Opinion ID: 1886897
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Testimony of Robert Burns

Text: The defense began its penalty phase presentation on November 9, 1994. However, because the last three defense witnesses, including Robert Burns (Burns), a principal of St. Gabriel's Hall, where Appellant was placed as a juvenile on prior charges, and a secretary from that facility, were out of town and subpoenaed for the next day, [61] the proceedings ended early (at approximately 4:00 pm) and were continued to November 10, 1994. N.T., 11/10/1994, pp. 2630-31. On that day, starting at around 9:30 a.m., the defense resumed its case with the testimony of William Mocriski. N.T., 11/10/1994, pp. 2641-45. His testimony lasted approximately ten minutes and, at its conclusion, Appellant's counsel informed the trial court that the next witness  Burns  would not be arriving until 10:15 a.m. or 10:30 a.m. N.T., 11/10/1994, pp. 2636, 2649-2651. Later, Appellant's counsel acknowledged that this witness was originally subpoenaed for 9:00 a.m. N.T., 11/10/1994, pp. 2651-52. He also related that Burns and the secretary from St. Gabriel's Hall, who was apparently traveling with Burns, were the last witnesses to testify on behalf of Appellant. N.T., 11/10/1994, pp. 2650-52. The trial court called for a thirty-minute recess and the jury was taken out of the courtroom at 9:44 a.m. N.T., 11/10/1994, p. 2653. At 10:23 a.m., Appellant's counsel informed the trial court that: (1) Barbara Brown, Appellant's mother, agreed to testify for the defense; and (2) Burns and the secretary from St. Gabriel's Hall would be called to the witness stand after her testimony. N.T., 11/10/1994, p. 2676. The testimony of Barbara Brown concluded at around 10:45 a.m. N.T., 11/10/1994, p. 2695. However, by that time, although one of Appellant's counsels went to find Mr. Burns and the secretary from St. Gabriel's Hall, they were still not present in the courtroom. N.T., 11/10/1994, p. 2695. At that point, the trial court requested that defense counsel make an offer of proof as to the substance of the expected testimony, which he did, identifying the witnesses and stating that their testimony would reflect on Appellant's academic and personal development at St. Gabriel's Hall. N.T., 11/10/1994, pp. 2696-98. The prosecutor refused to stipulate to this testimony, pointing out that there was conflicting evidence as to the extent of Appellant's progress at that facility. N.T., 11/10/1994, p. 2698. By 10:50 a.m., counsel for Appellant, who went to retrieve the two witnesses, returned to the courtroom and stated that they still did not arrive. N.T., 11/10/1994, p. 2700. The court then waited until 11:00 a.m., giving the defense another opportunity to locate and present the two remaining witnesses. N.T., 11/10/1994, pp. 2704-05. At that time, because the witnesses still could not be located, over several objections by Appellant's counsel, the trial court ordered the parties to proceed with oral argument, explained to the jury the cause of the delay, and gave them a brief synopsis of the expected testimony that the defense sought to present and the prosecutor's rebuttal to that testimony. N.T., 11/10/1994, pp. 2699, 2703-06. Following the jury charge, the trial court admonished Burns, who, according to Appellant's counsel, arrived at 11:00 a.m., found Burns in contempt, and ordered him to pay a fine in the amount of $500.00. N.T., 11/10/1994, pp. 2770-71. Presently, Appellant argues that his sentence must be vacated because the trial court unjustifiably refused to grant a continuance to allow Burns to testify. [62] He also argues that his counsel was ineffective for failing to obtain such continuance. The grant or refusal of a request for a continuance is a matter vested in the sound discretion of the trial court, and its decision, to grant or deny the request, will not be reversed by an appellate court in the absence of an abuse of that authority. Commonwealth v. Birdsong, 538 Pa. 587, 650 A.2d 26, 34 (1994). The factors to be considered to determine whether the trial court's discretion was properly exercised are: (1) the necessity of the witness to strengthen the defendant's case; (2) the essentiality of the witness to defendant's defense; (3) the diligence exercised to procure his presence at trial; (4) the facts to which he would testify; and (5) the likelihood that he could be produced at the next term of court. See id. at 34; Commonwealth v. Clayton, 516 Pa. 263, 532 A.2d 385, 395 (1987), cert. denied, 485 U.S. 929, 108 S.Ct. 1098, 99 L.Ed.2d 261 (1988); Commonwealth v. (Eddie) Smith, 442 Pa.265, 275 A.2d 98, 101 (1971). Appellant acknowledges that Burns was scheduled to appear as the first witness of the day, but was delayed in his arrival. Brief for Appellant, p. 92 (emphasis supplied). Although there is conflicting evidence as to the true extent of the witness' absence, [63] one thing is clear  Burns was inexcusably late for a trial where a man's life stood in jeopardy. Applying the criteria set forth above to the facts at hand, we cannot find that the trial court's actions constituted an abuse of judicial discretion. Initially, we note that Burns was not an essential witness in that he could only testify about his familiarity with Appellant during a nine-month stay at a juvenile facility. Again, however, the jury ultimately found the presence of the catch all mitigator. Therefore, Burns' testimony would have been redundant. Moreover, it is highly doubtful that the testimony of Burns would have strengthened Appellant's case. In fact, it is more than likely that it would have engendered the opposite effect. As demonstrated during the post-sentencing proceedings, although Burns could testify about his experiences with Appellant while he was placed at St. Gabriel's Hall, Burns was not aware of the particulars of Appellant's stay and was thus easily undermined as a witness. [64] More importantly, the testimony of Burns would have allowed the Commonwealth to introduce damning evidence concerning Appellant's juvenile placement at St. Gabriel's Hall. As the trial court observed: [T]he records at St. Gabriel's Hall reflect that [Appellant]'s initial adjustment was poor and there has not been a great deal of improvement since then, according to staff ... he is usually manipulative and slow to cooperate. His peer relationships are typically unsatisfactory. In addition, [Appellant] absconded from the institution, stole a staff member's wallet with $200.00 in it, and violated a variety of rules and regulations. Trial Court Opinion, pp. 56-57. We observe that the trial court went out of its way in repeatedly giving time to the defense to find its last two witnesses and, ultimately, when the witnesses could not be located, gave the jury the synopsis of their testimony. Ultimately, given the circumstances at hand, such as the length of the trial, the fact that Burns was the last witness to testify, and his unexcused lateness, we find that the trial court's action did not constitute an abuse of judicial discretion. We similarly reject Appellant's claim that his counsel was ineffective in failing to seek a continuance, in light of the transcript that indicates that counsel did everything they could to secure the testimony of Burns.