People of Michigan v. Vickery Jerome McCray

CourtMichigan Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 26, 2016
Docket325362
StatusUnpublished

This text of People of Michigan v. Vickery Jerome McCray (People of Michigan v. Vickery Jerome McCray) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People of Michigan v. Vickery Jerome McCray, (Mich. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

STATE OF MICHIGAN

COURT OF APPEALS

PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN, UNPUBLISHED July 26, 2016 Plaintiff-Appellee,

v No. 325362 Ingham Circuit Court VICKERY JEROME MCCRAY, LC No. 13-001154-FC

Defendant-Appellant.

Before: STEPHENS, P.J., and SERVITTO and GLEICHER, JJ.

PER CURIAM.

A jury convicted defendant of first-degree criminal sexual conduct (CSC I), MCL 750.520b(1)(f), and unlawful imprisonment, MCL 750.349b.1 The trial court sentenced defendant as a fourth-offense habitual offender, MCL 769.12, to concurrent prison terms of 300 to 600 months for the CSC I conviction and 114 to 300 months for the unlawful imprisonment conviction. While both the complainant and the defendant agreed that there was sexual conduct on October 25, 2013, their testimony diverged as to whether it was the product of consent or force and as to the exact nature of the sexual contact. Defendant appeals as of right. We affirm.

I. INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE

Defendant argues that reversal is required because defense counsel was ineffective in several respects. Defendant did not raise an ineffective assistance of counsel claim in the trial court, and this Court denied his motion to remand. We have determined that the record contains sufficient detail to fully evaluate defendant’s ineffective assistance of counsel claim, and therefore confine our review to the existing record. People v Lockett, 295 Mich App 165, 186; 814 NW2d 295 (2012); People v Rodriguez, 251 Mich App 10, 38; 650 NW2d 96 (2002). To establish ineffective assistance of counsel, “a defendant must show that (1) counsel’s performance fell below an objective standard of reasonableness and (2) but for counsel’s deficient performance, there is a reasonable probability that the outcome would have been different.” People v Trakhtenberg, 493 Mich 38, 51; 826 NW2d 136 (2012). “A reasonable probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.” People v Chenault, 495 Mich 142, 150; 845 NW2d 731 (2014) (citation and quotation marks omitted).

1 Defendant was acquitted of an additional charge of assault by strangulation, MCL 750.84(1)(b).

-1- A. FAILURE TO INVESTIGATE

Defendant argues that defense counsel was ineffective for failing to meet with him before trial, failing to prepare defendant for trial, and by failing to learn through adequate trial preparation of defendant’s intent to testify that he did not sexually penetrate the victim on the night of the charged offense. “Failure to make a reasonable investigation can constitute ineffective assistance of counsel.” People v McGhee, 268 Mich App 600, 626; 709 NW2d 595 (2005). Defense counsel’s duty is to prepare, investigate, and present all substantial defenses. In re Ayres, 239 Mich App 8, 22; 608 NW2d 132 (1999). Defense counsel has a duty to make reasonable investigations or to make a reasonable decision that renders particular investigations unnecessary. People v Grant, 470 Mich 477, 485; 684 NW2d 686 (2004). However, “[w]hen making a claim of defense counsel’s unpreparedness, a defendant is required to show prejudice resulting from this alleged lack of preparation.” People v Caballero, 184 Mich App 636, 640; 459 NW2d 80 (1990). To fulfill this burden, a defendant must prove “that the failure resulted in counsel’s ignorance of valuable evidence which would have substantially benefited the accused.” Id. at 642.

The record reflects that at least one meeting occurred. Assuming without deciding that counsel performed ineffectively by failing to undertake additional meetings, the record does not support defendant’s claim of prejudice. Contrary to the averments in his affidavit, defendant testified at trial that he and the victim engaged in consensual sexual relations. Indeed, defendant claimed that the victim’s screams were typical of her behavior during consensual sex. Given this evidence, we discern no reasonable probability that additional meetings would have yielded information that, if known to counsel, likely would have benefitted the defense and altered the trial’s outcome.

B. EVIDENTIARY ERRORS

Defendant raises several claims concerning counsel’s failure to call or cross-examine witnesses, and failure to introduce evidence. “[D]ecisions regarding what evidence to present and which witnesses to call are presumed to be matters of trial strategy, and we will not second- guess strategic decisions with the benefit of hindsight.” People v Dunigan, 299 Mich App 579, 589-590; 831 NW2d 243 (2013). “[T]he failure to call witnesses only constitutes ineffective assistance of counsel if it deprives the defendant of a substantial defense.” People v Dixon, 263 Mich App 393, 398; 688 NW2d 308 (2004).

Defendant argues that counsel was ineffective for failing to procure an expert witness to testify that defendant could not have achieved an erection while he was using crack cocaine. However, “defendant has the burden of establishing the factual predicate for his claim of ineffective assistance of counsel.” People v Hoag, 460 Mich 1, 6; 594 NW2d 57 (1999). Defendant has not presented any evidence that he was not able to achieve an erection as a side effect of crack cocaine use, or that an expert existed who would posit this theory to the jury.

Defendant has also failed to show that counsel was ineffective for failing to call a witness who knew both defendant and the victim. Counsel was aware of the witness because he discussed her possible testimony before jury selection. Defendant has not overcome the presumption that counsel’s failure to call the witness was sound trial strategy. Further, assuming

-2- that the witness would have testified consistently with the statements in her affidavit, defendant has not shown that he was prejudiced by the witness’s absence. Although the witness’s proposed testimony would have supported defendant’s contention that the victim had a habit of trading sexual favors for drugs, the victim admitted that she and defendant had previously used cocaine together and had previously engaged in sex. In addition, the witness’s proposed testimony presents an unflattering image of defendant as someone regularly involved with drugs and prostitution, and also portrays the witness as a vulnerable person with a history of prostitution and drug use, and as someone who would have a motive to lie on defendant’s behalf. Defendant has not shown that the failure to call the witness deprived him of a substantial defense.

Defendant also argues, in both his appellate brief and in a Standard 4 brief filed pursuant to Supreme Court Administrative Order No. 2004-6, that counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the victim’s hearsay statements contained in a report prepared by a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) who examined the victim after the assault. Contrary to what defendant argues, the victim’s statements were admissible under the hearsay exception for statements made for purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment. MRE 803(4); People v Garland, 286 Mich App 1, 8-9; 777 NW2d 732 (2009). This includes the victim’s specific statement that defendant had penetrated her vagina with his penis. In addition to its relevance in determining whether the victim sustained a physical injury, this information was reasonably necessary in evaluating the risk of HIV infection. To the extent that some of the history was not reasonably necessary for diagnosis or treatment (e.g., that defendant played some pornographic movies) defendant has not overcome the presumption that counsel reasonably declined to object because the statements involved matters that were not disputed or were not prejudicial.

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People v. McGhee
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People v. Unger
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People v. Rodriguez
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People v. Goss
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People v. Torres
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People of Michigan v. Vickery Jerome McCray, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-of-michigan-v-vickery-jerome-mccray-michctapp-2016.