The opinion
J-S05028-17
NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
Appellee
v.
BOBBIE L. BROWN
Appellant No. 965 MDA 2016
Appeal from the PCRA Order May 31, 2016
In the Court of Common Pleas of Dauphin County
Criminal Division at No(s): CP-22-CR-0005328-2007
BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., PANELLA, J., and PLATT, J.*
MEMORANDUM BY PANELLA, J. FILED MARCH 03, 2017
Appellant, Bobbie Brown, appeals from the order dismissing his
petition pursuant to the Post Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”). Brown argues
that the PCRA court erred in concluding that he had not established that his
trial counsel had been ineffective in failing to cross-examine a witness about
his prior crimen falsi convictions. After careful review, we conclude that the
PCRA court did not abuse its discretion in finding that Brown had not
established that he suffered prejudice from trial counsel’s failure, and
therefore affirm.
This case returns to us after a previous panel remanded this case for a
hearing on two issues raised by Brown. See Commonwealth v. Brown,
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*
Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.
J-S05028-17
No. 94 MDA 2013 (Pa. Super., filed 10/18/13) (unpublished memorandum).
For a detailed recitation of the facts and procedural history of this case, we
refer the interested reader to that memorandum. In this appeal, Brown
raises only one of the issues for which the case was remanded for further
hearings.
By way of summary, a jury convicted Brown of the first-degree murder
of Eric Cooper.1 At trial, Brown pursued a theory that he had shot Eric
Cooper in self-defense after Eric Cooper had initiated a physical altercation
with Brown. One Commonwealth witness, the victim’s cousin Michael
Cooper, had given police statements that supported this theory. However,
on direct examination, he did not mention that his cousin had initiated a
physical altercation with Brown. On cross-examination, he denied that he
had ever told investigators that his cousin had punched Brown.
On cross-examination, Cooper admitted to various credibility-
damaging falsehoods. Of most import, he admitted that he had told an
investigator that the shooter could be identified from the injuries his cousin
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1
For ease of reading, all references to “Cooper” in this memorandum will
mean Michael Cooper, Eric’s cousin. Eric Cooper will be referenced by his full
name.
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had inflicted prior to the shooting. However, counsel did not cross-examine
Cooper regarding his prior conviction for retail theft.2
Brown claimed that this failure rendered trial counsel’s performance
ineffective. The PCRA court, in its initial review of Brown’s claim, ruled that
evidence of a prior conviction for crimen falsi would have been “merely
cumulative and unnecessary,” as trial counsel “adequately impeached
Michael Cooper’s credibility.” In reviewing this decision on appeal, the prior
panel of this Court disagreed, and concluded that “an evidentiary hearing is
necessary to assess the alleged ineffectiveness of trial counsel.”
On remand, the PCRA court held a hearing on the issue of trial
counsel’s failure to cross-examine Cooper on his prior crimen falsi
convictions. Trial counsel testified that he pursued a theory of self-defense
at trial. See N.T., PCRA Hearing, 9/1/15, at 9. He believed that Cooper was
an important witness in establishing a self-defense theory. See id., at 14.
He stated that he had intended to discredit Cooper’s direct testimony. See
id., at 18. If he had known about Cooper’s prior conviction, he would have
used it. See id., at 24.
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2
In his initial PCRA petition, Brown had asserted that Cooper had prior
convictions for forgery, tampering with records or identification, and passing
bad checks. Upon remand, the Commonwealth discovered that this criminal
record pertained to another individual named Michael Cooper. However, the
Commonwealth’s investigation discovered that the relevant Michael Cooper
had a prior conviction for first-degree misdemeanor retail theft. The parties
subsequently stipulated that this conviction was the only prior crimen falsi
conviction for the relevant Michael Cooper.
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Trial counsel also testified that the video recording of the shooting that
the Commonwealth presented at trial was damaging to his theory of self-
defense. See N.T., PCRA Hearing, 4/17/14, at 67.3 “Who knows inside the
mind of a juror what they say. You know, again, [it] come[s] back to it was
on the video.” N.T., PCRA Hearing, 9/1/15, at 24. He further admitted that
the testimony of an unrelated eyewitness to the shooting, Paula Williams,
had hurt his case. See N.T., PCRA Hearing, 4/17/14, at 68.
Williams testified at trial that she was coming home from church when
she pulled up behind Brown’s vehicle. She watched as Eric Cooper
approached the driver-side window, raised his right hand and put it through
the open window. After he withdrew his hand, he fell to the ground, face-
first. She then watched as a hand from inside the vehicle reach out towards
Eric Cooper’s prone body. She observed two flashes from the hand before
Brown’s vehicle pulled away.
The Commonwealth also presented the jury with the testimony of
Wayne Ross, M.D., a forensic pathologist. Dr. Ross testified that Eric Cooper
had suffered a single gunshot wound to the front of his body, and five in his
back.
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3
We are unable to locate the PCRA court’s quotation “the video [of the
shooting] killed us” on the pages cited by the PCRA court. However, a review
of the cited pages indicates that trial counsel did believe that the video was
strong evidence, and damaging to his case.
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After reviewing this evidence, the PCRA court concluded that Brown
had failed to establish trial counsel’s ineffectiveness, and this timely appeal
followed.
On appeal, Brown contends that the PCRA court erred in concluding
that he hadn’t established the ineffectiveness of trial counsel. “On appeal
from the denial of PCRA relief, our standard and scope of review is limited to
determining whether the PCRA court’s findings are supported by the record
and without legal error.” Commonwealth v. Edmiston, 65 A.3d 339, 345
(Pa. 2013) (citation omitted). “[Our] scope of review is limited to the
findings of the PCRA court and the evidence of record, viewed in the light
most favorable to the prevailing party at the PCRA court level.”
Commonwealth v. Koehler, 36 A.3d 121, 131 (Pa. 2012) (citation
omitted).
Counsel is presumed effective; thus, an appellant has the burden of
proving otherwise. See Commonwealth v. Wright, 961 A.2d 119, 148 (Pa.
Super. 2004). “In order for Appellant to prevail on a claim of ineffective
assistance of counsel, he must show, by a preponderance of the evidence,
ineffective assistance of counsel which … so undermined the truth-
determining process that no reliable adjudication of guilt or innocence could
have taken place.” Commonwealth v. Johnson, 868 A.2d 1278, 1281 (Pa.
Super. 2005) (citation omitted).
To prevail on his ineffectiveness claims, Appellant must plead
and prove by a preponderance of the evidence that (1): the
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underlying legal claim has arguable merit; (2) counsel had no
reasonable basis for his action or inaction; and (3) Appellant
suffered prejudice because of counsel’s action or inaction. With
regard to the [reasonable basis] prong, we will conclude that
counsel’s chosen strategy lacked a reasonable basis only if
Appellant proves that an alternative not chosen offered a
potential for success substantially greater than the course
actually pursued. To establish the [prejudice] prong, Appellant
must show that there is a reasonable probability that the
outcome of the proceedings would have been different but for
counsel’s action or inaction.
Commonwealth v. Spotz, 18 A.3d 244, 260 (Pa. 2011) (internal quotation
marks and citations omitted).
In the present case, the prior panel of this Court concluded that Brown
had established that there was arguable merit to his claim of trial counsel
ineffectiveness, and remanded the case for a hearing on the remaining
prongs. We further conclude that, based upon the testimony of trial counsel
that he would have used the prior crimen falsi conviction if he had known
about it, he did not have a reasonable trial strategy for not discovering or
using the conviction to cross-examine Michael Cooper.
However, we conclude that the PCRA court did not abuse its discretion
in concluding that Brown had not established prejudice - that there was a
reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceedings would have been
different but for the failure of trial counsel to use the prior crimen falsi
conviction. As noted, Brown’s defense to the charges centered on the theory
that he acted in justifiable self-defense.
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Once a justification defense is properly raised, “the Commonwealth
bears the burden to disprove such a defense beyond a reasonable
doubt.” Commonwealth v. Torres, 766 A.2d 342, 345 (Pa. 2001)
(citations omitted). The Commonwealth sustains its burden if “it establishes
at least one of the following: 1) the accused did not reasonably believe that
he was in danger of death or serious bodily injury; or 2) the accused
provoked or continued the use of force; or 3) the accused had a duty to
retreat and the retreat was possible with complete safety.” Commonwealth
v. McClendon, 874 A.2d 1223, 1230 (Pa. Super. 2005) (citation omitted).
“It remains the province of the [finder of fact] to determine whether the
accused’s belief was reasonable, whether he was free of provocation, and
whether he had no duty to retreat.” Id. (citation omitted).
Faced with the video recording of the shooting, Williams’s testimony
that Eric Cooper was prone when Brown fired at least two shots, and Dr.
Ross’s testimony that Eric Cooper suffered five gunshots to his back, we
conclude that prejudice was not established. Even if the jury had believed
Cooper’s prior statement that his cousin had provoked a physical altercation
with Brown, it is highly unlikely that they would have believed that Brown
did not continue the use of deadly force beyond what was necessary for self-
defense. Nor is it likely that they would have found that Brown availed
himself of the possibility of retreating from the altercation started by Eric
Cooper. Thus, we conclude that the PCRA court did not abuse its discretion
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in concluding that Brown had not established that he was prejudiced by trial
counsel’s failure to attack Cooper’s credibility with the prior crimen falsi
conviction.
Order affirmed. Jurisdiction relinquished.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 3/3/2017
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