Commonwealth v. Reed , 2014 Pa. Super. 280 ( 2014 )

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2014 PA Super 280COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
Appellee
v.
MICHAEL REED,
Appellant No. 1956 WDA 2013
Appeal from the PCRA Order December 9, 2013
in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County
Criminal Division at No.: CP-02-CR-0006853-1990
BEFORE: GANTMAN, P.J., BENDER, P.J.E., and PLATT, J.*
OPINION BY PLATT, J.: FILED DECEMBER 19, 2014
Appellant, Michael Reed, appeals from the dismissal of his fourth
petition for relief pursuant to the Post Conviction Relief Act (PCRA), 42
Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9541–9546. Counsel has filed a petition to withdraw from
further representation pursuant to Commonwealth v. Turner, 544 A.2d
927 (Pa. 1998) and Commonwealth v. Finley, 550 A.2d 213 (Pa. Super.
1988) (en banc). The chief question for our review is whether the United
States Supreme Court’s decision in Miller v. Alabama, 132 S. Ct. 2455____________________________________________
*
Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.
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(2012) applies retroactively to Appellant.1 Neither the United States
Supreme Court nor our Supreme Court has held that Miller applies
retroactively. Accordingly, we conclude that Appellant’s PCRA petition is
untimely, with no statutory exception to the time-bar proven. Counsel has
substantially complied with the procedures to request withdrawal.
Therefore, we grant counsel’s petition to withdraw and affirm the dismissal
of Appellant’s PCRA petition.
The underlying facts are not in dispute. See Commonwealth v.
Reed, 645 A.2d 872, 873 (Pa. Super. 1994) (en banc), appeal denied, 658
A.2d 794 (Pa. 1995). On April 18, 1990, Appellant and a co-defendant,
Jackie Lee Williams, both then seventeen years old,2 hailed a cab in
Pittsburgh. When they arrived at their destination, they informed the cab
driver, Thomas Law, that they did not have money to pay the fare. After an
argument, and Mr. Law’s threat to go to the police, Appellant fatally shot
and robbed him. A jury convicted Appellant of murder of the first degree
and robbery, on June 6, 1991. The court sentenced him to life imprisonment
____________________________________________
1
In Miller the United States Supreme Court concluded that mandatory life-
without-parole sentences for juveniles violate the Eighth Amendment. See
id. at 2464.
2
Appellant, born on June 30, 1972, acknowledges that on the day of the
crime he was seventeen years, nine months, two weeks and five days old.
(See Response to Notice of Intention to Dismiss, 9/17/12, at unnumbered
page 1, ¶¶ 1-2). In other words, Appellant was two months and twelve days
short of his eighteenth birthday.
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on April 3, 1992. This Court affirmed the judgment of sentence, and our
Supreme Court denied allowance of appeal. See id.
Appellant filed the instant fourth PCRA petition on July 10, 2012, and
the PCRA court appointed current counsel, who filed an amended petition.3
The PCRA court filed notice of its intent to dismiss. (See Order, 9/05/12);
see also Pa.R.Crim.P. 907(1). Appellant filed a counseled response. The
court dismissed the petition on December 9, 2013, as patently frivolous.4
Appellant timely appealed. On June 27, 2014, counsel filed an “Application
for Leave to Withdraw as Counsel under Turner and Finley” along with a
supporting brief.5 Appellant has not filed a response to the petition to
withdraw.
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3
We note that Appellant filed his petition within fifteen days of the United
States Supreme Court’s decision in Miller, filed on June 25, 2012.
Therefore, his petition complied with the PCRA sixty day rule. See 42
Pa.C.S.A. § 9545(b)(2) (“Any petition invoking an exception provided in
paragraph (1) shall be filed within 60 days of the date the claim could have
been presented.”).
4
For reasons not readily apparent from the record, the PCRA court also filed
essentially identical orders of dismissal in this case on December 17, 2013,
and January 14, 2014.
5
Counsel submitted a brief in the nature of an Anders brief in support of
the petition to withdraw. (See “Brief in Support of Application for Leave to
Withdraw as Counsel under Turner and Finley,” 6/27/14); see also
Anders v. California, 386 U.S. 738 (1967). Where counsel seeks to
withdraw on appeal from the denial of PCRA relief, a Turner/Finley “no-
merit letter” is the appropriate filing. However, “[b]ecause an Anders brief
provides greater protection to a defendant, this Court may accept an
Anders brief in lieu of a Turner/Finley letter.” Commonwealth v.
(Footnote Continued Next Page)
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Counsel’s brief presents three questions for our review:
1. Whether the PCRA [c]ourt erred in denial [of] PCRA
relief on the basis that the PCRA proceeding was untimely?
2. Whether the United States Supreme Court held that the
rule in Miller v. Alabama, by applying said rule in the
companion case of Jackson v. Hobbs, applies retroactively to
cases where direct review had concluded prior to the
announcement of said rule in Miller v. Alabama?
3. Whether Commonwealth v. Batts, ___ Pa. ____, 66
A.3d 286 (2013) recognized a rule of constitutional law under
the Pennsylvania Constitution similar to that in Miller v.
Alabama and does the rule in Batts apply retroactively to cases
where direct review concluded prior to the announcement of said
rule in Batts?
(“Anders” Brief, at 3).
Our standard and scope of review are well-settled.
We review an order dismissing a petition under the PCRA
in the light most favorable to the prevailing party at the PCRA
level. This review is limited to the findings of the PCRA court
and the evidence of record. We will not disturb a PCRA court’s
ruling if it is supported by evidence of record and is free of legal
error. This Court may affirm a PCRA court’s decision on any
grounds if the record supports it. We grant great deference to
the factual findings of the PCRA court and will not disturb those
findings unless they have no support in the record. However, we
afford no such deference to its legal conclusions. Further, where
the petitioner raises questions of law, our standard of review is
de novo and our scope of review is plenary.
* * *
The Turner/Finley decisions provide the manner for post-
conviction counsel to withdraw from representation. The
_______________________
(Footnote Continued)
Widgins, 29 A.3d 816, 817 n.2 (Pa. Super. 2011) (citing Commonwealth
v. Fusselman, 866 A.2d 1109, 1111 n.3 (Pa. Super. 2004)).
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holdings of those cases mandate an independent review of the
record by competent counsel before a PCRA court or appellate
court can authorize an attorney’s withdrawal. The necessary
independent review requires counsel to file a “no-merit” letter
detailing the nature and extent of his review and list each issue
the petitioner wishes to have examined, explaining why those
issues are meritless. The PCRA court, or an appellate court if the
no-merit letter is filed before it, see Turner, supra, then must
conduct its own independent evaluation of the record and agree
with counsel that the petition is without merit. . . .
[T]his Court [has] imposed additional requirements on counsel
that closely track the procedure for withdrawing on direct
appeal. . . . [C]ounsel is required to contemporaneously serve
upon his [or her] client his [or her] no-merit letter and
application to withdraw along with a statement that if the court
granted counsel’s withdrawal request, the client may proceed
pro se or with a privately retained attorney. . . .
Commonwealth v. Rykard, 55 A.3d 1177, 1183-84 (Pa. Super. 2012),
appeal denied, 64 A.3d 631 (Pa. 2013) (some citations and footnote
omitted).
[T]he time limitations pursuant to . . . the PCRA are
jurisdictional. [Jurisdictional time] limitations are mandatory
and interpreted literally; thus, a court has no authority to extend
filing periods except as the statute permits. If the petition is
determined to be untimely, and no exception has been pled and
proven, the petition must be dismissed without a hearing
because Pennsylvania courts are without jurisdiction to consider
the merits of the petition.
Commonwealth v. Jackson, 30 A.3d 516, 519 (Pa. Super. 2011), appeal
denied, 47 A.3d 845 (Pa. 2012) (citations, quotation marks and other
punctuation omitted).
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Here, our review of the record confirms that counsel has substantially
complied with the procedural requirements to withdraw.6 Accordingly, we
will proceed with our independent review of the questions presented to
determine if counsel correctly concluded that the issues raised had no merit.
Our Supreme Court denied allowance of appeal in this case on April
18, 1995. See Reed, supra at 658 A.2d 794. Thus, Appellant’s judgment
of sentence became final on Monday, July 17, 1995, ninety days after our
Supreme Court denied the petition to appeal and the time for Appellant to
file a petition for writ of certiorari with the United States Supreme Court
expired. See 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9545(b)(3); United States Supreme Court Rule
13. Accordingly, Appellant had one year to file a petition for PCRA relief, or
until July 17, 1996. See 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9545(b)(1). Therefore, Appellant’s
instant petition is facially untimely.
When a petition is otherwise untimely, to obtain PCRA relief under the
exception for a newly recognized constitutional right, a petitioner has the
burden to plead and prove that “the right asserted is a constitutional right
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6
Specifically, counsel filed a petition to withdraw on June 27, 2014. Counsel
contemporaneously filed her supporting brief. She attached a copy of the
letter sent to Appellant notifying him of her conclusion that he was not
entitled to relief under the PCRA. Counsel enclosed with her notice letter to
Appellant a copy of her petition to withdraw and a copy of her brief. She
informed Appellant of his right to retain private counsel, proceed pro se, file
a supplemental brief, or discontinue his appeal. Appellant has not filed a
response.
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that was recognized by the Supreme Court of the United States or the
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania after the time period provided in this section
and has been held by that court to apply retroactively.” 42 Pa.C.S.A.
§ 9545(b)(1)(iii) (emphasis added).
Consequently, the only substantive issue for our review is whether
Appellant can claim an exception to the statutory PCRA time-bar on the
grounds that Miller, supra, (or Batts, supra) can be applied retroactively
to him.7 (See “Anders” Brief, at 3).
Appellant cannot do so. The United States Supreme Court has not
ruled that Miller is retroactive. Furthermore, our Supreme Court, in
Commonwealth v. Cunningham, 81 A.3d 1 (Pa. 2013), cert. denied, 134
S. Ct. 2724 (2014), has decided that Miller is not:
Here, applying settled principles of appellate review, nothing in
Appellant’s arguments persuades us that Miller's proscription of
the imposition of mandatory life-without-parole sentences upon
offenders under the age of eighteen at the time their crimes
were committed must be extended to those whose judgments of
sentence were final as of the time of Miller's announcement.
Id. at 11.
Cunningham addressed retroactivity under principles enunciated by
the Unites States Supreme Court in Teague v. Lane, 489 U.S. 288 (1989),
in pertinent part, as follows:
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7
The first question presents only a general claim of error. (See “Anders”
Brief, at 3).
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Briefly, Teague v. Lane, [supra] (plurality), delineated a
general rule of non-retroactivity for new procedural,
constitutional rules announced by the Court, WAYNE R. LAFAVE,
JEROLD H. ISRAEL, NANCY J. KING & ORIN S. KERR, 1 CRIM.
PROC. § 2.11(e) (3d ed. 2012) (relating that Teague has been
described as establishing a “law at the time” principle), subject
to two narrow exceptions. This construct was solidified by the
majority decision in Penry v. Lynaugh, 492 U.S. 302, 329–30 [
] (1989). As relevant here, the exceptions extend to “rules
prohibiting a certain category of punishment for a class of
defendants because of their status or offense,” Penry, 492 U.S.
at 330, [ ] and “watershed rules of criminal procedure
implicating the fundamental fairness and accuracy of the criminal
proceeding.” Horn v. Banks, 536 U.S. 266, 271 n. 5, . . . .
More recently, in Schriro v. Summerlin, 542 U.S. 348 [ ]
(2004), the High Court appears to have merged the first Teague
exception with the principle that new substantive rules
generally apply retroactively. See id. at 351–52 & n.4 [ ]. See
generally Drinan, Graham on the Ground, 87 WASH. L.REV. at
66 (explaining that “the Court has shifted its terminology
somewhat and has described new rules as ‘substantive’ when
they ‘alter[ ] the range of conduct or the class of persons that
the law punishes,’ rather than describing them as falling within
the first of the two non-retroactivity exceptions).”
Cunningham, supra at 4-5 (footnotes and some punctuation omitted;
emphasis in original).
Here, because the first question presents only a generalized claim of
error, as previously noted, we review it in conjunction with the two
remaining questions. The second question raises the issue of whether the
Miller Court’s application of its holding to the companion case of Jackson v.
Hobbs compels retroactive application of Miller here. (See “Anders” Brief,
at 3); see also Miller, supra at 2475. This claim disregards the special
status of a case directly reviewed by the United States Supreme Court, as
well as ignoring the case specific analysis that application of the Teague
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principles requires. Furthermore, Cunningham expressly rejected this
argument: “Initially, we reject Appellant’s position that the Miller Court’s
reversal of the state appellate court decision affirming the denial of post-
conviction relief in the Jackson case compels the conclusion that Miller is
retroactive.” Cunningham, supra at 9. The second question does not
merit relief.
The third, final question posits that our Supreme Court’s holding in
Commonwealth v. Batts, 66 A.3d 286, 299 (Pa. 2013), a direct appeal,
should apply analogously to collateral appeals as well. (See “Anders” Brief,
at 3). This argument has been made before. See Cunningham, supra at
18, (Baer, J., dissenting). However, as the dissent itself indicates, the
proposal to extend the holding in Miller generally to collateral appeals has
yet to command a majority of our Supreme Court. To the contrary, our
jurisprudence has traditionally recognized a distinction between properly
raised and preserved issues presented in cases on direct appeal, and cases
on collateral review where a determination of guilt has already been made.
In collateral appeals, the “strong interest in finality inherent in an orderly
criminal justice system” traditionally affords additional weight to the
prospective application of newly announced constitutional principles, within
the context of Teague analysis. Cunningham, supra at 9.
Moreover, these retroactivity arguments ignore the general rule on
retroactive application adopted in Teague: “Unless they fall within an
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exception to the general rule, new constitutional rules of criminal procedure
will not be applicable to those cases which have become final before the new
rules are announced.” Teague, supra at 310 (adopting Justice Harlan’s
analysis in Mackey v. United States, 401 U.S. 667, 692 (1971) (Harlan J.,
concurring in part and dissenting in part)). None of the arguments advanced
on behalf of Appellant’s claim to retroactivity for Miller merit relief under
current controlling authority. Furthermore, on independent review, we
conclude there are no arguments which would merit PCRA relief for
Appellant.
We recognize that different courts have reached substantially differing
conclusions on the retroactive application of Miller.8 However, this does not
alter our analysis of the state of the law in the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
At the outset we observe that it is well-settled that this Court
is not bound by the decisions of federal courts, other than the
United States Supreme Court, or the decisions of other states’
courts. See Trach v. Fellin, 817 A.2d 1102, 1115 (Pa. Super.
2003), appeal denied sub nom. Trach v. Thrift Drug, Inc., 577
Pa. 725, 847 A.2d 1288 (2004). “We recognize that we are not
bound by these cases; however, we may use them for guidance
to the degree we find them useful and not incompatible with
Pennsylvania law.” Id.____________________________________________
8
See e.g., State v. Mantich, 287 Neb. 320, 341, 842 N.W.2d 716, 730-31
(Neb. 2014), cert. denied, Nebraska v. Mantich, 135 S. Ct. 67, 68 (2014)
(applying Miller retroactively under Nebrasaka law); Craig v. Cain, 2013
WL 69128, 2 (C.A.5 2013) (concluding Miller not retroactive under
Teague).
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Eckman v. Erie Ins. Exchange, 21 A.3d 1203, 1207 (Pa. Super. 2011).
“This Court is bound by existing precedent under the doctrine of stare
decisis and continues to follow controlling precedent as long as the decision
has not been overturned by our Supreme Court.” Commonwealth v.
Slocum, 86 A.3d 272, 278 n.9 (Pa. Super. 2014) (citing Dixon v. GEICO, 1
A.3d 921, 925–26 (Pa. Super. 2010).9
Here, the question of whether Miller represents a watershed rule has
been addressed by our Supreme Court. See Cunningham, supra at 10.
Noting that the United States Supreme Court has limited the
watershed/bedrock exception, the second Teague exception, “to ‘sweeping’
changes on the order of Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335 [] (1963);”
the Cunningham Court concluded that “modifications of a less broadscale
nature, while they may be very important, simply do not require
retroactive application, under the second Teague exception.”
Cunningham, supra at 10 (emphasis added).
The Cunningham Court cited Whorton v. Bockting, 549 U.S. 406,
421 (2007) (holding decision in Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36(2004), is not retroactive to cases already final on direct review, under rules
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9
For similar reasons, we decline to fault counsel, or deny her permission to
withdraw, on speculation that the conclusion or the reasoning of our
Supreme Court in Cunningham may change in the future. “An attorney
cannot be deemed ineffective for failing to anticipate a change or
development in the law.” Commonwealth v. Hill, 2014 WL 6609012, at
*15 (Pa. filed November 21, 2014) (citation omitted).
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set out in Teague). The Whorton Court observed that “Gideon . . . [is]
the only case that we have identified as qualifying under this exception[.]”
Whorton, supra at 407 (emphasis added).
Applying these principles, the Whorton Court concluded:
The Crawford rule also did not “alter our understanding of
the bedrock procedural elements essential to the fairness of a
proceeding.” . . . [T]his requirement cannot be met simply by
showing that a new procedural rule is based on a “bedrock”
right. We have frequently held that the Teague bar to
retroactivity applies to new rules that are based on “bedrock”
constitutional rights. Similarly, that a new procedural rule is
“fundamental” in some abstract sense is not enough.
Id. at 420-21 (some citations, punctuation and internal quotation marks
omitted). Here, similarly, there is no reasonable doubt about our Supreme
Court’s conclusion in Cunningham on the non-retroactivity of Miller.
Our reasoning differs from that of the PCRA court. However, we may
affirm the PCRA court’s order on any basis. See Commonwealth v. Doty,
48 A.3d 451, 456 (Pa. Super. 2012).
Order affirmed. Petition to withdraw granted.
President Judge Gantman joins the Opinion.
Judge Bender files a Concurring Opinion.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
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Date: 12/19/2014
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