Opinion ID: 2332913
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Claim 7Disclosure of Exculpatory Evidence

Text: Chambers alleges that the Commonwealth violated his due process rights by failing to disclose evidence that someone other than Chambers had killed Morris. Specifically, on September 5, 1986, Wendell Murray (Murray), an inmate at the York County Prison, told one Detective Follmer that he believed that a man named Magic had killed Morris. Detective Follmer's report of this interaction provided: [Murray] related that on a night in February of this year, which he believes to be a Friday night-Saturday morning ... there was a sudden knock at the door and this Puerto Rican known as Magic entered and appeared to be seriously upset. [Murray] described him as being heavy, perspired and being nervous, and asked to be let in several times. [Murray] related that he was carrying a woman's pocketbook. As soon as he entered the apartment he started to go through the pocketbook.... [Murray] explained that he observed a lot of papers and he recalls seeing a plastic identification card with a photo on it. He believed this card to be a Welfare Card. He did not recall any names.... Because of the way the Puerto Rican was acting, [Murray] asked him what this was all about and at that time the Puerto Rican stated, I didn't mean to knock the old lady down and that old lady just wouldn't leave the pocketbook go, and went on to say, She didn't have nothing but $2.00 and some change. [Murray] reported that he asked for more information and that the Puerto Rican said, Please don't ever say anything about this pocketbook. Exhibit 2 to Appellant's Brief, pages 1-2. In Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963), the U.S. Supreme Court held that the suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused upon request violates due process where the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment, irrespective of the good faith or bad faith of the prosecution. Id. at 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194. For a defendant to establish a Brady violation, he or she must show that: (1) the evidence was suppressed by the State, either willfully or inadvertently; (2) the evidence at issue is favorable to the defendant; and (3) the evidence was material, meaning that prejudice must have ensued. Strickler v. Greene, 527 U.S. 263, 281-282, 119 S.Ct. 1936, 144 L.Ed.2d 286 (1999). The mere possibility that an item of undisclosed information might have helped the defense, or might have affected the outcome of the trial, does not establish materiality in the constitutional sense. United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 109-110, 96 S.Ct. 2392, 49 L.Ed.2d 342 (1976). See also United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682, 105 S.Ct. 3375, 87 L.Ed.2d 481 (1985) (holding that [t]he evidence is material only if there is a reasonable probability that, had the evidence been disclosed to the defense, the result of the proceeding would have been different. A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.). In the case sub judice, the Commonwealth suppressed the report prepared by Detective Follmer by virtue of the fact that it did not give this document to Chambers' counsel during the trial; therefore, Chambers has met the first prong of the Strickler test. However, Chambers has failed to demonstrate that the evidence was favorable to him. Evidence is favorable to the accused where, if disclosed and used effectively, it may make the difference between conviction and acquittal. Bagley, 473 U.S. at 676, 105 S.Ct. 3375. After Detective Follmer interviewed Murray, the police discovered that Magic was named Ricardo Valentine (Valentine), whom police had arrested on February 6, 1986, for driving a stolen vehicle. Police searched Valentine and found on his person various items that belonged to a woman named Diane Myers (Myers). Myers had reported her pocketbook stolen the preceding day. The police concluded that the information furnished by Murray was evidence of the theft of Myers' pocketbook. The police deduced that Murray's statement to Detective Follmer was in no way connected with the robbery and death of Morris and they made no further use of this information in their prosecution of Chambers. The evidence of record supports the conclusion of the PCRA court that the statement of Murray was not material. At an evidentiary hearing, Murray conceded the following: (1) he did not learn of the murder of Morris until his incarceration, several months after the murder occurred; (2) he determined that his encounter with Valentine must have occurred on the same weekend as the Morris murder, not because he actually remembered that that was the case, but because of the similarity of the circumstances; (3) he had an extensive record of crimen falsi convictions; (4) he was then awaiting trial and had informed the District Attorney that if he could do something for me [in terms of sentencing,] I [could] give him some information concerning the death of the lady [who] was found under the bridge (N.T. 6/30/99 at 42); and (5) despite his willingness to name others who had been present with him and Valentine, and his motive for convincing the District Attorney of his credibility, he neglected to inform the District Attorney of the presence of another individual whom the police could presumably have located without difficulty, as she was a police informant who had testified for the Commonwealth on numerous occasions. In light of the questionable nature of the recollections of Murray, the characterization of the PCRA court of his statement as simply an irrelevant and fruitless lead appears accurate, as does its observation that Murray, if called as a witness, would have appeared incredible. Thus, Chambers has failed to establish that he suffered any prejudice as a result of counsel's failure to present this evidence. Accordingly, his Brady claim cannot succeed. See Commonwealth v. Paddy, 800 A.2d 294, 2002 WL 1455595,  (Pa.2002) (prejudice is an essential component of an actionable Brady violation).