Opinion ID: 1753481
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 16

Heading: Other Friends and Acquaintances

Text: The motion court found counsel ineffective for failing to call seven of Glass's friends and acquaintances: 1. Lesley Lehenbauer was in high school band with Glass for one year. She only saw him in class. She could have testified that he was a talented saxophone player and he would encourage her to practice the saxophone to improve. 2. Andrew Fuqua was in high school band with Glass for one year and Glass also attended Fuqua's church for a few months and gave Fuqua a ride to school sometimes. Fuqua could have testified that Glass was a nice guy and that he never saw Glass be aggressive. 3. Tim Fuqua was Andrew's father and an acquaintance of Glass's grandfather. He could have testified that he encouraged Glass to attend church and he knew Glass liked music. He saw Glass work in the garden with his grandfather. He once saw Glass belittled by his uncle. 4. Christopher Brandstatt was in the high school band with Glass. He was also on the football team with Glass and later worked with him at Wal-Mart. He could have testified that Glass loved music, and that he was an outcast in football and teased about his weight. And he could have testified that Glass went through some changes and became someone he would not consider a friend, and that Glass lost his job at Wal-Mart for stealing. 5. George Mottu was in high school band with Glass for one year. He could have testified that Glass was a good saxophone player, that he went to Glass's house four to five times, that Glass would help others, that Glass became a Christian, that Glass was picked on and got angry but vented verbally, not physically. He could have testified that he had not seen Glass since the fall of 1998, but that he still considers Glass a friend. 6. Sarah Tuley Ladue went to school with Glass from kindergarten through graduation. She could have testified that he was friendly, liked to giggle, went to her church youth group, and that she never saw him be violent. 7. June Reidinger owns a bar that Glass frequented in Hannibal. She could have testified that she saw Glass come in about six times, that he came in at about 11:00 am and stayed for about an hour each time, that he would play darts, that he was quiet, and that she never saw him intoxicated. Counsel investigated four of these witnesses. Counsel testified that he did not call Lesley Lehenbauer because she said she did not want to get involved with the trial as she did not want any negative reactions from the community to be taken out on her family. Counsel testified that he was not sure why he did not call Tim or Andrew Fuqua, but that all of their information was already presented through other witnesses. Counsel testified that he did not call June Reidinger because she knew the victim's grandmother and because she did not see Glass intoxicated. Counsel's decision not to call these witnesses after investigating them was a strategic choice that is virtually unchallengeable and should not have been second-guessed by the motion court. See Harris, 870 S.W.2d at 816-17. Counsel asked Glass for names of potential witnesses and Glass did not give him George Mottu's name. Counsel is not ineffective for failing to call a witness counsel was unaware of when counsel took reasonable steps to uncover potential witnesses. Edwards v. State, 200 S.W.3d 500, 518 (Mo. banc 2006) (counsel not ineffective for failing to call a cousin who no one had mentioned as a possible witness). Since counsel did not know about Mottu, and Glass did not mention him when asked for names of potential witnesses, counsel cannot be found ineffective for failing to call him as a witness. Sarah Tuley Ladue was in the Navy and stationed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, at the time of trial. She had not seen or spoken to Glass since high school. Glass told counsel about Ladue. But counsel's knowledge of a witness is not the only thing a defendant must show. To prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must also show that the witness could be located through a reasonable investigation, the witness would be willing to testify, and that the witness's testimony would produce a viable defense. Hutchison v. State, 150 S.W.3d 292, 304 (Mo. banc 2004). As Ladue was stationed out of the country, it is not clear that she could be located or that she would be able to testify. Further, her was cumulative to that given by the 10 witnesses counsel presented. See Bucklew 38 S.W.3d at 398 (counsel not ineffective for failing to call a witness whose testimony would be cumulative to that of other witnesses). Counsel was not ineffective for failing to call Ladue. Counsel knew of Christopher Brandstatt, but he did not contact him. There is no evidence that counsel could not locate Brandstatt. Brandstatt's testimony could have contributed to the defense that counsel was pursuing, i.e., that Glass was a nice kid who started going downhill after high school. Counsel admitted to the trial court that he would have called Brandstatt if he had known the testimony Brandstatt could offer. But counsel did not error because Brandstatt's testimony would be cumulative to that already given by other witnesses. See id. And even if counsel did error, counsel error alone is insufficient to prevail on an ineffective assistance of counsel claim. The error must have prejudiced Glass, meaning that the error undermines the confidence in the outcome of the proceeding. Deck v. State, 68 S.W.3d 418, 426 (Mo. banc 2002). Counsel called 10 mitigating witnesses, many of whom offered testimony very similar to the testimony Brandstatt could have given. The jury rejected this testimony and found that Glass should be given the death penalty. Counsel's failure to call Brandstatt is not enough to undermine the confidence in this outcome.