Opinion ID: 779125
Heading Depth: 7
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Prejudice/Materiality

Text: 106 Even if Hutchison could show cause for his default as to the first group of Brady claims, the allegedly suppressed evidence is not material for Brady purposes. Therefore, Hutchison cannot show prejudice resulting from any default. 107 The Supreme Court has explained that the touchstone of materiality is a `reasonable probability' of a different result .... The question is not whether the defendant would more likely than not have received a different verdict with the evidence, but whether in its absence he received a fair trial, understood as a trial resulting in a verdict worthy of confidence. Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 434, 115 S.Ct. 1555, 131 L.Ed.2d 490 (1995). Moreover, materiality is not a sufficiency of evidence test. A defendant need not demonstrate that after discounting the inculpatory evidence in light of the undisclosed evidence, there would not have been enough left to convict. Id. at 434-35, 115 S.Ct. 1555. Materiality is to be evaluated in light of the cumulative effect of the undisclosed evidence. Id. at 436, 115 S.Ct. 1555. [I]nformation withheld by the prosecution is not material unless the information consists of, or would lead directly to, evidence admissible at trial for either substantive or impeachment purposes. United States v. Phillip, 948 F.2d 241, 249 (6th Cir.1991), cert. denied, 504 U.S. 930, 112 S.Ct. 1994, 118 L.Ed.2d 590 (1992). 108 The chief piece of exculpatory and impeaching evidence advanced by Hutchison is the statement by Davis reporting Miller's statement that he (Miller) and Gaylor had set up the whole thing involving Hugh's death and had devised the plan to use two boats. J.A. at 581. Hutchison contends that this evidence was exculpatory insofar as it established that Gaylor and Miller acted alone in planning Huddleston's murder. Hutchison argues that the statement could have been used to impeach Miller because it was inconsistent with his testimony implicating Hutchison. Hutchison also contends that disclosure of this statement would have altered his trial strategy and supported his motion for severance. 109 Miller's statement to Davis is hearsay and could not be used to prove the truth of what was said — i.e., that Miller and Gaylor acted alone. The fact that any use of the evidence would be limited to impeachment mitigates the potential exculpatory impact of the evidence. See United States v. Perez, 280 F.3d 318, 349 (3d Cir.2002) (finding that exculpatory out-of-court statement by witness would not have made a difference in the trial because, while it may come in to impeach..., it could not come in for substantive consideration by the jury because it was inadmissible hearsay). In addition, Hutchison has offered no basis for concluding that disclosure of this item would have led to the discovery of other admissible evidence that could have been used to prove the substance of the statement — i.e., that Gaylor and Miller planned the murder alone. See Wood v. Bartholomew, 516 U.S. 1, 6, 116 S.Ct. 7, 133 L.Ed.2d 1 (1995) (finding no Brady violation where suppressed evidence was inadmissible and petitioner could offer only speculation that disclosure would have led to admissible evidence). 110 Moreover, although Hutchison's counsel could have asked Miller about the statement described in the insurance report on cross-examination, the insurance report itself would not have been admissible as extrinsic evidence of Miller's prior inconsistent statement. The account of Miller's statement in the insurance report contains multiple levels of hearsay: the report itself is an out-of-court statement that summarizes an out-of-court statement by Tony Goings, which in turn recounts an out-of-court statement by David Davis reporting the out-of-court statement of Miller. Although the out-of-court statement of Miller is admissible for impeachment purposes, the Tennessee Rules of Evidence, like the Federal Rules, permit introduction of multiple hearsay evidence only if each part of the combined statements conforms with an exception to the hearsay rule. Tenn. R. Evid. 805. Because there is no exception covering the intermediate levels of hearsay in the insurance report, the report would not be admissible to impeach Miller. See Paradis v. Arave, 240 F.3d 1169, 1179 (9th Cir.2001) ([I]f Haws' notes record Elliott's hearsay reports of Dr. Brady's hearsay statements, then the notes themselves would not be admissible, even to impeach Dr. Brady.). 111 Finally, Hutchison's claim that nondisclosure of Miller's statement prejudiced his trial strategy is insufficient to establish materiality. This Circuit has implied that it may consider whether suppression of Brady materials affected trial strategy in determining prejudice. See Schledwitz v. United States, 169 F.3d 1003, 1016 (6th Cir.1999). But see Phillip, 948 F.2d at 249 (Significantly, the issue of materiality for Brady purposes pertains only to the question of a defendant's guilt or innocence, not to the issue of a defendant's ability or inability to prepare for trial.). In Schledwitz, however, the petitioner provided affidavits from counsel stating specifically what witnesses would have been called had the evidence been disclosed, thus giving the court a basis to evaluate how the disclosure would have affected the trial. 169 F.3d at 1016. As noted above, the insurance report could not be used to prove the truth of Miller's statement that he and Gaylor acted alone. The primary items of evidence cited by Hutchison as supporting this defense strategy are statements relating to the possibility of a homosexual relationship between Gaylor and Huddleston and evidence that Gaylor and Miller had abused Huddleston on previous occasions. Such evidence, however, does not exculpate Hutchison; it merely inculpates a coconspirator who has already been found guilty of participating in the murder. This evidence is not inconsistent with the state's evidence or theory of guilt. In fact, Miller testified that Gaylor suggested that he knew of the right victim for the life insurance scheme. J.A. at 806. Even if the evidence established that Miller had concocted the murder plan, Hutchison would still be death-penalty eligible for his participation as a conspirator in a murder-for-hire scheme. See generally State v. Porterfield, 746 S.W.2d 441 (Tenn.1988); see also Strickler, 527 U.S. at 293, 119 S.Ct. 1936 (finding no prejudice where petitioner's guilt of capital murder did not depend on proof that he was the dominant partner). 112 The remaining items included in Hutchison's first group of Brady claims are two statements in the insurance claims investigation indicating that Miller and Gaylor physically abused Huddleston in the past. As noted above, this evidence is not significantly exculpatory as to Hutchison. The evidence may have some value in impeaching Miller, who testified that he had never seen any physical confrontations between Gaylor and Huddleston. J.A. at 804. Miller was the chief prosecution witness, Hutchison, 898 S.W.2d at 165, so any impeaching evidence would have been valuable to Hutchison at trial. See Kyles, 514 U.S. at 445-46, 115 S.Ct. 1555 (indicating that denial of opportunity to use impeaching evidence against essential witness weighs heavily in due process analysis); Schledwitz, 169 F.3d at 1016 (withholding evidence of purportedly neutral witness in investigation of defendant was all the more egregious because Horne, as found by the district court, was the `key' witness). However, at trial, defense counsel did ask Miller about previous incidents of physical abuse of Huddleston. J.A. at 811 (And do you admit or deny that you and David Davis went outside and in fact bent [Huddleston's] arm behind his back and put him to the ground?). Miller denied these incidents; but the fact that defense counsel pursued this line of questioning suggests that he was aware of facts regarding physical abuse of Huddleston and was able to bring at least one of these alleged incidents to the jury's attention for the purpose of impeaching Miller. 113 Finally, any impeachment value of the evidence is undermined by other evidence in the record, including: Rollyson's corroboration of Miller's testimony, the existence of the life insurance policy naming Hutchison, the testimony of Hutchison's cellmate, and the letters written by Hutchison himself while in prison. Hutchison, 898 S.W.2d at 166. 114 In sum, the evidence cited by Hutchison in his first group of Brady claims does not satisfy the materiality test. Therefore, Hutchison cannot show prejudice stemming from its suppression. 115