Com. v. Richards, E. ( 2018 )


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  • J. A30044/17
    NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION – SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
    COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA                :       IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
    :             PENNSYLVANIA
    v.                    :
    :
    ELLIOTT ZANE RICHARDS,                      :             No. 1780 WDA 2016
    :
    Appellant        :
    Appeal from the PCRA Order, October 27, 2016,
    in the Court of Common Pleas of Clarion County
    Criminal Division at No. CP-16-CR-0000011-2015
    BEFORE: BOWES, J., STABILE, J., AND FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E.
    MEMORANDUM BY FORD ELLIOTT, P.J.E.:                        FILED MARCH 26, 2018
    Appellant, Elliott Zane Richards, appeals from the October 27, 2016
    order of the Court of Common Pleas of Clarion County denying his petition
    pursuant   to   the    Post   Conviction   Relief   Act    (“PCRA”),   42   Pa.C.S.A.
    §§ 9541-9546, without a hearing. After careful review, we affirm.
    The PCRA court provided the following recitation of the relevant facts:
    The Affidavit of Probable Cause included in the record
    indicates that on November 28, 2014, the
    Pennsylvania State Police responded to a report of an
    aggravated assault at the home of Cassey Myers, who
    was 33 weeks pregnant. Ms. Myers related to police
    that a verbal argument between her and [appellant]
    had turned physical when [appellant] slapped her
    several times in the face, head, and neck area. She
    stated that he had also pushed her down several times
    and put his hand over her mouth, chin, and neck area,
    and had punched her several times in the abdomen
    while making the statement “this baby has to die.”
    The police reported that Ms. Myers had sustained a
    J. A30044/17
    bump on her left chin area, a front chin bruise, two
    bumps on the back of her head, a bruise on her right
    neck area, and a neck strain.
    [Appellant] was charged with Aggravated Assault,
    Aggravated Assault of Unborn Child; Simple Assault,
    Harassment – Subject Other to Physical Contact, and
    two counts of Terroristic Threats with Intent to
    Terrorize Another.[1]       Following a jury trial,
    [appellant] was found guilty on all charges.       At
    sentencing, the [trial] court found that the Simple
    Assault charge merged with the Aggravated Assault
    charge.     [Appellant] was sentenced to 80 to
    160 months’ incarceration on the Aggravated Assault
    charge, 70 to 140 months on the Aggravated Assault
    of an Unborn Child charge, and 12 to 24 months on
    each of the Terrorist[ic] Threats charges.        The
    sentences on the two Aggravated Assault charges
    would run consecutively, while the sentences on the
    two    Terroristic  Threats    charges   would    run
    concurrently with each other and with the Aggravated
    Assault sentences, resulting in an aggregate sentence
    of 150 to 300 months.
    PCRA court opinion, 1/14/16 at 1-2.
    Appellant filed timely post-sentence motions, which were denied by the
    trial court on January 14, 2016. No direct appeal to this court was filed. On
    July 12, 2016, appellant filed a pro se petition for relief pursuant to the PCRA.
    The PCRA court appointed Sara J. Seidle, Esq., to serve as appellant’s counsel
    for his PCRA petition. On October 7, 2016, Attorney Seidle filed a no-merit
    letter pursuant to Turner/Finley2 and filed a motion to withdraw as counsel.
    1 18 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 2702(a), 2606(a), 2701(a), 2709(a)(1), and 2706(a)(1),
    respectively.
    2 See Commonwealth v. Turner, 
    544 A.2d 927
    (Pa. 1988);
    Commonwealth v. Finley, 
    550 A.2d 213
    (Pa.Super. 1988) (en banc).
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    On October 12, 2016, the PCRA court granted Attorney Seidle’s motion to
    withdraw and entered a notice of intent to dismiss appellant’s PCRA petition
    without a hearing pursuant to Pa.R.Crim.P. 907.              On October 24, 2016,
    appellant filed a pro se response to the PCRA court’s Rule 907 notice of intent
    to dismiss.         The PCRA court dismissed appellant’s PCRA petition on
    October 27, 2016.
    On November 18, 2016, appellant filed a notice of appeal to this court.
    The PCRA court ordered appellant to file a concise statement of errors
    complained of on appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b), and appellant
    complied on December 12, 2016. The PCRA court filed an opinion pursuant
    to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(a) on January 13, 2017.
    Appellant raises the following issues for our review:
    I.      Did the lower court err in finding no merit to the
    claims raised in the PCRA petition, and in
    denying the petition without a hearing, where
    trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request
    a jury instruction on self-defense as to all of the
    charges against [appellant], and for failing to
    make sufficient argument at trial that in light of
    all the evidence presented at trial the issue of
    self-defense should have been decided by a
    jury, and, therefore, [appellant] was entitled to
    a self-defense instruction? Further, was PCRA
    counsel ineffective for failing to present this
    meritorious claim?
    II.     Did the PCRA court abuse its discretion in
    finding no merit to the claims raised in the PCRA
    petition, and denying the petition without a
    hearing, where [appellant] averred that the
    court    committed     fundamental     error   by
    instructing the jury on voluntary intoxication
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    when such instruction was irrelevant to
    [appellant’s] defense and such instruction
    confused or misled the jury in determining
    [appellant’s] guilt? Further, was trial counsel
    ineffective for failing to object to the charge
    after it had been given by the court, and
    previous PCRA counsel ineffective for failing to
    raise the issue in an amended PCRA petition?
    III.   Did both post-sentence counsel and PCRA
    counsel provide ineffective assistance when
    they failed to challenge the verdict as against
    the weight of the evidence presented?
    Appellant’s brief at 7.
    PCRA petitions are subject to the following standard of review:
    “[A]s a general proposition, we review a denial of
    PCRA relief to determine whether the findings of the
    PCRA court are supported by the record and free of
    legal error.” Commonwealth v. Dennis, 
    17 A.3d 297
    , 301 (Pa. 2011) (citation omitted). A PCRA
    court’s credibility findings are to be accorded great
    deference, and where supported by the record, such
    determinations are binding on a reviewing court. 
    Id. at 305
    (citations omitted). To obtain PCRA relief,
    appellant must plead and prove by a preponderance
    of the evidence:       (1) his conviction or sentence
    resulted from one or more of the errors enumerated
    in 42 Pa.C.S. § 9543(a)(2); (2) his claims have not
    been previously litigated or waived, 
    id. § 9543(a)(3);
                and (3) “the failure to litigate the issue prior to or
    during trial . . . or on direct appeal could not have
    been the result of any rational, strategic or tactical
    decision by counsel[.] 
    Id. § 9543(a)(4).
    An issue is
    previously litigated if “the highest appellate court in
    which [appellant] could have had review as a matter
    of right has ruled on the merits of an issue[.]” 
    Id. § 9544(a)(2).
    “[A]n issue is waived if [appellant]
    could have raised it but failed to do so before trial, at
    trial, . . . on appeal or in a prior state postconviction
    proceeding.” 
    Id. § 9544(b).
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    Commonwealth v. Treiber, 
    121 A.3d 435
    , 444 (Pa. 2015).
    In all three of his issues presented for our review, appellant avers
    ineffective assistance of counsel by both his trial counsel and his first PCRA
    counsel, Attorney Seidle.      Ineffective assistance of counsel claims are
    governed by the following standard:
    To be entitled to relief on an ineffectiveness claim, a
    PCRA petitioner must establish: (1) the underlying
    claim has arguable merit; (2) no reasonable basis
    existed for counsel’s action or failure to act; and
    (3) he suffered prejudice as a result of counsel’s error,
    with prejudice measured by whether there is a
    reasonable probability that the result of the
    proceeding        would     have     been     different.
    Commonwealth v. Chmiel, 
    30 A.3d 1111
    , 1127 (Pa.
    2011) (employing ineffective assistance of counsel
    test from Commonwealth v. Pierce, 
    527 A.2d 973
    ,
    975-976 (Pa. 1987).[Footnote 5]             Counsel is
    presumed to have rendered effective assistance.
    Commonwealth v. Ali, 
    10 A.3d 282
    , 291 (Pa. 2010).
    Additionally, counsel cannot be deemed ineffective for
    failing to raise a meritless claim. Commonwealth v.
    Jones, 
    912 A.2d 268
    , 278 (Pa. 2006).             Finally,
    because a PCRA petitioner must establish all the
    Pierce prongs to be entitled to relief, we are not
    required to analyze the elements of an ineffective
    assistance claim in any specific order; thus, if a claim
    fails under any required element, we may dismiss the
    claim on that basis. 
    Ali, 10 A.3d at 291
    .
    [Footnote 5]      Pierce reiterates the
    preexisting    three-prong     test    for
    ineffective assistance of counsel in
    Pennsylvania and holds it to be consistent
    with the two-prong performance and
    prejudice   test    in   Strickland     v.
    Washington, 
    466 U.S. 668
    (1984).
    
    Pierce, 527 A.2d at 976-977
    .
    
    Trieber, 121 A.3d at 444-445
    .
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    “[A]bsent recognition of a constitutional right to
    effective collateral review, claims of PCRA counsel
    ineffectiveness cannot be raised for the first time after
    a notice of appeal has been taken from the underlying
    PCRA matter.” Commonwealth v. Ford, 
    44 A.3d 1190
    , 1201 (Pa.Super. 2012). A petitioner’s failure to
    raise an ineffectiveness of counsel claim after
    receiving Rule 907 notice results in waiver of the
    claim. Commonwealth v. Pitts, 
    981 A.2d 875
    , 880
    n.4 (Pa. 2009). See also Commonwealth v. Rigg,
    
    84 A.3d 1080
    , 1084 (Pa.Super. 2014) (waiving
    Appellant’s claim of ineffectiveness of derivative PCRA
    counsel for failure to assert it in response to Rule 907
    notice).
    Commonwealth v. Smith, 
    121 A.3d 1049
    , 1054 (Pa.Super. 2015), appeal
    denied, 
    136 A.3d 981
    (Pa. 2016) (citations omitted).        When presenting a
    layered claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, a petitioner under the PCRA
    is required to develop all three prongs of the Pierce standard as they pertain
    to trial counsel. Commonwealth v. Hall, 
    872 A.2d 1177
    , 1184 (Pa. 2005),
    citing Commonwealth v. McGill, 
    832 A.2d 1014
    , 1022 (Pa. 2003),
    Commonwealth v. Rush, 
    838 A.2d 651
    , 656 (Pa. 2003). Failure on the part
    of the petitioner to develop all three Pierce prongs will result in a failure to
    “establish the arguable merit prong of the claim of subsequent counsels’
    ineffectiveness.” 
    Hall, 872 A.2d at 1184
    , citing 
    McGill, 832 A.2d at 1022
    ,
    
    Rush, 838 A.2d at 656
    .
    In the instant appeal, appellant raised the issue of ineffective assistance
    of counsel in his response to the PCRA court’s Rule 907 notice to dismiss.
    Accordingly, we shall address these claims on their merits.
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    In his first issue for our review, appellant avers that trial counsel was
    “ineffective for failing to request a jury instruction on self-defense as to all of
    the charges against [appellant],” and for failing to “make sufficient argument”
    that appellant was entitled to a self-defense instruction. (Appellant’s brief at
    13.)   Appellant also avers that his initial PCRA counsel was ineffective for
    failing to present this claim. (Id.) We disagree.
    In order for a defendant to successfully claim self-defense, he or she
    must demonstrate the following three elements: (1) the defendant reasonably
    believed that he was in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury and
    that the use of deadly force was necessary to prevent such harm; (2) the
    defendant did not provoke the incident which resulted in the use of force; and
    (3) the defendant did not violate any duty to retreat. Commonwealth v.
    Mouzon,     
    53 A.3d 738
    ,   740   (Pa.    2012)   (citations   omitted).    The
    Commonwealth has the burden of disproving self-defense beyond a
    reasonable doubt, and may do so by disproving any one of the three
    self-defense elements the defendant must meet. 
    Id. at 740-741.
    Our cases also hold that a trial court is not required to provide a jury
    with instructions pertaining to legal principles that are not relevant to the facts
    presented to the jury.      Commonwealth v. Buksa, 
    655 A.2d 576
    , 583
    (Pa.Super. 1995), appeal denied, 
    664 A.2d 972
    (Pa. 1995). Put another
    way,
    [i]n reviewing a challenge to the trial court’s refusal
    to give a specific jury instruction, it is the function of
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    this Court to determine whether the record supports
    the trial court’s decision. In examining the propriety
    of the instructions a trial court presents to a jury, our
    scope of review is to determine whether the trial court
    committed a clear abuse of discretion or an error of
    law which controlled the outcome of the case. A jury
    charge will be deemed erroneous only if the charge as
    a whole is considered inadequate unless the jury was
    palpably misled by what the trial judge said or there
    is an omission which is tantamount to fundamental
    error.     Consequently, the trial court has wide
    discretion in fashioning jury instructions. The trial
    court is not required to give every charge that is
    requested by the parties and its refusal to give a
    requested charge does not require reversal unless the
    Appellant was prejudiced by that refusal.
    Commonwealth v. Sandusky, 
    77 A.3d 663
    , 667 (Pa.Super. 2013), quoting
    Commonwealth v. Thomas, 
    904 A.2d 964
    , 970 (Pa.Super. 2006) (internal
    citations, quotation marks, and brackets omitted).
    The record reflects that appellant’s trial counsel requested that a
    self-defense instruction be provided to the jury only on the simple assault
    charge. (See notes of testimony, 8/13/15 at 76-77.) The trial court denied
    counsel’s request on the grounds that appellant did not raise any sort of
    justification defense. In his post-sentence motions, appellant again averred
    that the trial court erred in its refusal to provide the jury with self-defense
    instructions.   The trial court denied appellant’s post-sentence motion
    pertaining to the self-defense instruction, stating that,
    no testimony from Cassey Myers, or any other
    unspecified “numerous individuals,” established that
    the unlawful force allegedly used by [appellant] had
    arisen out of an honest, bona fide belief that he was
    in imminent danger. Although Cassey Myers testified
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    that she struck [appellant], she did not testify that
    [appellant] appeared to genuinely fear imminent
    death or serious bodily injury, or that [appellant] used
    unlawful force against her arising from that fear.
    PCRA court opinion, 1/14/16 at 4. Therefore, because the record supports the
    trial court’s decision, this claim lacks arguable merit, and appellant’s claim of
    ineffective assistance of trial counsel must fail. Accordingly, because appellant
    failed to satisfy all three prongs under the Pierce test as they pertain to trial
    counsel’s ineffectiveness, appellant’s claim of his initial PCRA counsel’s
    ineffectiveness must also fail due to lack of any arguable merit.
    In his second issue for our review, appellant avers that the trial court
    erred when it provided the jury with an instruction pertaining to voluntary
    intoxication, and that appellant’s previous counsel was ineffective for having
    failed to object to the instruction, therefore failing to preserve the issue for
    review on direct appeal. (Appellant’s brief at 23.) Appellant also avers that
    his initial PCRA counsel was ineffective for failing to raise this issue.
    Upon review of the record, we find that this claim has been previously
    litigated, and therefore is not cognizable under the PCRA. See 42 Pa.C.S.A.
    § 9543(a)(3). In his brief, appellant implausibly avers that prior counsel was
    ineffective for failing to object to a voluntary intoxication jury instruction,
    before reproducing an excerpt of the record in which his trial counsel makes
    that very objection during an on-the-record discussion outside of the jury’s
    presence prior to closing arguments. (See appellant’s brief at 23-24.)
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    We note that appellant fails to provide any citations to authority that
    further develop what appears to be the proposition that raising an objection
    to the voluntary intoxication instruction during sidebar prior to closing
    arguments was not sufficient to preserve the issue for appellate review. To
    the contrary, the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure require only that
    “specific objections [be] made [to jury instructions] before the jury retires to
    deliberate. All such objections shall be made beyond the hearing of the jury.”
    Pa.R.Crim.P. 647(C); see also Commonwealth v. Sherwood, 
    892 A.2d 483
    , 505 (Pa. 2009), cert. denied, 
    559 U.S. 1111
    (2010); Commonwealth
    v. Montalvo, 
    956 A.2d 926
    , 935-936 (Pa. 2008), cert. denied, 
    556 U.S. 1186
    (2009).
    Further, our supreme court has warned that,
    PCRA claims are not merely direct appeal claims that
    are made at a later stage in the proceedings, cloaked
    in a boilerplate assertion of counsel’s ineffectiveness.
    In essence, they are extraordinary assertions that the
    system broke down.            To establish claims of
    constitutional error or ineffectiveness of counsel, the
    petitioner must plead and prove by a preponderance
    of the evidence that the system failed (i.e., for an
    ineffectiveness or constitutional error claim, that in
    the circumstances of his case, including the facts
    established at trial, guilt or innocence could not have
    been adjudicated reliably), that his claim has not been
    previously litigated or waived, and where a claim was
    not raised at an earlier stage of the proceedings, that
    counsel could not have had a rational strategic or
    tactical reason for failing to litigate these claims
    earlier.
    Commonwealth v. Rivers, 
    786 A.2d 923
    , 929 (Pa. 2001).
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    In the instant appeal, appellant’s second issue appears to be little more
    than an attempt to seek appellate review by cloaking the issue in a boilerplate
    assertion of previous counsel’s ineffectiveness, which has been belied by the
    record. Accordingly, this issue is not cognizable under the PCRA, and we need
    not review the merits of the issue.
    In his third and final issue for our review, appellant avers through a
    layered ineffective assistance of counsel claim that both his post-sentence
    counsel and his initial PCRA counsel “failed to challenge the verdict as against
    the weight of the evidence presented.” This issue, however, is framed in both
    appellant’s pro se PCRA petition and in Attorney Seidle’s Turner/Finley letter
    as a sufficiency of the evidence issue. In his brief, appellant, acknowledging
    this discrepancy, states that a “careful reading of [appellant’s] arguments
    reveal[s] that he was in fact maintaining the weight of the evidence presented
    did not support the jury’s verdict.” (Appellant’s brief at 28.) We disagree.
    Our supreme court described the critical differences between a
    sufficiency of the evidence and a weight of the evidence claim as follows:
    A claim challenging the sufficiency of the evidence is
    a question of law. Evidence will be deemed sufficient
    to support the verdict when it establishes each
    material element of the crime charged and the
    commission thereof by the accused, beyond a
    reasonable doubt. Commonwealth v. Karkaria,
    
    625 A.2d 1167
    (Pa. 1993). Where the evidence
    offered to support the verdict is in contradiction to the
    physical facts, in contravention to human experience
    and the laws of nature, then the evidence is
    insufficient as a matter of law. Commonwealth v.
    Santana, 
    333 A.2d 876
    (Pa. 1975). When reviewing
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    a sufficiency claim the court is required to view the
    evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict
    winner giving the prosecution the benefit of all
    reasonable inferences to be drawn from the evidence.
    Commonwealth v. Chambers, 
    599 A.2d 630
    (Pa.
    1991).
    A motion for a new trial on the grounds that the
    verdict is contrary to the weight of the evidence,
    concedes that there is sufficient evidence to sustain
    the verdict. Commonwealth v. Whiteman, 
    485 A.2d 459
    (Pa.Super. 1984). Thus, the trial court is
    under no obligation to view the evidence in the light
    most favorable to the verdict winner.           Tibbs v.
    Florida, 
    457 U.S. 31
    , 38 n. 11 (1982). An allegation
    that the verdict is against the weight of the evidence
    is addressed to the discretion of the trial court.
    Commonwealth v. Brown, 
    648 A.2d 1177
    (Pa.
    1994). A new trial should not be granted because of
    a mere conflict in the testimony or because the judge
    on the same facts would have arrived at a different
    conclusion. Thompson v. City of Phila., 
    493 A.2d 669
    , 673 (Pa. 1985). A trial judge must do more than
    reassess the credibility of the witnesses and allege
    that he would not have assented to the verdict if he
    were a juror. Trial judges, in reviewing a claim that
    the verdict is against the weight of the evidence do
    not sit as the thirteenth juror. Rather, the role of the
    trial judge is to determine that “notwithstanding all
    the facts, certain facts are so clearly of greater weight
    that to ignore them or to give them equal weight with
    all the facts is to deny justice.” 
    Id. Commonwealth v.
    Widmer, 
    744 A.2d 745
    , 751-752 (Pa. 2000).
    A review of appellant’s pro se PCRA petition reflects that appellant did
    not concede that the evidence presented was sufficient to sustain the jury’s
    verdict.   Indeed, much of appellant’s argument consists of statements
    indicating that he lacked the requisite intent to commit aggravated assault.
    We will therefore review appellant’s sufficiency of the evidence claim, in order
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    to determine whether appellant’s underlying ineffective assistance of counsel
    claim has any arguable merit.
    The statute defines aggravated assault as when a person “attempts to
    cause serious bodily injury to another, or causes such injury intentionally,
    knowingly,    or   recklessly   under     circumstances   manifesting   extreme
    indifference to the value of human life.” 18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2702(a)(1). Serious
    bodily injury is defined as “bodily injury which creates a substantial risk of
    death or which causes serious, permanent disfigurement, or protracted loss
    or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.” 18 Pa.C.S.A.
    § 2301. Our supreme court has further defined aggravated assault as “the
    fundamental equivalent of murder in which, for some reason, death fails to
    occur.” Commonwealth v. O’Hanlon, 
    653 A.2d 616
    , 618 (Pa. 1995).
    A lack of serious injuries sustained by a victim, however, does not
    necessarily preclude the Commonwealth from charging a defendant with
    aggravated assault and being able to present sufficient evidence to warrant a
    conviction.   “Where the injury actually inflicted did not constitute serious
    bodily injury, the charge of aggravated assault can be supported only if the
    evidence supports a finding that the blow delivered was accompanied by the
    intent to inflict serious bodily injury.” Commonwealth v. Alexander, 
    383 A.2d 887
    , 889 (Pa. 1978); see also Commonwealth v. Martuscelli, 
    54 A.3d 940
    , 948 (Pa.Super. 2012) (“Where the victim does not suffer serious bodily
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    injury, the charge of aggravated assault can be supported only if the evidence
    supports a finding of an attempt to cause such injury.”).3
    In order to determine intent, the Alexander court established four
    factors to consider upon review.      When determining whether a defendant
    acted with requisite intent to inflict serious bodily injury, we must consider the
    following: (1) whether there was a disparity in size and strength between the
    defendant and the victim; (2) whether the defendant would have escalated
    the attack had he or she not been otherwise restrained; (3) whether the
    defendant was in possession of a weapon; and (4) whether the defendant
    made any statements indicative of his or her intent to “inflict further injury
    upon the victim.” 
    Alexander, 383 A.2d at 889
    ; see also Commonwealth
    v. Matthew, 
    909 A.2d 1254
    , 1259 (Pa. 2006) (reaffirming the Alexander
    test); Commonwealth v. Fortune, 
    68 A.3d 980
    , 986 (Pa.Super. 2013)
    (en banc), appeal denied, 
    78 A.3d 1089
    (Pa. 2013) (same).
    In order to determine whether the Commonwealth presented sufficient
    evidence to warrant a conviction of aggravated assault, we must first
    determine if the victim suffered serious bodily injury. Should we find that
    there is an absence of serious bodily injury, we must then determine whether
    appellant intended to inflict serious bodily injury upon the victim.
    3“A person commits an attempt when, with intent to commit a specific crime,
    he does any act which constitutes a substantial step toward the commission
    of that crime.” 
    Alexander, 383 A.2d at 889
    , quoting Pa.C.S.A. § 901(a).
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    Here,    the   victim   did   not   suffer   injuries   that   constitute   the
    “serious injuries” contemplated by Section 2301.          The victim “sustained a
    bump on her left chin area, a front chin bruise, two bumps on the back of her
    head, a bruise on her right neck area, and a neck strain.” (PCRA court opinion,
    1/14/16 at 2.) None of these injuries rises to the level of injuries enumerated
    by the statute, which requires “serious or permanent disfigurement, or
    protracted loss or impairment of the function of any bodily member or organ.”
    18 Pa.C.S.A. § 2301. Therefore, we must determine whether appellant acted
    with the requisite intent to inflict serious bodily injury upon the victim.
    In order to determine whether appellant acted with the intent to inflict
    serious bodily injury upon the victim, we shall consider the four factors
    established by the Alexander court. First, we note that there is a significant
    disparity in size and strength between the victim and appellant.            Indeed,
    appellant was six feet, three inches tall, and weighed over 300 pounds. While
    the record does not reflect the victim’s height and weight, the record does
    indicate that she was 33 weeks pregnant, and appellant’s brief further states
    that the victim was “exhausted and miserable,” at the time of the incident in
    question. (Appellant’s brief at 26, 29.) For the second Alexander factor, the
    record reflects that appellant escalated the incident by following the victim up
    the stairs, thus continuing the altercation. (See notes of testimony, 8/11/15
    at 144-145.) The third Alexander factor is inapplicable in this case, as the
    record does not indicate that appellant had a weapon in his possession.
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    Finally, under the fourth Alexander factor, the record reflects that appellant
    stated that the baby “had to die” as he repeatedly punched the victim in the
    abdomen. (Id. at 100-102, 173.) We find that this statement indicates an
    intent to inflict further injury upon the victim.
    After considering the four factors established by the Alexander court,
    we, therefore, find that the Commonwealth presented sufficient evidence to
    support appellant’s conviction of aggravated assault. Accordingly, appellant’s
    underlying claim of ineffective assistance of trial counsel lacks arguable merit,
    and must therefore fail under Pierce. Likewise, due to appellant’s failure to
    satisfy the three Pierce prongs pertaining to his trial counsel’s representation,
    his ineffectiveness claim as it relates to his PCRA counsel must also fail for
    lack of arguable merit.
    Order affirmed.
    Judgment Entered.
    Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
    Prothonotary
    Date: 3/26/2018
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