Opinion ID: 2184535
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Shooter Defense

Text: Defendant's defense theory at trial was that his separately tried codefendant, Randy Thomas, and not defendant, shot both victims. Defense counsel failed to present this defense at trial. Defendant and Thomas were both charged with the commission of these offenses. Defendant is shorter in stature than is his codefendant, Thomas. Prior to trial, Bob Bishop, the surviving victim and a material witness in this case, made a statement to a newspaper reporter, Jacqueline Price, that the taller of the two men (Thomas) entered the store first and while the shorter man (defendant) distracted Bishop with a question regarding directions, the taller man shot Bishop. Bishop did not see who shot McAnarney, the nonsurviving victim involved in these offenses. At trial, Bishop testified that defendant entered the station and asked for the rest room. Thomas, who was taller than defendant, then asked Bishop how far it was to Chicago. A few moments later Bishop was shot in the neck. Defense counsel did not impeach Bishop with his prior inconsistent statements to the reporter. Further, counsel did not present either testimony or an offer of proof concerning the statements made to the reporter. Defendant asserts that these failings, which deprived him of the presentation of his defense at trial, constitute ineffective assistance of counsel. The majority, recalling Bishop's trial testimony, concludes that even had counsel been able to impeach Bishop's testimony, no different result would have yielded. In support, the majority notes that Bishop unequivocally identified Thomas as the man who stayed in front of him and asked the distance to Chicago. Further, witnesses testified that defendant had the gun in his waistband as he left the gas station after the robbery; when defendant was picked up by police he had the murdered victim's wallet in his pocket and there was dried blood on defendant's shoe. Finally, the majority notes that on redirect, Bishop explained that he was distracted while making the statement to the reporter. 175 Ill.2d at 272, 222 Ill.Dec. at 365, 677 N.E.2d at 899. I am not as assured as is the majority that the same result would yield had defendant been given the opportunity to present his shooter defense. Bishop's post-conviction affidavit, which is consistent with his statements to the reporter, contradicts his trial testimony. In his affidavit, Bishop states that, although he has difficulty remembering details of the shooting, it is his belief that the first person who entered the station, and who asked where the bathroom was, is the one who shot him, while the second person, who sought directions, distracted Bishop's attention. I told [the reporter] something about the tall one, it seemed to me at the time that the first one in was pretty tall. It was Bishop's recollection that the first defendant to enter the station was taller than the second one who entered. Bishop states in his affidavit that he does not know who shot him. We have two accounts of the event by Bishop, one given through trial testimony and another in his post-conviction affidavit: one which suggests that the taller man, Thomas, was the shooter and another which suggests that defendant, the shorter man, was the shooter. So much for Bishop's unequivocal identification of Thomas as the man who sought directions. Further, that defendant was seen with the gun in his waistband does not necessarily support a conclusion that he was the shooter. Additionally, the fact that defendant had the murdered victim's wallet supports a conclusion that he robbed the victim, not that he also shot the victim. Finally and significantly, although there was testimony that defendant's shoe bore human blood, there was no testimony to the effect that the blood matched the blood of either of the two victims in this crime. Importantly, defendant was found guilty of a fatal shooting which had occurred only weeks prior to this offense. It is, therefore, conceivable that the blood on defendant's shoe was from that prior incident. Also worth noting, during deliberation, the jurors asked to have Bishop's testimony reread to them. That request was denied, and the jury instead tendered the following question, Bob Bishop's question concerning identity of man who asked distance to Chicago. Further, although there had been no impeachment testimony concerning the relative heights of each defendant and where each stood in relation to Bishop at the time of the shooting, in closing argument, both the defense and the State, in its rebuttal, argued those points to the jury. Counsel in his affidavit states that he was aware of Bishop's inconsistent statements; however, he did not interview Bishop prior to trial. At trial he did not call Bishop as a witness (see 134 Ill.2d R. 238), nor did he, on cross-examination, question Bishop on the issue of the relative height of the assailants. In light of all of the facts concerning this defense, I am hard-pressed to conclude, as does the majority, that the presentation of the defendant's shooter defense would have made no difference, particularly with respect to sentencing. There was no direct evidence that defendant was the shooter; not even Bishop, who was present during the course of the offense, knows who shot him or McAnarney. The jury, by its question concerning Bishop's testimony and after hearing conflicting arguments on the shooter defense, appears to have placed particular significance on that issue during its deliberation. Incidentally, on direct appeal, we held that the exclusion of the reporter's potential impeachment testimony was proper, as there was no inconsistency in Bishop's testimony that would justify the need for the same. Further, we held that any error in the exclusion of such testimony was waived for counsel's failure to include the claim in his post-trial motion. See People v. Lear, 143 Ill.2d 138, 145, 157 Ill.Dec. 412, 572 N.E.2d 876 (1991). Significantly, it was trial counsel who, in the first place, failed to elicit the inconsistent statements from Bishop which would have provided a basis for the reporter's testimony. Secondly, it was defense counsel who then filed the post-trial motion which omitted this particular issue. In light of defendant's participation in these offenses, as the majority so assuredly concludes, even had the shooter defense been presented, there perhaps would have been no different result on the issue of guilt. However, given that there is a question as to whether the defendant was the shooter, that the jury apparently considered the issue significant in its deliberations, and further, mindful that it takes only one juror to vote against death, I cannot conclude with any assurance that presentation of the shooter defense might not have altered the result at sentencing. Notably, in affidavits presented by two jurors, each one states that an initial paper ballot yielded an 11-1 vote on the issue of death. As a result of counsel's performance, defendant was left with no presentation of a defense at trial. Although, in the case of a jury, we can never conclude with absolute certainty that another result might have resulted, there is sufficient probability here that, but for counsel's failure to present defendant's shooter defense, defendant might not have received death. I would therefore find that Strickland has been satisfied with respect to defendant's shooter defense claim.