Opinion ID: 1918280
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Commonwealth v. Torres

Text: As noted above, Appellant Torres claims that the Superior Court erred in reversing the order of the suppression court granting his motion to suppress the evidence that the police seized from his apartment at the Rippey Street apartment complex. For the reasons that follow, we agree and therefore reverse. On the evening of February 18, 1996, Timothy Moore, Joel Moore and Robert James were shot to death as they sat inside a parked Ford Bronco on the 1100 block of Sperling Street in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania. A police investigation into the murders ensued and three days later Detectives assigned to the Homicide Unit of the Allegheny County Police Department applied for a warrant to search Torres' Rippey Street apartment for firearms, ammunition, records of crack cocaine sales, phone records, pagers and pager numbers, residency papers, crack cocaine and paraphernalia used to package and deliver crack cocaine. In support of their application for the issuance of a search warrant, the Detectives filed the following affidavit: Your affiants are Detectives assigned to the Homicide Unit of the Allegheny County Police Department. All of the information contained in this affidavit was learned directly by your affiants, or relayed to your affiants by other police officers involved in this investigation. On the evening of February 18, 1996, the Wilkinsburg Police Department requested investigative assistance from the Allegheny County Police Homicide Unit. This request was in regards [sic] to a recent shooting incident that occurred in the 1100 block of Sperling Street in Wilkinsburg. It was subsequently learned that there were three (3) victims in this case, and all of the shooting victims were pronounced dead at the scene by Emergency Medical Personnel. The victims were all shot while seated in a parked 1982 Ford Bronco. The victims were Timothy A. MOORE, B/M/25, Joel MOORE, B/M/19, and Robert JAMES, B/M/33. The investigation revealed that two armed suspects approached the victim's vehicle, and that the suspects then fired numerous gunshots into the victim's [sic]. During the course of this investigation, it was learned that the three victims were involved in drug related activities. It was also learned that the victims had made a recent drug deal(s) with individuals known to frequent the Wilkinsburg/East Liberty Section of Allegheny County. Numerous interviews have been conducted in this case. The identity of these witnesses is known to your affiants. These witnesses will be available to testify at any necessary court proceedings. It was collectively learned through these witnesses that several days prior to the shooting incident, Timothy MOORE (victim), made a crack cocaine drug deal with individuals that he knew as BOB and MIKE. Bob and Mike previously indicated that they were brothers, and they were from New York. It was learned that the drug deals in question were set up through the use of telephone pagers. The telephone pager numbers for Bob and Mike were # 574-5647 and # 574-1745 respectively. It was learned during the investigation that Bob had a home telephone number of # 661-4862. This telephone number is listed to a David Michael TORRES of 5631 Rippey Street, Apt. C-2, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. This apartment is located in the East Liberty Section of Pittsburgh. The age of Torres is consistent with the approx. age of Bob (as given by various witnesses). The investigation revealed that on the evening in question, the victims agreed to meet with BOB and MIKE in Wilkinsburg to settle a drug related debt. It was reported that Tim MOORE had previously paid Bob and/or Mike approx. $2,300 for crack cocaine, but that Moore was not given any drugs in return for the money. The victims were to meet Bob and Mike at approx. 8:30 PM (2-18-96) in a parking lot of a Texaco Gas Station in Wilkinsburg. The purpose of the meeting was to resolve the dispute over the aforementioned crack cocaine deal. Witnesses indicated that the victim's [sic] departed from the New Stanton area of Westmoreland County for Wilkinsburg at approx. 8:00 PM. It should be noted that the planned meeting place for the drug deal was in close proximity to the shooting scene. During the investigation, your affiants learned through witnesses that the suspects, (BOB/MIKE) lived in the area of Rippey Street in the East Liberty Section of Pittsburgh. [I]t was also learned that Bob and Mike lived with a relative known as X. The investigation revealed that David MICHAEL TORRES resides at 5631 Rippey Street, Apt. C-2 and that two relatives lived at that same address. These relatives are Robert TORRES, AKA BOB Torres, and Xavier TORRES. Robert Torres lives in apartment # C-5, while Xavier resides in apartment B-3. During a recent surveillance of the apartment building in question, a vehicle was found to be parked in front of the structure. This vehicle had a New York license plates [sic] affixed to it. The description of this car was consistent with the description of the suspect car that was fleeing the shooting scene. Based on the above facts and circumstances, your affiants respectfully request a Search Warrant for the above listed residence. The application and affidavit were signed by an issuing authority on February 21, 1996, and the police executed the warrant that same day. The police search of Torres' apartment produced two guns, an undetermined amount of U.S. currency, a box of cartridges, a television, two phones, two remote controls, paraphernalia and various papers bearing the names of Robert Torres and David Torres. Torres was subsequently arrested and charged with three counts of homicide. Torres' counsel filed an Omnibus Pre Trial Motion seeking, inter alia, suppression of the evidence seized from Torres' Rippey Street apartment. Following a hearing, the suppression court granted Torres' motion to suppress the evidence seized from his Rippey Street apartment, concluding that the affidavit filed in support of the application for the warrant was insufficient to establish probable cause for the search. The Commonwealth filed an interlocutory appeal to the Superior Court pursuant to Rule 311(d) of the Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate Procedure [2] , and the Superior Court issued a published opinion and order reversing the suppression of the evidence. Commonwealth v. Torres, 714 A.2d 416 (Pa.Super.1998). Torres' instant appeal followed. In reviewing the ruling of the suppression court, we note that the Superior Court was limited to determining whether the record supported that court's factual findings and whether the legal conclusions that the suppression court drew from those facts were correct. See Commonwealth v. E.M., 558 Pa. 16, 735 A.2d 654, 657 (1999) (citing Commonwealth v. Cortez, 507 Pa. 529, 532, 491 A.2d 111, 112 (1985)); Commonwealth v. Waltson, 555 Pa. 223, 724 A.2d 289, 291 (1998). In addition, the Superior Court was constrained to consider only the evidence presented by the defense and so much of the evidence for the prosecution which remained uncontradicted when read in the context of the record as a whole. Commonwealth v. Robinson, 518 Pa. 156, 541 A.2d 1387, 1389 (1988). In his brief to this Court, Torres argues that the Superior Court ignored the above-cited standard of review, and failed to give proper deference to the suppression court's determination that the affidavit was insufficient to establish probable cause to search his apartment. More specifically, Torres argues that the Superior Court erred by determining that the police corroboration described in the affidavit imparted sufficient reliability to the information given by the anonymous sources [3] to support a finding that the affidavit established probable cause to search under the totality of the circumstances test set forth by the United States Supreme Court in Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983), and later adopted by this Court for purposes of making and reviewing probable cause determinations under Article I, Section 8 of the Pennsylvania State Constitution in Commonwealth v. Gray, 509 Pa. 476, 503 A.2d 921 (1986). The Commonwealth counters by arguing that the Superior Court correctly found that the search warrant was properly issued. According to the Commonwealth, a common-sense reading of the affidavit indicates that some of the individuals who provided the police with information had personal knowledge of the association and conflict between the victims and Torres and that some of them actually observed the commission of the murders. In addition, the Commonwealth contends that the police were able to corroborate enough of the information that they received from their anonymous sources to support the issuing authority's determination that there was probable cause to believe that evidence connecting Torres to the murders would be found in his Rippey Street apartment. Pursuant to the totality of the circumstances test set forth by the United States Supreme Court in Gates, the task of an issuing authority is simply to make a practical, common-sense decision whether, given all of the circumstances set forth in the affidavit before him, including the `veracity' and `basis of knowledge' of persons supplying hearsay information, there is a fair probability that contraband or evidence of a crime will be found in a particular place. Commonwealth v. Gray, 509 Pa. 476, 484, 503 A.2d 921, 925 (1986)(quoting Gates, 462 U.S. at 238-39, 103 S.Ct. at 2332). Thus, the totality of the circumstances test permits a balanced assessment of the relative weights of all the various indicia of reliability (and unreliability) attending an informant's tip.... Gates, 462 U.S. at 234, 103 S.Ct. at 2330. It is the duty of a court reviewing an issuing authority's probable cause determination to ensure that the magistrate had a substantial basis for concluding that probable cause existed. Gray, 509 Pa. at 484, 503 A.2d at 925. In so doing, the reviewing court must accord deference to the issuing authority's probable cause determination, and must view the information offered to establish probable cause in a common-sense, non-technical manner. Commonwealth v. Jones, 542 Pa. 418, 668 A.2d 114, 117 (1995) (opinion announcing the judgment of the Court). In the instant case, the suppression court essentially concluded that the affidavit did not provide the issuing authority with a substantial basis to conclude that probable cause existed to search Torres' apartment for evidence linking him to the triple murder that occurred on February 18, 1996. In support of its decision to grant Torres' motion to suppress, the suppression court noted that the affidavit is frustratingly sparse, merely setting forth in narrative form what the affiants learned without providing any clear indication as to where they obtained each of the pieces of information included therein. The suppression court also noted that, based on the four corners of the affidavit, there was no way for the issuing authority to tell how the anonymous sources obtained their information. Accordingly, the suppression court found that the issuing authority had no substantial basis on which to assess the reliability of the information provided to the affiants. Finally, the suppression court found that the only corroboration which imparted any reliability to the information provided by the anonymous sources was the police observation of a vehicle matching a general description of the get-away car used in the shootings outside the apartment complex where Torres lived. [4] , [5] At the suppression hearing, Detective Tallent, who spotted the vehicle, testified that the vehicle bore a New York State license plate, but also testified that he failed to investigate whether or not the vehicle was connected to Apartment C-2 until after the search of the apartments at the Rippey Street complex had taken place. [6] The suppression court found that this bit of corroboration was insufficient to sustain the warrant in light of the lack of information concerning the basis of knowledge or veracity of the unnamed sources and the failure of the affidavit to ascribe each piece of information to one or several of the anonymous sources. In reversing the suppression court, the Superior Court found that although the affidavit failed to expressly establish either the basis of knowledge or the veracity of the anonymous sources, the information that they provided to the police was sufficiently bolstered by the following indicia of reliability: (1) the detailed nature of the accounts offered by the anonymous source(s) of the victims' and their assailants' activities leading up to the murders; (2) the police verification of the address and phone number given for Torres; and (3) the police observation of a vehicle matching the description of the get-away vehicle used in the murders outside Torres' apartment complex. Commonwealth v. Torres, 714 A.2d 416, 420 (Pa.Super. 1998). Thus, the Superior Court determined that the affidavit provided the issuing authority with a substantial basis to support his finding of probable cause to search. As the following discussion indicates, we find that the Superior Court gave too much weight to the indicia of reliability attending the information included in the affidavit and therefore erred in reversing the order of the suppression court. As acknowledged by the Commonwealth, the affidavit does not expressly set forth the basis of knowledge of the anonymous sources. Nor do we find convincing the Commonwealth's argument that a common sense reading of the affidavit clearly indicates that one or more of the anonymous sources had personal knowledge of the events in question or was an actual eyewitness to the murders. Perhaps even more importantly, it is impossible to tell from the affidavit which of the anonymous source(s) provided each of the pieces of information included therein. Therefore, the mere fact that one or more of the anonymous sources provided a somewhat detailed account of the activities of the victims and their assailants preceding the murders does not, in and of itself, constitute a significant indicia of the reliability of that information. [7] In addition, the fact that the police verified the address, phone number and general age given to them for Torreswhose address and phone number were listed in the phone book and were therefore freely available to the public does not constitute a significant indicia of the reliability of the other information provided to the police by the anonymous sources. Finally, as noted above, the affidavit mentions that the police observed a vehicle parked outside Torres' apartment complex which met the description of a vehicle seen fleeing the scene of the murders. This piece of corroboration does little to establish the reliability of the information provided by the anonymous sources due to the fact that: (1) the affidavit does not set forth the description of the fleeing vehicle that was given to the police or how the vehicle that was later observed outside Torres' apartment complex matched that description; (2) there is no clear indication in the affidavit as to how the police got a description of the fleeing vehicle in the first place; and (3) although the affidavit explains that the vehicle spotted outside Torres' apartment complex had a New York State license plate (which matched up with the information that the police had received that Torres and Williams had indicated that they were brothers from New York), there is no indication in the affidavit as to whether the police wrote down the license plate number or made any efforts to determine whether the plate could be linked somehow to Torres and/or Williams. Although the basis of knowledge and veracity of anonymous sources are only factors to be considered by the issuing authority in making probable cause determinations, they retain a vital role in cases such as the instant one, where the affidavit of probable cause is almost entirely based on information gleaned from anonymous sources. Where, as here, there is no attempt made to establish either the basis of knowledge of the anonymous sources or their general veracity, a strong showing of the reliability of the information that they have relayed to the police in the specific case is required in order to support a finding of probable cause. Such a showing is simply not made by the affidavit of probable cause in the instant case. [8] We are well aware of the fact that, as a reviewing court, we are not to conduct a de novo review of the issuing authority's probable cause determination, but are simply to determine whether or not there is substantial evidence in the record supporting the decision to issue the warrant. See, e.g., Massachusetts v. Upton, 466 U.S. 727, 728, 104 S.Ct. 2085, 80 L.Ed.2d 721 (1984) (citing Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213, 103 S.Ct. 2317, 76 L.Ed.2d 527 (1983)). However, even given the substantial deference which we must afford the issuing authority's probable cause determination, we must find that after considering all of the information included in the affidavit and balancing the relative weights of the indicia of reliability (and unreliability) attending that information, the affidavit of probable cause failed to provide a substantial basis upon which to issue a warrant to search Torres' Rippey Street apartment. Therefore, since there is no good faith exception to the exclusionary rule in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, [9] the suppression court properly granted Torres' motion to suppress the evidence seized from his Rippey Street apartment and the Superior Court erred in reversing it. Accordingly, we reverse the judgment of the Superior Court reversing the suppression court's order granting Torres' motion to suppress the evidence seized from Apartment C-2 at the Rippey Street apartment complex and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.