Larry Lefler v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) ( 2015 )

MEMORANDUM DECISION
Feb 26 2015, 9:08 am
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), this
Memorandum Decision shall not be regarded as
precedent or cited before any court except for the
purpose of establishing the defense of res judicata,
collateral estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
John Andrew Goodridge Gregory F. Zoeller
Evansville, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
Michael Gene Worden
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Larry Lefler, February 26, 2015
Appellant-Petitioner, Court of Appeals Case No.
82A05-1408-PC-407
v. Appeal from the Vanderburgh
Circuit Court.
The Honorable David D. Kiely,
State of Indiana, Judge.
Appellee-Respondent. The Honorable Kelli E. Fink,
Magistrate.
Cause No. 82C01-1210-PC-23
Darden, Senior Judge
Statement of the Case
[1] Larry Lefler appeals the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief. We
affirm.
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Issue
[2] Lefler raises one issue, which we restate as: whether the post-conviction court
erred in determining that Lefler failed to prove that he received ineffective
assistance of trial counsel.
Facts and Procedural History
[3] We incorporate the facts from Lefler’s original appeal, as follows:
Ker.L. was born on February 19, 1994. Thereafter, Lefler established
paternity and sporadically exercised visitation rights.
Kel.L. was born on July 28, 1994. Kel.L.’s mother and Lefler married
in October of 1998. In 2000, Lefler adopted Kel.L. Lefler and
Kel.L.’s mother divorced in 2002, after which Kel.L. visited Lefler
approximately three weekends per month.
Generally, Ker.L. only visited Lefler during his visits with Kel.L.
Visitation usually took place at Lefler’s parents’ residence, where
Lefler lived. During the visits, Ker.L., Kel.L., and Lefler slept in
Lefler’s bedroom and all three often slept in the same bed or on the
floor together.
When Ker.L. was twelve years old, she and Lefler went to sleep on the
floor of his bedroom. When Ker.L. woke during the night, she felt
Lefler’s ‘finger . . . in [her] vagina.’ (Tr. 104). Ker.L. pushed Lefler’s
hand away, got up, and went to the bathroom. She then went to sleep
in another room. ‘Some time later,’ Ker.L. told Kel.L. about the
incident but promised Kel.L. she would not report it because Kel.L.
‘was scared.’ (Tr. 105).
When Kel.L. was in the fifth grade, Lefler gave her a blue pill,
claiming it was a vitamin. After taking the pill, Kel.L. became ‘really
tired’ and fell asleep. (Tr. 158). Kel.L. later woke up to find Lefler
‘pulling down [her] underwear.’ (Tr. 158). Lefler ‘pulled [her] closer
to him,’ so they were lying face-to-face on their sides. (Tr. 159). Lefler
then put his ‘private’ on her ‘privates,’ (Tr. 154), and moved ‘forwards
and backwards.’ (Tr. 161). This occurred ‘[a]t least’ one other time.
(Tr. 162).
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On October 20, 2009, Ker.L. told her mother, Crystal Elderbrook, that
Lefler had molested her.
****
On January 5, 2010, the State charged Lefler with Count 1, class A
felony child molesting; Count 2, class A felony child molesting; and
Count 3, class C felony child molesting. The trial court commenced a
three-day jury trial on March 29, 2010.
****
The jury found Lefler guilty on all counts.
Lefler v. State, Cause No. 82A04-1007-CR-479, at 1-2 (Ind. Ct. App. July 13,
2011).
[4] Lefler appealed his convictions, claiming that the trial court erred in excluding
evidence that it had deemed to be inadmissible hearsay. The Court affirmed the
trial court’s judgment, concluding that Lefler had waived his claim and, in any
event, the trial court did not err in excluding Lefler’s tendered evidence. See id.
at *2-3.
[5] Next, Lefler filed a petition for post-conviction relief, alleging ineffective
assistance of trial counsel. The post-conviction court held an evidentiary
hearing on Lefler’s claim. Trial counsel did not testify at the hearing. The
court determined that Lefler’s claims were without merit and denied his
petition. This appeal followed.1
1
We note that Appellant has included the post-conviction transcript in his Appendix. The transcript is
transmitted to the Court pursuant to Indiana Appellate Rule 12(B), so parties should not reproduce any
portion of the transcript in the Appendix. See Ind. Appellate Rule 50(F).
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Discussion and Decision
[6] Lefler argues that the post-conviction court erred in rejecting his claim of
ineffective assistance of trial counsel. A post-conviction proceeding is not a
substitute for a direct appeal and does not provide a petitioner with a “super-
appeal.” Reed v. State, 856 N.E.2d 1189, 1194 (Ind. 2006). The post-conviction
rules contemplate a narrow remedy for subsequent collateral challenges to
convictions. Id.
[7] Post-conviction proceedings are, by nature, civil proceedings in which the
petitioner must establish grounds for relief by a preponderance of the evidence.
Wilkes v. State, 984 N.E.2d 1236, 1240 (Ind. 2013). When appealing the denial
of post-conviction relief, the petitioner stands in the position of one appealing
from a negative judgment. Id. On appeal, the petitioner must show that the
evidence as a whole leads unerringly and unmistakably to a conclusion opposite
to that reached by the post-conviction court. Kubsch v. State, 934 N.E.2d 1138,
1144 (Ind. 2010).
[8] Claims of ineffective assistance of counsel are evaluated using the Strickland
standard articulated by the United States Supreme Court. Wilkes, 984 N.E.2d
at 1240. The standard has two elements. First, a petitioner must demonstrate
that counsel performed deficiently based upon prevailing professional norms.
Id. Counsel is afforded considerable discretion in choosing strategy and tactics,
and we will accord those decisions deference. Timberlake v. State, 753 N.E.2d
591, 603 (Ind. 2001). In fact, counsel’s performance is presumed effective, and
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a petitioner must offer strong and convincing evidence to overcome this
presumption. Kubsch, 934 N.E.2d at 1147.
[9] Second, a petitioner must establish that counsel’s deficient performance resulted
in prejudice to the petitioner. Wilkes, 984 N.E.2d at 1240. That is, the
petitioner must show a reasonable probability that, but for counsel’s errors, the
result of the proceeding would have been different. Id. at 1241. A reasonable
probability is a probability sufficient to undermine confidence in the outcome.
Id. An inability to establish either deficient performance or prejudice is fatal to
a claim of ineffective assistance. Rowe v. State, 912 N.E.2d 441, 443 (Ind. Ct.
App. 2009), aff’d on reh’g, 915 N.E.2d 561 (2009), trans. denied.
[10] We note that the judge who presided over Lefler’s original trial is also the judge
who presided over Lefler’s post-conviction hearing. In such a case, the post-
conviction court’s findings and judgment are entitled to greater than usual
deference because the judge is uniquely situated to assess whether trial counsel’s
performance was deficient and whether, but for counsel’s unprofessional
conduct, there was a reasonable probability that a different verdict would have
been reached. McKnight v. State, 1 N.E.3d 193, 200 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013).
[11] We further note that Lefler did not present testimony from his trial counsel at
the post-conviction hearing. Although he told the post-conviction court that he
had subpoenaed trial counsel, counsel did not appear. Lefler did not ask the
court for a continuance or a body attachment, and he presented no evidence
from trial counsel by way of affidavit. When trial counsel does not testify in
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support of a petitioner’s arguments, the post-conviction court may infer that
counsel would not have supported petitioner’s allegations. Oberst v. State, 935
N.E.2d 1250, 1254 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010), trans. denied.
[12] Lefler first argues that his trial counsel failed to conduct a full and adequate
factual investigation. Establishing failure to investigate as a ground for
ineffective assistance of counsel requires going beyond the trial record to show
what information an investigation, if undertaken, would have produced.
McKnight, 1 N.E.3d at 201. Further, the petitioner must show how the
additional information would have aided in the preparation of the case. Turner
v. State, 974 N.E.2d 575, 585 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012), trans. denied.
[13] Lefler asserts that his counsel did not interview Donovan Madison, who is the
son of Lefler’s then-fiancée, Debbie Lefler, until a few days before trial. He fails
to explain how the delay in the interview prejudiced him, so this claim must
fail.
[14] Lefler further asserts that his counsel erred by failing to interview anyone listed
on Lefler’s witness list except for Lefler, Debbie, and Madison. However,
Lefler’s witness list stated only that the other witnesses would testify
“concerning the behavior of the children since the day of the alleged incident.”
Appellant’s App. p. 416. Furthermore, during the post-conviction hearing,
Debbie testified that Mary Lefler, Richard Lefler, Bill Martin, Michael
Whoeler, Donald Standing, Mindy Marx, Jeremy Morris, and Amanda Morris,
who were on the witness list, would have testified at trial only that “the children
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weren’t acting unusual during” the times when the molestations occurred. Tr.
p. 85. On cross-examination, Debbie conceded that none of those witnesses
were eyewitnesses to the acts of molestation. At the original trial, counsel had
cross-examined Ker.L. and Kel.L. about their attitudes toward Lefler and their
behavior before and after being molested. We cannot conclude that counsel
made an unreasonable strategic choice by declining to interview witnesses who
had, at best, general knowledge about Ker.L. and Kel.L.’s behavior at the time
the crimes were committed, particularly when counsel was able to cross-
examine Ker.L. and Kel.L. on that subject. This evidence is insufficient to
rebut the presumption of effective assistance. See Villalon v. State, 956 N.E.2d
697, 706 (Ind. Ct. App. 2011) (appellant did not demonstrate that counsel
performed deficiently by failing to present alibi defense), trans. denied.
[15] Lefler next argues that his trial counsel failed to call witnesses at trial who
would have undermined Ker.L. and Kel.L.’s credibility. A decision regarding
what witnesses to call is a matter of trial strategy which an appellate court will
not second-guess. Johnson v. State, 832 N.E.2d 985, 1003 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005),
trans. denied.
[16] Lefler claims his counsel should have called Donovan Madison to testify about
text messages he sent to, and received from, Kel.L. after Kel.L.’ s accusations
became public, because the messages would have shown Kel.L. was biased
against Debbie and wanted to sabotage her relationship with Lefler.
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[17] The text messages do not undermine Kel.L.’s credibility. Although she told
Madison she hated Debbie, she also stated several times that she loved Debbie
and did not want to see her hurt. Furthermore, admission of the text messages
into evidence could have damaged Lefler. At one point, Madison texted Kel.L
that he hoped Lefler “takes the Plead [sic] deal. . . .it’ll only be 5 years.” Ex.
Vol., Ex. 2. If the jurors had seen that statement, they would have been made
aware of plea bargaining and might have speculated that Lefler was prepared to
admit guilt. Under these circumstances, failing to call Madison to testify was
not an unreasonable decision.
[18] Lefler also claims that trial counsel should have called Crystal Elderbrook to
testify that she urged Debbie to end her relationship with him. Elderbrook,
who is Ker.L.’s mother, was hostile to Lefler’s defense. During her cross-
examination at Lefler’s original trial, she disagreed with the majority of Lefler’s
counsel’s questions and rejected his characterizations of events. In addition,
Elderbrook did not testify at the post-conviction hearing. It is unclear that
Elderbrook would have agreed that she had a conversation with Debbie about
her relationship with Lefler or that, if she agreed that such a conversation had
occurred, it would have affected the outcome of the trial.
[19] Lefler next argues that his trial counsel should have called Justin Lefler to
testify because Justin would have told the jury: (1) he would have known if
Lefler had molested Ker.L. and Kel.L. because he has a sleep disturbance and
stays awake at night; and (2) he once saw Lefler sleeping in a bed with Kel.L.,
and when Lefler accidentally hit her in his sleep, she got out of bed and kicked
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Lefler. Justin did not testify at the post-conviction hearing, and there is no
information in the record on how often Justin slept at Lefler’s residence, where
he slept, and whether he would have noticed the acts of molestation as
described by Ker.L. and Kel.L. Further, Justin’s generalized description under
the circumstances of one alleged act of kicking by Kel.L. of Lefler appears to
have minimal relevance to the crimes at issue here. Lefler has failed to carry his
burden of proving that choosing not to call Justin was objectively unreasonable.
[20] Next, Lefler claims that his trial counsel failed to adequately impeach Ker.L.
and Kel.L. on a number of topics that he claims would have undermined their
credibility in the eyes of the jury. Specifically, he says counsel should have
impeached Ker.L. by asking her whether she was mad at Lefler prior to
reporting the molestation because he would not buy her a car or tanning salon
sessions, and counsel should have impeached both Ker.L. and Kel.L. by asking
whether they were angry that Lefler intended to marry Debbie. Appellant’s Br.
p. 20. However, at trial, Lefler’s counsel cross-examined Ker.L. and Kel.L. on
those issues. Appellant’s App. pp. 477, 483-84, 535, 543, 545. He has failed to
establish deficient performance on this point.
[21] Next, Lefler argues that his trial counsel should have cross-examined Kel.L.
about: (1) the questions she asked Debbie when Debbie disclosed to Kel.L. that
she had been molested as a child; and (2) about Kel.L.’s tendencies to sabotage
Lefler’s romantic relationships. In fact, Lefler’s counsel asked Kel.L. about
those subjects on cross-examination. Appellant’s App. pp. 537, 543, 545.
Thus, counsel brought those issues to the jury’s attention. Further questioning
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of Kel.L. on these issues could have been seen by the jury as unfair badgering.
We cannot say counsel performed unreasonably. See Thomas v. State, 965
N.E.2d 70, 76 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012) (counsel effectively impeached the State’s
witness by causing the witness to admit to inconsistent statements), trans. denied.
[22] Lefler also claims his trial counsel should have impeached Kel.L. about an
incident where a friend of hers walked in and her dad “had yelled at the friend.”
Appellant’s Br. p. 20. It is unclear, and Lefler fails to clarify, how this incident
was relevant and would have impeached Kel.L. Furthermore, testimony about
the incident could have worked against Lefler, as it could have caused the jury
to view him in a negative light. Counsel was not ineffective for refraining from
questioning Kel.L. on this subject.
[23] Lefler also asserts that his trial counsel erred because, when the trial court
sustained the State’s hearsay objections to testimony by Lefler and Debbie,
counsel did not submit offers of proof. Lefler asserts that counsel’s error was
crucial and unreasonable because, on direct appeal, the Court determined that
his challenges to the exclusion of the hearsay evidence were waived. He further
argues that counsel should have called Ker.L., Kel.L., and Elderbrook to the
stand to ask them the questions that the trial court forbade Lefler and Debbie to
answer about those persons’ statements.
[24] Debbie attempted to testify about: (1) questions that Kel.L. had asked her when
Debbie disclosed that she had been molested as a child; and (2) statements by
Kel.L. to the effect that she did not approve of Debbie and Lefler’s relationship.
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Counsel’s failure to submit offers of proof regarding these statements did not
amount to ineffective assistance for two reasons. First, after the objections were
sustained, counsel rephrased his questions to present the information to the jury
through Debbie without running afoul of the hearsay rule. Appellant’s App.
pp. 559-60, 571. Second, as noted above, trial counsel did cross-examine Kel.L.
on those subjects. Thus, the evidence was presented to the jury, and Lefler
cannot have been prejudiced by counsel’s failure to present offers of proof.
[25] Regarding Lefler’s testimony, he attempted to testify to statements made by
Elderbrook and Ker.L. regarding visitation problems and to statements made by
Ker.L. when Lefler refused to buy her a car and sessions at a tanning salon.
However, Lefler’s counsel cross-examined Ker.L. about the car and tanning
sessions, and he cross-examined Kel.L. about visitation issues between Ker.L.
and Lefler. Appellant’s App. pp. 484, 539-40. We cannot conclude that
counsel prejudiced Lefler by failing to tender offers of proof when counsel
presented the same evidence to the jury through other witnesses.
[26] Lefler has failed to carry his burden of proving that the evidence as a whole
leads unerringly and unmistakably to a conclusion opposite to that reached by
the post-conviction court.
Conclusion
[27] For the reasons stated above, we affirm the judgment of the post-conviction
court.
[28] Affirmed.
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[29] Crone, J., and Pyle, J., concur.
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