Opinion ID: 2422962
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Deficient Cross-Examination of Detective Amity

Text: Lesko's next argument is again directed at the testimony of Detective Amity, but this time he faults trial counsel for failing to adequately cross-examine the detective on his testimony that Lesko had drawn a gun on him when the detectives entered the hotel room to arrest him and his co-defendant. According to Lesko, he told his trial counsel that the detective's account was untrue: in fact, he did not draw a gun. Moreover, Lesko argues that the detective's account is incredible because he believes that, if he had drawn a gun on Detective Amity, the officer surely would have shot him. Lesko also asserts that trial counsel should have cross-examined Detective Amity with two police reports on the same subject, one of which reported that Lesko raised a gun under the sheets while he was in bed and the other of which reported that Lesko stood up and took a gun out of his belt. According to Lesko, these inconsistent details of how he drew his gun would have challenged Detective Amity's credibility concerning whether he drew a gun. The PCRA court reasoned that Lesko's argument regarding what Detective Amity would have done had he drawn a gun on him relied purely on speculation and was unfounded. Furthermore, the PCRA court pointed out that the two reports cited by Lesko did not help him, since in both versions, Lesko clearly possessed a gun. Accordingly, the court failed to see how the slightly different versions of the manner in which [Lesko] produced the gun makes a difference or creates an issue. PCRA Court Opinion, 8/7/2006, at 47. The PCRA court's opinion on this issue is well-reasoned. Lesko's unsubstantiated belief that criminals never pull guns on police without getting shot is rank speculation, contradicted by common sense and experience. Lesko's alternative argument, concerning the detective's prior statements, ignores the fact that the extant police reports corroborated Detective Amity's central testimony that Lesko possessed a gun at the time of his arrest. Of course, Lesko himself was free to testify and directly contradict the detective, and have the jury decide who was telling the truth. But, the fact that Lesko would dispute the account does not mean that the detective's account was rendered inherently implausible. Additional cross-examination by counsel would have accomplished little, since the reports all supported the core of Detective Amity's testimony. Counsel is not obliged to pursue unpromising avenues of impeachment.