Opinion ID: 2757661
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Brady Claims Relating to Teresa

Text: Blake argues that the State suppressed its November 4, 2004, plea offer to Teresa and failed to disclose the circumstances of the robbery with which Teresa was charged. As is set out above, the record demonstrates that Blake’s defense counsel was able to speak to the prosecutor and Teresa’s defense counsel regarding the alleged robbery and the plea offer. Blake has not demonstrated that the prosecutor misled Blake’s trial counsel regarding Teresa’s case or her plea agreement. As a result, Blake has not proven that the State suppressed relevant impeachment evidence. - 55 - While Blake alleged that the State should have, but failed to, disclose the police report documenting that Teresa had been investigated due to allegations of child abuse, Blake did not prove that the report was material. For the same reasons discussed in Blake’s related claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, this evidence would not necessarily be impeaching and additional impeachment of Teresa would have been insignificant. Blake also contends that the State failed to reveal that it threatened Teresa with arrest if she failed to cooperate with the State. In support of his claim, Blake produced an unsigned and undated draft of a motion to hold Teresa as a material witness. At the evidentiary hearing, prosecutor Castillo testified that he could not remember if he filed the motion but explained that if he had filed the motion, there would be a copy of it in Blake’s court file. Based on this record, Blake has not established that the State threatened Teresa with arrest if she failed to cooperate and then suppressed that threat.