Opinion ID: 2300815
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Preservation of other Ineffective Assistance of Counsel Claims

Text: On direct appeal, appellant also claimed the prosecutor failed to make a good faith effort in seeking the pre-trial detention of a witness. We held this claim was meritless because the Commonwealth's effort to locate the witness was reasonable. Wayne, at 467. Appellant raised this claim to the PCRA court, which properly determined it was previously litigated; he again attempts to raise it on collateral appeal, which is impermissible. PCRA Court Opinion, 1/30/08, at 7; see 42 Pa.C.S. § 9543(a)(3). Appellant now contends trial counsel was ineffective for not seeking the witness's pre-trial detention, and appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to raise this claim. As previously noted, appellant was required to raise claims based on trial counsel's performance at the onset of new counsel's representation on direct appeal. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 9544(b); Hubbard, at 696 n. 8. Having failed to do so, appellant has waived this claim, and may only obtain relief by showing appellate counsel's ineffectiveness in connection with this issue. McGill, at 1022 (when court is faced with layered ineffectiveness claim, only viable ineffectiveness claim is that related to most recent counsel). Appellant properly preserved his layered ineffectiveness claim by pleading appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to raise trial counsel's ineffectiveness for not seeking the witness's pre-trial detention. Appellant also preserved an additional layered ineffectiveness claim, arguing trial counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate, develop, and present exculpatory eyewitness testimony, and appellate counsel was ineffective for failing to raise and litigate trial counsel's ineffectiveness. Appellant does not develop his ineffectiveness of counsel claims for appellate counsel; however, we need not remand for development of these claims with respect to appellate counsel where the appellant has not met his burden of proving the underlying claim of trial counsel's ineffectiveness. Commonwealth v. Walker, ___ Pa. ___, 36 A.3d 1, 9 (2011); McGill, at 1025.