Opinion ID: 1256218
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Failure to Subpoena Witness

Text: The State argues that the PCR judge erred in granting Dempsey relief on the basis that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to subpoena an out-of-state witness that would have allegedly offered exculpatory testimony. We agree. A PCR applicant cannot show that he was prejudiced by counsel's failure to call a favorable witness to testify at trial if that witness does not later testify at the PCR hearing or otherwise offer testimony within the rules of evidence. Glover v. State, 318 S.C. 496, 498, 458 S.E.2d 538, 540 (1995). In his PCR application, Dempsey claimed trial counsel was ineffective for failing to subpoena the victim's grandfather, who Dempsey alleged would have testified that the victim lied about being sexually assaulted. At the PCR hearing, counsel admitted that he did not know the proper procedure to subpoena an out-of-state witness. Nevertheless, because we cannot determine what the victim's grandfather would have said in his testimony, any prejudice to Dempsey is merely speculative. In addition, because the victim's grandfather did not testify at the PCR hearing or otherwise have his testimony offered, there is no evidence that, if counsel had subpoenaed the witness, the result at trial would have been different. Accordingly, we hold that the PCR court erred in granting relief on the basis that trial counsel was ineffective in failing to subpoena the victim's grandfather to testify at trial.