Opinion ID: 2066555
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Lack of corrupt source instruction

Text: Appellant claims that the PCRA court erred in refusing to hold a hearing on appellant's claim that prior counsel were ineffective for failing to raise the trial court's failure to issue a corrupt source instruction to the jury in connection with Cofer's testimony. Appellant argues that the jury could have reasonably inferred that Cofer was an accomplice in Graves' murder (or actually committed it) based on Cofer's conduct at trial as well as his testimony that the police considered him a suspect in the murder (Appellant's Brief at 56) and that detectives threatened to arrest him for the murder and told him that appellant had implicated him in the crime. Appellant contends that, had the trial court instructed the jury that Cofer was a corrupt and polluted source, there is a reasonable likelihood that appellant would have been acquitted. In response, the Commonwealth first argues that a corrupt source charge would have been inconsistent with appellant's defense that he played no role in Graves' killing. In any event, the Commonwealth adds, appellant would not have been entitled to a corrupt source charge in connection with Cofer's testimony because there was no evidence at all that Cofer was an accomplice to Graves' murder, much less sufficient evidence to warrant such a charge. The PCRA court determined that there was no arguable merit to the underlying corrupt source instruction claim, finding that there was no evidence presented that Kevin Cofer participated in the murder of Andre Graves. PCRA Ct. Op. at 12. A corrupt source instruction advises the jury that if it finds that a certain witness who testified against the defendant was an accomplice of the defendant in a crime for which he is being tried, then the jury should deem that witness a corrupt and polluted source whose testimony should be considered with caution. Commonwealth v. (Roy) Williams, 557 Pa. 207, 732 A.2d 1167, 1181 (1999); accord Commonwealth v. Hackett, 534 Pa. 210, 627 A.2d 719, 724 (1993). The instruction is warranted only in cases in which there is sufficient evidence to present a jury question with respect to whether the witness is an accomplice. ( Roy) Williams, 732 A.2d at 1181; Hackett, 627 A.2d at 724. Section 306(c) of the Crimes Code defines accomplice liability as follows: (c) Accomplice defined.A person is an accomplice of another person in the commission of an offense if: (1) with the intent of promoting or facilitating the commission of the offense, he: (i) solicits such other person to commit it; or (ii) aids or agrees or attempts to aid such other person in planning or committing it; or (2) his conduct is expressly declared by law to establish his complicity. 18 Pa.C.S. § 306(c). Accordingly, accomplice liability requires evidence that the person: (1) intended to aid or promote the substantive offense; and (2) actively participated in that offense by soliciting, aiding, or agreeing to aid the principal. Commonwealth v. Rega, 593 Pa. 659, 933 A.2d 997, 1014 (2007), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 128 S.Ct. 1879, 170 L.Ed.2d 755 (2008). One merely present at the crime scene is not an accomplice, id., nor is one who merely helps an offender try to escape arrest or punishment an accomplice, Commonwealth v. Spence, 534 Pa. 233, 627 A.2d 1176, 1183 (1993); Hackett, 627 A.2d at 725. As evidence that Cofer was an accomplice in Graves' murder, appellant cites the following: (1) Cofer's testimony that the police considered him a suspect in the murder; (2) Cofer's claim that detectives told him that they would arrest him for the murder and that appellant had implicated him in the crime; (3) Cofer's temporary refusal to continue testifying at trial; and (4) defense counsel's argument at trial that Cofer was the shooter. Appellant's Brief at 56. Appellant does no more than baldly assert that this evidence was sufficient for the jury to reasonably conclude that Cofer was an accomplice in Graves' murder; in fact, appellant fails even to mention the definition of an accomplice. Appellant's failure to even attempt to show that the requirements of accomplice liability were met by actual evidence here is not surprising. To begin with, notwithstanding appellant's contention to the contrary, Cofer himself, in fact, testified that the detectives told him that they did not believe appellant's out-of-court accusation that Cofer was the shooter, N.T., 5/7/93, at 120, and when asked whether Cofer was ever told by detectives that he was a suspect in the case, Cofer said, No, N.T., 5/10/93, at 253. The fact that, during the police investigation, appellant attempted to shift the blame from himself to Cofer, the only person other than himself and Graves who was present in the Taurus when Graves was killed, was not evidence either that Cofer intended to aid in Graves' murder or that Cofer actively participated in the crime. Cofer's sudden refusal to continue testifying at the end of his direct examination when trial resumed on Monday, May 10, 1993 after a weekend recess reflects, at most, his own subjective fear of prosecution, but that conduct was not evidence of his participation in the murder. Moreover, appellant cites no evidence to suggest that such supposed fear was objectively reasonable. In fact, in light of Cofer's recantation of his preliminary hearing testimony and his police statement implicating appellant, Cofer's subjective fear was more likely of retaliation by appellant, or of prosecution for perjury. See N.T., 5/7/93, at 168-69 (Cofer's testimony as to his current fear of being killed in prison); Commonwealth v. (Rodney) Collins, 549 Pa. 593, 702 A.2d 540, 543 (1997) (noting admission at trial of two letters written by appellant to Cofer press[ing] Cofer to recant or risk being branded a `snitch'). Finally, defense counsel's attempt to cast suspicion on Cofer at trial is unhelpful to appellant's underlying corrupt source instruction claim, as it is well-settled that arguments of counsel are not evidence, Commonwealth v. Puksar, 951 A.2d 267, 280 (Pa.2008). Therefore, appellant has failed to raise a genuine issue of material fact with respect to this underlying ineffectiveness claim, and the PCRA court did not err in denying a hearing thereon.