Opinion ID: 2314347
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to Present an Alibi Defense

Text: Morris next challenges trial counsel's effectiveness for failure to present testimony of two alleged alibi witnesses, Morris' former girlfriend, Christina Clark, and her mother, Margaretta Wise. He also alleges ineffectiveness of post-verdict counsel, who was different from trial counsel, because he did not raise these issues before the trial court. Moreover, Morris claims that his appellate counsel, who was not the same attorney who represented him at post-verdict motions, was also ineffective because he did not request an evidentiary hearing nunc pro tunc to present these witnesses. On direct appeal, Morris argued that trial counsel was ineffective for not calling alibi witnesses Christina Clark and Margaretta Wise, and attached as exhibits to his appellate brief documents purporting to be statements of these witnesses. This Court considered and rejected those claims. Morris, 522 Pa. at 543 n. 10, 564 A.2d at 1226 n. 10. Morris has attached these same documents as exhibits in the PCRA proceedings below. [14] Since he raised this issue on direct appeal, Morris is barred from litigating this issue again in a PCRA petition. 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 9543(a)(3), 9544(a)(2). Moreover, to establish that counsel was ineffective for failing to present a witness, a defendant must prove: the existence and availability of the witness, that trial counsel was aware of, or had a duty to know of the witness; that the witness was willing and able to cooperate and appear on the defendant's behalf, and the proposed testimony of the uncalled witness would have been helpful to the defense asserted at trial. Commonwealth v. Stanley, 534 Pa. 297, 632 A.2d 871 (1993). Trial counsel testified at post-verdict motions that he did not remember Morris telling him about an alibi, and that if Morris had informed him of alibi witnesses, he would definitely have pursued such a defense. (N.T. 12/9/85, p. 42). After considering this testimony, the sentencing court denied Morris' post-verdict motions. Morris presented no additional affidavits in the PCRA proceedings below to establish a basis for relief under Stanley. Because trial counsel's testimony defeated this claim, there is no basis for this Court to conclude that appellate counsel should have requested a hearing nunc pro tunc to present these witnesses. See Blount (counsel is never ineffective for not raising meritless claims). Accordingly, this claim has no merit and the PCRA court did not err when it denied Morris' request for an evidentiary hearing on this issue.