Court Opinion

ID: 9412042
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-07-28 18:11:30.539527+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:41:24.915855
License: Public Domain

J-S21015-23

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

  COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA                 :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                               :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                               :
                v.                             :
                                               :
                                               :
  HAROLD JOHN MCGURL, JR.                      :
                                               :
                       Appellant               :   No. 149 MDA 2023

    Appeal from the Orders Entered December 19, 2022 and January 5,
                                  2023
   In the Court of Common Pleas of Schuylkill County Criminal Division at
                     No(s): CP-54-CR-0002107-2016

BEFORE:      BOWES, J., NICHOLS, J., and PELLEGRINI, J.*

MEMORANDUM BY BOWES, J.:                                  FILED JULY 27, 2023

       Harold John McGurl, Jr. appeals pro se following the PCRA court’s denial

of his motion for deoxyribonucleic acid (“DNA”) testing pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S.

§ 9543.1 of the Post Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”), and dismissal of his PCRA

petition. We affirm.

       This Court previously summarized the facts underlying this case as

follows:

       Appellant attacked the victim, Jordan Adams (the “Victim”), in the
       early morning hours of October 8, 2016. The Victim is the brother
       of Shawn Parker[.] Shawn Parker and Brittany Fenstermacher,
       Appellant’s ex-girlfriend, were dating at the time of the incident.
       On the day of the attack, Appellant met Fenstermacher in a public
       park where they shared a six-pack of beer. They then went to a
       bar called the Drunken Monkey. While at the bar, Parker called
       and texted Fenstermacher numerous times. As the evening

____________________________________________

* Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.
J-S21015-23

      progressed, Appellant became more and more belligerent and
      obnoxious and announced that he planned to get into a fight with
      Parker. Before leaving the Drunken Monkey, Krystal Semerod, a
      bar patron, gave Appellant, at Appellant’s request, a knife.

      After Appellant and Fenstermacher left the Drunken Monkey to
      walk home, Appellant saw the Victim driving the car that Appellant
      had observed Parker and Fenstermacher driving in earlier that
      day. The Victim parked and exited the car not far from where
      Appellant and Fenstermacher were standing. When the Victim
      turned around, he saw Appellant holding a knife above his head.
      Appellant asked the Victim if he was Parker’s brother; the Victim
      answered in the affirmative; and Appellant informed the Victim
      that Appellant was going to “end” the Victim.

      Appellant proceeded to attack the Victim with the knife, slashing
      at his head, neck, and face. The Victim fought back and Appellant
      then stabbed him in multiple parts of his body, including his tricep,
      bicep, and shoulder.

      When the Victim arrived at the emergency room, he was in
      hemorrhagic shock due to blood loss.          The Victim received
      intravenous therapy and blood transfusions and doctors
      performed emergency surgery on him. The Victim survived, but
      continue[d] to have limited mobility in his arm.

Commonwealth v. McGurl, 217 A.3d 418 (Pa.Super. 2019) (non-

precedential decision at 1-3).

      Based upon the foregoing, the Commonwealth charged Appellant with

one count each of attempted murder and recklessly endangering another

person, and two counts each of aggravated and simple assault.          Appellant

proceeded to a jury trial, where he testified that he had been acting in self-

defense. The Commonwealth’s evidence included, inter alia, a hat and a knife.

The Victim identified the hat as the one he was wearing during the attack.

See N.T. Jury Trial, 4/2-3/18, at 72-73. It had sustained damage to the bill,

which the Commonwealth argued was consistent with being sliced by a knife.

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See id. at 136, 138, 167 (describing damage through bill of the hat); id. at

310 (Commonwealth arguing that the hat was damaged by Appellant stabbing

at the Victim’s head). As for the knife, police had recovered it from a storm

drain at Appellant’s direction following the altercation. Id. at 176, 195-96.

At trial, Appellant identified it as the knife given to him by Ms. Semerod and

claimed that he accidentally dropped it down the storm drain. Id. at 214,

230.

       At the conclusion of the trial, the jury found Appellant guilty of all

charges. The trial court sentenced him to an aggregate term of ten to twenty

years of incarceration and ordered him to pay restitution. Appellant did not

file post-sentence motions but did appeal to this Court, challenging the

sufficiency of the evidence to sustain his conviction for attempted murder. We

affirmed the judgment of sentence and our Supreme Court denied his petition

for allowance of appeal. See McGurl, supra, appeal denied, 218 A.3d 382

(Pa. 2019).

       Thereafter, Appellant pro se filed his first PCRA petition, alleging that

trial counsel was ineffective due to a conflict of interest.   The PCRA court

appointed counsel, who filed a no-merit letter and petition to withdraw. The

court denied counsel’s petition and held an evidentiary hearing on Appellant’s

claim. After the hearing, counsel again filed a no-merit letter and request to

withdraw.     Appellant, meanwhile, pro se sought the appointment of new

counsel. The PCRA court granted counsel’s motion to withdraw and denied

both Appellant’s petition and his request for new counsel. On appeal to this

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Court, we affirmed the PCRA court’s order. See Commonwealth v. McGurl,

277 A.3d 1168 (Pa.Super. 2022) (non-precedential decision).

       On June 21, 2022, Appellant pro se filed a second PCRA petition,

requesting that all evidence be submitted for DNA testing.        Specifically,

Appellant sought to have the hat tested because he alleged for the first time

that it actually belonged to him, and further sought to have the knife tested

for fingerprints and DNA.1 After issuing Pa.R.Crim.P. 907 notice, the PCRA

court dismissed Appellant’s petition. Appellant did not appeal to this Court.

       Instead, on October 24, 2022, Appellant pro se submitted another filing

(“October Motion”), styled as a post-sentence motion for a new trial based

upon after-discovered evidence. This filing renewed Appellant’s request for

DNA testing of all evidence. Construing the October Motion as a PCRA request

for DNA testing pursuant to § 9543.1, the PCRA court provided the

Commonwealth the opportunity to respond and directed that the evidence be

____________________________________________

1 Throughout the subsequent PCRA pleadings, Appellant has averred that a

second knife was recovered by Trooper Christopher Michael Rooney and that
Appellant did not know about the second knife until Trooper Rooney testified
at trial. See, e.g., Appellant’s brief at unnumbered 2. As such, Appellant’s
request for DNA testing encompasses both knives. However, Appellant’s bald
averment of the existence of a second knife is belied by the record. Trooper
Rooney’s testimony detailed his involvement in Appellant’s apprehension and
recovery of the knife from the storm drain. See N.T. Jury Trial, 4/2-3/18, at
174-181. At no point did he mention a second knife and, while it is not our
burden to scour every corner of the record to support Appellant’s
unsubstantiated claim on his behalf, our thorough review of the certified
record has revealed no indication of a second knife. Accordingly, our review
concerns only the knife that Appellant acknowledged possessing during the
fight and thereafter discarding in a storm drain.

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preserved. See Order, 10/31/22. The Commonwealth did not file a response.

Ultimately, the PCRA court denied the motion because the request was not

timely made and because it found there was “no reasonable possibility that

testing would produce exculpatory evidence that would establish [Appellant’s]

actual innocence[.]” Order (October Motion), 12/19/22.

       In the meantime, Appellant pro se filed a document styled as a motion

for extraordinary relief (“November Petition”). See Rule 704(a) Motion for

Extraordinary Relief, 11/14/22, at unnumbered 1.           The relief sought was

unclear, but Appellant once again argued that the hat and knife should have

been subjected to DNA testing and that such testing would prove his

innocence. Without explicitly challenging the effective assistance of any of his

attorneys, Appellant claimed that his pre-trial and post-trial requests for the

items to be tested had been ignored. See id. (stating that he “request[ed]

before trial [and] after trial various times that DNA testing needed to be done”

and “Attorney Stine [told] defendant that no fingerprints or blood were ever

found on the knife”).

      The PCRA court construed the November Petition as an untimely PCRA

petition filed more than one year after Appellant’s judgment of sentence

became final and, accordingly, issued notice of its intent to dismiss on that

basis. See Order (November Petition), 12/19/22. Appellant filed a response

assailing the lack of DNA testing, for the first time explicitly claiming that trial

counsel was ineffective for failing to request DNA testing, and seeking an

extension of time to amend his request because his mail delivery had been

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delayed due to his inmate housing status. On January 5, 2023, the PCRA

court dismissed the November Petition as an untimely PCRA petition.

       This appeal followed. In his notice of appeal, Appellant referenced “an

appeal for extraordinary relief for post-trial DNA testing[.]” Notice of Appeal,

1/27/23 (cleaned up). He then attached the orders pertaining to both the

October Motion and the November Petition. The PCRA court ordered Appellant

to file a Rule 1925(b) statement. After Appellant failed to timely file a concise

statement, the PCRA court entered an order in lieu of opinion, directing us to

its December 19, 2022 order disposing of the October Motion. Thereafter,

Appellant’s concise statement was docketed.2

____________________________________________

2 Appellant’s concise statement was due on or before February 24, 2023.     As
the statement was docketed on March 31, 2023, it was patently untimely.
This Court has considered untimely concise statements when the trial court
nonetheless addressed the issues because the untimely filing of a concise
statement constitutes per se ineffective assistance of counsel.           See
Commonwealth v. Boniella, 158 A.3d 162, 164 (Pa.Super. 2017) (noting
that “where the trial court addresses the issues raised in an untimely Rule
1925(b) statement, we need not remand but may address the issues on their
merits” (cleaned up)).      However, this Court’s rationale for doing so
“disappears where it is filed by a pro se litigant” because “a pro se litigant
cannot be ineffective on his or her own behalf.” Id. (cleaned up).

This would normally result in waiver of all of Appellant’s claims. See id.
However, Appellant’s concise statement was self-dated February 8, 2023.
Moreover, Appellant appended a note after the affidavit and proof of service
page, which was self-dated March 25, 2023, indicating that Appellant had
delivered his concise statement to prison authorities on February 9, 2023, and
only learned of its non-delivery upon his release from the restrictive housing
unit on March 25, 2023, and thereafter mailed it again. See Concise
Statement, 3/31/23, at unnumbered 4.

(Footnote Continued Next Page)

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       This Court issued a rule to show cause order as to why the appeal, which

did not contain the date of the order appealed from, should not be quashed

as having been taken from an order not entered on the docket, in violation of

Pa.R.A.P. 301(a)(1). Appellant responded, indicating that he lacked the date

of the order due to his housing status. This Court discharged the rule and

referred the issue to this panel. Meanwhile, Appellant filed his brief in this

Court.
____________________________________________

“[T]he prisoner mailbox rule provides that a pro se prisoner’s document is
deemed filed on the date he delivers it to prison authorities for mailing.”
Commonwealth v. Chambers, 35 A.3d 34, 38 (Pa.Super. 2011) (citation
omitted). See also Pa.R.A.P. 121(f) (“A pro se filing submitted by a person
incarcerated in a correctional facility is deemed filed as of the date of the
prison postmark or the date the filing was delivered to the prison authorities
for purposes of mailing as documented by a properly executed prisoner cash
slip or other reasonably verifiable evidence.”).

       Our Supreme Court has provided a non-exhaustive list of the
       types of evidence a pro se prisoner may present to prove that he
       mailed a notice of appeal within the deadline. Our Supreme Court
       has also clearly stated that we are inclined to accept any
       reasonably verifiable evidence of the date that the prisoner
       deposits the appeal with the prison authorities. In this vein, we
       may regard a self-dated notice of appeal as plausible evidence of
       mailing . . ., particularly where the opposing party does not
       contest such a date.

Commonwealth v. Powell, 290 A.3d 751, 756 n.9 (Pa.Super. 2023)
(cleaned up).

Here, Appellant self-dated the concise statement February 8, 2023, and the
Commonwealth has offered no objection to this averment.                 See
Commonwealth’s brief at 6 (stating, incorrectly, that the PCRA court did not
order Appellant to file a Rule 1925(b) statement and that none was filed).
Accordingly, we regard the hand-written date and appended note as plausible
evidence of mailing and will consider the concise statement timely under the
prisoner mailbox rule.

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       Preliminarily, this Court is unable to ascertain from which order

Appellant is actually appealing.          Not one of Appellant’s appellate filings

provides illumination on this query. His brief is handwritten and unnumbered,

contains various exhibits throughout, and is not separated into different

sections.   From what we can glean from his brief, Appellant is seeking to

challenge the PCRA court’s denial of his request for DNA testing, as well as

trial counsel’s effectiveness in failing to pursue DNA testing before or after

trial.3 Based upon the first argument, the Commonwealth and PCRA court

deduced that Appellant purported to appeal solely from the December 19,

2022 order denying his October Motion. See Commonwealth’s brief at 5 n.6;

Order in Lieu of Opinion, 3/21/23, at unnumbered 1 n.1.

       We agree that the lion’s share of Appellant’s arguments on appeal

concern the PCRA court’s decision to deny his request for DNA testing, thereby

implicating the court’s denial of his October Motion. However, Appellant also

asserts that counsel was ineffective for failing to request DNA testing, which

____________________________________________

3 Appellant also argues that the Commonwealth failed to adduce sufficient
evidence of Appellant’s specific intent to kill to sustain his attempted murder
conviction. See Appellant’s brief at unnumbered 8-10. As acknowledged by
Appellant’s citation to his brief on direct appeal, this Court already heard and
rejected that precise argument. Commonwealth v. McGurl, 217 A.3d 418
(Pa.Super. 2019) (non-precedential decision at 4-6) (“As demonstrated by his
actions, which occurred after he announced that he intended ‘to end’ the
Victim, Appellant took substantial steps toward the commission of [first-
degree murder], which resulted in the Victim’s near-fatal blood loss and
permanent injury.”). Thus, it cannot served as a basis for PCRA relief. See
42 Pa.C.S. § 9543(a)(3) (providing that, to be eligible for relief, a PCRA
petitioner must establish that the claim was not previously litigated or
waived).

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he raised in the November Petition proceedings. In this way, his brief also

implicates the PCRA court’s denial of the November Petition. Stated plainly,

due to Appellant’s reiterative post-conviction filings, vague notice of appeal,

and confusing brief, we simply cannot determine with any certainty which

order Appellant is appealing.         What we can determine, however, is that

regardless from which order Appellant purported to appeal, he is not entitled

to relief.4

       As with any denial of PCRA relief, “our standard of review calls for us to

determine whether the ruling of the PCRA court is supported by the record

and free of legal error.” Commonwealth v. Gacobano, 65 A.3d 416, 419

(Pa.Super. 2013) (cleaned up). “When reviewing an order denying a motion

for post-conviction DNA testing, this Court determines whether the movant

satisfied the statutory requirements listed in [§] 9543.1. We can affirm the

____________________________________________

4 With respect to the timeliness of Appellant’s appeal, his notice was clearly

filed within thirty days of the order denying his November Petition and was
therefore timely. However, the notice was filed more than thirty days after
the order denying his October Motion. Even applying Appellant’s self-date
pursuant to the prisoner mailbox rule, the notice of appeal would still be
deemed late as it was dated thirty-one days after the filing of the order
denying the October Motion. Nonetheless, because the PCRA court’s failure
to advise Appellant of his appellate rights constituted a breakdown in the court
system, we decline to quash. See, e.g. Commonwealth v. Stansbury, 219
A.3d 157, 160 (Pa.Super. 2019) (collecting cases); see also Pa.R.Crim.P.
900(A) (“The rules in Chapter 9 apply to . . . cases under the Post Conviction
Relief Act, 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 9541-9546[.]”); Pa.R.Crim.P. 907(4) (“When the
petition is dismissed without a hearing, the judge promptly shall issue an order
to that effect and shall advise the defendant by certified mail, return receipt
requested, of the right to appeal from the final order disposing of the petition
and of the time limits within which the appeal must be filed. The order shall
be filed and served as provided in Rule 114.”).

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court’s decision if there is any basis to support it, even if we rely on different

grounds to affirm.”     Commonwealth v. Walsh, 125 A.3d 1248, 1253

(Pa.Super. 2015) (cleaned up).

      Beginning with the PCRA court’s denial of the October Motion, we further

set forth the following legal principles.     Post-conviction requests for DNA

testing are governed by § 9543.1, which provides in pertinent part as follows:

      (a) Motion.--

            (1) An individual convicted of a criminal offense in a court
            of this Commonwealth may apply by making a written
            motion to the sentencing court at any time for the
            performance of forensic DNA testing on specific evidence
            that is related to the investigation or prosecution that
            resulted in the judgment of conviction.

            (2) The evidence may have been discovered either prior to
            or after the applicant’s conviction. The evidence shall be
            available for testing as of the date of the motion. If the
            evidence was discovered prior to the applicant’s conviction,
            the evidence shall not have been subject to the DNA testing
            requested because the technology for testing was not in
            existence at the time of the trial or the applicant’s counsel
            did not seek testing at the time of the trial in a case where
            a verdict was rendered on or before January 1, 1995, or the
            evidence was subject to the testing, but newer technology
            could provide substantially more accurate and substantially
            probative results, or the applicant’s counsel sought funds
            from the court to pay for the testing because his client was
            indigent and the court refused the request despite the
            client’s indigency.

            (3) A request for DNA testing under this section shall be by
            written petition and shall be filed with the clerk of courts of
            the judicial district where the sentence is imposed.

            (4) DNA testing may be sought at any time if the motion is
            made in a timely manner and for the purpose of

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          demonstrating the applicant’s actual innocence and not to
          delay the execution of sentence or administration of justice.

          (5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a plea of
          guilty to a crime of violence, as defined in section 9714(g)
          (relating to sentences for second and subsequent offenses),
          or a confession given by an applicant concerning the offense
          for which the applicant was convicted, shall not prohibit the
          applicant from asserting actual innocence under subsection
          (c)(2) or the court from making a determination and
          ordering DNA testing under subsection (d)(2).

          (6) The motion shall explain how, after review of the record
          of the applicant’s trial, there is a reasonable possibility if the
          applicant is under State supervision, or there is a reasonable
          probability if the applicant is not under State supervision, or
          after review of the record of the applicant’s guilty plea there
          is a reasonable probability, that the testing would produce
          exculpatory evidence that would establish:

                (i) the applicant’s actual innocence of the offense for
                which the applicant was convicted;

                       ....

     (b) Notice to the Commonwealth.--

          (1) Upon receipt of a motion under subsection (a), the court
          shall notify the Commonwealth and shall afford the
          Commonwealth an opportunity to respond to the motion.

          (2) Upon receipt of a motion under subsection (a) or notice
          of the motion, as applicable, the Commonwealth and the
          court shall take the steps reasonably necessary to ensure
          that any remaining biological material in the possession of
          the Commonwealth or the court is preserved pending the
          completion of the proceedings under this section.

     (c) Requirements.--In any motion under subsection (a), under
     penalty of perjury, the applicant shall:

          (1)(i) specify the evidence to be tested;

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                (ii) state that the applicant consents to provide
                samples of bodily fluid for use in the DNA testing; and

                (iii) acknowledge that the applicant understands that,
                if the motion is granted, any data obtained from any
                DNA samples or test results may be entered into law
                enforcement databases, may be used in the
                investigation of other crimes and may be used as
                evidence against the applicant in other cases.

          (2)(i) in a sworn statement subject to the penalties under
          18 Pa.C.S. §§ 4902 (relating to perjury) and 4903 (relating
          to false swearing), assert the applicant’s actual innocence
          of the offense for which the applicant was convicted and that
          the applicant seeks DNA testing for the purpose of
          demonstrating the applicant’s actual innocence; . . . .

          (3) present a prima facie case demonstrating that the:

                (i) identity of or the participation in the crime by the
                perpetrator was at issue in the proceedings that
                resulted in the applicant’s conviction and sentencing;
                and

                (ii) DNA testing of the specific evidence, assuming
                exculpatory results, would establish:

                      (A) the applicant’s actual innocence of the
                      offense for which the applicant was convicted;

                            ....

     (d) Order.--

          (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the court shall
          order the testing requested in a motion under subsection (a)
          under reasonable conditions designed to preserve the
          integrity of the evidence and the testing process upon a
          determination, after review of the record of the applicant’s
          trial, that the:

                (i) requirements of subsection (c) have been met;

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                 (ii) evidence to be tested has been subject to a chain
                 of custody sufficient to establish that it has not been
                 altered in any material respect; and

                 (iii) motion is made in a timely manner and for the
                 purpose of demonstrating the applicant’s actual
                 innocence and not to delay the execution of sentence
                 or administration of justice.

           (2) The court shall not order the testing requested in a
           motion under subsection (a) if, after review of the record of
           the applicant’s trial, the court determines that there is no
           reasonable possibility for an applicant under State
           supervision, or there is no reasonable probability for an
           applicant not under State supervision, or after review of the
           record of the applicant’s guilty plea, the court determines
           that there is no reasonable probability, that the testing
           would produce exculpatory evidence that:

                 (i) would establish the applicant’s actual innocence of
                 the offense for which the applicant was convicted;

                        ....

           (3) Any DNA testing order under this section shall constitute
           a final order. An applicant or the Commonwealth may
           appeal a decision denying or granting a DNA testing order
           in accordance with the Pennsylvania Rules of Appellate
           Procedure.

           (4) Any decision granting or denying a DNA testing order
           shall include an explanation by the court of how the testing
           requested in a motion under subsection (a) has met or fails
           to have met the requirements under paragraphs (1), (2) and
           (3).

                 ....

42 Pa.C.S. § 9543.1.

      The PCRA court explained its reasons for denying the October Motion as

follows:

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             The hat and knife were not subject to DNA testing.
      [Appellant’s] counsel did not seek testing prior to or at the time
      of trial and never sought funds from the [c]ourt to pay for testing.
      The current request for DNA testing is not timely, and the motion
      does not explain how, after review of the record of the trial, there
      is a reasonable possibility that testing would produce exculpatory
      evidence that would establish [Appellant’s] actual innocence.
      Notably, contrary to his current allegations, [Appellant]
      acknowledged at trial that he had possessed the knife. [Appellant]
      claimed that he had used it against the Victim while acting in self-
      defense. Similarly, at trial the Victim identified that hat as having
      been worn by him. The issues at trial did not involve questions
      about who possessed the hat and knife, or the identity of the
      assailant; rather, they were whether the [Appellant] attacked the
      Victim and had acted without justification in doing so.

            Additionally, [Appellant] has not stated in his motion that
      he consents to provide samples of bodily fluids for use in DNA
      testing, acknowledges that he understands that any data obtained
      from the DNA samples or test results may be entered into law
      enforcement databases, may be used in the investigation of other
      crimes, and may be used as evidence against him in other cases.

             Finally, no prima facie case has been alleged that the
      identity of or participation in the crime by [Appellant] was at issue
      at trial and that DNA testing of the hat and knife, assuming
      exculpatory results, would establish [Appellant’s] actual
      innocence.

Order (October Motion), 12/19/2022, at 2 (cleaned up).

      Upon review of the certified record, we agree with the PCRA court that

Appellant’s October Motion did not satisfy § 9543.1’s requirements. First, the

petition lacked Appellant’s consent to provide samples for testing or an

acknowledgement regarding the use of any results. Second, we discern no

abuse of discretion in the PCRA court’s finding that any exculpatory DNA

evidence pertaining to the hat and knife would not establish Appellant’s actual

innocence because neither possession of those items nor Appellant’s identity

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was in dispute at trial. Finally, Appellant’s request for DNA testing was not

timely where the hat and knife were discovered and available prior to trial,

DNA testing technology existed at the time of Appellant’s trial, the jury

reached its verdict after January 1, 1995, and the trial court did not refuse a

request for funds for DNA testing. See 42 Pa.C.S. § 9543.1(a)(2). Detecting

no error in the PCRA court’s conclusions, we affirm the order denying

Appellant’s October Motion for DNA testing. See Commonwealth v. Walsh,

125 A.3d 1248, 1258 (Pa.Super. 2015) (concluding that defendant “failed to

satisfy the threshold requirements to obtain DNA testing pursuant to

[§] 9543.1(a)(2); he did not present a prima facie case of actual innocence

pursuant to [§] 9543.1(c)(3); and he failed to make his request for DNA

testing in a timely manner pursuant to [§] 9543.1(d)(1)(iii)”).

      Next, we address the PCRA court’s dismissal of Appellant’s November

Petition and his claim that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request

DNA testing. Instead of considering the merits of any arguments raised in the

November Petition or the response to the PCRA court’s notice of intent to

dismiss, the PCRA court dismissed the November Petition as untimely. See

Order, 1/5/23.

      It is axiomatic that neither this Court nor the PCRA court has jurisdiction

to consider an untimely PCRA petition. See Commonwealth v. Ballance,

203 A.3d 1027, 1030-31 (Pa.Super. 2019).          All PCRA petitions, including

second or subsequent petitions, must be filed within one year of the date that

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the underlying judgment of sentence becomes final.             See 42 Pa.C.S.

§ 9545(b)(1). The PCRA statute provides that “a judgment becomes final at

the conclusion of direct review, . . . or at the expiration of time for seeking

the review.” 42 Pa.C.S. § 9545(b)(3).

      Instantly, Appellant’s judgment of sentence became final in 2019. The

November Petition, filed in 2022, was patently untimely. Therefore, Appellant

had the burden to plead and prove one of the enumerated exceptions to the

PCRA’s time-bar before the PCRA court could consider the merits of any of his

claims. In this respect, the PCRA statute provides as follows:

      Any petition under this subchapter, including a second or
      subsequent petition, shall be filed within one year of the date the
      judgment becomes final, unless the petition alleges and the
      petitioner proves that:

            (i) the failure to raise the claim previously was the result of
            interference by government officials with the presentation
            of the claim in violation of the Constitution or laws of this
            Commonwealth or the Constitution or laws of the United
            States;

            (ii) the facts upon which the claim is predicated were
            unknown to the petitioner and could not have been
            ascertained by the exercise of due diligence; or

            (iii) the right asserted is a constitutional right that was
            recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States or
            the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania after the time period
            provided in this section and has been held by that court to
            apply retroactively.

42 Pa.C.S. § 9545(b)(1). A petitioner invoking one of these exceptions must

file a petition “within one year of the date the claim could have been

presented.” 42 Pa.C.S. § 9545(b)(2).

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      In the case sub judice, Appellant failed to invoke any of the timeliness

exceptions in his November Petition.          Moreover, the PCRA court found as

follows in its notice of intent to dismiss:

      [N]o facts are alleged by [Appellant] to support a finding that an
      exception may exist to the requirement that a post-conviction
      collateral relief motion be filed within one year of the date the
      judgment of sentence becomes final.

            ....

            [Appellant] fails to identify any facts upon which his current
      claims are predicated which were unknown to him or could not
      have been ascertained by the exercise of due diligence within the
      requisite period to seek post-conviction collateral relief.
      Moreover, the DNA testing and alleged failure to identify the
      possessor of the knife and hat have been issues previously raised
      and addressed.

Order (November Petition), 12/19/22, at 1-2.

      Since Appellant failed to plead and prove an exception to the PCRA’s

time-bar, the PCRA court did not err in dismissing this petition as untimely.

See Walsh, supra at 1252 (declining to review claim that trial counsel was

ineffective for failing to request DNA testing as part of post-conviction motion

for DNA testing and noting that petitioners must raise such claims in a PCRA

petition that is either timely filed or satisfies one of the timeliness exceptions).

      In sum, the PCRA court did not err in denying the October Motion or

dismissing the November Petition, and Appellant is not entitled to relief in this

collateral appeal.

      Orders affirmed.

      Judge Pellegrini joins this Memorandum.

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J-S21015-23

     Judge Nichols concurs in the result.

Judgment Entered.

Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary

Date: 07/27/2023

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