Opinion ID: 2087959
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: allegations of post-trial errors

Text: Appellant contends that a number of errors occurred during the post-trial evidentiary hearing on effective assistance of counsel, which prevented him from making a complete presentation. [16] Specifically, he contends the lower court erred by: (1) denying his request for investigator funds; (2) denying his proffer of an expert witness to testify about legal and strategic decision-making in capital cases; (3) prohibiting inquiry of trial counsel about his actions at voir dire regarding Witherspoon challenges to jurors; and (4) refusing to compel production of trial counsel's fee petition. At a hearing on the request for investigator funds, appellant's counsel stated that the basis of the request was to interview and investigate the backgrounds of twenty-three potential witnesses, the names of whom appellant gave to trial counsel, but were never contacted. The lower court expressed its concern that the application for funds lacked any mention of twenty-three potential witnesses and recommended that counsel subpoena trial counsel or have appellant testify as to which witnesses he told trial counsel to contact and why their testimony would be relevant. On the first day of the evidentiary hearing, appellant testified that he gave a list of some twenty-five potential witnesses to trial counsel and two investigators working on his behalf. Though he identified fourteen names of persons on this list, he never explained what relevant testimony they would have to offer. Post-trial defense counsel did not reassert his request for investigator funds after appellant's testimony, nor anytime thereafter, and the court never made a final ruling on the request. Since there was no clear showing as to the content, relevancy and materiality of the testimony of the potential witnesses, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in failing to grant the request for investigator funds. Commonwealth v. Scott, 469 Pa. 258, 365 A.2d 140 (1976). In his motion for leave to call an expert witness, appellant requested that he be permitted to call a criminal trial attorney, who had prior capital case experience, to testify regarding: (1) the kind of preparation and investigation, for both the guilt and penalty phases, a reasonably competent attorney would undertake in a capital case; (2) what kind of voir dire a reasonably competent attorney would engage in in a capital case; and (3) what kinds of mitigating evidence a reasonably competent attorney would present in the penalty phase of a capital trial. Appellant claims the expert could have assisted the trial court in understanding what a reasonably vigorous advocate for a capital defendant would do on behalf of that defendant. Expert testimony is permitted as an aid to the fact finder when the subject matter is distinctly related to a science, skill or occupation beyond the knowledge or experience of the average layman. Commonwealth v. O'Searo, 466 Pa. 224, 352 A.2d 30 (1976). The situation in the instant case is atypical in that the finder of fact, the judge, was not a layman on the subject of trial strategies and evidentiary considerations. Indeed, a trial judge, worth his salt, would seem to require no experts to advise him on what a reasonably vigorous advocate would do in any case. The more, particularly in a case the facts and participants of which are known to him. Certainly the trial judge, himself immersed in the facts and circumstances of the very trial under scrutiny, is better able to determine from argument than an alleged expert on what a perfect trial ought to be. [17] Should it prove helpful, however, to a trial judge to hear such testimony, he may, but he is not obliged. The trial court also prohibited post-trial counsel from questioning appellant's trial counsel as to why he did not attempt to rehabilitate certain potential jurors who were challenged for cause under Witherspoon, since it could only have been speculation as to how the exclusion of those veniremen affected the outcome of the trial. Although we believe it would have been better practice for the court to permit defense counsel to question trial counsel regarding his reasons for conducting the individual voir dire of veniremen as he did, we do not perceive any possible merit to the underlying ineffectiveness claims. Of the veniremen whose voir dire appellant claims he desired to investigate, but was prohibited from doing so, trial counsel attempted, unsuccessfully, to rehabilitate two. Another, venireman Read, whose voir dire we discussed previously, clearly expressed his inability to follow the court's instructions. The others emphatically stated that they could not impose the death sentence. Therefore, the court's prohibition of this area of inquiry was not reversible error. Finally, appellant contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion to compel trial counsel to produce a copy of the fee petition he filed for his representation of appellant. On the last day of the evidentiary hearing, October 3, 1984, appellant's new counsel was questioning trial counsel regarding the extent of his investigation on appellant's behalf. Trial counsel produced his fee petition and allowed appellant's counsel to review it. Trial counsel was asked why the fee petition did not reflect two phone calls supposedly made by trial counsel and mentioned in an investigative report. Trial counsel indicated that his fee petition did not necessarily reflect all of the work that he did on the case. At the end of the hearing, appellant's counsel expressed his desire to put the fee petition into evidence. Trial counsel stated that he would make a copy for him, but apparently never did. Almost two months later, the motion to compel was filed. It contended that the fee petition was necessary to discuss trial counsel's effectiveness as to preparation for trial. Post-trial counsel had the fee petition available to him during his examination of trial counsel. In light of trial counsel's indication that the fee petition did not necessarily reflect all of the work he did on the case, we find no evidentiary value in the petition itself, unaccompanied by examination of trial counsel relative thereto. As the substance of the petition relative to the matter raised by defense counsel is a matter of record, the denial of the motion to compel was not reversible error.