Court Opinion

ID: 9635376
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 13:49:14.149601+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:26.135690
License: Public Domain

*347CIRILLO, Judge,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent. The majority seems to acknowledge that counsel had a reasonable basis for not calling Bonny Burns as a character witness. See: Commonwealth ex rel. Washington v. Maroney, 427 Pa. 599, 235 A.2d 349 (1967). However, the majority feels that counsel was ineffective for failing to pursue the possibility of obtaining other character witnesses who would testify on behalf of the appellant. I am compelled to disagree.
There is a presumption in the law that counsel is effective. Commonwealth v. Miller, 494 Pa. 229, 431 A.2d 233 (1981); Commonwealth v. Norris, 305 Pa.Super. 206, 451 A.2d 494 (1982). Thus, the burden is on the petitioner to prove counsel’s ineffectiveness. Commonwealth v. Helvy, 278 Pa.Super. 458, 462, 420 A.2d 631, 633 (1980).
At the evidentiary hearing regarding the issue of trial counsel’s ineffectiveness, the appellant testified as follows:
MR. ZUNICH: Okay. Now, Mr. Simler, when you did talk with him, or during the course of trial, did you ever have any discussions regarding character witnesses?
APPELLANT: Yes, I did.
MR. ZUNICH: Could you tell us about that?
APPELLANT: I told Mr. Diamond that I had character witnesses that would be readily available whenever he needed them. And he said: I don’t think we need them at this time. I will worry about that later.
MR. ZUNICH: And did, in fact, he ever call character witnesses?
APPELLANT: No, sir.
MR. ZUNICH: Did you let him know that you had more than one available?
APPELLANT: Yes.
MR. ZUNICH: Did you let him know who these people were?
APPELLANT: We never got as far as to sit down and write names down. It wasn’t material at that time.
*348MR. ZUNICH: Did he ever come back and say: who are these character witnesses?
APPELLANT: No.
(N.T. September 12, 1980 at 50-51).
The appellant’s failure at the time of trial to offer to counsel the names of these other possible character witnesses and the substance of their proposed testimony vindicates counsel from allegations of ineffectiveness. See: Commonwealth v. Blackwell, 312 Pa.Super. 117, 458 A.2d 541 (1983); Commonwealth v. Oliver, 280 Pa.Super. 274, 421 A.2d 719 (1980).
Trial counsel need not ring doorbells in order to procure character witnesses for trial. It is the duty of the appellant to at least furnish counsel with the names of possible witnesses and to give a clue as to the content of their testimony. In this instance, however, the appellant has made only general claims that he had some witnesses available. Without more, the appellant has failed to carry his burden in proving the ineffective assistance of counsel. Accordingly, I would affirm the judgment of sentence of the court below.