Opinion ID: 2314347
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Failure to Call Certain Witnesses

Text: Morris argues that trial counsel was ineffective because he did not present the testimony of Joseph Flowers (Flowers) at trial. According to Morris, Flowers was a critical defense witness because he made a pre-trial photo identification of Morris' brother, Artie Morris, as the person who shot Mr. McDonald in this case. This issue was raised in written post-verdict motions, but Morris' first post-verdict attorney orally withdrew this claim at the evidentiary hearing on post-trial motions on November 12, 1986. After that, Morris' second post-verdict attorney entered his appearance in this case and requested a continuance to produce several witnesses, including Flowers. However, Flowers was never produced as a witness and the sentencing court found this claim to be without merit when it denied post-verdict motions. Appellate counsel then raised this issue on direct appeal, and we also rejected it. This issue is therefore finally litigated and not cognizable under the PCRA. 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 9543(a)(3), 9544(a)(2). Furthermore, Morris has not explained Flowers' failure to appear in court when he raised this issue in post-verdict motions and he did not produce him in the PCRA proceedings below. Even Morris agrees that he and his brother closely resembled each other; therefore, testimony that Flowers misidentified Morris' brother would not necessarily be exculpatory. In addition, Morris presented two other witnesses at trial who testified that they were in the area at the time of the shooting and that Morris was not the man that they saw. Flowers' testimony would therefore have been cumulative, and we cannot conclude that the absence of this testimony undermined the verdict. Morris has therefore failed to establish that he is entitled to relief for this claim pursuant to Stanley. Morris also challenges trial counsel's decision to introduce into evidence an enlarged photograph of Morris' brother, Artie Morris, instead of presenting Artie Morris in person before the jury. Morris claims that the jury should have been able to observe the resemblance between the brothers while they were both in the courtroom. However, trial counsel's decision to use a photograph was a reasonable course of action in this case because prior misidentifications of Morris were photo identifications. Counsel will not be faulted for choosing one reasonable course over another, Commonwealth v. Ly, 528 Pa. 523, 599 A.2d 613 (1991). Accordingly, this claim is also without merit.