Opinion ID: 1906630
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Failure to Raise Brady Violation

Text: Appellant asserts PCRA counsel's ineffectiveness for failing to raise prior counsels' ineffectiveness for not raising an issue of a purported Brady violation by the district attorney's failure to give Appellant, or his counsel, information regarding a police investigation of reports of other sexual advances towards teenage boys by a perpetrator whose description did not match Appellant. According to Appellant, these reports suggest a possible additional suspect for the murder, as the sexual advances were made close to Lawrence Park and during the two months preceding the murder. Appellant relies primarily on news reports of these incidents, which mention teenage complainants and refer to police reports of the incidents. Again, Appellant claims: (1) a Brady violation by prosecutors for allegedly failing to turn over the police reports concerning these incidents in the Lawrence Park area; and, (2) ineffectiveness of trial counsel for failing to pursue production of the purportedly-suppressed material and to secure favorable witnesses for trial from that material. With respect to the purported Brady violation, this issue is waived for Appellant's failure to raise it at trial or on direct appeal, 42 Pa.C.S. § 9544(b), and because Appellant has not properly presented this issue as a layered ineffective assistance of counsel claim. Concerning trial counsel's failure to pursue production of the information in order to obtain witnesses favorable to an alternative-perpetrator defense, Appellant must show: (1) that the witnesses existed; (2) that the witnesses were available; (3) that counsel was informed of the existence of the witnesses or should have known of the witnesses' existence; (4) that the witnesses were prepared to cooperate and would have testified on Appellant's behalf; and, (5) that the absence of the testimony prejudiced the Appellant. Commonwealth v. Crawley, 541 Pa. 408, 415, 663 A.2d 676, 679-680 (1995) (citing Commonwealth v. Gonzalez, 415 Pa.Super. 65, 608 A.2d 528 (1992)). Failure of trial counsel to conduct a more intensive investigation or to interview potential witnesses does not constitute ineffective assistance of counsel, unless there is some showing that such investigation or interview would have been helpful in establishing the asserted defense. Commonwealth v. Peterkin, 511 Pa. 299, 317, 513 A.2d 373, 382 (1986). Moreover, the value of a particular defense or witness' testimony is not judged abstractly in a vacuum; the defendant must sustain his burden of proving how the testimony of the uninterviewed witness would have been beneficial under the facts and circumstances of his case. Commonwealth v. McNeil, 506 Pa. 607, 616, 487 A.2d 802, 806 (1985). Here, Appellant does not allege sufficient grounds to support his claim of prior counsels' ineffectiveness. He does not allege that these witnesses concerning the earlier, unrelated incidents in Lawrence Park would have testified favorably for him. See Crawley, supra . Nor does Appellant clearly explain how these individuals would have established a viable alternate-perpetrator defense theory, particularly considering the physical evidence linking him to the crime scene. Appellant has not alleged sufficient facts to support his prima facie burden on this issue, and, accordingly, cannot show ineffective assistance of counsel for failing to pursue these unnamed witnesses.