Opinion ID: 1697230
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: whether trial counsel was ineffective for failing to impeach a material witness with alleged prior inconsistent statement.

Text: ¶ 55. The State called Eddwantya Epps who testified at trial that she saw two black men at the liquor store. She stated that the one she saw outside the store was a light skinned black man and that the man who came from inside the store appeared to be taller than the one who stayed outside. Smith claims that his attorneys were ineffective in failing to cross-examine Epps about her testimony. Epps was, however, cross-examined by one of Jerome's attorneys. Smith's attorney apparently saw no need for further examination and asked no questions. Smith now claims that both he and Jerome are dark skinned and that the attorneys should have questioned Epps about that. That fact is not in the appellate record. The jury was capable of making its own determination whether Smith and Jerome, who were sitting at the defendants' table, matched the description offered by Epps, if the jury thought that was important. There is no real need for cross-examination on that point. If asked on cross-examination, Epps might have modified her statement or amplified her testimony on direct. She had already said that the man outside, who supposedly was light skinned, had his head down. The attorneys could have rightfully feared that her testimony on cross might not have been as beneficial to the defense as what she had already said on direct. This appears to be a matter of trial strategy. There is no deficient performance in the failure to ask Epps any additional questions on cross-examination. ¶ 56. Smith also claims that the attorneys should have questioned Epps about an allegedly inconsistent statement she gave to law enforcement officers after the crime. In that statement, Epps stated that she was five feet, six inches tall and that the man waiting outside the store was a little taller than she was and that the man who came out from inside the store was a little taller than the man who had remained outside. In his petition, Smith claims that the attorneys were ineffective in not impeaching Epps with that out of court statement. Smith claims that he is five feet, eight inches tall and that his brother is six feet tall. It appears that Epps' statement that she, at 5'6, was a little taller than the man outside the store (Smith at 5'8) and that he was a little shorter than the man inside the store (Jerome at 6') is reasonably consistent. There is little room for impeachment in the relative heights of the defendants and the witness, thus no ineffective assistance of counsel occurred in that regard.