Opinion ID: 2338714
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Newman's Ineffectiveness of Counsel Claim

Text: After his conviction, Newman filed a motion for a new trial alleging constitutional ineffectiveness of his trial counsel. Newman asserted in his motionand attached a signed affidavit to the same effectthat he had told counsel about an alibi witness, a Ms. Catina Henson, but that his attorney had failed to contact Henson. Newman also said in his motion that he had been at Bost's apartment earlier on the day of the crime and at that time had left his wallet there by accident. [13] Newman attached to the motion a signed affidavit by Henson stating that Newman had been with her at her homea significant distance from the murder scene from approximately six or seven in the evening until about midnight on the day the crime occurred. Because the murder took place at approximately 8:30 to 9 p.m., Henson's testimonyif believedwould have completely exonerated Newman. Henson added in her affidavit that, to the best of her knowledge, Newman's trial attorney had not tried to contact her. The motions judge [14] denied the motion without a hearing and without calling for an answer from the government. In his order denying the motion, the motions judge noted that even if Newman's allegation that his attorney had not contacted Henson was true, Henson had not explained the presence of Newman's wallet at the scene. The judge said it is highly unlikely that Ms. Henson would leave out such important information in her affidavit. Finally, according to the judge, because Henson could not explain away the government's overwhelming evidence, Newman could not show prejudice from his attorney's failure to contact Henson. We have said many times that where the court is faced with a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, the [statute] creates a presumption that a hearing should be held, Bruce v. United States, 617 A.2d 986, 995 (D.C.1992); Sykes v. United States, 585 A.2d 1335, 1339 (D.C.1991), especially where the allegations of ineffectiveness relate to facts outside the trial record. Hollis v. United States, 623 A.2d 1229, 1232 (D.C. 1993); accord Gray v. United States, 617 A.2d 521, 523 (D.C.1992); Smith v. United States, 608 A.2d 129, 131 (D.C.1992); Pettaway v. United States, 390 A.2d 981, 983-84 (D.C.1978). [A]ny question regarding the appropriateness of a hearing should be resolved in favor of holding a hearing. Gillis v. United States, 586 A.2d 726, 728 (D.C. 1991) (per curiam). We have stressed the importance of this rule because § 23-110 is virtually a remedy of last resort and the record on direct appeal is ordinarily barren of the evidentiary facts which would either confirm or refute [the] allegation [of ineffective assistance of trial counsel]. Miller v. United States, 479 A.2d 862, 869-70 (D.C.1984) (internal quotation marks omitted). We therefore will affirm the trial court's denial of a § 23-110 motion without a hearing only if the claims (1) are palpably incredible; (2) are vague and conclusory; or (3) even if true, do not entitle the movant to relief. Gregg v. United States, 395 A.2d 36, 39 (D.C.1978). We have held, moreover, that where [t]he exculpatory value of the evidence proffered by appellant turns at bottom on the credibility of the ... witnesses specifically identified in [the] § 23-110 motion and whose proposed testimony was evidenced by signed statements[, w]e can discern no grounds for negating the credibility of those witnesses merely on the basis of their written statements. Rice v. United States, 580 A.2d 119, 122-23 (D.C.1990). To do so assume[s] the answer to the very question which an evidentiary hearing could illuminate. Id. at 123. In Rice, for example, we specifically declined to hold that, as a matter of law, the evidence of appellant's guilt was so strong that there can be no reasonable probability that the exculpatory evidence[,] ... whatever its strength, could have raised a reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors. Id. Indeed, we have consistently held that credibility determinations cannot be based on affidavits or countered by conclusory statements but may be resolved only by recourse to a full evidentiary hearing. See Hollis, 623 A.2d at 1233 (concluding that affidavit submitted by attorney that he had a reason not to call potentially exculpatory witness because he believed defendant had threatened witness did not negate affidavit submitted by witness that he would have testified willingly); Gillis, 586 A.2d at 728-29 (concluding that statement by attorney at defendant's sentencing that attorney had reasons for not calling exculpatory witnesses was insufficient to deny § 23-110 motion without hearing); Miller, 479 A.2d at 870-71 (noting that evidence that witness might have been reluctant to testify or would have given testimony contrary to affidavit must be explored at hearing, not determined based on record); Samuels v. United States, 435 A.2d 392, 395 (D.C.1981) (per curiam) (concluding that hearing was necessary to resolve whether defendant instructed attorney to file appeal, despite attorney's affidavit to the contrary). Nor can we say that the government witnesses provided such overwhelming evidence of Newman's guilt that a hearing on Henson's credibility was not necessary. Three witnesses identified Newman as someone present at the scene of the crime, but two of these witnesses admitted they had smoked crack cocaine and drunk alcohol immediately before the robbery, and there was testimony that the third had done so as well. One of the witnesses, Theresa Hungerford, was severely impeached with evidence of her plea bargain, prior convictions, and previous inconsistent statements. The other twothe complaining witnesseshad failed to identify either defendant from a photographic array. And, only after a newspaper article about the murder had appeared did they identify Newman and Samuels as the assailants. If the jury had received the benefit of Henson's alibi testimony that Newman had been with her elsewhere at the time of the shooting, therefore, it might have resolved the conflicts between Newman's and the government's versions of events in Newman's favor. See Hollis, 623 A.2d at 1233; Gray, 617 A.2d at 524 (concluding that hearing was necessary to determine whether trial counsel investigated witness who would have contradicted government's witness regarding defendant's presence at scene of crime); Byrd v. United States, 614 A.2d 25, 30-32 (D.C.1992) (finding counsel ineffective for failing to call exculpatory witnesses); Smith, 608 A.2d at 131-33 (concluding that hearing was necessary when attorney failed to contact or call witnesses who would have impeached government witnesses even if any individual witness could not have entirely confirmed defendant's version of incident); Rice, 580 A.2d at 123. Contrary to the motions judge's ruling, moreover, the presence of Newman's wallet at the scene of the crime does not negate the exculpatory testimony of an alibi witness as a matter of law. Trial counsel told the jury in closing argument that there's no evidence to show that [Newman] wasn't there earlier in the day, and that [t]he only other person that would have known that is the woman who hasn't testified and that's Sharon Bost. See supra note 13. Furthermore, we cannot know whether, if Henson had testified, Newman himself would have taken the stand to present his explanation about the wallet. See Byrd, 614 A.2d at 31 (finding attorney deficient for failing to call witnesses, thereby forcing defendant to choose between testifying or presenting no defense); Miller, 479 A.2d at 872 (same). While the jury might have found this proffered explanationthat Newman happened to come by the apartment on the very day of the murder and accidentally left his wallet theretoo incredible to believe, it also could have found the combination of an alibi witness and the defendant's version of how the wallet got there believable. See Byrd, 614 A.2d at 32. Without a hearing to assess the credibility of the witness, however, we cannot tell what a jury might have done. See Rice, 580 A.2d at 122-23. As we have said before, where credibility issues are concerned, live testimony[,] under oath[,] is key here. Samuels, 435 A.2d at 395. Finally, we cannot agree with the motions judge that it is highly unlikely that Ms. Henson would leave out such important information [as to how Newman's wallet innocently came to be at the crime scene] in her affidavit. While Henson's failure to mention the wallet might affect her credibility, it does not as a matter of law make her testimony incredibleeven if only because there is no discernible reason why Henson could have been expected to know anything about Newman's wallet. See, e.g., Ramsey v. United States, 569 A.2d 142, 148-49 (D.C.1990) (concluding that trial court may consider silence and delay as affecting credibility, but these factors do not themselves render claim incredible and thus subject to denial without a hearing). In any event, the jury might have believed Henson despite the presence of the wallet; without a hearing to assess her credibility in the context of the other evidence, we cannot tell. Therefore, because the record here is barren of the evidentiary facts which would either confirm or refute [the] allegation that Newman's attorney failed even to attempt to contact a potential alibi witness, Newman is entitled to a hearing on his § 23-110 motion. Miller, 479 A.2d at 870 (internal quotation marks omitted). In so ruling, we do not address the merits of Newman's claim. See Gray, 617 A.2d at 524. We decide only that, once a movant makes a colorable claim which, if true, would provide a basis for relief, the trial court should not decide the matter summarily. [15] See Ramsey, 569 A.2d at 147-49. Accordingly, we remand Newman's new trial motion in Appeal No. 96-CO-1061 for a hearing under D.C.Code § 23-110. [16]