Com. v. Smart, F. ( 2018 )


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  • J-S12003-18
    NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
    COMMONWEALTH OF                         :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
    \PENNSYLVANIA                            :        PENNSYLVANIA
    :
    :
    v.                     :
    :
    :
    FABIAN DESMOND SMART                    :
    :   No. 1469 MDA 2017
    Appellant            :
    Appeal from the PCRA Order August 24, 2017
    In the Court of Common Pleas of Clinton County Criminal Division at
    No(s): CP-18-CR-0000175-2002
    BEFORE: LAZARUS, J., KUNSELMAN, J., and FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E.
    MEMORANDUM BY LAZARUS, J.:                           FILED MARCH 13, 2018
    Fabian Desmond Smart appeals from the trial court’s order dismissing
    his petition filed pursuant to the Post Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”), 42
    Pa.C.S. §§ 9541-9546. After careful review, we affirm.
    In 2004, a jury convicted Smart of first-degree murder, kidnapping and
    conspiracy in connection with the 1999 beating death of Jason McCann. Smart
    was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Smart filed
    an unsuccessful direct appeal to our Court, and, on May 1, 2007, our Supreme
    Court denied his petition for allowance of appeal. Smart did not seek certiorari
    in the United States Supreme Court. Smart filed a timely PCRA petition that
    was denied after a hearing. Our Court affirmed that decision on a collateral
    appeal. In 2009, our Supreme Court denied a petition for allowance of appeal.
    J-S12003-18
    On May 4, 2017, Smart filed the instant PCRA petition, his second. On
    August 24, 2017, the trial court denied his petition. This timely appeal follows,
    in which he raises the following issue for our review: “Did the trial court err
    in dismissing [Smart’s] PCRA petition seeking relief under the United States
    Supreme Court precedent in Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado, 
    137 S. Ct. 855
    (U[.]S[.] March 6, 2017)[,]1 due to [the] trial court being unclear as to the
    decision’s retroactivity to allow individuals convicted previous to said decision
    to set aside the “No[-]Impeachment” rule and challenge racial bias in jury
    deliberations?” Appellant’s Brief, at 2.
    Instantly, Smart contends that that jurors at his trial exhibited racial
    bias and that he is entitled to collateral relief from his judgment of sentence
    under the new substantive rule2 of constitutional law announced in Pena-
    Rodriguez.
    ____________________________________________
    1 In Pena-Rodriguez, the United States Supreme Court held that where a
    juror makes a clear statement that indicates he or she relied on racial
    stereotypes or animus to convict a criminal defendant, the Sixth Amendment
    of the United States Constitution requires that the no-impeachment rule give
    way in order to permit the trial court to consider the evidence of the juror’s
    statement and any resulting denial of the jury trial 
    guarantee. 137 S. Ct. at 869
    . See also Pa.R.E. 606(b) (during inquiry into validity of verdict, juror
    may only testify about whether prejudicial information not of record and that
    which is beyond common knowledge and experience was improperly brought
    to jury’s attention, or if outside influence improperly brought to bear on any
    juror).
    2 In fact, in Tharpe v. Sellers, 
    138 S. Ct. 545
    (2018), the United States
    Supreme Court recently stated that because Pena-Rodriguez “permits a trial
    court ‘to consider [certain] evidence,’ . . . and does not alte[r] the range of
    -2-
    J-S12003-18
    Before we can address the merits of Smart’s issue, we must begin by
    examining the timeliness of his petition. The PCRA time limitations implicate
    a court’s jurisdiction and may not be altered or disregarded in order to address
    the merits of a petition. Commonwealth v. Bennett, 
    930 A.2d 1264
    , 1267
    (Pa. 2007). Under the PCRA, any petition for post-conviction relief, including
    a second or subsequent one, must be filed within one year of the date the
    judgment of sentence becomes final, unless one of the following exceptions
    set forth in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9545(b)(1)(i)-(iii) applies:
    (b) Time for filing petition.--
    (1) Any petition under this subchapter, including a second or
    subsequent petition, shall be filed within one year of the date the
    judgment becomes final, unless the petition alleges and the
    petitioner proves that:
    (i) the failure to raise the claim previously was the result of
    interference by government officials with the presentation
    of the claim in violation of the Constitution or laws of this
    Commonwealth or the Constitution or laws of the United
    States;
    (ii) the facts upon which the claim is predicated were
    unknown to the petitioner and could not have been
    ascertained by the exercise of due diligence; or
    (iii) the right asserted is a constitutional right that was
    recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States or
    the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania after the time period
    ____________________________________________
    conduct or the class of persons that the law punishes . . . , it cannot be a
    substantive rule.” 
    Id. at 551
    (citations omitted). Moreover, the Supreme
    Court acknowledged that the petitioner-defendant in Tharpe could not even
    attempt to argue that Pena-Rodriguez established a watershed rule of
    criminal procedure where the right to have a jury decide a defendant’s
    eligibility for death does not count as such a rule. 
    Id. at 552.
    -3-
    J-S12003-18
    provided in this section and has been held by that court to
    apply retroactively.
    42 Pa.C.S. § 9545(b)(1)(i)-(iii). Moreover, any petition attempting to invoke
    one of these exceptions “shall be filed within 60 days of the date the claim
    could have been presented.” 42 Pa.C.S. § 9545(b)(2).
    Here, Smart’s judgment of sentence became final on August 1, 2007,
    when the time expired for him to file a writ of certiorari with the United States
    Supreme Court. See Sup. Ct. R. 13. Thus, he had until August 1, 2008, to
    file his petition.   Accordingly, his current petition, filed in 2017, is facially
    untimely.    Consequently, for this Court to have jurisdiction to review the
    merits of his claims, Smart must prove that he meets one of the exceptions
    to the timeliness requirements set forth in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9545(b).
    Smart claims that his petition satisfies the timeliness exception of
    section 9545(b)(1)(iii), by arguing that the holding of Pena-Rodriguez
    applies retroactively and allows the court to inquire into jury deliberations on
    collateral review where a juror indicates that he or she relied upon racial
    stereotypes or animus in convicting a defendant. Smart’s reliance on Pena-
    Rodriguez, however, does not satisfy the “new retroactive right” exception
    of section 9545(b)(1)(iii). In Commonwealth v. Abdul-Salaam, 
    812 A.2d 497
    (Pa. 2002), our Supreme Court held that:
    Subsection (iii) of [s]ection 9545 has two requirements. First, it
    provides that the right asserted is a constitutional right that was
    recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States or this
    [C]ourt after the time provided in this section. Second, it provides
    that the right “has been held” by “that court” to apply
    -4-
    J-S12003-18
    retroactively. Thus, a petitioner must prove that there is a “new”
    constitutional right and that the right “has been held” by that court
    to apply retroactively. The language “has been held” is in the past
    tense. These words mean that the action has already occurred,
    i.e., “that court” has already held the new constitutional right to
    be retroactive to cases on collateral review. By employing the past
    tense in writing this provision, the legislature clearly intended that
    the right was already recognized at the time the petition was
    filed.
    
    Id. at 501
    (emphasis added).
    Because Smart’s PCRA petition is untimely, he must demonstrate that
    the either the United States Supreme Court or the Pennsylvania Supreme
    Court has held that Pena-Rodriguez applies retroactively in order to satisfy
    section 9545(b)(1)(iii). See 
    Abdul-Salaam, supra
    . Because at this time,
    no such holding has been issued by the United States Supreme Court or our
    Supreme Court, Smart cannot rely on Pena-Rodriguez to invoke that
    timeliness exception.     Thus, the trial court properly dismissed Smart’s
    untimely petition.
    Order affirmed.
    Judgment Entered.
    Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
    Prothonotary
    Date: 3/13/2018
    -5-
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 1469 MDA 2017

Filed Date: 3/13/2018

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 3/13/2018