Opinion ID: 1973245
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Confessed General Ineffectiveness

Text: Appellant's second contention is that counsel failed entirely to prepare for this case, and that counsel freely admitted that fact. Appellant argues that, despite the absence of any demonstration of actual prejudice, reversal is compelled. We cannot agree. It must be conceded that prior counsel does not appear to have lived up to his ethical obligations to pursue his client's interests zealously. Rather, as appellant suggests, counsel seems to have placed far more emphasis on securing his legal fees, than preparing appellant's defense. (N.T. 5/9/85 at 6; N.T. 5/10/89 at 17). Indeed, counsel made a rather dramatic self-accusation of ineffectiveness at the close of appellant's trial: MR. RENFROE: What can I say when I have no evidence? I have no witnesses whatsoever. This is a clear-cut ineffectiveness assistance of counsel case, as this court knows. I have not presented any defense, not one witness have I presented, there's nothing I can say to combat the three witnesses who testified against my client, Rodney Wells, as being the one that came into their house on the day in question. I haven't presented any defense to the contrary. How can I give a closing argument? There is no closing argument for me to give. THE COURT: You are going to get up and give a closing argument. If you don't want to, I will tell the jury you  have an absolute right to make no closing argument if you don't want to. That's up to you. You do what you want. MR. RENFROE: I'm not going to give a closing argument. I have nothing to say. THE COURT: You are going to get up and argue because you are required to get up and argue if I ask you to, and I will ask you to. MR. RENFROE: I will do whatever you ask me to do. I am telling you I have nothing to say. (N.T. 5/13/85 at 326-28). (Emphasis added). Counsel is presumed competent. In order to establish ineffectiveness, appellant must establish that: an act or omission was arguably ineffective; no objectively reasonable basis designed to effectuate appellant's interests could exist for the act or omission; and, but for the act or omission challenged, there is a reasonable probability that the result would have been more favorable to appellant. Commonwealth v. Slocum, 384 Pa.Super. 428, 433, 559 A.2d 50, 52 (1989); see also Commonwealth v. Durst, 522 Pa. 2, 4-5, 559 A.2d 504, 505 (1989); Commonwealth v. Johnson, 516 Pa. 407, 412-13, 532 A.2d 796, 799 (1987). When an arguable claim of ineffective assistance of counsel has been made, and there has been no evidentiary hearing in the court below to permit the defendant to develop evidence on the record to support the claim, and to provide the Commonwealth an opportunity to rebut the claim, this Court will remand for such a hearing. Commonwealth v. Petras, 368 Pa.Super. 372, 377, 534 A.2d 483, 487 (1987); see also Commonwealth v. Spotts, 341 Pa.Super. 31, 33, 491 A.2d 132, 134 (1985). However, remand for an evidentiary hearing is not a discovery tool wherein counsel may conduct investigation and interrogation to search for support for vague or boilerplate allegations of ineffectiveness. Rather, appellant must set forth an offer to prove at an appropriate hearing sufficient facts upon which a reviewing court can conclude that trial counsel may have, in fact, been ineffective, before  remand for an evidentiary hearing will be granted. Commonwealth v. Petras, supra, 534 A.2d at 487; see also Commonwealth v. Durst, supra, 559 A.2d at 505; Commonwealth v. Pettus, 492 Pa. 558, 563, 424 A.2d 1332, 1335 (1981). Moreover, if it is clear that: the allegation lacks arguable merit; an objectively reasonable basis designed to effectuate appellant's interests existed for counsel's actions or inactions; or appellant was not actually prejudiced by the alleged error by counsel, then an evidentiary hearing is unnecessary. Commonwealth v. Petras, supra, 534 A.2d at 487; see also Commonwealth v. Clemmons, 505 Pa. 356, 361, 479 A.2d 955, 957 (1984). Whenever an evidentiary hearing on a claim of ineffectiveness is granted, the burdens of production and persuasion remain on the defendant. If the defendant fails to sustain the offer of proof at the evidentiary hearing, the ineffectiveness claim must fail. A failure to sustain an allegation of ineffectiveness may arise from a failure to present evidence at the evidentiary hearing, or from a rejection of the evidence presented in support of the proffer as not credible. See Commonwealth v. Hentosh, 520 Pa. 325, 334, 554 A.2d 20, 24-25 (1989) (defendant failed to present evidence to sustain the proffer); Commonwealth v. Johnson, 355 Pa.Super. 123, 131, 512 A.2d 1242, 1246 (1986) (defendant's self-serving testimony in support of an arguable ineffectiveness claim was rejected as not credible). Here, appellant has made no attempt whatsoever to identify any specific error or omission of prior counsel by which he was actually prejudiced. To the contrary, he boldly asserts that: This is a rare case where trial counsel's actions merit reversal, absent a finding of prejudice. Indeed, counsel's lack of preparation masks the very data needed to show prejudice. Reversal is compelled. (Appellant's Brief at 17). (Emphasis added). Cases where reversal is required without a showing of prejudice are not rare, they are extinct. We feel no compulsion  other than to follow the settled precedent of our Supreme Court which unequivocally requires actual prejudice. We find no merit in the claim that prejudice should be presumed because the alleged ineffectiveness cloaked the proof of prejudice. Appellant is currently represented by competent and zealous counsel who has fought valiantly against the overwhelming weight of the compelling evidence of appellant's guilt. Counsel's brief reflects a thorough review of the record and a careful marshaling of evidence and argument in favor of appellant's claim. Yet, nonetheless, appellate counsel has failed to uncover a single omitted material witness or any trial error demonstrating any actual prejudice. Despite new counsel's best efforts, the sole evidence of ineffectiveness remains prior counsel's own vague and conclusory self-accusation of ineffectiveness. Self-accusations of ineffectiveness by prior counsel by their very nature could never be conclusive proof of ineffectiveness. This is true for pragmatic reasons. First, some defense counsel might be disposed to make false self-accusations of ineffectiveness. Just as other counsel might pass over objections at trial to seed the record for appeal in the event of an adverse verdict or sentence out of misbegotten zeal for success rather than justice, so too might counsel raise false self-assertions of general ineffectiveness. Cf. Commonwealth v. Gumpert, 354 Pa.Super. 595, 599, 512 A.2d 699, 701-02 (1986). Moreover, no such misguided zealousness need be presumed to render the self-accusation less than conclusive. Rather, a self-accusation of ineffectiveness remains by its very nature merely evidence of ineffectiveness, which must be considered with all other relevant evidence in determining whether each of the three prongs of the ineffectiveness test is met.  Counsel may believe that ineffective assistance has been rendered and yet be wrong. Counsel may do the right things for wrong reasons, or for no reasons at all; yet, if the right things are done, there is no actual prejudice, hence no ineffectiveness. Likewise, if a counsel's alleged lack of zealousness did not result in any discernable actual prejudice to appellant, in that even plainly competent and zealous counsel fails to demonstrate evidence or arguments which could have been presented but which were not, then again there is no actual prejudice; hence, there is no ineffectiveness. Prior counsel denounced himself as ineffective for failing to present defense witnesses to shake the compelling testimony of the three eye-witnesses in this case. His premise is false. Counsel is not a guarantor of the outcome of the trial, nor may counsel ethically or legally present false evidence to a court. When a defendant's guilt is demonstrable, as here, the absence of a viable defense is the result of the defendant's guilt and not counsel's ineffectiveness. Nothing in this record suggests a contrary explanation for the determination of guilt. Here, the Commonwealth argues strongly, with references to the record, that prior defense counsel merely feigned ineffectiveness to plant reversible error in an obviously losing cause. Such a claim is plausible, where as here the case hinges on eyewitness testimony which might be weakened by age or simply become unavailable by the time a retrial, if any, was scheduled. However, as appellant failed to identify a single instance of ineffectiveness, we need not reach the problematic issue of what effect intentional ineffectiveness by unethical counsel would have on an appellant's rights. It is enough to note here, that actual prejudice is a sine qua non of ineffectiveness claims. Judgment of Sentence is Affirmed. POPOVICH, J., concurs in the result.