Mandeville v. Smeal, CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:CV-09-1125
| Decision Date | 25 September 2012 |
| Docket Number | CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:CV-09-1125 |
| Parties | DAVID ELTON MANDEVILLE, Petitioner, v. PAUL K. SMEAL, Respondent. |
| Court | U.S. District Court — Middle District of Pennsylvania |
(JUDGE CAPUTO)
(MAGISTRATE JUDGE BLEWITT)
Presently before the Court is Magistrate Judge Blewitt's Report and Recommendation ("R & R") (Doc. 79) to Petitioner David Mandeville's Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus (Doc. 1), Motion for Relief from Judgment (Doc. 28), Motion for Respondent to Furnish Missing Records (Doc. 73), and Motion for Discovery (Doc. 74.) The Magistrate Judge recommends that the Petition be denied with respect to all claims, the motion for relief from judgment be denied as moot, and the discovery motions be denied. Petitioner filed timely objections to the R & R. Because Petitioner was not denied effective assistance of counsel and the state court reasonably determined that Petitioner failed to invoke his right to counsel during his custodial interrogations, the Petition for a writ of habeas corpus will be denied.
On June 15, 2009, Petitioner, an inmate at SCI-Smithfield, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, filed, pro se, the instant Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus Under 28 U.S.C. § 2254. (Doc. 1.) In 1998, Petitioner was sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of first degree murder, robbery, burglary, theft by unlawful taking, and criminal conspiracy in the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County, Pennsylvania. (Id.) Petitioner now challenges his conviction and sentence. (Id.)
The Petition raises nine claims for relief. In Ground One, Petitioner states that he was questioned by police and denied counsel, despite his request; this issue was raised byPetitioner on direct appeal, but not in his Post Conviction Relief Act (""PCRA") proceedings. (Id.) Ground Two is for the trial court's refusal to excuse a juror who knew the victim's brother and son in Petitoner's trial; this issue was raised by Petitioner on direct appeal, but not his PCRA proceedings. (Id.)1 Ground Three alleges that the trial court gave an improper jury instruction regarding the definition of reasonable doubt; Petitioner did not raise this issue on direct appeal, but did raise it in his PRCA proceedings. (Id.) Ground Four relates to trial counsel's failure to object to a jury instruction regarding the burden of proving the specific intent to kill; Petitioner did not raise this issue on direct appeal, but did raise it in his PRCA proceedings. (Id.) Grounds Five, Six and Seven raise the issue of ineffective assistance of counsel for trial counsel's failure to object to improper remarks made by the prosecutor, and failure to elicit favorable testimony from two witnesses; Petitioner did not raise these issues on direct appeal, but did raise them in his PRCA proceedings. (Id.) Ground Eight claims ineffective assistance on the part of appellate counsel; Petitioner did not raise this issue on direct appeal, but did raise it in his PRCA proceedings. (Id.) Finally, Ground Nine argues that "counsel was ineffective for the cumulative effect of all or any of the previously raised grounds for ineffective assistance of counsel." (Id.)
As set forth in Magistrate Judge Blewitt's R & R, following his March 19, 1998 life sentence, Petitioner filed a post-sentence motion with the trial court claiming the evidence was insufficient to support his conviction. (Doc. 79, 8.) The trial court denied this motion on April 6, 1998. (Id.) Petitioner then filed a direct appeal with the Pennsylvania Superior Court on May 1, 1998. (Id.) Petitioner raised the issues asserted in Grounds One and Twoof the instant Petition on direct appeal with the Superior Court. (Id.)2 The Superior Court affirmed his judgment of conviction on August 3, 1999. (Id. at 9.) Next, on February 4, 2000, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied Petitioner's request for permission for allowance to file an appeal. (Id.)
Petitioner then filed a PCRA Petition on January 19, 2001 in the Court of Common Pleas. (Id. at 10.) The PCRA court vacated Petitioner's conviction for theft by unlawful taking but denied the remainder of the PCRA Petition on December 5, 2006. (Id.) Petitioner, on January 2, 2007, filed an appeal regarding the trial court's disposition of his PCRA Petition. (Id.) The Superior Court, on October 18, 2007, found that the Petitioner's January 19, 2001 Petition was not timely filed and affirmed the trial court's order denying the Petition. (Id.) Additionally, the Superior Court noted that even if Petitioner had timely filed his PCRA Petition, none of the issues complained of on appeal merited relief. (Id. at 11.)
Thereafter, on November 16, 2007, Petitioner filed a Petition for Allowance of Appeal regarding the Superior Court's October 18, 2007 decision. (Id.) The Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied Petitioner's request on March 2, 2009. (Id.)
On May 1, 2009, Petitioner filed an amended PCRA petition with the Court of Common Pleas of Wayne County. (Id.) This petition was dismissed by the Court of Common Pleas on December 14, 2009. (Id.)
Petitioner commenced the instant habeas action in this Court on June 15, 2009. On November 23, 2009, the Court dismissed Petitioner's Writ of Habeas Corpus finding that the Petition had been untimely filed. (Id. at 12) The Third Circuit affirmed the denial ofPetitioner's Petition on July 18, 2010. (Id.)
On August 3, 2010, the Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Common Pleas to dismiss Petitioner's amended PCRA petition. However, the Superior Court acknowledged that it miscalculated the time in determining that Petitioner's original PCRA Petition was untimely filed. (Id.)
As a result of the Superior Court's August 3, 2010 decision, the United States Supreme Court remanded this matter to the Third Circuit. (Id.) The Third Circuit then remanded the case to this Court on January 5, 2011. (Id.)
On February 22, 2012, Magistrate Judge Blewitt issued a Report and Recommendation recommending that the instant Petition be denied on the merits. (Id. at 37.) The Magistrate Judge also recommends that the Motion for Relief from Judgment (Doc. 28) be denied as moot and the discovery motions (Docs. 73; 74) be denied. As noted, Ground One of the Petition asserts that "evidence was obtained and introduced against Petitioner as a result of questioning by police that continued after Petitioner stated that he wished to consult an attorney." (Doc. 1.) Magistrate Judge Blewitt concludes that Petitioner is not entitled to habeas relief on this Ground because (Doc. 79, 18.)
Grounds Three through Nine raise ineffective assistance of counsel claims. (Doc. 1.) According to Magistrate Judge Blewitt, these claims should be analyzed under the "deferential standard of 28 U.S.C. § 2254(d)" "since the Pennsylvania Superior Court decided Petitioner's ineffective assistance of trial counsel claims under standards that are basically the same as the Strickland standard." (Doc. 79, 22.) Applying the deferential §2254(d) standard, Magistrate Judge Blewitt finds that Ground Three fails to raise a viable ineffective assistance of counsel claim because the Superior Court's decision that the trial court did not dilute the Commonwealth's burden of proof by equating "reasonable doubt" with the phrase "real doubt" is not contrary to Supreme Court precedent or an unreasonable application of federal law. (Id. at 23-24.)
Ground Four asserts that trial counsel was ineffective for "failing to object to the Trial Court's instruction which removed the Commonwealth's burden of proving specific intent of Petitioner, in this multi-accomplice case without first finding that Petitioner had the requisite specific intent to kill." (Doc. 1.) The Magistrate Judge concludes that Ground Four lacks merit because "the entire jury instruction given by the trial court . . . included 'specific intent.'" (Doc. 79, 25.)
Petitioner's next claim of ineffective assistance by trial counsel, Ground Five, asserts that "trial counsel was per se ineffective for failing to object to improper remarks by the prosecutor which were prejudicial and improper, and indulged in personal assertions of the Defendant's guilty (sic)." (Doc. 1.) The Magistrate Judge finds Ground Five to lack merit because "Pennsylvania law clearly allows a prosecutor to argue the evidence introduced at trial which shows the criminal defendant is lying." (Doc. 79, 25-26.)
As to Ground Six,"trial counsel was per se ineffective for failing to elicit favorable testimony from Linda Lopatofsky," (Doc. 1), Magistrate Judge Blewitt asserts that "counsel's decision not to cross examine the witness does not rise to the level of Strickland." (Doc. 79, 26.) Ground Seven raises a similar argument, "trial counsel was per se ineffective for failing to elicit favorable testimony from Commonwealth's witness, Kathleen Torrick, by asking her if the Defendant was one of her assailants." (Doc. 1.) The Magistrate Judge rejects Petitioner's ineffective assistance argument finding that the decision not to cross examine Ms. Torrick was a sound decision of trial strategy. (Doc. 79, 27.)
Ground Eight asserts that "appellate counsel (who was the same as trial counsel) failed to federalize (i.e. state a federal question for federal review) on appeal regarding issue #2 on direct appeal." (Doc. 1.) Magistrate Judge Blewitt reasons that (Doc. 79, 33.)
As to Petitioner's final claim,...
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