Com. v. Perry, B.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedDecember 30, 2014
Docket917 MDA 2014
StatusUnpublished

This text of Com. v. Perry, B. (Com. v. Perry, B.) 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. Perry, B., (Pa. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

J-S73040-14

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF : PENNSYLVANIA Appellee : : v. : : BRYAN PERRY, : : Appellant : No. 917 MDA 2014

Appeal from the PCRA Order entered on May 16, 2014 in the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County, Criminal Division, No. CP-22-CR-0002139-2011

BEFORE: BOWES, WECHT and MUSMANNO, JJ.

MEMORANDUM BY MUSMANNO, J.: FILED DECEMBER 30, 2014

Bryan Perry (“Perry”) appeals from the dismissal of his amended

Petition for relief filed pursuant to the Post Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”).

See 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9541-9546. We vacate the Order of the PCRA court,

and remand for further proceedings consistent with this Memorandum.

The PCRA court set forth the relevant procedural history and factual

background in its Opinion, which we adopt herein for purposes of this

appeal. See PCRA Court Opinion, 5/16/14, at 1-6.

Perry’s court-appointed PCRA counsel filed an amended PCRA Petition.

After an evidentiary hearing, the PCRA court dismissed Perry’s amended

Petition on May 16, 2014. Perry filed a timely Notice of Appeal and a court-

ordered Concise Statement of Matters Complained of on Appeal.

On appeal, Perry raises the following issues for our review: J-S73040-14

1. Whether the trial court erred by allowing unmarked evidence to be submitted to the jury?

2. Whether trial counsel[, Deanna Muller, Esquire (“Attorney Muller”),] was ineffective for failing to present a defense and for failing to call alibi witnesses?

3. Whether appellate counsel[, Andrea Haynes, Esquire (“Attorney Haynes”),] was ineffective?

Brief for Appellant at 5 (capitalization omitted, issues renumbered for ease

of disposition).

We review an order dismissing a petition under the PCRA in the light most favorable to the prevailing party at the PCRA level. This review is limited to the findings of the PCRA court and the evidence of record. We will not disturb a PCRA court’s ruling if it is supported by evidence of record and is free of legal error.

Commonwealth v. Ford, 44 A.3d 1190, 1194 (Pa. Super. 2012) (citations

omitted).

In his first issue, Perry contends that, during an ex parte

communication between the trial judge and the jury during their

deliberations, the jury showed evidence to the trial judge. Brief for

Appellant at 14. In response, Perry asserts, the trial judge responded “[y]ou

weren’t even supposed to get that. They weren’t marked as part of the

evidence.” Id. (citing N.T., 11/15/11, at 164). Perry asserts that the trial

judge erred by failing to inform counsel of the ex parte communication or

the fact that unmarked evidence was sent to the jury deliberation room. Id.

at 15. Perry points out that the record does not reflect the nature of the

unmarked evidence that the jury mistakenly received, and the trial judge

-2- J-S73040-14

cannot recall the nature of the unmarked evidence. Id. (citing PCRA Court

Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) Opinion, 6/30/14, at 3). Perry claims that he was entitled

to a presumption of prejudice, which the Commonwealth failed to overcome,

thereby entitling him to a new trial. Brief for Appellant at 15-16.

Perry failed to raise this issue in his Concise Statement. See

Commonwealth v. Lord, 719 A.2d 306, 309 (Pa. 1998) (stating that, if an

appellant is directed to file a concise statement of matters to be raised on

appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b), any issues not raised in that

statement are waived). Further, Perry did not raise this issue in his

amended PCRA Petition. Accordingly, Perry failed to preserve this issue for

our review. See Pa.R.A.P. 302(a) (stating that issues not raised in the lower

court are waived and cannot be raised for the first time on appeal).

Moreover, this claim is not cognizable under the PCRA. See 42

Pa.C.S.A. § 9543(a)(2); see also id. § 9544(b) (stating that “an issue is

waived if the petitioner could have raised it but failed to do so before trial, at

trial, during unitary review, on appeal or in a prior state postconviction

proceeding”); Commonwealth v. Jones, 876 A.2d 380, 383-84 (Pa. 2005)

(stating that any claims that have been waived by a petitioner are beyond

the power of this Court to review). Thus, even if this claim had been

preserved, Perry is not entitled to relief.

In his second issue, Perry contends that Attorney Muller led him to

believe that an alibi defense would be presented at trial. Brief for Appellant

-3- J-S73040-14

at 10. However, Perry asserts, because Attorney Muller failed to file a notice

of an alibi defense, the Commonwealth objected when she elicited testimony

from Perry that he was at his girlfriend’s house at the time of the alleged

crimes. Id. at 11. Perry claims that, because Attorney Muller had no alibi

witness, she should not have asked Perry leading questions that implicated

an alibi defense. Id. at 12. Perry asserts that Attorney Muller was

ineffective for failing to present a defense and an alibi witness to support the

line of questioning during trial. Id. Perry contends that Attorney Muller’s

actions were not the product of a reasonable strategic decision, and he

suffered prejudice as a result of her actions. Id.

In its Opinion, the PCRA court set forth the relevant law, addressed

Perry’s ineffectiveness claim regarding Attorney Muller, and concluded that it

lacks merit. See PCRA Court Opinion, 5/16/14, at 6-8. Based on our review

of the record, we conclude that the PCRA court’s determination is supported

by evidence of record and is free of legal error, and therefore affirm on this

basis as to this issue. See id.

In his third issue, Perry contends that he did not become aware that

the jury had mistakenly received unmarked evidence until after he read his

trial transcript. Brief for Appellant at 13. Perry claims that, although he told

Attorney Haynes of this mistake, she did not include this claim in his direct

appeal. Id. Instead, Perry asserts, the only issue that she raised in his

direct appeal was that his sentence was excessive and unreasonable. Id.

-4- J-S73040-14

Perry also contends that Attorney Haynes failed to raise the above-discussed

issues of Attorney Muller’s ineffectiveness on direct appeal. Id. Perry

asserts that, because Attorney Haynes had no reasonable basis for failing to

raise Attorney Muller’s ineffectiveness in his direct appeal, Attorney Haynes

was ineffective and prejudice can be presumed. Id.

Initially, we observe that the PCRA court failed to address Perry’s

claims regarding Attorney Haynes ineffectiveness in its dismissal Opinion,

despite the fact that this issue was raised in Perry’s amended Petition. See

PCRA Court Opinion, 5/16/14, at 6-8; see also PCRA Court Pa.R.A.P.

1925(a) Opinion, 6/30/14, at 2 (wherein the PCRA court acknowledged that

it failed to address this issue in its dismissal Opinion). Nevertheless,

because the issue of whether Attorney Haynes was ineffective for failing to

raise the issue of Attorney Muller’s ineffectiveness on direct appeal is easily

resolvable on the record and the briefs, we will address it. See

Commonwealth v.

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