Glaser v. State

575 N.E.2d 329, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1215, 1991 WL 137606
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 24, 1991
DocketNo. 49A02-90093-CR-537
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 575 N.E.2d 329 (Glaser v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Glaser v. State, 575 N.E.2d 329, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1215, 1991 WL 137606 (Ind. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

SHIELDS, Judge.

James (Glaser appeals his conviction of auto theft, a class D felony,1 claiming ineffective assistance of counsel.

We reverse.

ISSUE

The issue on appeal is whether Glaser's trial counsel was ineffective.

FACTS

At approximately 10:30 p.m. on December 2, 1989 Robert Moreno drove into a restaurant parking lot. Moreno observed another car in the lot. Two men were sitting in the car while a third man stood outside the car "getting sick." Record at 48. Concluding these persons "didn't have time to mess with [his] car" Moreno left his car's motor running and entered the restaurant. Record at 48. Inside, he heard the squeal of tires and ran outside to see someone drive away in his car. The other car with two men inside also was leaving the parking lot. Moreno ran along side the passenger side of his car yelling for the driver to stop. His efforts to open the door were unsuccessful because the door "didn't work." Record at 45. Moreno testified he was approximately three feet from the driver for about 30 seconds as he ran beside the car. The car left the parking lot and went only a short distance before the driver lost control and hit the median. Moreno ran to his car as the driver jumped out and ran down the street. Moreno described the driver of his automobile to the police as "white male, blondish brown hair. Wearing a jacket, and blue jeans." Record at 61.

Some unspecified time later an officer advised Moreno "we possibly had a suspect." Record at 59. Moreno accompanied the officer to a location where the police had a car stopped that matched the description of the second car in the restaurant parking lot. Three men were arranged in "somewhat of a line." Record at 59. Moreno identified the three individuals by placing them "in different locations as he was entering the restaurant." Record at 59. Moreno also identified Glaser as the individual he observed driving his car as he ran alongside it and as the individual running from Moreno's disabled car. Moreno identified Glaser at trial. All this identification evidence was received without objection.

DISCUSSION

Glaser argues his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to move to suppress or object to Moreno's identification testimony based upon an impermissibly suggestive show-up.

The standard of an attorney's performance is that of reasonably effective assistance. To prevail on his claim, Glaser must show his attorney's performance was deficient and show his defense was prejudiced by the deficient performance. Townsend v. State (1989), Ind., 533 N.E.2d 1215. It is presumed that counsel has fully discharged his duty, and strong, convincing evidence is required to rebut this presumption. Stewart v. State (1988), Ind., 517 N.E.2d 1230.

Glaser argues Pemberton v. State (1990), Ind., 560 N.E.2d 524 is controlling. [331]*331We agree. In Pemberton, as in the instant case, trial counsel failed to proffer any objection to the in-court identification or the out-of-court identifications based upon the claim out-of-court show-ups were im-permissibly suggestive. Because the major issue at Pemberton's trial was identification, as it was here, a majority of our supreme court concluded Pemberton had adequately demonstrated the deficiency of his trial counsel's performance because "{tlhere is no conceivable rational basis upon which to predicate a decision to not object. This can in no way be characterized as a strategical or tactical decision gone awry." Pemberton at 527.

The court further concluded Pemberton demonstrated prejudice because the show-ups were impermissibly suggestive and it was "a close case on the facts with respect to whether there was a basis for the in-court identifications independent of the tainted show-ups." Id. This same situa tion exists here.

Show-up identifications held immediately after the crime are not impermissible per se because they allow the witness to view the suspect while the image of the perpetrator is still fresh in the witness's mind. Russell v. State (1988), Ind., 519 N.E.2d 549. Whether any particular show-up is unduly suggestive depends upon the cireumstances under which it is conducted. Whitlock v. State (1981), Ind., 426 N.E.2d 1292. Suggestive circumstances include the police informing witnesses that arrested suspects are among those included in a photographic display, Sawyer v. State (1973), 260 Ind. 597, 298 N.E.2d 440, or a line-up, Whitt v. State (1977), 266 Ind. 211, 361 N.E.2d 913; when a witness is shown only one photograph, Parker v. State (1976), 265 Ind. 595, 358 N.E.2d 110, or when only one person is shown in a show-up, one and one-half days after the crime, Zion v. State (1977), 266 Ind. 563, 365 N.E.2d 766.

In the instant case, the evidence is such that the trial court could conclude the show-up was or was not impermissibly suggestive. The officer's statement they had a possible suspect is certainly suggestive. The show-up was not one-on-one but included three individuals. However, the multi-person show-up is not necessarily an attenuating circumstance because three individuals were "involved" in the instant offense. Also, the record is silent as to the lapse of time between the confrontation in the parking lot and the show-up although it was undoubtedly relatively short. The record is also silent as to the available light in the parking lot and adjoining street, an important cireumstance inasmuch as the incident occurred around 10:30 pm. on a winter night. Further, Moreno's view of the perpetrator occurred as Moreno was running alongside his car trying to open the passenger door. Thus, had an objection been made, the suggestiveness of the show-up would have turned on an evaluation by the trial court whether, under the totality of the circumstances, the confrontation procedure was conducted "in such a fashion as to lead the witness to make a mistaken identification." Dillard v. State (1971), 257 Ind. 282, 286, 274 N.E.2d 387, 389.

This same evidence also fails to establish by clear and convincing evidence that an independent basis for an in-court identification exists within the framework of the harmless constitutional error doctrine of Chapman v. California (1967), 386 U.S. 18, 87 S.Ct. 824, 17 LEd.2d 705. [332]*332Wethington v. State (1990), Ind., 560 N.E.2d 496, 503.

[331]

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Bluebook (online)
575 N.E.2d 329, 1991 Ind. App. LEXIS 1215, 1991 WL 137606, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/glaser-v-state-indctapp-1991.