Opinion ID: 2537242
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: Alleged Threats by Police

Text: Rodriguez alleges that his trial counsel was ineffective in failing to impeach Isidoro regarding available evidence that Isidoro cooperated as a witness only after he was threatened by police. In denying this claim, the postconviction court observed that all witnesses called by Rodriguez stated the oppositethat Isidoro was never threatened or given special benefits. Rodriguez called numerous witnesses regarding this claim during the relinquishment evidentiary hearing. All of them denied that Isidoro had been threatened. Sergeant Singleton explicitly stated that he did not threaten Isidoro or tell him that he would be arrested and that he did not have any knowledge that Detective Nyberg or Detective LeClaire threatened him either. Initially Isidoro was not being cooperative, so Sergeant Singleton brought Isidoro's wife to him, hoping that she would help convince her husband to cooperate. He did not recall any arrangement he made with Isidoro in exchange for Isidoro's cooperation. Detective LeClaire also testified, but had no independent knowledge of Isidoro. Finally, the prosecutor, Abraham Laeser, testified that he also did not know of any threats or promises that Isidoro received in exchange for his cooperation. The only information he could recall on the subject was from either a deposition or trial testimony that Isidoro felt he needed to cooperate so the police would not arrest his mother. There is competent, substantial evidence that supports the trial court's factual findings that no evidence was introduced to show that Isidoro was threatened or promised favors in exchange for his cooperation. Accordingly, we deny this subclaim. Defense counsel cannot be considered ineffective for failing to impeach Isidoro on evidence that did not exist.