Com. v. Gordon, J.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedFebruary 22, 2017
DocketCom. v. Gordon, J. No. 1959 MDA 2015
StatusUnpublished

This text of Com. v. Gordon, J. (Com. v. Gordon, J.) 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. Gordon, J., (Pa. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

J-S72004-16

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF PENNSYLVANIA Appellee

v.

JODY GORDON

Appellant No. 1959 MDA 2015

Appeal from the PCRA Order October 23, 2015 In the Court of Common Pleas of York County Criminal Division at No(s): CP-67-CR-0007467-2013

BEFORE: GANTMAN, P.J., DUBOW, J., and STRASSBURGER, J.*

MEMORANDUM BY GANTMAN, P.J.: FILED FEBRUARY 22, 2017

Appellant, Jody Gordon, appeals from the order entered in the York

County Court of Common Pleas, which denied his first petition filed pursuant

to the Post Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”).1 We affirm and grant counsel’s

petition to withdraw.

The relevant facts and procedural history of this case are as follows.

On July 9, 2014, Appellant entered an open guilty plea to one count of

possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance (“PWID”), in

connection with Appellant’s sale of 6.4 grams of cocaine to a confidential

informant (“C.I.”) on July 9, 2013. Appellant executed a written guilty plea

____________________________________________

1 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9541-9546.

_____________________________

*Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court. J-S72004-16

colloquy confirming his plea was voluntary. The written plea colloquy made

clear Appellant was entering an open guilty plea, leaving Appellant’s

sentence to the discretion of the trial court. Appellant expressly

acknowledged that the court could impose Appellant’s sentence consecutive

to any other sentence Appellant might be serving. During the oral guilty

plea colloquy, the court recited the factual basis for the plea; and Appellant

agreed he was guilty of the crime charged. The court twice reiterated there

was no agreement as to sentencing. Additionally, notwithstanding

Appellant’s statements in some earlier proceedings that he was dissatisfied

with plea counsel, Appellant agreed he wanted to plead guilty despite any

reservations or complaints about plea counsel. At the conclusion of the

guilty plea colloquy, the court accepted Appellant’s plea as knowing,

intelligent, and voluntary. The court deferred sentencing for preparation of

a pre-sentence investigation (“PSI”) report.

On July 29, 2014, Appellant appeared for sentencing in the current

PWID case and for sentencing at docket number CP-67-CR-0005473-2013

(“docket 5473-2013”), in relation to convictions for persons not to possess

firearms and receiving stolen property (“RSP”). The Commonwealth

recommended that the court impose an aggregate sentence of 5-10 years’

imprisonment at docket 5473-2013, and a sentence of 2½-5 years’

imprisonment in the current PWID case, to run consecutively. Defense

counsel argued for concurrent sentences. The court noted Appellant was

-2- J-S72004-16

also serving at that time a 5-10 year sentence at a third docket number, CP-

67-CR-0001636-2012 (“docket 1636-2012”).2 The court sentenced

Appellant at docket 5473-2013, to 5-10 years’ imprisonment for the persons

not to possess conviction, plus a concurrent 1-2 year sentence for RSP. The

court imposed the sentence at docket 5473-2013 concurrent to the sentence

Appellant was already serving at docket 1636-2012. In the present PWID

case, the court sentenced Appellant to 2½-5 years’ imprisonment,

consecutive to the sentence at docket 5473-2013. Appellant did not file

post-sentence motions or a direct appeal.

On February 5, 2015, Appellant filed a timely pro se PCRA petition

alleging plea counsel’s ineffectiveness, and he filed an amended pro se

petition on July 31, 2015. The PCRA court appointed counsel on August 14,

2015 (“PCRA counsel”). On October 23, 2015, the court held a PCRA

hearing, during which plea counsel and Appellant testified. At the conclusion

of the hearing, the court denied PCRA relief. Appellant timely filed a notice

of appeal on November 9, 2015. On November 25, 2015, the court ordered

Appellant to file a concise statement of errors complained of on appeal

pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b); Appellant complied.

On April 22, 2016, PCRA counsel (who is also appellate counsel) filed,

in this Court, an application to withdraw as counsel and an accompanying ____________________________________________

2 Appellant committed the PWID offense at issue while he was on trial at docket 1636-2012.

-3- J-S72004-16

appellate brief pursuant to Commonwealth v. Turner, 518 Pa. 491, 544

A.2d 927 (1988) and Commonwealth v. Finley, 550 A.2d 213 (Pa.Super.

1988) (en banc). In his Turner/Finley brief, counsel raised one issue on

appeal (plea counsel’s alleged ineffective assistance for promising Appellant

a concurrent sentence if he pled guilty) and explained why that issue lacked

merit. Appellant subsequently filed a pro se responsive brief, claiming

counsel had failed to address other issues raised in Appellant’s PCRA

petition, which Appellant wanted to advance on appeal. Because counsel did

not list those issues in his Turner/Finley brief and explain why they lacked

merit, this Court concluded counsel had failed to comply with the technical

requirements of Turner/Finley. Consequently, on December 8, 2016, this

Court denied counsel’s April 22, 2016 application to withdraw and remanded

the matter with instructions for counsel to file (1) an advocate’s brief, or (2)

a compliant Turner/Finley brief, additionally addressing the other issues

enumerated in Appellant’s pro se responsive brief, with an accompanying

As a prefatory matter, on January 9, 2017, appellate counsel filed a

new application to withdraw and a supplemental Turner/Finley brief.

Before counsel can be permitted to withdraw from representing a petitioner

under the PCRA, Pennsylvania law requires counsel to file a “no-merit” brief

or letter pursuant to Turner and Finley. Commonwealth v. Karanicolas,

836 A.2d 940 (Pa.Super. 2003).

-4- J-S72004-16

[C]ounsel must…submit a “no-merit” letter to the [PCRA] court, or brief on appeal to this Court, detailing the nature and extent of counsel’s diligent review of the case, listing the issues which the petitioner wants to have reviewed, explaining why and how those issues lack merit, and requesting permission to withdraw.

Counsel must also send to the petitioner: (1) a copy of the “no-merit” letter/brief; (2) a copy of counsel’s petition to withdraw; and (3) a statement advising petitioner of the right to proceed pro se or by new counsel.

If counsel fails to satisfy the foregoing technical prerequisites of Turner/Finley, the court will not reach the merits of the underlying claims but, rather, will merely deny counsel’s request to withdraw. Upon doing so, the court will then take appropriate steps, such as directing counsel to file a proper Turner/Finley request or an advocate’s brief.

Commonwealth v. Wrecks, 931 A.2d 717, 721 (Pa.Super. 2007) (internal

citations omitted). “Substantial compliance with these requirements will

satisfy the criteria.” Karanicolas, supra at 947.

Instantly, counsel’s January 9, 2017 motion to withdraw as counsel,

and Turner/Finley brief, detail the nature of counsel’s review and explain

why all the issues raised in Appellant’s pro se responsive brief lack merit.

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