People v. Smith

• Decision Date: 16 September 1985
• Docket Number: No. 3-84-0641,3-84-0641
• Citation: 136 Ill.App.3d 300,91 Ill.Dec. 309,483 N.E.2d 655
• Parties: , 91 Ill.Dec. 309 PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Respondent-Appellee, v. Edmond L. SMITH, Petitioner-Appellant.
• Court: United States Appellate Court of Illinois

Page 655

483 N.E.2d 655

136 Ill.App.3d 300, 91 Ill.Dec. 309

PEOPLE of the State of Illinois, Respondent-Appellee, v. Edmond L. SMITH, Petitioner-Appellant.

No. 3-84-0641.

Appellate Court of Illinois Third District.

Sept. 16, 1985.

Daniel D. Yuhas, Deputy Defender and Deborah L. Rose, Office of the State Appellate Defender, Springfield, for petitioner-appellant.

Larry Vandersnick, State's Atty., Cambridge, Gerry R. Arnold, John X. Breslin, State's Attys. Appellate Service Com'n, Ottawa, respondent-appellee.

WOMBACHER, Justice.

The petitioner, Edmond L. Smith, appeals from the dismissal of his petition for post-conviction relief. The petition was based on the allegation of ineffective assistance of counsel. The petitioner contends on appeal that dismissal was improper because the issues contained in the petition could not have been raised on direct appeal. We affirm.

Following a bench trial, the petitioner was convicted of rape and indecent liberties with a child on January 13, 1976. The petitioner was sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 50 to 150 years. On appeal, this court vacated the indecent liberties conviction because both offenses were based on the same act. (People v. Smith (3rd Dist., 1976), 44 Ill.App.3d 663, 3 Ill.Dec. 338, 358 N.E.2d 736.) Upon remandment, the trial court imposed the same term of imprisonment, and on December 12, 1978, we affirmed this sentence.

The petitioner filed for post-conviction relief on July 22, 1982, at which time counsel was appointed on his behalf. In an amended petition filed on June 14, 1984, the petitioner contended that he was denied his constitutional right to effective assistance of counsel. In support of the allegation of incompetency, the petitioner stated that his trial counsel failed to present his alibi defense and failed to object when the prosecutor recommended a longer sentence than the one agreed upon in an alleged sentencing agreement. The State's agreement to limit its sentencing recommendation was allegedly obtained in exchange for the petitioner's waiver of jury trial.

The State filed a motion to dismiss the petition, arguing that the issues were waived because they could have been raised on direct appeal. The trial court granted the motion to dismiss the petition without an evidentiary hearing. A motion to reconsider the dismissal was denied. The petitioner brought the instant appeal.

The basic issue on appeal is whether the petitioner was entitled to an evidentiary hearing. The petitioner initially contends that his right to effective assistance of counsel was violated when his trial counsel failed to present an alibi defense. According to the petitioner, he was with his wife in Peoria, Illinois at the time of the offense. The petitioner acknowledges that his trial counsel did not call his wife to testify because she would be considered a biased witness.

In order to obtain a hearing under the Post-Conviction Hearing Act (Ill.Rev.Stat.1983, ch. 38, par. 122-1, et seq.), a petitioner must make a substantial showing that his constitutional rights have been violated. The burden is on the petitioner to set forth the violations and support the allegations by affidavits, records, or other evidence containing specific facts. (People v. Graham (5th Dist., 1977), 48 Ill.App.3d 689, 6 Ill.Dec. 595, 363 N.E.2d 124.) Mere conclusory allegations that constitutional rights have been violated are insufficient to entitle the petitioner to an evidentiary hearing. People v. Hysell (1971), 48 Ill.2d 522, 272 N.E.2d 38. In assessing the sufficiency of the allegations, the trial court is to also consider the petition in the light of the entire record. If the allegations and supporting documents were true and would establish a constitutional violation, the trial court must hold a hearing to determine the actual facts. People v. Edmonds (1st Dist., 1979), 79 Ill.App.3d 33, 34 Ill.Dec. 555, 398 N.E.2d 230.

In the case before us, the petitioner's alleged alibi defense did not merit an evidentiary hearing. The petition itself does not contain the necessary affidavits showing the potential testimony of the alibi witnesses. As a result, there was no evidence of any kind to support the petitioner's allegations. The conclusionary statements of the petition were thus insufficient to require an evidentiary hearing.

The insufficiency of the petitioner's allegations is also supported by the record. As the petitioner concedes, the exclusion of his wife's testimony at trial was based on a tactical judgment that she would be considered a biased witness whose testimony would be of little value. To establish ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant must demonstrate actual incompetence which results in substantial prejudice and without which the outcome would probably have been different. (People v. Carmickle (3rd Dist., 1981), 97 Ill.App.3d 917, 53 Ill.Dec. 665, 424 N.E.2d 78.) Allegations of incompetency must be founded on more than the client's disagreement with counsel's choice of trial tactics or judgment. People v. McGinnis (1st Dist., 1977), 51 Ill.App.3d 273, 9 Ill.Dec. 458, 366 N.E.2d 969.

The petitioner in the case at bar was adequately represented by trial counsel. The record contains numerous objections by defense counsel and illustrates counsel's vigorous cross-examination of the prosecution's witnesses. Moreover, we do not believe that the omission of the wife's testimony prejudiced the petitioner or affected the outcome. At trial, both the fourteen-year-old victim and her mother positively identified the petitioner as the intruder who broke into their home and assaulted them. The record clearly shows that the petitioner's guilt was proved beyond a reasonable doubt, and the reliability of the identification testimony was undisputed. Consequently, the alleged failure to call the petitioner's wife as a witness did not indicate in any way that counsel rendered ineffective assistance.

We find, therefore, that the trial court properly dismissed the post-conviction petition as to the alleged alibi defense. The allegations were not supported by the record and no evidentiary hearing was thus required.

The petitioner's claim of ineffective assistance is also based on counsel's alleged failure to object when the State recommended a longer sentence than the one agreed upon before trial. According to the petitioner, the State promised to limit its sentencing recommendation to 15 to 45 years if the petitioner waived a jury trial. In support of his claim, the petitioner relies on People v. Starks (1985), 106 Ill.2d 441, 88 Ill.Dec. 35, 478 N.E.2d 350, wherein the court held that ...