Opinion ID: 2588322
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Failure to Impeach Sherry Benn's Testimony

Text: Haddock argues his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to impeach Sherry Benn's testimony which contradicted her statement to Detective James Pyke. At trial, Sherry Benn testified that she called the victim between approximately 1:30 and 2 p.m. the afternoon the victim was found. The victim said she was making some chili and mentioned that Haddock had come home for lunch that day. Benn testified that based on this response, she could not tell, nor did she ask, whether Haddock was there at the time of the phone call. On cross-examination, Benn denied that the victim told her that Haddock had been home for lunch and had just left before she called. She also denied saying that to Detective James Pyke as well. Haddock argues that trial counsel's failure to impeach Benn's testimony by introducing Detective Pike's report as evidence or by calling Detective Pike to testify amounted to a deficient performance under Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674 (1984). The report provides in relevant part: Sherry advised she returned to work from her lunch break at approximately 1330 hours, 11-20-92. She did some work at the office and then called Barbara Haddock at home. Sherry estimated the time as being almost 1400 hours. She talked with Barbara on the phone for less than five minutes. Sherry stated Barbara talked about her husband had been home for lunch and had just left before Sherry called her. Haddock contends this impeachment would have bolstered his assertion that he had already left the house before 2 p.m. that day which would have seriously undermined the State's theory that Haddock was in the house at the time of the crime. The State first points out that no evidence was presented on this issue before the trial court and Haddock's recitation of what was said in the report was simply an assertion in his K.S.A. 60-1507 motion. In his reply brief, Haddock blames this on the district court's failure to conduct an evidentiary hearing on the ineffective assistance of counsel issues raised in his 60-1507 motion or to make findings of fact and conclusions of law as required by Supreme Court Rule 183(j) (2005 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 228). He seeks to remedy the fact that the police report was not presented to the trial court below by attaching it as an appendix to his reply brief. However, an appendix to an appellate brief is not a substitute for the record on appeal, and material so attached will not be considered by this court. Supreme Court Rule 6.02(f) (2005 Kan. Ct. R. Annot. 36); In re Gershater, 270 Kan. 620, 633-34, 17 P.3d 929 (2001). Moreover, [e]vidence not presented to the trial court will not be considered for the first time on appeal. Volt Delta Resources, Inc. v. Devine, 241 Kan. 775, 782, 740 P.2d 1089 (1987). Even if this court were to consider the issue, the testimony at issue was not as prejudicial as suggested by the defense. See Strickland, 466 U.S. at 697, 104 S.Ct. 2052 ([A] court need not determine whether counsel's performance was deficient before examining the prejudice suffered by the defendant as a result of the alleged deficiencies.). The State's general theory at trial was that the murder happened around or shortly after 2 p.m. The Haddock's neighbor, Jackie Rowles, testified that she saw Haddock's van parked in the driveway at 2 p.m. but it was gone at 3:20; the mail carrier saw someone matching Haddock's description picking up mail from a community mail box at about 2 pm; and another neighbor, JoEllen Van-Dyke, testified that she heard a noise like something had fallen outside about 5 or 10 minutes after 2 p.m. Haddock himself testified at trial that he left the house to get the mail at approximately 1:45 and that he left the house again at approximately 2 p.m. to go to the library. Benn's testimony was in this same vein. She could not definitively remember what time she called the victim, suggesting it was approximately 1:30 to 2 p.m. Even if the defense had impeached her testimony with the report where she said the victim had stated the defendant just left, there is not enough discrepancy in approximate times so as to have made a difference in the trial. For example, the victim could have been referring to Haddock leaving to get the mail or he could have just left shortly after 2 p.m., if the times are only approximate. Moreover, without presenting the report, trial counsel did suggest on cross-examination that Benn's trial testimony in this regard was inconsistent with her statement to the police. As such, it cannot be said that the failure to impeach this brief exchange was so serious that it deprived Haddock of a fair trial.