Opinion ID: 1520697
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Trial counsel failed to conduct a prompt investigation of the case and failed to interview any of the witnesses called by the government; and [t]rial counsel failed to engage in any meaningful discovery with the government with regard to the facts of this case.

Text: By his own admission, trial counsel read the police report of the robbery for the first time while the trial was in progress. Moreover, he admitted that he never interviewed any of the government's witnesses, even though the prosecutor had offered him the opportunity for discovery. [7] Furthermore, although counsel knew the government had a written statement allegedly made by his client, he neither obtained the statement nor filed a motion to suppress it. Finally, despite being appointed more than two years before appellant's trial, counsel learned only on the morning of trial that his client had been tried and acquitted as a juvenile for receiving the same stolen property for which he presently was charged with robbery. Counsel remained ignorant in spite of the fact that the Affidavit in Support of an Arrest Warrant contained the relevant information. As a result of trial counsel's lack of investigation, he learned for the first time at trial that the complaining witness had identified his client at the juvenile hearing. Thus, counsel never took advantage of the prior testimony of this witness for impeachment purposes, despite the fact that he could have used this testimony to question the certainty of his identification. [8] Counsel's failure to apprise himself of the facts of appellant's juvenile hearing became evident to the jury at least by the second day of trial. After the government had completed its cross-examination of appellant, having seriously impeached him with the use of his statements at the earlier proceeding, defense counsel asked for a five minute recess to review the documents on which the government had relied. Despite the fact that counsel had been supplied with these documents the day before, he told the court, I haven't seen them. Responding to the court's question whether he denied having received the documents the previous day, counsel stated: I said I haven't seen it recently. I didn't finish my statement. I said I haven't seen it. I am not aware of the contents of it at the moment. I don't know what he is talking about. That's the problem. I'm sorry. Counsel received a few minutes to read the transcript, without a recess, in front of the jury.