Opinion ID: 170999
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Cross-Examination of Nathaniel Madison

Text: Mr. DeLozier contends that Perrine was ineffective for failing to impeach Nathaniel Madison's testimony more thoroughly by showing inconsistencies with his statements to the OSBI. He points to the following inconsistencies between Nathaniel's trial testimony and his first statement to the OSBI: (1) At trial Nathaniel testified that upon arriving at the Morgan camp, Mr. DeLozier and Bo stepped into the camper and each fired a shot. Several minutes later Morgan stepped out and Mr. DeLozier shot him; neither Mr. DeLozier nor Bo reentered the camper to kill Bullard. In his first statement to the OSBI, however, Nathaniel had said that Morgan and Bullard were ordered out of the camper, that Morgan was shot first, and that Mr. DeLozier and Bo then entered the trailer to shoot Bullard. (2) Nathaniel also testified at trial that he and Bo never left the Tate bus without Mr. DeLozier. Yet in his first statement to OSBI agents he said that in the early morning, after the first trip to the Morgan camp (when Morgan and Bullard were murdered and he, Bo, and Mr. DeLozier stole the truck and the goods), he and Bo left the Tate bus for a short while and returned after Mr. DeLozier, Wooten, and Bubba had left. Mr. DeLozier contends that pointing out such inconsistencies would have weakened Nathaniel's credibility and shown the jury that he and Bo had an opportunity to commit the crimes without Mr. DeLozier. This court has repeatedly stated that counsel's decisions regarding how best to cross-examine witnesses presumptively arise from sound trial strategy. Richie v. Mullin, 417 F.3d 1117, 1124 (10th Cir.2005). Mr. DeLozier has failed to show that the strategy employed here was not sound. Perrine questioned Nathaniel on several inconsistencies between his statements to the OSBI and his testimony. At trial Nathaniel testified that Bo had not stated that he was going to kill Morgan and Bullard and take their belongings, but he did admit that he may have told OSBI agents otherwise in his second interview. Additionally, he testified that the murders occurred on the first trip to the Morgan camp and that he, Bo, and Mr. DeLozier were together on every trip made to the camp. But on cross-examination, Perrine pointed out that Nathaniel had told OSBI agents in his first interview that Mr. DeLozier made a trip to the camp by himself and, when he returned, told Nathaniel and Bo that he had set fire to the campsite. Nathaniel said that he did not remember making that statement; but that if he had, it was a lie. Perrine even got Nathaniel to admit that he was capable of lying under oath. Moreover, when an OSBI agent later testified about Nathaniel's first statement, Perrine elicited from him two things that Nathaniel had said that were contrary to his trial testimony. Perhaps Nathaniel could have been impeached further with his statements to the OSBI, but emphasizing those statements could produce only limited dividends because they were consistent with his testimony on the essentials: in both statements he asserted that Mr. DeLozier had killed Morgan and Bullard. In any event, Perrine obtained substantial concessions from Nathaniel-in particular, his admissions that he might lie under oath and that he received a great benefit (the lighter sentence) for testifying against Mr. DeLozier. The OCCA ruled that Perrine's failure to impeach Nathaniel at greater length did not constitute deficient performance. See DeLozier, 991 P.2d at 32. This ruling was not an unreasonable application of, or contrary to, clearly established federal law.