Case Title: Com. v. Gaddy

Citation: 424 A.2d 1268, 492 Pa. 434

Docket Number: 

State: pennsylvania

Court: Pennsylvania Supreme Court

Date: 1981-01-30T00:00:00Z

Document:
492 Pa. 434 (1981) 424 A.2d 1268 COMMONWEALTH of Pennsylvania, Appellee, v. Henry R. GADDY, Appellant. Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Argued October 13, 1980. Decided January 30, 1981. *435 Abraham A. Leizerowski, Philadelphia, for appellant. Robert B. Lawler, Chief, Appeals Div., Philadelphia, for appellee. *436 Before O'BRIEN, C.J., and ROBERTS, NIX, LARSEN, FLAHERTY and KAUFFMAN, JJ. KAUFFMAN, Justice. This appeal is from an order of the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia denying appellant, Henry R. Gaddy, relief under the Post Conviction Hearing Act ("P.C.H.A.").[1] For the reasons stated hereinafter, we affirm.[2] In 1973, appellant was convicted by a jury of first degree murder, aggravated robbery, and conspiracy. After denial of post-verdict motions by the court en banc, appellant was sentenced to life imprisonment on the murder charge and 10-20 years imprisonment on the aggravated robbery charge, sentences to run concurrently.[3] On direct appeal, this Court affirmed the judgments of sentence. Commonwealth v. Gaddy, 468 Pa. 303, 362 A.2d 217 (1976). In January 1977, appellant filed a pro se P.C.H.A. petition. Counsel was appointed, an amended petition was filed, and after an evidentiary hearing, relief was denied. This appeal followed. In his P.C.H.A. petition, appellant averred that he is entitled to a new trial (1) because he was denied effective assistance of trial counsel and (2) because Leroy Barnes, a codefendant who testified against appellant at trial, allegedly testified falsely and has now recanted his allegedly false testimony. In this appeal, appellant has abandoned his claim of ineffective assistance of trial counsel and proceeds solely on the claim that the P.C.H.A. court abused its discretion in refusing to grant a new trial in light of Barnes' sworn statement that he had perjured himself at appellant's trial.[4] *437 At appellant's trial, Barnes testified: Commonwealth v. Gaddy, 468 Pa. 303, 308-9, 362 A.2d 217, 219-20. *438 At the P.C.H.A. hearing, however, Barnes testified that he had absolutely no knowledge of the Dobkin murder (N.T.27) and that the whole of his testimony at appellant's trial was untrue. (N.T.29, 32-74, 83). The P.C.H.A. court found Barnes' recantation testimony to be "utterly false" and, in fact, held him on charges of perjury and false swearing: "We are . . . convinced that this recantation was motivated not by conscience or a desire to see that truth and justice be done, but rather for ulterior motives on the part of the witness." (Slip op. at 4). It is well settled that: Commonwealth v. Coleman, 438 Pa. 373, 377, 264 A.2d 649, 651 (1970); Commonwealth v. Mosteller, 446 Pa. 83, 284 A.2d 786 (1971). Thus, "an appellate court may not interfere with the denial or granting of a new trial where the sole ground is the alleged recantation of state witnesses unless there has been a clear abuse of discretion." Coleman, 438 Pa. at 377, 264 A.2d at 651; Commonwealth v. Nelson, 484 Pa. 11, 398 A.2d 636 (1979); Commonwealth v. Mosteller, supra; Commonwealth v. Scull, 200 Pa.Super. 122, 186 A.2d 854 (1963) (allocatur refused). The question of Barnes' credibility was clearly a matter for the P.C.H.A. court, since it had ample opportunity to observe his manner and demeanor during a full evidentiary hearing. Commonwealth v. Nelson, supra; Commonwealth v. Coleman, supra. The record more than adequately supports the finding that Barnes was totally lacking in credibility at the P.C.H.A. hearing, and we will not disturb that finding on appeal. Accordingly, the order of the P.C.H.A. court denying appellant relief is affirmed. [1] Act of January 25, 1966, P.L. (1965) 1580, 19 P.S. § 1180-1 et seq. [2] Jurisdiction is exercised pursuant to the Judicial Code, Act of July 9, 1976, P.L. 586, No. 142, 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 722(1). [3] Sentence was suspended on the conspiracy charge. [4] Barnes was the Commonwealth's principal witness.