Opinion ID: 2559519
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Barbara

Text: As factual background for this sub-issue, Appellant's sister, Barbara, testified for the defense at trial that Green told her that Rucker was the shooter, but that she (Barbara) had no personal knowledge of the shooting. According to Appellant, after trial, Barbara changed her story. On the day of sentencing, she told defense counsel that she participated with Green and Rucker in planning the murder of Kelly, she was actually present at the shooting and witnessed Rucker shoot Kelly, Appellant was not present at the shooting or involved in planning it, and she did not want her brother's execution on her conscience. Trial counsel immediately memorialized this conversation in a typewritten memorandum. Trial counsel then moved for a new trial, characterizing Barbara's conversation as after-discovered evidence. In support of this motion, trial counsel sought to have Barbara testify about the substance of her conversation with counsel, but she invoked her Fifth Amendment right and refused. Trial counsel requested from the trial court permission to withdraw as counsel so that he could testify about the substance of his conversation with Barbara, but the trial court denied this request, and denied the post-verdict motion for a new trial. On direct appeal, Appellant raised a claim of trial court error for denying the motion for a new trial based on the alleged after-discovered evidence of Barbara's conversation with trial counsel. We rejected this claim. We acknowledged that after-discovered evidence may provide a basis for a new trial under certain circumstances if the proposed new evidence is producible and admissible. Smith, 540 A.2d at 262-62 (citing Commonwealth v. Scott, 503 Pa. 624, 470 A.2d 91, 93 (1983)). We concluded, however, that whatever Barbara told counsel, she had refused to tell the court anything, and, consequently, Appellant had failed to show that her alleged exculpatory statements were producible or admissible. Id. Appellant now makes two arguments to this Court in regard to Barbara's conversation with counsel.
First, Appellant argues that Barbara's recantation to trial counsel is after-discovered evidence that he is actually innocent. Although Appellant acknowledges that on direct appeal this Court reviewed and rejected his argument that Barbara's recantation was after-discovered evidence, he now asserts that this Court substantively erred on the merits by holding that the statement was not producible or admissible. The Commonwealth argues that this claim is previously litigated. The PCRA court agreed with the Commonwealth and held that Appellant's after-discovered evidence claim was previously litigated and therefore unreviewable. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 9543(a)(3). Addressing the merits anyway, the PCRA court concluded that Barbara's conversation with counsel was not truly after-discovered evidence because it was cumulative of her trial testimony that Rucker was the shooter, and would not have compelled a different outcome at trial. As Appellant acknowledges, we considered on direct appeal his argument that Barbara's recantation was after-discovered evidence. Appellant's dissatisfaction with this Court's ruling does not affect the conclusion that the after-discovered evidence claim was previously litigated and, therefore, is not presently cognizable under the PCRA. 42 Pa.C.S. § 9543(a)(3).
Second, Appellant argues that the trial court erred when it denied counsel's motion to withdraw to permit counsel to testify about his conversation with Barbara. The Commonwealth argues that this claim is waived. The PCRA court did not address this claim. Appellant did not appeal the trial court's denial of counsel's motion to withdraw and, therefore, may not now raise this waived claim. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 9544(b). [4] Although Appellant asserts that he did, in fact, raise this claim on direct appeal and this Court inexplicably ignored it, he offers no support for this bald assertion. [5]