out playing cards. Martha Wooden did not work much, and the family lived off welfare. Martha Wooden married Jules Wooden Sr., who was the father of six of Martha Wooden’s children (but not Cummings). Cummings was the only child of their mother and Randolph Cummings. Covington did not know how long Randolph Cummings and Martha Wooden were together, but they never married and Covington did not know him very well. Martha Wooden had five other children by three other men, none of whom she married. None of the men in Martha Wooden’s life ever took on a surrogate-father-type role in Cummings’s life. The neighborhood had a lot of drugs and other criminal activity. When Cummings was about twelve or thirteen, Covington began to suspect he was using drugs. Five of his half-siblings were using drugs then, too. Cummings had four children with his girlfriend Deborah Dawson, and he loved his children. Cummings was not a harsh disciplinarian with his children, and Covington never knew him to abuse them. When Cummings was not in jail, his children lived with him, and he was active in their lives. He tried to teach them right from wrong, and to make for themselves a better life than he did for himself. Covington attended one or two days of the guilt phase of Cummings’s trial. After the guilty verdict, Cummings relented and allowed her to testify in the penalty phase. Mastos asked her a few questions about Cummings, then moved on to speak to the children. On cross-examination, Covington testified that her family was close and supportive with each other. Covington and others in the family tried to help Cummings, to be supportive of him, to get him to quit using drugs. They tried to make Cummings understand how much they all loved him. With regard to Cummings’s children, Covington admitted that Cummings twice moved out of state and left his girlfriend and his four children behind, at least once without any discussion beforehand. Cummings’s niece Catherine Wooden (“Catherine”) testified next. Catherine was the daughter of Cummings’s older half-sister Diane St. Fleur. Catherine grew up in the same house as Cummings; he left home when she was about twelve or thirteen. There were about eight to ten children living in the four-bedroom house at that time. Catherine testified that when the children misbehaved, Martha Wooden would whip them with “whatever she could get her hands on at that time.” Martha Wooden whipped Cummings with a mop handle, extension cords, and a belt. Catherine saw Martha Wooden whip Cummings about fifteen to twenty times over the years. The beatings left “really thick welts.” However, Catherine admitted on cross that she considered Martha Wooden’s whippings to be punishment, not abuse. Catherine echoed Covington’s testimony about Cummings’s parenting — that he loved his children and spent time with them. When Cummings was in jail in North Carolina, his children were living with Deborah Dawson, their mother. Dawson began using drugs heavily, and Cummings from prison wrote a letter to the courts in North Carolina, arranging for his sister Diane to get temporary custody of his children. Catherine first met Mastos the day the jury returned its guilty verdict. Mastos asked her to sit outside the courtroom because he might call her as a witness, but did not tell her what he wanted her to testify about, or ask what information she had about Cummings or the case. Catherine would have been willing to talk to Mastos earlier if he had approached her. Moses Poole, Cummings’s middle-school principal, first met Cummings when he was in seventh grade. Poole remembered Cummings as being pleasant and friendly, and an average student. Cummings had no discipline problems at school. Cummings’s brother Jules and sister Annie had serious discipline, attendance, and attitude problems, but Martha Wooden never took any beneficial action to correct it. Deborah Dawson, the mother of Cummings’s four children, testified that she was in a romantic relationship with Cummings for nine years; though they were never legally married, they considered themselves to be husband and wife. Cummings was a good father to his children and he would take them places like out to eat, to movies, swimming, and fishing. He disciplined the children to teach them to be good and respect others. On cross-examination, Dawson admitted that Cummings moved to California without her and without explaining why he was going; he “£j]ust up and went.” At the time Cummings and Dawson had a three-year-old and a two-year-old child, and Dawson was pregnant with their third child. Dawson later took the children and joined him in California. Cummings’s son Frederick testified that Cummings was a good father to him and his siblings, that Cummings was strict and taught them to respect others and get their work done. Cummings would take them to family activities like swimming, fishing, and cookouts. Eddie Webster testified that he had known Cummings since he was about twelve, a period of more than thirty years. When he and Cummings were about thirteen, they started using drugs: cigarettes at first, then they started sniffing gasoline. The gasoline-sniffing lasted about a month. Many years later, after Cummings returned to Florida from California, they began smoking crack together. The State called Mastos. At the time Mastos was appointed to represent Cummings, Mastos was a veteran criminal defense attorney who earlier had represented two capital co-defendants who were acquitted. Mastos already had served as a judge and a prosecutor. As a judge, Mastos presided over thousands of cases, including capital murder trials. In all, Mastos served ten years as a trial judge, plus seventeen years as either a prosecutor or a criminal defense attorney. Mastos testified that before trial Cummings took the firm position that he did not want to present any evidence in the penalty phase. According to Mastos, Cummings repeatedly said he did not want a penalty phase. Mastos felt obligated to request that Cummings be evaluated to determine whether this decision was knowing and voluntary. Once Dr. Jacobson determined that Cummings was competent, Mastos had no reason to doubt that Cummings’s decision to forego a penalty-phase defense was a knowing and voluntary one. Mastos explained the penalty-phase process to Cummings and “had every reason to believe that [Cummings] understood” his explanation. Mastos testified he believed Cummings was an intelligent man, and, at that point, Mastos accepted Cummings’s decision and did not investigate mitigation evidence: Q. Did [Cummings] appear to understand your explanation of the process? A. I had every reason to believe that he understood. And again, being [that] I thought Fred was an intelligent man. I mean, his ability to think and reason, look at the depos,[] be in full command of the facts. Again, when he said, I don’t want a penalty phase, that was — I accepted it. Q. Did you go behind his back and investigate and prepare a penalty phase by contacting family members? A. No. Q. Or investigating his background or any of those things? A. No. Next, Mastos admitted that Cummings later grudgingly permitted him to talk to his two sisters, and that Mastos then talked with, and put on the stand, two of Cummings’s sisters: Q. Earlier you said he bent a little bit, did there come a point where he allowed you, eventually allowed you to discuss his case with some family members? A. Yes. Q. Did he [sic], in fact, discuss his case with some family members? A. There were two people, I believe, who were sisters, and they sat through most of the trial. And I remember meeting them and talking to them in the courtroom. I don’t remember them ever coming to the office. Q. But you did discuss— A. Yes, we did. Q. ... Did your discussions with them give you any material, any information that you could have used in a penalty phase? A. No. Q. ... Did you remember discussing with the defendant, [did he] give you any background material, any material that you thought you might have been able to use at a penalty phase? A. No.... [Cummings] was always very guarded about his background and his family. Q. Did his position, [as] regards the penalty phase, change any following the guilty verdict? A. Well, grudgingly, he let me put these two people on for the limited ... goal of trying to put a human spin on this case as to why the jury might spare his life. Mastos reaffirmed that he presented a “limited” penalty-phase defense on Cummings’s behalf because of the limits Cummings had put on him: Q. Do you recall what defense you did present at the penalty phase? A. Very limited. And again, it was limited to trying to put some sort of a human side to this, that Fred did have a family, that he did have some children out there. That was basically all that I could do, you know, in the limited framework that he had put [on] this thing. Mastos testified that his penalty-phase strategy was to emphasize Cummings’s humanity and he would not have presented evidence regarding Cummings’s antisocial personality disorder, crime-riddled family, or history of drug abuse even had he known about it. Such testimony, Mastos stated, would have been contrary to his strategy and would have had a negative effect on the jury: Q. If you had requested a mental examination and the examination showed that the defendant had an Antisocial Personality Disorder, with the suggestion that the defendant was a psychopathic manipulator, is that something that you would have wanted the jury to hear? A. No. Q. Why not? A. That would make a bad situation worse. Q. In what respect? A. Well, it would defeat what I was trying to do, that is, put a human spin on it, [to show] that he’s a human being with a family. If they heard testimony that he was a manipulative psychopath, I mean, you might as well throw gasoline on a fire. Q. Okay. If ... the defendant came from a family of criminals ... [or] the defendant himself had participated in criminal behavior of one sort [or] another nearly his entire life, would you have presented that to a jury? A. No. Q. And why not? A. Again, adverse effect on the jury. You’re trying to redeem the guy. You’re trying to show good qualities. You show a life dedicated to crime, it’s negative. Q. Okay. What about alleged drug use by the defendant, ... lifelong drug use? A. Well, drug use is like alcohol. That sometimes can cut both ways. You know, it certainly could help. I mean, for instance, if Fred had come clean in the very beginning with me, as he did ultimately after it was all over, then his cocaine use would have been an issue. So then he would have stood there all along and said, look, this, you know, this was caused by coeaine[-induced] rage or frenzy. But he never put himself there. Therefore, if I had testimony of drug use, it wouldn’t mean anything. Q. Well, let me ask you this then. Drug abuse, drug use at a time other than the time of the crime, would that have been of any use to you? A. Probably very little. Q. In the absence of the— A. Jurors are not sympathetic to junkies generally. Mastos’s plan at the penalty phase was “[t]o let the jury see [Cummings’s] children,” to show that he had a life and family outside of prison. Mastos explained that this plan arose from the constraints imposed by Cummings’s continued denial that he was guilty of Good’s murder: [I]n light of his denial that he had been there, ... you’re in a very limited position of trying to show a jury that there is a human being there, that his life is worth something to his family and ... he’s a living, breathing person. So there is some worth. In light of these constraints, Mastos testified that to present evidence regarding the extensive criminal history of Cummings’s family would have been counterproductive: [Y]ou have a man who stood before this court, before this jury, before me and said I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it, I’ll go to the electric chair saying I didn’t do it. The jury hears a violent felony that takes place and then to bring in front of the jury that his whole family has a criminal history would be completely counterproductive. Q. In what way? ... A. Because, instead of voting eight to four, they would have voted ten to two or twelve zip because they would have said, my God, the whole family is garbage. On cross-examination by Cummings’s Rule 3.850 counsel, Mastos testified about his investigation into mitigation evidence. Mastos first raised the issue of penalty-phase preparations with Cummings in late 1992, a few months before the January 25, 1993 trial. Cummings did not feel that a penalty phase was necessary but was not “quite that strident at that early stage.” Mastos explained to him the propriety of preparing for a penalty phase, but to Cummings considering “anything less than victory was weakness,” and Cummings “viewed the whole [penalty-phase] concept as begging.” Mastos consulted with other attorneys who had tried first-degree murder cases as to what he should do in this situation, and some attorneys said that when a client is adamantly against it, you have no authority and cannot go behind a client’s back. Mastos acknowledged there was no consensus on this issue. Although at the January 4, 1993 pretrial hearing Cummings said that Mastos could talk to his family members, Mastos did not “ever recall anything Fred said that gave me some car[te] blanche authority to go and talk to his family members” because Mastos could “tell from [Cummings’s] tone he didn’t want a penalty phase.” Mastos did not believe he could go behind Cummings’s back and conduct an investigation, as he did not want to violate the trust between Cummings and himself as his attorney: The bottom line to this case is, the client didn’t want a penalty phase. He didn’t want people begging for his life. I didn’t feel, as his lawyer, that I was going to go behind his back and conduct an investigation. I didn’t want to violate the trust that I thought existed between the attorney and the client .... I don’t know what else to say about this case. I can’t go back to 1993 and conduct some kind of an investigation that he didn’t want. Although Mastos eventually was able to put two of Cummings’s sisters on the stand, Mastos reiterated that he never had full authority to conduct an investigation into mitigation evidence, and “[w]hatever [Cummings] gave me was grudging.” Mastos testified that he “never considered it a warm and fuzzy invitation from Fred to go searching for nuggets of information.” Once Dr. Jacobson concluded that Cummings was mentally competent to waive mitigation, Mastos did not retain any other mental health witnesses to examine Cummings. Mastos also did not retain an investigator or conduct any investigation because Cummings did not want him to do so: I know we’re going in circles here, but I took the man at his word. I did not conduct any investigation. I didn’t feel that’s what my client wanted. He grudgingly allowed me to talk to these people. I tried to get a few nuggets of humanity in front of the jury and that’s it. Mastos suggested to Cummings that Cummings have his family members call Mastos, but Mastos never received any calls from them. The Rule 3.850 hearing also featured the testimony of five mental health experts: three psychologists called by Cummings and two psychologists called by the State. The Florida Supreme Court summarized the expert mental health testimony as follows: During the hearing, Cummings presented ... three mental health experts who testified regarding Cummings’s mental state at the time of the crime and whether he suffered from brain damage. Dr. Lynn Schram, a clinical neuropsychologist, ... testified regarding the tests he performed on Cummings. Dr. Schram concluded that Cummings suffers from an attention/concentration problem that could be indicative of some organic brain damage. Dr. Schram further testified that he could not diagnose brain damage with certainty, nor could he find that Cummings was impaired in his everyday functioning. Dr. Merry Haber, a forensic psychologist, testified that she was asked to evaluate Cummings and develop a psychosocial history to determine whether there were any mitigating factors that would affect Cummings’s death sentence. Dr. Haber concluded that Cummings suffers from antisocial personality disorder and exhibits features of obsessive compulsive personality disorder, both arising from his poor upbringing. Dr. Haber stated that she believed that Cummings knew his conduct was wrong and that she could not diagnose brain damage with certainty. Lastly, Dr. Bruce Frumkin, a forensic clinical psychologist, testified regarding his evaluation of Cummings. Dr. Frumkin concluded that Cummings did not suffer from antisocial personality disorder, but rather, Cummings suffered from depression, polysubstance abuse, and cognitive inflexibility or “tunnel vision” that could be caused by some organic brain damage .... In response, the State presented the testimony of Dr. John Spencer, a clinical forensic psychologist, and Dr. Jane Ansley, a neuropsychologist. Dr. Spencer testified that his evaluations of Cummings revealed no significant brain damage or gross cognitive impairments. He concluded that Cummings had antisocial personality disorder. Dr. Spencer also used a video interview of Cummings to reveal Cummings’s ability to adapt his behavior to changing situations, contradicting a diagnosis that Cummings experienced “tunnel vision.” Dr. Ansley testified that her review of Cummings’s medical history, the raw data obtained by the other experts in this case, and the results of the tests she administered to Cummings indicated that Cummings had no organic brain damage or executive function deficit. Dr. Ansley concluded that Cummings has antisocial personality disorder. She further testified that she disagreed with Dr. Schram’s conclusion that Cummings experienced an attention/concentration deficit. Cummings-El v. State, 863 So.2d 246, 251-52 (Fla.2003) (“Cummings II”) (“-E1” suffix in Cummings’s name omitted). F. Order Denying Rule 3.850 Motion In a twelve page order, the Rule 3.850 court denied Cummings’s Rule 3.850 claim that his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate and present mitigation evidence at the penalty phase. The Rule 3.850 court found that Cummings did not “m[e]et his burden of proving that trial counsel’s conduct at the penalty phase amounted to deficient representation in light of [Cummings’s] refusal to assist counsel in preparing for a penalty phase by expressly prohibiting counsel from presenting background evidence, irrespective of his later cursory consent to family members being contacted.” The Rule 3.850 court noted that Cummings’s defense theory was mistaken identity. Mastos presented no other defense because Cummings did not agree to any other defense, and Mastos felt he would lose Cummings’s trust if he went against his wishes. The Rule 3.850 court noted Mastos’s testimony that Cummings did not want mitigation presented and only grudgingly allowed him to contact his family: Mr. Mastos testified he was familiar with the aggravators and mitigators. He testified that [neither] the Defendant nor his family members gave him any information that would have been useful in presenting evidence of statutory mitigating factors. He stated that the Defendant was quite strong-willed and he could not convince him to do anything. Mr. Mastos testified that the Defendant did not want him to contact his family members to testify on his behalf, that he did not want his family “begging for his life” because he was innocent .... Mr. Mastos further testified that Defendant grudgingly permitted trial counsel to contact family members, but maintained the position that he did not want them to beg for his life. The record shows that at the January 4, 1993 trial hearing Defendant gave trial counsel permission to speak to his family members, but Dr. Jacobson’s report dated January 5, 1993 demonstrates that Defendant did not want family members to testify. However, during the penalty phase trial counsel presented testimony from the Defendant’s two (2) available family members, to put a human spin on the case. Some of the Defendant’s children were in court during the penalty phase, but did not wish to testify, nor did Defendant wish them to testify. Upon recounting this testimony, the Rule 3.850 court determined that (1) “no absolute duty exists to introduce mitigating or character evidence,” and (2) “trial counsel is not deficient for failure to present testimony from reluctant family members,” and (3) trial counsel is not ineffective for following the instructions of his client. The Rule 3.850 court also concluded that Mastos was not ineffective as to investigation of mitigation evidence because “Mr. Mastos used the majority of his efforts in the guilt phase and cannot be faulted for following the wishes of his client in the penalty phase.” The Rule 3.850 court found “that, under the circumstances of this case, the performance of trial counsel was within the parameters of ‘prevailing professional norms.’ ” The Rule 3.850 court reviewed the evidence Cummings developed at the Rule 3.850 evidentiary hearing and found that Covington, Catherine Wooden, Frederick Dawson, and Deborah Dawson “offered essentially the same non-statutory mitigation evidence as that presented at trial” by Covington and St. Fleur. Moreover, Mastos testified that he would not have presented much of the proffered 3.850 testimony because it either would not have been helpful or would have proven harmful: Mr. Mastos testified that he did not call ... Deborah Dawson ... because, according to Mr. Mastos, her testimony, like that of other civilian witnesses, would not have been particularly helpful to Defendant. Her testimony would have revealed, during cross-examination, that the Defendant was a drug user, supported her periodically, when he was not incarcerated, and voluntarily left her and the children when he moved back to Florida .... [Regarding] trial counsel’s failure to introduce mitigation evidence including the extensive history of criminal conduct of Defendant’s siblings, and Defendant’s substance abuse[,] Mr. Mastos was successful in keeping out details of Defendant’s prior convictions. Mr. Mastos testified that he did not present the Defendant’s previous incarceration records because he did not want the jury to think that Defendant was a career criminal, as this would not have elicited their sympathy. Moreover, while there are indicia of good behavior in the records, there are also notations of involvement in violent fights while incarcerated. The testimony by the family members at the evidentiary hearing would have exposed the jury to parts of the Defendant’s criminal record that were not presented at trial. Mr. Mastos also testified that he would not have presented to the jury the criminal history of Defendant’s family members as that would have resulted in the jury voting 10-2 or 12-0 for death, rather than 8^1 Trial counsel is not ineffective for failing to present background information which would have allowed the presentation of damaging or derogatory evidence, including violent tendencies, in rebuttal. Regarding Defendant’s drug use, ... Mr. Mastos testified that the Defendant did not tell him about the drug use until after the trial was over. Counsel acknowledged that drug abuse can have a double-edged sword effect on the jury, as juries are not sympathetic to junkies generally. Further he believed that drug abuse testimony would have been helpful if the Defendant had claimed to have committed the crime while in a cocaine rage. Because the defense’s strategy was to convince the jury that the Defendant was not present at the scene of the crime and did not commit the crime, and that Defendant is a decent, upstanding, family man, testimony of drug abuse at the penalty phase would not have been supportive of counsel’s efforts. Counsel’s strategic decisions will not be second-guessed on collateral attack. In addition, the Rule 3.850 court cited Mastos’s testimony that he would not have used the following other categories of mitigation evidence because they were inconsistent with the defense strategy: (1) extreme emotional disturbance; (2) an impaired ability to conform to the requirements of the law; and (3) antisocial or psychopathic personality disorder. The Rule 3.850 court then addressed Cummings’s and the State’s mental health expert witnesses. The Rule 3.850 court found that “[t]he consensus of the expert testimony is that Defendant has an antisocial personality disorder, which is not a mitigating factor. They all agree that antisocial personality disorder does not cause criminal behavior, it explains it.” The Rule 3.850 court summarized the testimony of Cummings’s three experts (Drs. Haber, Frumpkin, and Schram) and the State’s experts (Drs. Spencer and Ansley): Dr. Haber testified that the Defendant has obsessive compulsive personality traits .... She also found that he is manipulative and likes to present himself in the best light and likes to convey the impression that he is an upright moral kind of guy. Dr. Haber also testified that Defendant had the capacity to know what he was doing when he killed the victim. She determined that he acts without impulse control. She was concerned about the possibility of brain damage due to the Defendant suffering a head injury as a child and while in prison, even though he did not lose consciousness during either incident. Additionally, she acknowledged that huffing gasoline could cause brain damage. As she is not a neuro-psychologist, she could not diagnose brain damage with certainty. Dr. Frumpkin also testified about the Defendant’s social history and head injuries. In addition to having an anti-social personality disorder, Dr. Frumpkin concluded that the Defendant is probably long-term chronically depressed. He agreed with Dr. Schram’s conclusion that the Defendant cannot shift attention. On cross-examination, Dr. Frump-kin admitted that the impairment in Defendant’s attention may not be due to improper brain functioning. Dr. Schram, whose background does not include extensive experience in forensics nor familiarity with the legal standards of incapacity, testified as to the results of a number of tests administered to Defendant .... Dr. Schram opined ... that the Defendant has an attention and concentration problem, which is indicative of organic brain damage .... [However,] Dr. Schram was unable to either definitively determine that Defendant suffers from brain damage, or find that Defendant is impaired in his everyday functioning. Dr. Spencer found the Defendant has an anti-social personality disorder, but found no clinical evidence of significant brain damage. He testified that he personally observed that the Defendant could change his approach when confronted with information, known as changing sets. Dr. Spencer videotaped his interview with the Defendant. A portion of the tape was presented as evidence. The video clearly showed that the Defendant was capable of changing sets in the way he altered his mind set when responding to Dr. Spencer. As noted by Dr. Spencer, the tape revealed that the Defendant can become agitated, and not become violent. He can control his anger. Dr. Spencer also stated that it was possible to suffer from brain damage that is not detected or detectable. He stated that he did not see anything in his test results or in his interview with the Defendant that was indicative of organic brain damage. Dr. Ansley provided a neuro-psychological evaluation. She testified that the results of her evaluation showed no indication of any organic brain damage and no executive function deficit. Dr. Ansley had reviewed the Defendant’s medical history and the raw data from the testing performed by all of the aforementioned experts. She concluded that this data was valid and reliable, and integrated it into tests she performed on her own. Her findings, like those of Dr. Spencer, were that the Defendant has an anti-social personality disorder and type D on the McGarty scale. This type of individual, according to Dr. Ansley, generally does not do well in treatment as the person does not accept responsibility in general. ... Based on the results of the tests she conducted, as well as her review of Defendant’s prison records, and the reports of the other expert witnesses, Dr. Ansley testified that she reached the conclusion that the head injuries and the drug usage reported by Defendant did not cause brain damage, and that the Defendant does not have any brain damage that would affect his ability to understand what he was doing when he killed the victim. Moreover, she concluded that it was a volitional choice to violate the restraining order. After reviewing the expert testimony, the Rule 3.850 court found that (1) the State’s experts Dr. Spencer and Dr. Ansley were more credible, (2) Cummings had an antisocial personality disorder, and (3) Cummings had no organic brain damage. Alternatively, the Rule 3.850 court found that even if Mastos’s performance was deficient, the result at trial would not have been different, and thus Cummings could not prove prejudice. It stated, “the Court is convinced that the proposed mitigation evidence would not have made any difference on the outcome of the sentence!]] therefore, counsel cannot be ineffective for failing to present such evidence.” G. Rule 8.850 Appeal and State Habeas Petition Cummings appealed the denial of his Rule 3.850 motion to the Florida Supreme Court, and also filed a state habeas petition in that court. The Florida Supreme Court affirmed. Cummings II, 863 So.2d at 249-50. The Florida Supreme Court recognized that the test for assessing Mastos’s performance was not only whether he should have presented mitigation evidence, but also “whether the investigation supporting [Mastos’s] decision not to introduce mitigating evidence ... was itself reasonable,” and that his investigation should be assessed through “an objective review of [Mastos’s] performance, measured for reasonableness under prevailing professional norms, which includes a context-dependent consideration of the challenged conduct as seen from [Mastos’s] perspective at the time.” Cummings II, 863 So.2d at 250-51 (quoting Wiggins v. Smith, 539 U.S. 510, 522-23, 123 S.Ct. 2527, 2536, 156 L.Ed.2d 471 (2003)) (internal quotation marks and emphasis omitted) (ellipsis in original). The Florida Supreme Court concluded that Mastos’s performance was not ineffective in either his investigation or presentation of mitigation evidence. Id. at 252-53. The Florida Supreme Court noted, for example, that Mastos called Cummings’s sisters — Covington and St. Fleur — to testify in the penalty phase, and that they “testified that Cummingsf] was good to his family, was not violent, and was innocent of the crime.” Id. at 251. The Florida Supreme Court recounted the Rule 3.850 testimony that: (1) Cummings “was adamant about not wanting” mitigation evidence; (2) Dr. Sanford Jacobson evaluated Cummings and concluded he was competent to waive a mitigation defense; (3) “given his client’s wishes during the penalty phase,” Mastos’s “strategy was to present Cummings[] in a positive light”; (4) Mastos “did not present evidence of Cummings[]’s drug use, poor upbringing, or that he came from a family whose members had substantial criminal charges and convictions, because he believed that such evidence would have an adverse effect on the jury”; (5) Mastos would not have presented the fact that Cummings had an anti-social personality disorder because it would have been inconsistent with his trial strategy; and (6) Mastos was “successful in keeping out the details of [Cummings’s] prior convictions.” Id. at 252. The Florida Supreme Court pointed out that in a “detailed order,” the Rule 3.850 court “found that Mastos’s strategy to present positive aspects of Cummings[]’s personality and to prevent negative evidence from being introduced was reasonable, particularly in light of the fact that Cummings[] made it extremely difficult for Mastos to obtain mitigating evidence.” Id. The Florida Supreme Court also noted that the Rule 3.850 court “evaluated the mental health expert testimony ... [and] found the video tape of the interview of Dr. Spencer and [Cummings] ... [demonstrated Cummings’s] ability to change his behavior as the situation changed. Additionally, the testimony of D