Opinion ID: 1133754
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Defense Preparation and Strategy

Text: Pardo argues that disclosure of the Ribera videotapes would have changed the defense's investigation and planning for the trial and enabled defense counsel to successfully discourage Pardo from testifying and admitting that he committed the murders. These assertions are highly speculative. Pardo has not established that, given the physical and testimonial evidence against him, the Ribera videotapes would have materially changed trial counsel's preparations or the course of the trial. Further, the claim of postconviction counsel that Pardo took the witness stand to rebut Ribera's testimony on Pardo's role in the killings is contrary to Pardo's own testimony. Pardo sharply challenged Ribera's testimony that Pardo benefited financially from the murders, but did not contest Ribera's testimony in general or his implication of Pardo in the nine murders in particular. Ribera testified that Pardo killed Amador and Alfonso to rip them off and get the cocaine and sell it for money, killed Robledo and Ledo to rip them off for two or three kilos of cocaine, and killed Musa and Quintero for $50 and respect. On cross-examination, the following exchange occurred: Q He [Pardo] was proud of killing these people, wasn't he? A He was making money. In his testimony, Pardo explained why he chose to testify, against his lawyer's advice: Q Why is it so important for you to have these ladies and gentlemen hear your version of the story? A Because what Carlo Ribera said was self-serving and is completely wrong and I want my opportunity to tell my side of the story. Q Mr. Pardo, both Mr. Waskman and Ms. Weintraub [the prosecutors] have tried to make special note that you killed these people because you were a drug dealer and that you were involved in drug trafficking. . . . A I applaud the State Attorney's Office in the preparation of their case. It was flawless, it was beautiful with the minor exception of why I killed these people. At no time did anybody indicate I was a drug dealer. At no time in my life have I ever been a drug dealer. . . . . . . Q Have you been involved in drug transactions with any of the victims in this case? A Not drug transactions to benefit myself, no. Q You admit to killing all of the nine people that they have set forth in this trial? A Yes, I do, of course I did. Q Mr. Pardo, why did you kill these people, and I don't mean one, I mean each and every one? Q I killed each and every one of these people because they were drug dealers. As stated above, Pardo maintained that he was not guilty of murder because he considered his victims to be drug dealers who had forfeited the right to live. He did not testify at the postconviction evidentiary hearing to support postconviction counsel's assertion that he would not have taken the witness stand at trial had Ribera been discredited through his statements in the police videotapes. Therefore, we find no reasonable probability that disclosure of the videotapes of the Ribera interview would have altered the investigation, preparation, or presentation of the defense's case, and certainly not to a level undermining confidence in the convictions. Accordingly, we affirm the denial of relief on this claim.