Opinion ID: 2754415
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Favorable Treatment Impeachment Evidence

Text: In his first issue on appeal, Appellant raises prosecutorial misconduct and Brady claims, asserting the Commonwealth offered O’Donald and Williams “secret deals” in exchange for their testimony regarding incriminating statements that they overheard Appellant make while on his cell block; that O’Donald and Williams testified falsely at trial that no deals existed; and that the Commonwealth violated Brady11 and Napue12 by failing to disclose evidence regarding these deals to trial counsel and failing to correct the witnesses’ allegedly false testimony during trial. Appellant additionally contends that, in 11 Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963). 12 Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264 (1959). [J-46-2013] - 9 evaluating his claims, the PCRA court misapplied the materiality standard for relief under Brady and Napue. To prove a Brady violation, Appellant must demonstrate that: (1) the prosecution concealed evidence; (2) which evidence was either exculpatory or impeachment evidence favorable to him and; (3) he was prejudiced by the concealment. Commonwealth v. Paddy, 800 A.2d 294, 305 (Pa. 2002); Strickler v. Greene, 527 U.S. 263, 281-82 (1999). In order to prove prejudice, Appellant must show a “reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different.” Commonwealth v. Burke, 781 A.2d 1136, 1141 (Pa. 2001). Stated differently, the undisclosed evidence must be “material to guilt or punishment.” Paddy, 800 A.2d at 305. Further, “[i]mpeachment evidence which goes to the credibility of a primary witness against the accused is critical evidence and it is material to the case whether that evidence is merely a promise or an understanding between the prosecution and the witness.” Commonwealth v. Strong, 761 A.2d 1167, 1175 (Pa. 2000). Mere conjecture as to an agreement between the prosecution and witness is insufficient to establish a Brady violation, however. Commonwealth v. Chmiel, 30 A.3d 1111, 1131 (Pa. 2011). Finally, we note that “[t]here is no Brady violation when the appellant knew, or with reasonable diligence, could have uncovered the evidence in question.” Commonwealth v. Paddy, 15 A.3d 431, 451 (Pa. 2011).
Appellant maintains that O’Donald had an agreement with Delaware County prosecutors that he would testify in Appellant’s case in exchange for a reduced prison sentence, and that the prosecution failed to correct O’Donald’s false testimony at trial that there was no such agreement. In support of his claims, Appellant notes that O’Donald [J-46-2013] - 10 testified at the PCRA hearing that prosecutors in Appellant’s case told him that federal prosecutors would file a Fed.R.Crim.P. 35 motion for a reduction in his federal sentence after he testified in Appellant’s case; that O’Donald cooperated in Appellant’s case in order to receive a sentence reduction; and that O’Donald’s federal prison sentence was, in fact, reduced from 17 to 14 years shortly after Appellant’s trial had concluded. Appellant also points to a document from the District Attorney’s office entitled “Points to Cover Re: Prison Informant,”13 which was discussed during a July 2, 1997 meeting between O’Donald and local prosecutors concerning his cooperation in Appellant’s case, and which stated, in pertinent part: 6. Do you understand that I am the First Assistant District Attorney of Delaware County and therefore not a member of the United States Attorney’s Office? 7. Do you understand that since I am not a member of the [U]nited States Attorney’s Office that I have no authority or capacity to appear in court to make a recommendation to the court which shall sentence you? 8. Do you understand that I will have the ability to provide information to the [U]nited States Attorney’s Office and to any other relevant party as to my opinion of the sincerity and candor of your cooperation? 9. Do you understand that any benefit that you may receive for your cooperation is not dependent on any information you may or may not provide, but will flow solely from your sincere and candid cooperation in terms of your willingness to serve as a “listening post” for Bowmar [sic]. Appellant’s Brief at 14 (quoting PCRA Exhibit 79) (emphasis original). Appellant claims this document unequivocally established that O’Donald reached a bargain with Delaware 13 The Commonwealth stipulated that this document was contained in the District Attorney’s file. See N.T., 1/15/09, at 10. [J-46-2013] - 11 County prosecutors regarding his cooperation in Appellant’s case, which he alleges came to fruition on October 15, 1998, when federal prosecutors filed a Motion for Reduction of Sentence for Changed Circumstances Pursuant to Fed.R.Crim.P. 35(b), and, according to Appellant, was based “solely” on his cooperation in Appellant’s case. Appellant’s Brief at 16. Preliminarily, we note that Appellant’s alleged Brady evidence would appear to have been available at the time of Appellant’s trial, post-sentence motions, or his direct appeal, as Appellant’s counsel had in his possession O’Donald’s plea agreement with federal prosecutors at the time of trial; the Motion for Reduction of Sentence in O’Donald’s case was filed two weeks after the conclusion of the guilt phase of Appellant’s trial; and O’Donald received a reduced sentence days later. While Appellant maintains he raised his Brady claim at his first opportunity to do so, he fails to indicate when he became aware of the alleged Brady violation and fails to explain why, with reasonable diligence, he could not have uncovered evidence of the alleged violation at an earlier time. Accordingly, because Appellant failed to raise this issue in an earlier proceeding, the claim appears to have been waived. See Commonwealth v. Roney, 79 A.3d 595, 609 (Pa. 2013) (finding Brady claim to be waived when the appellant failed to raise the issue at trial or on direct appeal and failed to argue why his prior counsel could not have uncovered the alleged Brady violations with reasonable diligence). However, the Commonwealth does not assert waiver; thus, we will consider the claim on the merits. The PCRA court concluded that no agreement existed between the Commonwealth and O’Donald, and, thus, that the Commonwealth did not violate Brady for failing to disclose it, noting that, although O’Donald testified during the PCRA hearing regarding the existence of an agreement, his testimony lacked credibility. PCRA Court Opinion, 9/4/12, at 49-51, 55. Specifically, the PCRA court pointed out that O’Donald [J-46-2013] - 12 entered a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in February 1997 — prior to his cooperation in Appellant’s case — in which he agreed to provide investigators with information concerning 12 unsolved bank robberies. In exchange for his guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to inform the sentencing court of his cooperation in the other cases and to encourage the court, at its discretion, to impose a sentence below the applicable mandatory minimum. The PCRA court opined that O’Donald initiated discussions with authorities in Appellant’s case because he hoped that cooperating with local authorities in that investigation would result in an additional sentence reduction pursuant to his earlier plea agreement. However, the court noted that, during O’Donald’s July 2, 1997 meeting with local prosecutors concerning his cooperation in this matter, prosecutors informed O’Donald that they were not affiliated with the United States Attorneys’ Office and expressly stated they lacked authority to make formal recommendations regarding his federal sentence. See PCRA Exhibit 79. While prosecutors informed O’Donald during the meeting that they could potentially advise the United States Attorneys’ Office of his cooperation in the matter, and although the federal district court judge ultimately considered O’Donald’s cooperation in Appellant’s case in conjunction with his cooperation in the bank robbery cases when it granted the motion to reduce O’Donald’s sentence, the PCRA court found that “no prosecutor, local or federal, promised O’Donald that a motion seeking a further reduction would be filed on his behalf if he testified at trial,” PCRA Court Opinion, 9/4/12, at 49, and that O’Donald’s “subjective belief does not support the conclusion that promises of this nature were made.” Id. at 51. The PCRA court further determined that, even assuming arguendo that such an agreement existed, its alleged concealment did not impact the verdict, as O’Donald’s credibility was challenged extensively during cross-examination; the trial court issued a cautionary instruction to the jury regarding its consideration of O’Donald’s testimony; and [J-46-2013] - 13 substantial other physical and circumstantial evidence of Appellant’s guilt independent of O’Donald’s testimony was offered at trial. As the PCRA court highlighted in its opinion, the “Points to Cover Re: Prison Informant” document reflects that prosecutors specifically told O’Donald that they lacked authority to make a recommendation on O’Donald’s behalf at sentencing, and that any benefit O’Donald might receive from sentencing was not dependent on any information he provided to them. PCRA Exhibit 79. Additionally, the federal prosecutor noted during O’Donald’s resentencing hearing that “there were no deals between [O’Donald and] . . . the D.A.’s office in Delaware County,” N.T., 1/7/1999, at 21-22, and the Assistant District Attorney similarly expressed during Appellant’s PCRA hearing that prosecutors “weren’t offering [O’Donald] any consideration.” N.T., 1/15/2009, at 131. While, as the PCRA court found, one could construe the above as evidencing that there was no agreement between O’Donald and prosecutors for a reduced sentence, other evidence strongly suggests the existence of such an agreement. Indeed, although the “Points to Cover” document stated that prosecutors lacked the authority to make a sentencing recommendation on O’Donald’s behalf, the document also discussed the prosecutor’s ability to provide information to the United States Attorney’s Office regarding O’Donald’s cooperation, noted that any potential benefit to O’Donald would flow from his willingness to serve as a listening post, and characterized O’Donald’s relationship with prosecutors as an “understanding.” PCRA Exhibit 79. Further, at O’Donald’s resentencing hearing, the federal prosecutor confirmed that O’Donald had a “deal . . . with the federal government to cooperate in any and all investigations as . . . requested of [O’Donald],” N.T., 1/7/1999, at 22, and the Assistant District Attorney testified at Appellant’s PCRA hearing that, following O’Donald’s cooperation in Appellant’s case, he “fully expected [O’Donald] to . . . return to Federal Court and ask the Judge to reduce his [J-46-2013] - 14 sentence from the 17 years.” N.T., 1/15/2009, at 139. Indeed, as noted above, shortly after Appellant’s trial had concluded, federal prosecutors filed a Fed.R.Crim.P. 35(b) Motion for Reduction of Sentence, and O’Donald’s prison sentence was reduced from 17 to 14 years. Nevertheless, we need not reach a definitive conclusion as to whether or not an agreement existed between O’Donald and prosecutors because, even if such an agreement did exist, any Brady violation in this regard did not prejudice Appellant in light of the extensive DNA and circumstantial evidence against him, including, inter alia, sperm recovered from the victim’s vagina which matched Appellant’s DNA profile; DNA from the victim found on the right door panel of Appellant’s vehicle; tire patterns at the murder scene which matched tire patterns from Appellant’s vehicle; and testimony from Appellant’s ex-girlfriend revealing that Appellant confessed to raping and murdering the victim, and described specific details surrounding the incident. Moreover, O’Donald admitted during direct examination that he had a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, that his cooperation in Appellant’s case was brought to the federal judge’s attention during his October 1997 sentencing hearing, that he was dissatisfied with his current sentence, and that a motion for further reduction of his sentence was pending, N.T., 9/28/98, at 273, 285-87, prompting the trial court to instruct the jury to consider O’Donald’s testimony with caution because O’Donald “believed the level of his cooperation with law enforcement authorities in this case would have a positive impact on the sentence he would receive in federal court.” PCRA Opinion, 9/4/12, at 44 (quoting N.T., 9/30/98, at 160). Thus, in light of the substantial evidence against Appellant and the fact that the trial court highlighted possible bias in O’Donald’s testimony and directed the jury to view the testimony with caution, we find that it is not probable that the result of [J-46-2013] - 15 Appellant’s trial would have been different if the alleged Brady material had been disclosed to him.
Appellant similarly argues that an agreement existed between prosecutors and Williams, claiming Williams was facing first-degree murder charges, but was permitted to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter in exchange for his testimony in Appellant’s case. As proof of this alleged agreement, Appellant references Williams’ testimony from the PCRA hearing stating that he testified in Appellant’s case because the prosecutor promised him that he would be released on parole, and that his testimony was false and based on information fed to him by the prosecutor and detectives. Appellant also refers to a letter First Assistant District Attorney (“ADA”) Daniel J. McDevitt wrote to the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole two years after Appellant’s trial acknowledging Williams’ cooperation in the case and a letter Williams wrote to ADA McDevitt in 2003 inquiring into their “deal” regarding his parole. In addressing Appellant’s Brady claim, the PCRA court concluded that no credible evidence established that prosecutors promised Williams parole in exchange for his testimony in Appellant’s case. PCRA Court Opinion, 9/4/12, at 58. Specifically, the PCRA court observed that, while Williams testified during the PCRA hearing regarding an alleged agreement he had with prosecutors in exchange for his testimony, credible evidence proved otherwise, as ADA McDevitt testified during the PCRA hearing that Williams’ cooperation in Appellant’s case had no influence on his office’s decision to allow Williams to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter, and that prosecutors made no specific sentencing recommendations and did not ask for leniency on Williams’ behalf. The PCRA court further noted that ADA McDevitt explicitly stated in a 2003 letter to [J-46-2013] - 16 Williams that no deal existed between them, and that, although ADA McDevitt did, in fact, write a letter to the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole advising the Board of Williams’ cooperation in Appellant’s case, he did so at the request of Williams’ mother, and the letter did not represent that an agreement existed between Williams and law enforcement. Based on the foregoing, the PCRA court concluded that, “[w]hile Williams may have harbored the subjective hope that at some point his testimony would garner a benefit, there is no credible evidence supporting the conclusion that Mr. McDevitt, or anyone in law reinforcement [sic], promised him parole upon the service of his minimum sentence.” Id. at 59 (footnote omitted). We agree. While Appellant bases his claim on Williams’ testimony, the PCRA court specifically found the testimony was incredible. Appellant’s reliance on his earlier plea agreement and ADA McDevitt’s letter to the Parole Board is similarly unavailing. Indeed, Williams entered his open guilty plea and was sentenced in July 1998, months before Appellant’s trial began, and ADA McDevitt’s parole letter makes no reference to an agreement with Williams and, in fact, states that Williams’ cooperation with law enforcement was entirely voluntary. Further, although, as noted above, Williams referenced a deal in his letter to ADA McDevitt, ADA McDevitt’s letter in response explicitly rejected the existence of an agreement between Williams and the Commonwealth. Accordingly, because Appellant has failed to establish with credible evidence that an agreement existed between Williams and the Commonwealth, his claim fails.
Appellant additionally argues that, in rejecting his claims, the PCRA court misapplied the materiality standard for relief pursuant to Brady and Napue, improperly [J-46-2013] - 17 assessing materiality in terms of whether “after discounting items of evidence tainted by non-disclosure, the remaining evidence is sufficient to support a verdict of guilt,” rather than evaluating whether a reasonable likelihood exists that the non-disclosure would have affected the judgment of the jury, as he contends is required by Napue. Appellant’s Brief at 23. According to Appellant, if the PCRA court had properly applied the materiality standard, it would have found the non-disclosure of the agreements between the prosecution and the Commonwealth witnesses and the motivation for the witnesses’ testimony affected the judgment of the jury, as, according to Appellant, the testimony was damaging in nature and the jury would not have believed it if it knew the witnesses were testifying pursuant to agreements for reduced sentences. Appellant’s argument is largely beside the point. The PCRA court rejected Appellant’s Brady claims based upon its finding that no agreements existed between the Commonwealth and its witnesses, and, thus, that the Commonwealth did not conceal any evidence. Moreover, as we discussed in detail above, even if an agreement existed between prosecutors and O’Donald, its nondisclosure did not affect the judgment of the jury in light of the wealth of significant other evidence implicating Appellant in the murder. Appellant is, thus, not entitled to relief on this claim.