Com. v. Payton, J. ( 2015 )

J-S18007-15
NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
PENNSYLVANIA
Appellee
v.
JARVIS PAYTON,
Appellant No. 2583 EDA 2013
Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence entered August 9, 2013,
in the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County,
Criminal Division, at No(s): CP-51-CR-0013450-2012
BEFORE: BENDER, P.J.E., ALLEN, and MUNDY, JJ.
CONCURRING AND DISSENTING MEMORANDUM BY ALLEN, J.:FILED JUNE 17, 2015
I join the Majority’s conclusion that sufficient evidence supports
Appellant’s convictions. My review of the record, however, establishes that
Appellant has not met his burden of establishing his after-discovered
evidence claim. I therefore dissent from the Majority’s decision to vacate
Appellant’s sentence and remand for an evidentiary hearing.
Our Supreme Court has summarized:
The four-prong test for awarding a new trial because of
after-discovered evidence is well settled. The evidence:
(1) could not have been obtained prior to trial by
exercising reasonable diligence; (2) is not merely
corroborative or cumulative; (3) will not be used solely to
impeach a witness’s credibility; and 4) would likely result
in a different verdict.
Commonwealth v. Castro, 93 A.3d 818, 821 n.7 (Pa. 2014) (citation
omitted). Additionally, “the proposed new evidence must be ‘producible and
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admissible.’” Commonwealth v. Chamberlain, 30 A.3d 381, 414 (Pa.
2011) (citation omitted). In order for a new trial to be granted, a defendant
must establish at the evidentiary hearing, by a preponderance of the
evidence, that each of the above factors has been met. Commonwealth v.
Padillas, 997 A.2d 356, 363 (Pa. Super. 2010).
My review of the record reveals that Appellant has failed to meet his
burden. The fact that Officer O’Connor was twice found civilly responsible by
a federal district court has little relevance to Appellant’s criminal conviction.
See generally, Pa.R.E. 401. The same is true regarding statements made
by Bell in his affidavit, in which he states in his case “officers O’Connor and
Goshert fabricated a basis for the unlawful stop in their police reports,
searched Bell’s person and vehicle without consent, and gave false
testimony at trial.” Majority, at 8. In fact, the jury in Bell rejected the
plaintiff’s claim of an illegal stop. See Bell, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 163333.
At best, this evidence could be used to impeach Officer O’Connor’s
credibility. At Appellant’s trial, the trial court as fact-finder credited Officer
O’Connor’s version of the incident, and expressly “discredited [Appellant’s]
testimony based upon his demeanor, manner of testifying, as well as his
prior conviction for a crimen falsi.” See Trial Court Opinion, 5/16/14, at 4.
Clearly, under Castro and Chamberlain, Appellant’s after-discovered
evidence claim fails.
The Majority nevertheless accepts Appellant’s claim that his new
evidence would provide a basis to pursue a suppression motion. Majority, at
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12. My review of the record refutes Appellant’s claim. At sentencing,
Appellant asked the trial court to remove trial counsel because Appellant
believed counsel to be ineffective. See N.T., 8/9/13, at 4. Appellant cited
myriad reasons to support his assertion, including trial counsel’s failure to
pursue a suppression motion. Id., at 4-13. According to Appellant, trial
counsel informed him that because he was a backseat passenger in someone
else’s vehicle, he lacked “standing” to pursue a suppression motion. 1 N.T.,
8/9/13, at 7. At sentencing, trial counsel likewise indicated that he had
communicated to Appellant that a suppression motion would be
unsuccessful. Id. at 18. Because Appellant was charged with possessory
crimes, he would have had standing to file a suppression motion; there is no
indication in the record, however, that Appellant would be able to establish
that he had an expectation of privacy in the other person’s vehicle. See
generally, Commonwealth v. Powell, 994 A.2d 1096 (Pa. Super. 2010),
appeal denied, 13 A.3d 477 (Pa. 2010). Indeed, during his allocution at
sentencing, Appellant informed the trial court that the vehicle in which he
was a passenger “did not belong” to him. N.T., 8/9/13, at 34. Thus, the
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The certified record contains both an omnibus pre-trial motion filed by prior
defense counsel, as well as a pro se suppression motion. Although the trial
court denied one of these motions prior to Appellant’s waiver trial, see N.T.
6/7/13, the motion was not specifically identified.
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record refutes Appellant’s claim that he could successfully pursue a
suppression motion.
In sum, because sufficient evidence supports Appellant’s convictions,
and his after-discovered evidence claim lacks merit, I would affirm
Appellant’s judgment of sentence.
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