Opinion ID: 1965601
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: appellant's claims on appeal

Text: Appellant first asserts that the evidence at trial was insufficient to sustain his conviction for burglary. Specifically, appellant claims that the Commonwealth failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was not licensed or privileged to enter the premises. A person is guilty of burglary if he enters a building or occupied structure, or separately secured or occupied portion thereof, with intent to commit a crime therein, unless the premises are at the time open to the public or the actor is licensed or privileged to enter. 18 Pa.C.S. § 3502(a). Thus, to prevail on a burglary charge, the Commonwealth is required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the offender entered the premises, with the contemporaneous intent of committing a crime, at a time when he was not licensed or privileged to enter. Commonwealth v. Thomas, 522 Pa. 256, 561 A.2d 699, 704 (1989). However, a license or privilege to enter a premises is negated in the event it is acquired by deception. Commonwealth v. Edwards, 588 Pa. 151, 903 A.2d 1139, 1148 (2006). In Edwards, the defendant went to the victim's home, claiming to have money to settle a drug debt. Id. at 1144. However, the defendant's real purpose was to gain entry into the residence in order to kill the victim. Id. On appeal, the defendant argued that the evidence was insufficient to establish burglary because the victim permitted him entry into the premises. This Court rejected the defendant's claim, explaining that the deceptive nature of the entry negated any license or privilege to enter. Id. at 1148. The Commonwealth's burglary theory in this case was similar to that presented in Edwards. The prosecutor suggested that appellant gained entry into his brother's apartment by deceiving the victim. The evidence at trial, when viewed as it must be in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth as verdict winner, supported this conclusion. Although the evidence of deception was primarily circumstantial here, it was no less valid than that in Edwards, nor any less compelling. Despite plans to accompany his brother to Center City on the afternoon of the murder, appellant left William at the last moment, as William boarded the train. Appellant then returned to the apartment complex, where he knew that a propped-open door would give him access to the building. Appellant did not have a key to the apartment and was no longer a guest there. Nonetheless, appellant gained access to the apartment. There was no sign of forced entry and no sign of struggle inside. Appellant stole the marijuana and firearm he knew were hidden there. In addition, he strangled the victim to death, by some manner of surprise, most likely from behind. All of these facts lead to the reasonable inference that the victim granted appellant access to the apartment for some seemingly legitimate reason, when in fact appellant entered so that he could accomplish the theft. In light of our standard of review, we conclude that the evidence supported the Commonwealth's theory of deceptive entry. Under Edwards, appellant's claim fails. Appellant next claims that he is entitled to a new trial based on the trial court's error in excluding proffered defense testimony. At trial, appellant's theory of the case was that his brother William committed the murder. To that end, appellant offered testimony from Ms. House's co-workers regarding the couple's volatile relationship. The trial court permitted these witnesses to testify that they saw bruises and burn marks on the victim's body some months before the murder. However, the court did not permit the witnesses to testify that the victim told them William was responsible for the injuries, ruling that such statements were hearsay, to which no exception applied. Admission of evidence is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial court, and will not be reversed absent a showing that the trial court clearly abused its discretion. Commonwealth v. Chmiel, 558 Pa. 478, 738 A.2d 406, 414 (1999). Not merely an error in judgment, an abuse of discretion occurs when the law is overridden or misapplied, or the judgment exercised is manifestly unreasonable, or the result of partiality, prejudice, bias, or as shown by the evidence on record. Commonwealth v. McAleer, 561 Pa. 129, 748 A.2d 670 (2000) (citation, omitted). Appellant argues that among other cases, our decisions in Commonwealth v. Myers, 530 Pa. 396, 609 A.2d 162 (1992) and Commonwealth v. McGowan, 535 Pa. 292, 635 A.2d 113 (1993), mandate admission of the victim's statements to her co-workers. Relying on Myers, appellant claims that the victim's statements were admissible to establish William's ill will, motive, or malice. Under McGowan, appellant asserts, the evidence was admissible in order to establish that someone else was responsible for the victim's death. While appellant's development of this claim is less than adequate, we note that Myers and McGowan may be interpreted to establish that the evidence at issue was relevant to his defense. We observe, however, that even if we assume that the evidence should have been admitted, we would conclude that its exclusion was harmless here. The record reflects that defense counsel was successful in presenting to the jury evidence of William's physically abusive relationship with the victim. The jury heard testimony from her co-workers, and defense counsel engaged in zealous cross-examination of William at trial. Further, and perhaps most important, the prosecution conceded this aspect of the couple's relationship in his closing argument. Thus, the jury was aware that the couple's relationship was a stormy one, and that William abused the victim some months prior to her murder. For these reasons, appellant is not entitled to relief on this claim. Appellant next claims that he is entitled to a new trial based on trial counsel's ineffectiveness in failing to object to the prosecutor's closing statement at the guilt phase. Specifically, appellant challenges the prosecutor's improper expert opinion that the evidence at the murder scene did not comport with a domestic violence killing. [3] A prosecutor has reasonable latitude during his closing argument to advocate his case, respond to arguments of opposing counsel, and fairly present the Commonwealth's version of the evidence to the jury. Commonwealth v. Abu-Jamal, 553 Pa. 485, 720 A.2d 79, 110 (1998). A challenged statement by a prosecutor must be evaluated in the context in which it was made. Commonwealth v. Hall, 549 Pa. 269, 701 A.2d 190, 198 (1997). Not every intemperate or improper remark mandates the granting of a new trial. Commonwealth v. Stoltzfus, 462 Pa. 43, 337 A.2d 873 (1975). Reversible error occurs only when the unavoidable effect of the challenged comments would prejudice the jurors and form in their minds a fixed bias and hostility toward the defendant such that the jurors could not weigh the evidence and render a true verdict. Commonwealth v. Cox, 556 Pa. 368, 728 A.2d 923, 931 (1999). One of the defense strategies in this case was to place blame for the murder on William. Defense counsel's cross-examination of William focused on the couple's many arguments and, as noted above, counsel presented testimony by Ms. House's co-workers to establish that William physically abused her in the past. In his closing argument to the jury, defense counsel suggested that William, an initial suspect who had provided varying statements to the police, committed the murder. Counsel argued that when William discovered the burglary, he showed little concern for the victim's welfare, even though she was supposed to have been home at the time. The prosecutor countered these arguments by reminding the jury that the crime scene belied appellant's theory in that there was no evidence of a quarrel or fight, no indication that the victim suffered additional injuries, and no proof that she had struggled with her attacker. Had William killed the victim in a domestic rage, the prosecutor argued, the forensic and physical evidence at the crime scene would have been far different. [4] The trial court concluded that the prosecutor offered a fair response to defense counsel's arguments and merely asked the jurors to use their common sense, wisdom, experience, and knowledge of human nature to reject appellant's version of events. Trial Court Opinion at 12. As a result, the trial court concluded, there was no underlying merit to appellant's claim and there could be no ineffectiveness. Upon review of the record as a whole, we agree. The prosecutor was entitled to mount an argument, based only on the evidence of record, as to why the defense theory was not worthy of belief. The prosecutor's comments on the lack of evidence of a violent struggle and the type and amount of injuries the victim suffered were nothing more than a recitation of the evidence presented at trial. [5] His appeal to the jurors to use their common sense in assessing the evidence and evaluating the merit of appellant's theory was proper. Because the remarks complained of did not rise to the level, of prosecutorial misconduct, defense counsel cannot be deemed ineffective for failing to raise an objection. Commonwealth v. Whitney, 550 Pa. 618, 708 A.2d 471 (1998). Appellant's next claim is that trial counsel was ineffective for not objecting to the trial court's jury instruction on burglary. The challenged charge was as follows: Now, jurors, permission to enter a place or premises initially given by the owner may, however, be vitiated or rendered ineffective if deception, trickery, or artifice was used on the part of the defendant in Order to gain entry into the place or premises, but this is true only if you find, beyond a reasonable doubt, that trickery or subterfuge was used to gain such entry. N.T. 10/1/03 at 40-41. When reviewing a challenge to a part of a jury instruction, we consider the charge in its entirety to determine if it is fair and complete; a verdict will not be set aside if the instructions, taken as a whole and in context, accurately set forth the applicable law. Commonwealth v. Bracey, 541 Pa. 322, 662 A.2d 1062, 1068 (1995). With respect to the three-prong standard appellant must satisfy to establish ineffectiveness, we note that his claim fails at prong one. Simply put, the judge's charge to the jury was correct. As indicated by our discussion of Edwards and Thomas set out above, license or privilege to, enter a premises indeed may be negated in the event such permission is acquired by deception. Thus, there is no merit to appellant's underlying claim, which is fatal to his allegation of ineffective assistance of counsel. [6] Appellant's remaining claims all concern trial court errors or ineffective assistance of counsel in connection with his initial death sentence. Appellant's claims fall into three distinct categories: 1) the manner of selection of a death-qualified jury; 2) counsel's failure to object to the prosecutor's closing statement at the penalty phase; and 3) counsel's failure to present certain mitigation evidence. Like the trial court, we conclude that review of these claims is unwarranted because appellant's death sentence has been vacated. See Commonwealth v. Boxley, 575 Pa. 611, 838 A.2d 608, 614 (2003) (inadequacy of voir dire for death qualification purposes implicates only penalty phase issues); Commonwealth v. Moore, 580 Pa. 279, 860 A.2d 88, 100 (2004) (where defendant is granted a new penalty hearing, all remaining penalty phase issues are moot). The trial court has ordered a new penalty hearing, and we have affirmed that order, rendering moot any further review of penalty phase issues. For the reasons stated herein, we affirm the trial court's order denying appellant relief on his guilt phase issues and granting relief on his penalty phase issue. Accordingly, this matter is remanded for a new penalty phase hearing. Order affirmed. Jurisdiction relinquished. Chief Justice CAPPY, Justices SAYLOR, EAKIN and BAER and Justice BALDWIN join the opinion.