Opinion ID: 1369544
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sheriff Brogden's deposition

Text: Storey claims that counsel was ineffective for not introducing Sheriff Brogden's deposition at the 1999 sentencing trial to impeach Kim. Sheriff Brogden's deposition was taken by telephone during the trial because the sheriff's father was critically ill. He knew Storey, Kim, and Kim's father. He testified that he did not regard Storey as violent or having a significant criminal record and that Kim's father had interfered with Kim's marriage to Storey. The State successfully objected to portions of his deposition as hearsay and irrelevant. The trial court indicated that it would exclude Sheriff Brogden's testimony about Storey's insignificant criminal record and marriage, which in counsel's words, were some of the best portions of the deposition.... Storey's attorneys disagreed about whether the deposition, without the excluded portions, should be introduced because of the risk of bringing in evidence of a possible motorcycle theft by Storey. Both of Storey's attorneys acknowledge that it may have been beneficial to have had a police officer testify on Storey's behalf even if he had little that could be admitted. One counsel described the disagreement as a philosophical disagreement about the value of [the deposition]. The head of the public defender's capital litigation division reviewed the decision and opined that the deposition should not be introduced because of its damaging testimony and limited helpfulness. Counsel followed this advice. Because counsel's decision not to admit Sheriff Brogden's deposition was trial strategy, it is not a ground for ineffective assistance of counsel. State v. Chambers, 891 S.W.2d 93, 109 (Mo. banc 1994).