Opinion ID: 1441429
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Admissibility of Motive Evidence

Text: Likewise, Appellant's next allegation of ineffective assistance of counsel concerning the admission of the Commonwealth's evidence of motive must also fail. According to the Appellant, there was no competent evidence of motive because the Commonwealth's evidence was inadmissible hearsay. Again, the Appellant's own confessions firmly established his motive, which was to kill the victims in furtherance of Walker's drug business and to avenge a robbery and theft of his car. Any other evidence of motive was merely cumulative of the evidence already in the record. In addition, the record does not support the Appellant's claim that other evidence of motive, such as testimony from David, from the police officer concerning the theft of Walker's car, from a detective about his reasons for questioning the Appellant, and such testimony would all be inadmissible. This entire claim depends on speculation that if trial counsel had objected to the admission of this evidence on the grounds of hearsay, the Commonwealth could not have laid a sufficient foundation for the admission of such evidence. Our Court has held that claims made in a vacuum cannot provide a basis for relief. Commonwealth v. Pettus, 492 Pa. 558, 424 A.2d 1332 (1981). The Appellant has not proven his allegations of hearsay, and this claim therefore cannot provide a basis for relief. See Commonwealth v. Hentosh, 520 Pa. 325, 554 A.2d 20 (1989).