Opinion ID: 1239109
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: suppression of prior criminal record

Text: The State argues the PCR court erred in granting relief where Legare failed to show he was prejudiced by trial counsel's representation in pursuing suppression of references to Legare's prior criminal record. We agree. Legare was convicted for armed robbery in 1972; he was released in 1978. In the very year he was released, he was convicted for conspiracy to commit armed robbery. He was released from this second sentence in 1982. Legare's trial counsel moved to suppress the introduction of these prior convictions. The trial court found the convictions were admissible for impeachment purposes. It concluded that given the circumstances of the casethat Legare was released in 1978 and was immediately convicted againthe prior convictions would be admissible. Legare was granted relief by the PCR court on this basis. In his PCR application, Legare contended that he did not testify at trial because of the trial court's ruling. He asserted that trial counsel erroneously informed him that the issue could be raised on appeal. See State v. Glenn, 285 S.C. 384, 330 S.E.2d 285 (1985) (when the trial judge chooses to make a preliminary ruling on the admissibility of prior convictions to impeach a defendant and the defendant does not testify at trial, the claim of improper impeachment is not preserved for review). The State argues that Legare has failed to show prejudice. We have found that a prior conviction of a crime of moral turpitude [1] may be used for the purpose of impeaching a defendant-witness's credibility if the conviction is not too remote in time. [2] See State v. Johnson, 271 S.C. 485, 248 S.E.2d 313 (1978). The decision whether a prior conviction is too remote in time is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial judge. Horton v. State, 306 S.C. 252, 411 S.E.2d 223 (1991). Johnson found no abuse of discretion in admission of a 13 year old conviction. Johnson, 271 S.C. 485, 248 S.E.2d 313. Similarly, we have found no error in admission of a 12 year old conviction. See State v. Livingston, 282 S.C. 1, 317 S.E.2d 129 (1984). Likewise, State v. Mueller, 319 S.C. 266, 460 S.E.2d 409 (Ct.App.1995) upheld the trial court's admission of a prior conviction, reasoning that the conviction was admissible because the defendant had been on probation in the previous 10 years. In the present case, Legare was convicted for armed robbery in 1972 and released in 1978. He was convicted again in 1978 for conspiracy to commit armed robbery and was released in 1982. The trial court found that in view of Legare's historyhe was released in 1978 and immediately went back inthe prior convictions were admissible for impeachment purposes. Legare's trial took place in 1992. The sentences for his previous convictions were within 14 and 10 years, respectively, of his trial. The decision whether the prior convictions were too remote was a matter within the sound discretion of the trial judge. We do not find any abuse of such discretion. Because the trial court did not err in admitting the prior offenses, Legare cannot now complain about ineffective assistance of counsel.