Court Opinion

ID: 9730426
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 15:11:53.499551+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:06.361861
License: Public Domain

MANDERINO, Justice,
dissenting.
I dissent. We have frequently said that counsel in a direct appeal to this Court from a judgment of sentence should raise all issues including the issue of ineffectiveness of trial counsel or post-verdict counsel. If that issue is raised and can be decided on the record before us we proceed to decide the issue. If that issue cannot be decided on the record before us, we have remanded for an evidentiary *63hearing in order to determine the issue of the alleged ineffectiveness of counsel.
In this case counsel alleges the ineffectiveness of trial counsel in that trial counsel failed to investigate information bearing on the credibility of a material prosecution witness. This issue cannot be decided on the record before us and should be remanded for an evidentiary hearing.
Present counsel alleges the existence of an investigative report concerning the prosecution witness which trial counsel knew about but failed to investigate. At an evidentiary hearing, present counsel will have tools available to him to obtain a copy of that report which he does not now have, such as the right to subpoena documents necessary to the issues in an evidentiary hearing. If the investigative report cannot be produced, counsel in an evidentiary hearing may be able to establish the contents of that report.
This Court is not a court of original jurisdiction in such matters and should not require counsel to prove to this Court the truth of matters not contained in the record before this Court.
This matter should be remanded to the trial court for an evidentiary hearing in order to afford present counsel an opportunity to establish the claimed ineffectiveness of trial counsel.