Com. v. Alvarado-Lenhart, N.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedNovember 21, 2014
Docket1733 MDA 2012
StatusUnpublished

This text of Com. v. Alvarado-Lenhart, N. (Com. v. Alvarado-Lenhart, N.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Com. v. Alvarado-Lenhart, N., (Pa. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

J-S45003-13

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA Appellee

v.

NELSON ALVARADO-LENHART,

Appellant No. 1733 MDA 2012

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered September 6, 2012 In the Court of Common Pleas of Berks County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-06-CR-0003854-2011

BEFORE: BENDER, J., DONOHUE, J., and STRASSBURGER, J.*

MEMORANDUM BY BENDER, J.: FILED NOVEMBER 21, 2014

Appellant, Nelson Alvarado-Lenhart, appeals from the judgment of

sentence of six to fifteen years’ incarceration, imposed after a jury convicted

him of aggravated assault, robbery, theft by unlawful taking, receiving

stolen property, and simple assault. On appeal, Appellant contends that he

was denied his constitutional right to counsel, as he did not knowingly,

voluntarily, and intelligently waive his right to an attorney. After careful

review, we are constrained to vacate Appellant’s judgment of sentence and

remand for a new trial.

While the facts of Appellant’s case are irrelevant to our disposition, we

note that his convictions stemmed from evidence that he robbed and beat a

man outside of a restaurant in August of 2011. After Appellant was charged

with the above-stated offenses, the court appointed Paul Yessler, Esquire, to ____________________________________________ * Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court. J-S45003-13

represent him. At a pretrial status hearing on December 16, 2011, Attorney

Yessler informed the court that Appellant had repeatedly expressed his

desire to represent himself. N.T. Hearing, 12/16/12, at 2. Appellant,

however, immediately interjected, explaining that he did not wish to

represent himself but, instead, he wanted a new attorney because he was

unhappy with Attorney Yessler’s representation. Id. After listening to

Appellant’s complaints about Attorney Yessler’s representation, the court and

Appellant had the following exchange:

[The Court]: If you don’t want [Attorney] Yessler to represent you, you have the right to hire an attorney. You say you were making $700 a week. You can hire an attorney of your choice.

[Appellant]: I was doing that job one month and spent that money already taking care of bills.

[The Court]: I need to advise you, you have that right if you don’t want [Attorney] Yessler to represent you.

[Appellant]: No, I don’t.

[The Court]: He is your free attorney. You have to represent yourself –

[Appellant]: Why can’t I have a court appointed attorney?

[The Court]: He is your court appointed attorney. You don’t get to pick and choose who you are assigned.

[Appellant]: I’m not picking and choosing. I’m asking for somebody that’s going to fight for me that isn’t giving me attitude that hasn’t fought one bit. He’s rolling with the punches. He is not doing anything for me. You know what I mean?

I deserve a fair hearing, a fair trial. You know what I mean? I would represent myself if I knew the bells and whistles of the whole thing. I don’t. I am not going – I refuse to go any further with this gentleman.

-2- J-S45003-13

[The Court]: All right.

[Appellant]: I will represent myself if I have to, but everything is going to be ---

[The Court]: Stop.

[Appellant]: All right.

[The Court]: And now, this 16th day of December, 2011, after colloquy conducted, and upon motion of [] Paul Yessler, Esquire, the appearance of Attorney Yessler and the Public Defender is hereby withdrawn.

There is definitely conflict between the attorney and his client with regard to the manner [in] which he should conduct his services, and [Appellant] doesn’t want him to represent him anymore.

We need to address the waiver of counsel. You can hire your own attorney. Do you understand that by representing yourself you will be bound by all the rules of procedure that lawyers are bond [sic] by and –

[Appellant]: Can I get some kind of information on what the same rules that apply to a lawyer that apply to me? Can I get information telling me what’s going on?

[The Court]: You have [that] at the prison. Don’t they have some sort --

[Appellant]: I put in a communication form like that, and they expect me to go to an inmate and have them direct me. And there, there is a lot of information missing from the books at the law library. I asked numerous times. I asked for help and information.

[The Court]: Stop, [Appellant]. You are in a box and I am in a box. You apparently can’t hire a private attorney. You have a public attorney and you fired him. You and I are left with each other because that’s the way it’s going to be.

Now, you obviously want a trial, right? You want a trial?

[Appellant]: I want to be represented adequately.

Id. at 6-8.

-3- J-S45003-13

The Court then discussed why it believed Appellant had received

adequate representation, noting that Attorney Yessler called witnesses at the

preliminary hearing, filed a writ of habeas corpus on Appellant’s behalf, and

conducted “a fairly good investigation of the case.” Id. at 9. The court then

stated,

[The Court]: I didn’t believe that the issues that were raised by your attorney on your behalf which you have alluded to that, that that was sufficient. The evidence was you committed these offenses. So let’s go forward. We will set a trial date and you will represent yourself.

Id. at 9. The court then provided Appellant with “a waiver of counsel form,”

directing Appellant to “read it and sign it,” and stating that doing so “means

you don’t want [Attorney] Yessler.” Id. Appellant then signed the waiver

form. Finally, the court appointed Jay Nigrini, Esquire, to act as stand-by

counsel for Appellant, but explained to Appellant that he was still

representing himself, and that Attorney Nigrini was “just there to answer

questions.” Id. at 10.

On April 18, 2012, Appellant filed a pro se “Petition to Uphold

Retainment of Jay M. Nigrini to Represent As Conflict Counsel in Case Doc.

3854/11.” In that document, Appellant contended that he was deprived of

his right to counsel because the court did not conduct a proper colloquy to

ensure his waiver was knowing, intelligent, and voluntary. He asked that

the court appoint him representation. On April 24, 2012, the trial court

issued an order denying Appellant’s petition. The court stated: “Jay Nigrini,

Esquire, has been appointed stand-by counsel for [Appellant]. [Appellant]

-4- J-S45003-13

continues to be eligible for free legal representation by the Public Defender,

Paul Yessler, Esquire.” Trial Court Order, 4/24/12.

On August 21, 2012, three days before Appellant’s jury trial was set to

commence, he again filed a pro se document entitled “Petition for Counsel

Representation.” Therein, Appellant alleged that he was indigent and could

not afford counsel, and asked that the court appoint him an attorney. The

court apparently ignored this filing and Appellant proceeded to trial

representing himself. At the close thereof, he was found guilty of the above-

stated offenses.

Following his conviction, Appellant hired private counsel who filed a

post-sentence motion on his behalf, averring that Appellant’s waiver of his

right to counsel was not knowing, intelligent, and voluntary where the court

did not conduct a proper colloquy as mandated by Pa.R.Crim.P. 121. The

court denied that post-sentence motion. Appellant then filed a timely notice

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