Opinion ID: 1119911
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Prejudicial Effect of Counsel's Inadequate Investigation

Text: We asked the referee for findings as to whether petitioner was denied effective assistance of counsel by reason of trial counsel's failure to undertake further action in obtaining and presenting alibi evidence. The referee interpreted this question to call primarily for the referee's factual finding as to whether solid, credible and persuasive evidence would have been discovered by further action of competent counsel, and secondarily for the referee's opinion and recommendation on the ultimate legal question. At the reference hearing, petitioner presented seven witnesses from El Pilon as a sample of the alibi evidence that would have been available and presented declarations from ten others. The referee's report summarizes the testimony from the seven witnesses:  Mr. Jesus Abarca testified that his daughter married petitioner's brother, Rigoberto, in 1981. Mr. Abarca saw petitioner and his girlfriend in El Pilon from a couple of months before the wedding until two or three months afterwards.  Mrs. Maria de la Luz Marquez, petitioner's mother testified that petitioner arrived in the month of January before Rigoberto got married. Mrs. Marquez was able to date petitioner's arrival by an annual church festival which takes place in February. She and petitioner's girlfriend, Martina, had gone to Los Reyes to buy Martina a blue dress to wear to the festival. Petitioner and Martina were in El Pilon from the time of the festival until the time of Rigoberto's church wedding. Rigoberto celebrated his church wedding in April of 1981.[ [2] ]  Rigoberto Marquez, petitioner's brother, testified that petitioner and his girlfriend came to El Pilon a few months before he got married. Rigoberto remembered going to meet them in another village with a mule and a horse, so that they would not have to walk to El Pilon. Rigoberto stated that petitioner and his girlfriend were in El Pilon for the church festival the same year he got married. At this festival, petitioner bought a calf that was going to be slaughtered, because he thought it was too young to be butchered and sold at the festival, and he felt sorry for it.  Elena Marquez, petitioner's sister, testified that petitioner's girlfriend arrived at her house in Los Reyes after shopping with petitioner's mother for a dress to wear to the February festival at the church in El Pilon. A few months later, Rigoberto got married. Petitioner went to Los Reyes to help Elena and her three small children travel to El Pilon for the festivities.  Jesus Marquez, petitioner's father, testified that petitioner arrived in El Pilon during the rice cutting season, which is December and January. His girlfriend arrived shortly afterward, and they both stayed through the rainy season, which is from June to October.  Maria Elena Marquez, petitioner's sister, remembered petitioner and his girlfriend being present at the church festival in February of 1981, the year Rigoberto got married. Maria Elena was the maid of honor at Rigoberto's wedding. She remembered that petitioner was at the wedding celebration, and that he danced with her little girl.  Jesus Delgado Serrano, husband of Maria Elena, and petitioner's brother-in-law, testified that he and his wife accompanied petitioner and his girlfriend to the church festival in February. He also remembered that petitioner was at Rigoberto's wedding celebration. (1) Petitioner also submitted declarations from 10 additional potential witnesses from El Pilon, who remembered that petitioner was present at the church festival and Rigoberto's wedding. Although hearsay, they were admitted without objection and therefore may be relied upon in support of the referee's findings. (See 3 Witkin, Cal. Evidence (3d ed. 1986) Introduction of Evidence at Trial, §§ 2033-2034, pp. 1994-1996.) Petitioner presented the testimony of two expert attorney witnesses who had interviewed the witnesses. The referee noted their conclusion that the additional testimony of the witnesses discovered in the habeas corpus investigation would have greatly strengthened the alibi defense and would have created a reasonable doubt as to petitioner's guilt. The referee specifically found that the potential alibi witnesses presented at the hearing were straightforward and credible witnesses, whose individual and combined testimony, including reference to and reliance upon extrinsically verifiable events would have added great strength to any alibi defense.... The evidence not presented would have been particularly valuable in this case because: 1) none of the witnesses who testified had any contemporaneously prepared documentation to anchor their recollections; 2) the alibi testimony of petitioner and his girlfriend was subject to skepticism for bias; and 3) as attorney Danilo Becerra ... testified, the reliance on a Mexican doctor such as Dr. Godinez, testifying without corroborating documents, is very suspect.... The report concluded that [b]ased on the foregoing findings of fact, the Referee recommends that petitioner Marquez be afforded a new trial on his guilt or innocence at which competent counsel can, after conducting a reasonably thorough investigation, present an alibi defense drawn from the full range of available evidence.