Court Opinion

ID: 9718663
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 07:29:25.386058+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:24:01.269628
License: Public Domain

NEWMAN, Justice,
concurring.
I join in the majority’s holding that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to investigate potentially mitigating evidence, thus, requiring a new penalty hearing, but I write separately to emphasize that this Court repeatedly has found that the failure of defense counsel to adequately prepare, particularly in a capital case, is simply an abdication of the minimum performance required. We have specifically held that a failure to investigate witnesses and/or records, that may have established a defense or mitigating circumstance, constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel.
In Commonwealth v. Perry, 537 Pa. 385, 644 A.2d 705 (1994), a capital case, trial counsel failed to investigate a potential eyewitness whom a Commonwealth witness had mentioned. Trial counsel also failed to interview the Commonwealth witness to attempt to find the potential eyewitness or other witnesses. The trial court had discredited this allegation because the appellant did not know the eyewitness’ last *247name or address. We held that counsel’s failure to interview witnesses, including these witnesses, was ineffective, “arguably per se.” Id. at 392, 644 A.2d at 708 (citing Commonwealth v. Mabie, 467 Pa. 464, 359 A.2d 369 (1976)).
In Commonwealth v. Mabie, a second degree murder case, trial counsel did not attempt to obtain hospital records that may have supported a self-defense claim. Trial counsel also did not try to interview eyewitnesses listed in the Commonwealth’s file. Counsel explained that he did not attempt to obtain the hospital records because he had relied on the investigating police officers’ description of the incident to discount the appellant’s assertion that the victim had attacked him. Counsel also explained that he made no effort to question the eyewitnesses because, after hearing the testimony of one witness at the preliminary hearing, he concluded that the witnesses were so hostile that calling any one of them may have been detrimental to his client’s case.
We determined that counsel’s performance in Mabie was not constitutionally effective. Regarding the hospital records, we explained:
Since discussions with witnesses and a review of [the] records may have established a defense and the pursuit of such a possible defense was curtailed only upon the basis of information in the Commonwealth’s file, counsel’s decision not to investigate [the records] cannot be said to have a reasonable basis designed to effectuate his client’s interest.
Id. at 474, 359 A.2d at 374.
Regarding the witnesses, we explained:
While hostile witnesses at trial may have presented added difficulties to appellant’s case, the question here is the decision not to interview them, not the decision to refrain from calling them at trial. Accordingly, there was no danger of hostile witnesses inflaming a jury during an interview to determine what each saw and their degree of potential hostility. Rather, the value of the interview is to inform counsel of the facts of the case so that he may formulate strategy. Perhaps, after questioning these wit*248nesses, counsel may have concluded that the best strategy was not to call them due to hostility and, as a matter of strategy, that decision on counsel’s part would not be subject to a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel. However, no such claim of strategy can be attached to a decision not to interview or make an attempt to interview eyewitnesses prior to trial.
Id. at 475, 359 A.2d at 374. See also Commonwealth v. Jones, 496 Pa. 448, 437 A.2d 958 (1981).
Here, the record shows that Appellant and his step-mother informed trial counsel of his mental health problems, including the fact that he had been taking medication for behavior control and had been involved in counselling at mental health institutions for substance abuse and temper problems. Counsel even testified that he advised Appellant not to take the stand because his violent temper may have emerged during cross-examination. Counsel, however, failed to perform any independent investigation of the potentially mitigating evidence relating to Appellant’s mental state. Counsel explained only that he decided not to investigate Appellant’s mental health history because nothing in the discovery materials seemed to warrant further inquiry.
As we stated in Mabie, the Sixth Amendment demands that counsel give undivided allegiance and faithful devoted service to a client. We, therefore, cannot consider counsel’s failure to investigate potentially mitigating evidence, based only on his assessment of information contained in the discovery materials, as a decision designed to protect his client’s interests.
As in Perry, we need not perform an extensive analysis to perceive the prejudice to Appellant’s case. Particularly, here, where the jury did consider mental state as a mitigating factor, there is a reasonable probability that counsel’s failure to investigate evidence relating to Appellant’s mental state affected the outcome of his penalty hearing. The death penalty jury might have rendered a verdict of life imprisonment had counsel presented evidence of Appellant’s mental state. Appellant, therefore, has established the ineffective*249ness of his defense counsel at the penalty hearing and is, thus, entitled to a new penalty hearing.
CAPPY, J., joins in this concurring opinion.