Opinion ID: 1130834
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: ineffective counsel gay

Text: (63a) Gay contends that he received constitutionally inadequate representation by his trial counsel at both the guilt and penalty phases. (64) To establish that counsel has rendered constitutionally inadequate assistance a defendant must show that: (1) the representation fell below an objective standard of reasonableness under prevailing professional norms, and (2) prejudice, i.e., that absent counsel's failings a more favorable result would have been probable. ( Strickland v. Washington (1984) 466 U.S. 668, 687 [80 L.Ed.2d 674, 693, 104 S.Ct. 2052]; In re Wilson (1992) 3 Cal.4th 945, 950 [13 Cal. Rptr.2d 269, 838 P.2d 1222]; People v. Mitcham (1992) 1 Cal.4th 1027, 1057-1058 [5 Cal. Rptr.2d 230, 824 P.2d 1277].) A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome. ( Strickland v. Washington, supra, 466 U.S. 668, 694 [80 L.Ed.2d 674, 698].) The claim may be raised on appeal. However, when the record does not reflect the reasons for an attorney's act or omission, and the act or omission may be explained on the basis of acceptable tactics or other reason which brings the conduct within the range of reasonable competence, a claim of ineffective counsel is more appropriately brought by petition for writ of habeas corpus. ( People v. Pope (1979) 23 Cal.3d 412, 426 [152 Cal. Rptr. 732, 590 P.2d 859, 2 A.L.R.4th 1].)
(63b) Gay identifies numerous acts and omissions by counsel during and before trial as conduct which, he asserts, established that the quality of representation he received fell below constitutional norms. The first and arguably the most prominent of these is Gay's assertion that his attorney's incompetence resulted in admission of the statement in which Gay admitted participation on the robberies, [78] would not be admitted at trial. Gay also identifies instances in which counsel elicited or presented harmful testimony. He did so during cross-examination of several witnesses. From Detective Holder he elicited testimony that there had been no agreement that the taped statement would not be used, and testimony that in Holder's view Gay had been truthful when he admitted participating in the robberies. He introduced a statement by Cummings to police in which Cummings inculpated Gay in several of the robberies, evidence that would corroborate Pamela's testimony even if Gay's own admissions were excluded or disbelieved. He failed to object when Rodriguez, who after looking at Gay had testified that he was not the person who robbed her, testified that Mr. Gay was that person. In the cross-examination of Pamela he elicited harmful testimony that she and defendants were in the Lakeview Terrace neighborhood on the day of the murder to purchase drugs, that Gay and Cummings jointly owned a second gun, and that the bullets were usually kept in Gay's apartment. In addition, counsel failed to object to the testimony of Deputies McCurtin and LaCasella regarding statements by Cummings which Gay has alleged implicated him and thus were inadmissible under Bruton v. United States, supra, 391 U.S. 123. He failed to object to that part of the prosecutor's closing argument in which he suggested to the jury that they could logically infer from Cummings's statement that Gay was involved. Counsel introduced a statement by Pamela which placed blame on Gay alone for the murder, and he introduced a sympathetic photo of Officer Verna. He failed to object on grounds that it was unduly prejudicial (Evid. Code, § 352) to admission of a secretly taped recording of a discussion between Gay and Cummings in which Gay discussed his suicide attempt, and he did not object to testimony by the doctor who treated Gay and offered by Cummings that Gay said he had nothing to live for. Although Rose Perez had not identified Gay in her testimony on direct examination, when counsel for Cummings cross-examined her he referred to Gay as the assailant several times before counsel for Gay objected. He did not object, either for lack of foundation or as unduly prejudicial, to the prosecutor's use of a slide presentation to illustrate his theory of the case. Gay notes that counsel failed to cross-examine Gail Beasley and did not introduce expert testimony regarding the unreliability of eyewitness identification or Robin's testimony that Cummings had admitted killing Officer Verna. Finally, Gay faults counsel for failing to submit written pretrial motions for separate trials and to quash the jury panel; for simply joining in motions made by counsel for Cummings; for offering inadequate support for the few motions he did make; and for calling only three witnesses, all of whom had already testified for the prosecution, in the defense case-in-chief. The record does not reflect a tactical purpose for many of the acts and omissions on which Gay relies for his claim of ineffective counsel. In some instances in which a failure to object is asserted as a failing, it does not appear that a meritorious basis for objection was available. Most importantly, however, many of the acts and those which, if not based on acceptable tactics, had the greatest potential for prejudice have to do with the advice to admit participating in the robberies and the evidence elicited from Pamela. Since we have concluded that the convictions for the robbery-related offenses must be reversed, to the extent these acts may have contributed to those convictions, the claim is moot. As to other acts, neither the reason for counsel's actions nor a basis for concluding that a more favorable result would have been achieved had he undertaken the additional steps suggested by Gay is apparent on the record. To the extent that the record affords a basis on which to assess counsel's performance, the record suggests that there may have been a tactical reason for the manner in which counsel cross-examined Pamela. Faced with the testimony of several eyewitnesses who had identified his client as the person who shot Officer Verna four times as the officer lay on the ground, but whose pretrial identifications had been conflicting, counsel apparently considered Pamela's testimony crucial. He therefore sought to impeach her by cross-examination designed to establish that she was biased, expected to receive substantial benefits for her testimony, and lied when she implicated Gay in order to protect her husband. If counsel could persuade the jury to disregard her testimony, his argument that the remaining evidence did not establish Gay's guilt of the murder beyond a reasonable doubt would have more force. Because the record is inadequate to enable us to state that Gay's counsel had no tactical reason for the manner in which this aspect of the defense was conducted, the judgment must be affirmed.
For this claim Gay also relies on counsel's failure to renew his objection to evidence of threats when Deputy Koch testified and counsel's admission that Gay had committed the acts introduced in aggravation. As we have observed above, the evidence of Gay's threats to Deputy Koch was insignificant in relation to the evidence of far more serious conduct which included evidence of actual, not simply threatened, criminal conduct in jail. Admission of that evidence was not prejudicial. And, while counsel did concede the numerous aggravating factors, his argument confirms that he had a proper tactical reason for doing so. The most serious offenses had been proven at the guilt phase of the trial, and the court had admitted Gay's statement in which he acknowledged participation in many of the robbery-related offenses. There is no probability that the result would have been different had evidence of these threats been excluded. The remaining evidence was unrebutted. Faced with those circumstances, an attorney's decision to concede the commission of the acts constituting aggravating factors and to argue to the jury that notwithstanding his past the defendant deserves to live is not deficient performance. ( People v. Wade (1988) 44 Cal.3d 975, 988 [244 Cal. Rptr. 905, 750 P.2d 794].) It is possible that the jury would not have considered the robbery-related offenses with which he was charged as aggravating factors if Gay's statement admitting complicity in those offenses had not been admitted. While the victims' testimony regarding the brutal nature of the robberies was much more graphic than the brief statement, the statement was the strongest evidence that Gay was the second participant in the robberies. Most of the victims were unable to identify him. Nonetheless, assuming, arguendo, that the statement was obtained and admitted as a result of incompetence on the part of Gay's attorney, the remaining aggravating evidence was such that it is not reasonably probable that the outcome would have been different had the jury disregarded the robbery evidence. The circumstances of the murder, a cold-blooded, premeditated execution of a police officer for the purpose of avoiding arrest and return to custody, was undoubtedly the most influential aggravating factor. The murder and the circumstances of its commission, considered with the evidence of Gay's assault on his former girlfriend, his commission of arson which seriously injured another former girlfriend, and his attempt to burn another jail inmate, reflected the culmination of a continuing and escalating pattern of life-threatening violent conduct by Gay. We are satisfied that the penalty verdict would not have differed had the jury disregarded the robbery evidence.