Opinion ID: 1561776
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Development of an Alternative Suspect

Text: Beasley maintains that trial counsel should have tested the State's case by presenting a coherent, alternative theory for the murder by highlighting a discrepancy in a witness's testimony and by implicating another individual as a possible murder suspect. The purpose of presenting additional testimony would have been to cast doubt on the State's timeline as to when Mrs. Monfort arrived home on the afternoon of the murder and to demonstrate that the alternative suspect was one of the individuals at the apartments when Mr. Rosario gave cash to Mrs. Monfort. For instance, the testimony of Mr. Rosario, a prospective tenant of Mrs. Monfort, apparently contained a discrepancy with regard to the timing of his meeting with Mrs. Monfort on the day of the murder. Additionally, Mr. Rosario's testimony indicated that several people witnessed the meeting and his cash transaction with Mrs. Monfort. One of those individuals had an injured leg, which fit the description of an injury to an individual that the defense team considered as a possible suspect. Beasley asserts that defense counsel should have moved for the trial court to reconsider the motion in limine concerning this individual's connection to two prior murders and should have cast this individual as the actual assailant during trial. The postconviction court denied this claim because counsel testified that the defense team considered developing evidence that this individual was a potential suspect, but there was insufficient information to construct a viable presentation of this alternative theory. Postconviction counsel did not present the testimony of Mr. Rosario, the alternative suspect, or any other witness who could explain the basis for this claim. The purported discrepancy in Mr. Rosario's testimony with regard to the timing of his meeting with Mrs. Monfort was only addressed through questions, and defense trial counsel did not recall any such discrepancy. With regard to presenting another possible perpetrator of the murder, the defense team initially focused on the alternative suspect as the strawman, which is a person who could have committed the crime. The defense team attempted to locate evidence that would link the alternative suspect to the apartments to develop a theory that would implicate him in the murder. However, counsel was unable to develop any further evidence or concrete leads that would provide a basis for requesting the trial court to reconsider the motion in limine with regard to the alternative suspect. Counsel had hoped that the State would call the strawman as a witness, thus allowing the defense to put the issue in play and assert the possibility of his involvement in the murder through cross-examination. When the State did not present this witness, the defense was required to consider the tactical issues with regard to calling him as a defense witness. Counsel explained that the defense strategy with regard to the alternative suspect depended on whether Beasley would testify. [If Beasley decided to testify,] we would want to have other straw men in place. So during the guilt phase of the trial, there were efforts made to put suspicion on other people. As far as actually calling [the alternative suspect] as a defense witness, the dynamics of it were not something that I would do. If the state had called him as a witness, I would have done back flips at the prospects of cross-examining him and creating the inferences and the feelings that that would create on the part of the jury. But to actually call him as a defense witness and to try to play Perry Mason and call who we think did it and then put them on the stand . . . under the guise of, okay, we're calling the guy that we think did it and we're going to show you he did it . . . we would have [fallen] flat on our face[s]. . . . [I]f there was evidence that [the alternative suspect] did this murder, above and beyond some things that you could point to that raise a question, he would be charged with murder. . . . [D]id he have motive? Yes. Did he have opportunity? Yes. Did he have means? Theoretically, anybody could have. And what it boils down to is what hard evidence was there he did it. Hence, when the State did not present this witness and Beasley decided not to testify, the defense made a strategic decision to not present a defense case-in-chief by calling the alternative suspect. Trial counsel explained: It is dramatically different when the defense is able to cross examine a state witness and show that the witness is hiding something. That is devastating. But when it comes to the phase of the defense case, to try to put on a defense that someone else did it, you're put in the position of having to come forward with some credible evidence that someone else might have done it, with the state attorney laying back ready for cross-exam, and the bottom line of it is you're going to fall on your face; I mean, because you can't prove the other guy did it. If there was evidence the other guy did it, he would be charged. Furthermore, there were several factors that made the alternative suspect appear suspicious, but there was no definitive proof to tie him to the murder. The alternative suspect was not equally implicated in the murder because there was circumstantial evidence linking Beasley to the murder that did not also implicate the alternative suspect: [He] wasn't the person who was living with Mrs. Monfort. He wasn't the person whose bloody shirt was allegedly found in his room. He wasn't the person who left the area, changed his appearance, adopted an alias. . . . [T]here were lots of other things that were being thrown at Mr. Beasley in terms of . . . the circumstantial evidence of his guilt that didn't apply to [the alternative suspect].. . . [T]he overall dynamic of the approach to the defense theory of the case [was that we] were attacking the circumstantial evidence against Mr. Beasley. . . . We are trying to develop what evidence we can as to someone else committing the murder. . . . [H]ad Mr. Beasley taken the stand, the perpetrator of choice would not have been [the alternative suspect] through Mr. Beasley's testimony. In addition, Beasley did not provide his defense team with evidence in support of the theory that this alternative individual was a possible suspect because Beasley contended that an unnamed drug dealer murdered Mrs. Monfort. Thus, defense counsel determined that there was no basis for reconsidering the trial court's ruling on the motion in limine because the alternative suspect's alleged involvement in past murders was not relevant to Beasley's trial proceedings. However, defense counsel attempted to implicate other individuals as possible perpetrators during the trial, such as highlighting through argument and cross-examination that several individuals witnessed Mr. Rosario hand Mrs. Monfort a large sum of money. Within the scope of the State's case, the defense team did attempt to develop other potential suspects as part of their overall strategy. Beasley did not present any evidence to refute the evidence that Mr. Rosario's testimony did not contain any discrepancies. Trial counsel also provided reasonable, strategic explanations for not presenting the alternative suspect as a witness or further implicating him in the crime. Thus, we affirm the postconviction court's ruling on this claim because the performance of counsel was not deficient and Beasley has not demonstrated prejudice as required by law.