The Commission on Capital Cases updates this information regularly. This information, however, is subject to change and may not reflect the latest status of an inmate’s case and should not be relied upon for statistical or legal purposes.

 

OCCHICONE, Dominick Anthony (W/M)

DC#    226426

DOB:  08/29/45

 

Sixth Judicial Circuit, Pasco County Case# 86-1355

Sentencing Judge:  The Honorable Lawrence E. Keough

Attorneys, Trial:  Bruce S. Boyer – Private

Attorney, Direct Appeal:  Douglas S. Conner – Assistant Public Defender

Attorneys, Collateral Appeals:  Peter Cannon & Daphney E. Gaylord – CCRC-M

 

Date of Offense:  06/10/86

Date of Sentence:  11/09/87

 

Circumstances of the Offense:

 

Dominick Occhicone awoke his former girlfriend, Anita Gerrety, in the early morning hours of 06/10/86, by knocking on the sliding glass door to the bedroom of her house. She shared this house with her children as well as her parents, Raymond and Martha Artzner.  Occhicone left when Gerrety refused to speak to him, but returned an hour or so later armed with a handgun.  Occhicone cut the exterior telephone wires and proceeded to wake the household.  When Raymond Artzner, Gerrety’s father, went outside to confront him, Occhicone shot him.  Occhicone proceeded to break into the house through a locked door while Gerrety and her daughter were attempting to flee from the house.  Once he gained entrance into the house, he shot Gerrety’s mother, Martha Artzner, four times.

 

Trial Summary:

 

07/15/86          Indicted as follows:

                                    Count I:           First-Degree Murder (Raymond Artzner)

                                    Count II:         First-Degree Murder (Martha Artzner)

09/18/87          Jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts of the indictment

09/22/87          Jury recommended death by a vote of 7-5

11/09/87          Sentenced as follows:

                                    Count I:           First-Degree Murder (Raymond Artzner) – Life

                                    Count II:         First-Degree Murder (Martha Artzner) – Death

 

Appeal Summary:

 

Florida State Supreme Court – Direct Appeal

FSC# 71,505

570 So. 2d 902

 

11/25/87          Appeal filed

10/11/90          FSC affirmed conviction and death sentence

10/24/90          Motion for rehearing filed

12/26/90          Rehearing denied

01/25/91          Mandate issued

 

United States Supreme Court – Petition for Writ of Certiorari

USSC# 90-7541

500 U.S. 938

 

03/22/91          Petition filed

05/20/91          Petition denied

 

Florida Supreme Court – Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus

FSC# 80,234

618 So. 2d 730

 

07/30/92          Petition filed

04/08/93          Petition denied

06/07/93          Rehearing denied

 

State Circuit Court – 3.850 Motion

CC# 86-1355

 

05/20/93          Motion filed

05/18/98          Motion denied

 

Florida Supreme Court – 3.850 Appeal

FSC# 93,343

768 So. 2d 1037

 

06/30/98          Appeal filed

06/29/00          FSC affirmed the trial court’s denial of 3.850 motion

10/10/00          Rehearing denied

11/13/00          Mandate issued


United States District Court, Middle District – Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus

USDC# 01-2136

 

11/13/01          Petition filed

03/31/03          Petition granted in part and denied in part

03/31/05          Petition denied

 

United States Court of Appeals – Habeas Appeal

USCA# 05-12502

455 F.3d 1306

 

05/03/05          Appeal filed

07/14/06          USCA affirmed the USDC’s denial of Occhicone’s Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus

 

United States Supreme Court – Petition for Writ of Certiorari

USSC# 06-7160

127 S.Ct. 944

 

10/12/06          Petition filed

01/08/07          Petition denied

 

Factors Contributing to the Delay in Imposition of Sentence:

 

It took over three years for Occhicone’s direct appeal to be decided by the Florida Supreme Court.  It took five years for the Circuit Court to render a decision on Occhicone’s 3.850 motion. 

 

Case Information:

 

Occhicone filed a Direct Appeal to the Florida Supreme Court on 11/25/87.  Issues that were raised included whether the trial court erred in not granting his motion for mistrial based on a spectator’s alleged misconduct, and whether or not the prosecutor’s comment on his refusal to take the hand swab test constituted penalizing him for exercising his post-Miranda rights.  The Florida Supreme Court found all of the claims either without merit or harmless.  The Court affirmed the conviction and death sentence on 10/11/90.

 

Occhicone filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the Florida Supreme Court on 03/22/91, which was denied on 05/20/91.

 

Occhicone filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus to the Florida Supreme Court on 07/30/92, which was denied on 06/07/93.

 

Occhicone filed a 3.850 Motion to the Circuit Court on 05/20/93, which was denied on 05/18/98. 

 

Occhicone filed a 3.850 Appeal to the Florida Supreme Court on 06/30/98.  The Court affirmed the trial court’s denial of the 3.850 Motion on 06/29/00.  Issues that were raised included whether or not counsel provided ineffective assistance during both the guilt phase and the penalty phase.  The Court denied all claims.

 

Occhicone filed a Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus to the United States District Court, Middle District, on 11/13/01.  On 03/31/03, the petition was granted in part and denied in part.  The Court concluded that most of Occhicone’s claims were procedurally barred from review.

 

On 05/03/05, Occhicone filed a Habeas Appeal to the United States Court of Appeals.  The issue in this case involved an alleged violation of Giglio focusing on the testimony of Baker, Occhicone’s cellmate in jail, after the murders of the Artners.  The Giglio issue in this case involved the agreement between the prosecution attorneys and Baker to testify against Occhicone in exchange for the prosecution’s recommendation that Baker receive probation on his grand theft charge.  In light of the totality of evidence, the USCA concluded that there is no reasonable likelihood that the State’s failure to correct the untruthful testimony of Baker could have affected the judgment of the jury.  On 07/14/06, the USCA affirmed the USDC’s denial of Occhicone’s Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus. 

 

On 10/12/06, Occhicone filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, which was denied on 01/08/07.

 

Institutional Adjustment:

 

DATE

DAYS

VIOLATION

LOCATION

08/18/99

0

FIGHTING

UNION C. I.

 

________________________________________________________________________

 

Report Date:   10/12/01          CC

Approved:       10/25/01          WS

Updated:         04/22/09          AEH