Court Opinion

ID: 9744646
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 22:11:25.417498+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:24:50.719249
License: Public Domain

BAKER, Judge,
concurring.
I concur in the majority opinion on all of the issues except for those involving Douglas' juvenile record. See supra, pp. 818-819, 820-821. First, Douglas waived any error by failing to object to the admission of the evidence. Notwithstanding waiver, the post-conviction court properly admitted the evidence that Douglas had been in Boys School under the res gestae exception. Res gestae includes acts and statements that are so closely connected to the erime as to be part of it. Allen v. State (1992), Ind.App., 596 N.E.2d 280, 282. Admission of evidence under res gestae is within the trial court's discretion. Id. In ruling on the relevancy of evidence, the trial court must balance the probative value of the evidence against its prejudicial impact. Hunter v. State (1991), Ind., 578 N.E.2d 353, 357.
Here, the evidence was not introduced for improper impeachment purposes, and was relevant to relate the planning of the commission of the crime which occurred while Douglas was at the Boys School. The probative value of this evidence outweighs the nominal prejudice arising from the fact that the jury learned that Douglas had been in *822Boys School for his prior actions. The evi-denee was properly admitted.
Douglas' related argument that he received ineffective assistance of counsel on this issue likewise fails. Because the admission of the evidence indicating Douglas' juvenile record was proper as res gestae, his counsel was not deficient for failing to object to the evidence. Had counsel objected to the evidence of Douglas' juvenile record, the objection would have been denied.
I also disagree with the majority's analysis of ineffectiveness of counsel on the juvenile record issue, in that it fails to consider first whether counsel's performance was deficient. We presume counsel was competent. Fugate v. State (1993), Ind., 608 N.E.2d 1370, 1372. If the admission of the juvenile record evidence had been erroneous, counsel was not required to object and draw more attention to Douglas' prior juvenile record. Counsel did not testify at the post-conviction hearing; thus, we may infer that counsel would not have corroborated Douglas' allegations. See Dickson v. State (1989), Ind., 533 N.E.2d 586, 589. We will not speculate about a more advantageous strategy that could have been employed. Fugate, at 1373. I would not find Douglas' counsel's omission to be substandard had the evidence been inadmissible.
For the above-stated reasons, I concur in result on the issues concerning Douglas' juvenile record.