David Sylvester Frances, Appellant v. State of Florida, Appellee; David Sylvester Frances, Petitioner, v. Michael…

Summary

The court affirmed the denial of postconviction relief and denied habeas relief, rejecting claims that trial counsel was ineffective during jury selection, guilt proceedings, and the penalty phase. It found no deficient performance causing prejudice, no sufficient proof of racially motivated death-penalty prosecution, and no reasonable probability that additional mitigation would have changed the sentence. It also held that appellate counsel was not ineffective for omitting unpreserved or meritless claims.