Opinion ID: 1501512
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Samantha Bay's Testimony

Text: The trial court found that Mr. Settle was ineffective for failing to interview Samantha Bay, S.S.'s sister, and make an independent evaluation of her potential testimony. The trial court found further that Bay's testimony related to the credibility of one of the victims, S.S., to the extent that the victim was not a truthful person and could not be believed. The State argues that Mr. Settle's decision not to call Bay as a witness was a matter of trial strategy, and that the decision not to interview her was reasonable because she was not going to be called as a defense witness. The State argues further that even if Mr. Settle's decision not to interview Bay or call her as a witness was unreasonable, Dillard was not prejudiced because Bay would have been a mere character witness. We disagree. The decision of whether or not to call a witness is generally a matter of trial strategy that is outside the purview of Rule 37. Catlett v. State, 331 Ark. 270, 962 S.W.2d 313 (1998); Helton v. State, 325 Ark. 140, 924 S.W.2d 239 (1996). Trial counsel must use his or her best judgment to determine which witnesses will be beneficial to the client. Johnson v. State, 325 Ark. 44, 924 S.W.2d 233 (1996); Wicoff v. State, 321 Ark. 97, 900 S.W.2d 187 (1995). When assessing an attorney's decision not to call a particular witness, it must be taken into account that the decision is largely a matter of professional judgment that experienced advocates could endlessly debate, and the fact that there was a witness or witnesses that could have offered testimony beneficial to the defense is not in itself proof of counsel's ineffectiveness. Johnson, 325 Ark. 44, 924 S.W.2d 233. Nonetheless, such strategic decisions must still be supported by reasonable professional judgment pursuant to the standards set forth in Strickland, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S.Ct. 2052, 80 L.Ed.2d 674. Wicoff, 321 Ark. 97, 900 S.W.2d 187. In Wicoff, 321 Ark. 97, 900 S.W.2d 187, this court reversed the trial court's denial of postconviction relief due to counsel's errors in (1) failing to investigate the victims' prior allegations of sexual abuse, and (2) failing to call the defendant's grandmother, Ms. Dickerson, who would have testified that one of the young victims told her that she had fabricated the allegations against the defendant. Trial counsel explained that he had not called Ms. Dickerson because she was a relative of the defendant. This court rejected that explanation, holding: [W]e cannot say that, under the facts presented, [trial counsel's] decision was supported by reasonable professional judgment. At trial, the evidence against Wicoff was limited to the testimony of the two girls. The doctor who examined them testified that there was no physical evidence of sexual abuse, and that, in his opinion, the girls' accounts of the incidents were reliable. As such, the credibility of the girls' testimony was highly relevant, as their testimony was, in essence, the State's only evidence against Wicoff . Ms. Dickerson's testimony that the eleven-year-old had admitted to her that she had fabricated the incident would have served to impeach the minor's credibility. Although Ms. Dickerson was available to testify to this conversation at trial, counsel for Wicoff did not call her or any witnesses on his behalf. Counsel for Wicoff readily admitted, however, through his own testimony at the Rule 37 hearing, that Ms. Dickerson's testimony would have shed doubt on [Wicoff's] guilt [ sic ]. Id. at 102, 900 S.W.2d at 189-90 (emphasis added). This court concluded that there was a reasonable probability that the outcome of the trial would have been different, but for counsel's errors. Here, Mr. Settle conceded that he was aware that Bay might have held that opinion that S.S. had a problem telling the truth and had a reputation for dishonesty. Yet he declined to interview her despite his knowledge that Dillard's trial was going to come down to a swearing match between Dillard and the two victims. As such, his failure to interview the girl was unreasonable in light of the holding in Wicoff . Moreover, we concur with the trial court's finding that Dillard's trial was prejudiced by counsel's error in this instance. It is undisputed that there was no physical evidence presented in support of the charges against him. Like the situation in Wicoff , the State's case rested almost entirely on the testimony of the two young victims. Accordingly, the victims' credibility, or lack thereof, was of crucial importance. Mr. Settles's explanation that he did not call Bay because he was afraid that she would reveal her hatred for Dillard is unreasonable, as it clearly would have been to the defense's advantage to have a witness who admittedly hated the defendant testify that the victim, the witness's own sister, was not to be believed.