Opinion ID: 1969802
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 23

Heading: 17-23, a.29-33, a.35-46, a.48-55, b.103-05, b.111, b.173-77, b.190-92)

Text: Defendant alleges numerous discovery violations and ineffective assistance of counsel claims relating to the issue of whether his financial condition prior to the murder could have constituted a motive for him to have hired McKinnon to kill his wife. Defendant alleges that the State was far better prepared than the defense to offer evidence on that issue at trial because the State had compiled detailed documentary evidence concerning defendant's finances, but had failed to turn over those documents to the defense. Moreover, defendant alleges that his counsel was ineffective in failing to prepare for trial and to present evidence to demonstrate that defendant had been capable of paying his debts and that his indebtedness could not have constituted a motive for the homicide. We address all of those claims on the merits and conclude that they should be dismissed without an evidentiary hearing. The most persuasive evidence that defendant's debt was burdensome and difficult to manage was contained in defendant's so-called suicide tape that was played for the jury. In the course of that tape defendant stated: I guess my problem began long before that, though, really, because ... for some reason ... and I'm to blame ... whatever we wanted ... to do or to buy, we just went ahead and did it.... If it meant borrowing to do it, we did it anyway. And I always assured Maria that it was okay, that there was enough, that ... even if there wasn't. I think she knew, but ... she knew that I wanted it, and I know that she wanted it, whatever it was, and we did it. And that created a spiral ... a spiral that accelerated to almost a two-hundred thousand dollar debt ... not including the mortgage on the house, a debt that I was determined to pay off, but ... just couldn't seem ... to climb out. In addition, the tape included defendant's fairly detailed description of his specific debts, with instructions concerning the debts that should first be repaid. [T]he big loan is a ready-equity loan with New Jersey National Bank that's ... somewhere between a hundred twenty-eight, a hundred twenty-nine thousand dollars, I think.... That should be paid off as soon as possible, because of the high interest rate. There is, or are, two notes at First National Bank, one for fifteen, and one for, uh, just under twenty-thousand. One of them is currently due, should be paid off ... I guess they both should be ... as soon as possible. There is an installment loan with Navy Federal Credit Union for thirty thousand .. . or less than thirty thousand.... There is, uh, a ready-equity type thing, uh, with the City Bank . .. for about twelve thousand ... and there's five thousand due on a checking plus with First National Bank ... twenty-one hundred dollars due on Master Card, and ... a small amount due on American Express. Defendant alleges numerous discovery violations in this subcategory of claims, most involving copies of the loan documents, applications, notes, mortgages and similar documents relating to the specific loans and credit obligations outlined by defendant on the suicide tape. Some of the documents related to defendant's assets or to his income from his insurance business. The State contests the significance of the documents, arguing essentially that the debt that they evidenced was undisputed, but does not explain why the documents were not produced. Based on defendant's detailed knowledge of his financial condition, to infer that he retained copies of most of the applications, notes, and mortgages relating to his indebtedness would not be unreasonable, although defendant neither acknowledges nor denies that he maintained such records. Defendant argues essentially that he was prejudiced because the State failed to deliver them to his counsel. Notwithstanding the likelihood that defendant either had in his possession or could have obtained directly from the lending institutions the loan documents not produced by the State, defendant has failed to demonstrate any prejudice that materially affected the trial result. Defendant does not contend that the loan documents inaccurately reflected his financial condition, nor that the disclosure of the documents materially would have enhanced his ability to demonstrate that his debts were not burdensome. To the limited extent that the documents not produced by the State related to defendant's income and assets and evidenced his ability to meet his financial obligations, this information was cumulative; defendant produced trial witnesses who testified to his success as an insurance agent, and his direct testimony, emphasizing his substantial income and assets, demonstrated his complete familiarity with his financial resources and obligations. In addition, counsel for defendant Thompson, during cross-examination of defendant, questioned defendant extensively about his income and assets to illustrate his ability to manage his debt. Consequently, we cannot conclude that the State's failure to produce documents concerning defendant's indebtedness or resources possessed the slightest capacity to affect materially the trial result. We reach the same conclusion with respect to defendant's various claims of ineffectiveness of counsel relating to defendant's finances. Defendant faults counsel generally with failing to object to the State's use on defendant's cross-examination of financial documents not produced in discovery, and in failing to interview defendant's accountant and bank officials and otherwise to prepare adequately and comprehensively to demonstrate at trial that defendant's income and assets were sufficient to meet his obligations. Irrespective of counsel's effectiveness at trial on this issue, the source of the strongest evidence that defendant's debt was burdensome was the suicide tape, in which defendant had acknowledged his struggle to meet his financial obligations. Defendant is unable to demonstrate how trial counsel's more comprehensive preparation and different trial strategy could persuasively have overcome defendant's own perception that his debt was difficult to manage. Other alleged claims of ineffectiveness concern collateral matters such as counsel's alleged ineffectiveness in examining witnesses concerning defendant's casino debt, counsel's failure to object to Kraushaar's testimony about defendant's dire financial straits, and counsel's failure to object to questions on cross-examination inferring that trial counsel would benefit financially from defendant's acquittal. Whether or not counsel's performance on those collateral issues was ineffective, defendant has failed to demonstrate any likelihood whatsoever that counsel's actions materially affected the trial result. 2. Victim's Life Insurance Policies