J-A28042-18
NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37
COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
: PENNSYLVANIA
:
v. :
:
:
ALEXANDER TORRES-KUILAN :
:
Appellant : No. 915 MDA 2018
Appeal from the PCRA Order May 1, 2018
In the Court of Common Pleas of Union County Criminal Division at
No(s): CP-60-CR-0000197-2014
BEFORE: LAZARUS, J., OLSON, J., and MUSMANNO, J.
MEMORANDUM BY LAZARUS, J.: FILED DECEMBER 14, 2018
Alexander Torres-Kuilan appeals from the order, entered in the Court of
Common Pleas of Union County, denying his petition filed pursuant to the Post
Conviction Relief Act (“PCRA”), 42 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 9541-9546. Upon careful
review, we affirm.
On March 26, 2015, Torres-Kuilan was convicted by a jury of two counts
each of aggravated indecent assault and indecent assault, arising from an
incident in which he molested his then-four-year-old cousin. On January 20,
2016, Torres-Kuilan was sentenced to an aggregate term of 4 to 10 years’
incarceration, followed by 5 years’ probation. His sentence included two
mandatory minimum sentences pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9718. Torres-
Kuilan filed a post-sentence motion, in which he asserted that his mandatory
minimum sentences were invalid pursuant to Alleyne v. United States, 570
U.S. 99 (2013) (holding any fact that increases mandatory minimum sentence
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is element of crime that must be submitted to factfinder and found beyond
reasonable doubt). In its response to Torres-Kuilan’s post-sentence motions,
the Commonwealth agreed to resentencing, while not conceding the
unconstitutionality of Torres-Kuilan’s sentences.1 On March 24, 2016, the trial
court resentenced Torres-Kuilan to an aggregate term of 4 to 10 years’
incarceration, followed by 5 years’ probation, with credit for time served.
Torres-Kuilan timely appealed and, on February 27, 2017, this Court affirmed
his judgment of sentence. See Commonwealth v. Torres-Kuilan, 156 A.3d
1229 (Pa. Super. 2017).
On February 26, 2018, Torres-Kuilan filed a timely counseled PCRA
petition in which he raised two claims of ineffectiveness of trial counsel. A
hearing was held on May 1, 2018, at which time the PCRA court heard
testimony from James Best, Esquire, Torres-Kuilan’s trial counsel. That same
day, the PCRA court issued an order dismissing Torres-Kuilan’s petition.
Torres-Kuilan filed a timely notice of appeal, as well as a statement of errors
complained of on appeal pursuant to Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b).
On appeal, Torres-Kuilan raises the following issues for our review:
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1 At the time of Torres-Kuilan’s post-sentence motions proceedings, our
Supreme Court had granted allowance of appeal of this Court’s decision in
Commonwealth v. Wolfe, 106 A.2d 800 (Pa. Super. 2014), in which we
deemed unconstitutional, pursuant to Alleyne, mandatory minimum
sentences under 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 9718(a)(1). The Pennsylvania Supreme Court
subsequently affirmed the decision of this Court. See Commonwealth v.
Wolfe, 140 A.3d 651 (Pa. 2016).
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1. Was it error to deny [Torres-Kuilan] post-conviction relief
where he was not present for all [trial] proceedings?
2. Was it error to deny [Torres-Kuilan] post-conviction relief
where a child witness/victim was colloquied with the jury present?
Brief of Appellant, at 4.
We begin by noting our standard of review in this matter:
On appeal from the denial of PCRA relief, our standard of review
calls for us to determine whether the ruling of the PCRA court is
supported by the record and free of legal error. The PCRA court’s
findings will not be disturbed unless there is no support for the
findings in the certified record. The PCRA court’s factual
determinations are entitled to deference, but its legal
determinations are subject to our plenary review.
Commonwealth v. Nero, 58 A.3d 802, 805 (Pa. Super. 2012) (internal
citations omitted).
Both of Torres-Kuilan’s issues involve claims that trial counsel was
ineffective. “It is settled that the test for counsel ineffectiveness is the same
under both the Pennsylvania and Federal Constitutions: it is the performance
and prejudice test set forth in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 []
(1984).” Commonwealth v. Gribble, 863 A.2d 455, 460 (Pa. 2004).
[T]he constitutional ineffectiveness standard requires the
defendant to rebut the presumption of professional competence
by demonstrating that: (1) his underlying claim is of arguable
merit; (2) the particular course of conduct pursued by counsel did
not have some reasonable basis designed to effectuate his
interests; and (3) but for counsel’s ineffectiveness, there is a
reasonable probability that the outcome of the proceedings would
have been different. A failure to satisfy any prong of the test for
ineffectiveness will require rejection of the claim.
Commonwealth v. Spotz, 870 A.2d 822, 829–30 (Pa. 2005) (internal
citations omitted). “If it is clear that Appellant has not demonstrated that
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counsel’s act or omission adversely affected the outcome of the proceedings,
the claim may be dismissed on that basis alone and the court need not first
determine whether the first and second prongs have been met.”
Commonwealth v. Albrecht, 720 A.2d 693, 701 (Pa. 1998)
Torres-Kuilan first claims that trial counsel was ineffective for not
objecting to Torres-Kuilan’s absence from the courtroom during the court’s
examination of Vicki Hackenburg, the witness coordinator for the child victim,
which occurred as part of the court’s determination as to whether the child
witness qualified to testify by alternative methods pursuant to 42 Pa.C.S.A. §
5985.2 At trial, Torres-Kuilan was properly sequestered during the child’s
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2 Section 5985 provides as follows:
(a) Contemporaneous alternative method.--Subject to subsection
(a.1), in any prosecution or adjudication involving a child victim
. . . , the court may order that the testimony of the child victim
. . . be taken under oath or affirmation in a room other than the
courtroom and transmitted by a contemporaneous alternative
method. Only the attorneys for the defendant and for the
Commonwealth, the court reporter, the judge, persons necessary
to operate the equipment and any person whose presence would
contribute to the welfare and well-being of the child victim . . . ,
including persons designated under section 5983 (relating to
rights and services), may be present in the room with the child
during his testimony. The court shall permit the defendant to
observe and hear the testimony of the child victim . . . but shall
ensure that the child cannot hear or see the defendant. The court
shall make certain that the defendant and defense counsel have
adequate opportunity to communicate for the purposes of
providing an effective defense. Examination and cross-
examination of the child victim . . . shall proceed in the same
manner as normally permitted.
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colloquy by the court, but was not returned to the courtroom for Hackenburg’s
testimony. Torres-Kuilan argues that his absence violated his constitutional
right to confrontation, as well as section 5985, and that he “could have
contributed to the questioning of the [w]itness [c]oordinator.” Brief of
Appellant, at 8. He is entitled to no relief.
Under both the United States Constitution and the Pennsylvania
Constitution, the right to confrontation specifically guarantees a
person accused of a crime the right “to be confronted with the
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(a.1) Determination.--Before the court orders the child victim . . .
to testify by a contemporaneous alternative method, the court
must determine, based on evidence presented to it, that testifying
either in an open forum in the presence and full view of the finder
of fact or in the defendant’s presence will result in the child victim
. . . suffering serious emotional distress that would substantially
impair the child victim’s . . . ability to reasonably communicate.
In making this determination, the court may do all of the
following:
(1) Observe and question the child victim . . ., either inside
or outside the courtroom.
(2) Hear testimony of a parent or custodian or any other
person, such as a person who has dealt with the child victim
. . . in a medical or therapeutic setting.
(a.2) Counsel and confrontation.--
(1) If the court observes or questions the child victim . . .
under subsection (a.1)(1), the attorney for the defendant
and the attorney for the Commonwealth have the right to
be present, but the court shall not permit the defendant to
be present.
(2) If the court hears testimony under subsection (a.1)(2),
the defendant, the attorney for the defendant and the
attorney for the Commonwealth have the right to be
present.
42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5985.
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witnesses against him.” United States Constitution, Sixth
Amendment; Pennsylvania Constitution, Art. I, § 9. As the United
States Supreme Court has explained, the right to confrontation is
basically a trial right, and includes both the opportunity for cross-
examination of the witnesses and the occasion for the jury to
consider the demeanor of the witnesses. Barber v. Page, 390
U.S. 719, 725[] (1968). “The central concern of the Confrontation
Clause is to ensure the reliability of the evidence against a criminal
defendant by subjecting it to rigorous testing in the context of an
adversary proceeding before the trier of fact.” Maryland v.
Craig, 497 U.S. 836, 845[] (1990).
Commonwealth v. Gordon Charles Williams, 84 A.3d 680, 684 (Pa. 2014).
In addition,
The United States Supreme Court has ruled that the Due Process
Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
requires that an accused, “even in situations where the defendant
is not actually confronting witnesses or evidence against him,” has
a constitutional right “to be present in his own person whenever
his presence has a relation, reasonably substantial, to the fullness
of his opportunity to defend against the charge.” Snyder v.
Massachusetts, 291 U.S. 97, 105–06 [] (1934), rev’d on other
grounds, Malloy v. Hogan, 378 U.S. 1 [] (1964). Accordingly, “a
defendant is guaranteed the right to be present at any stage of
the criminal proceeding that is critical to its outcome if his
presence would contribute to the fairness of the procedure.”
Kentucky v. Stincer, 482 U.S. 730, 745 [] (1987). A co-
extensive constitutional right exists under Article I, § 9 of the
Pennsylvania Constitution. Commonwealth v. Hill, 737 A.2d
255, 258 (Pa. Super. 1999); Commonwealth v. Carter, [] 281
A.2d 75, 80 (Pa. Super. 1971) (adopting the Snyder “fullness of
the opportunity” test).
Commonwealth v. Lucillious Williams, 959 A.2d 1272, 1281 (Pa. Super.
2008), aff'd, 9 A.3d 613 (Pa. 2010).
In Gordon Charles Williams, supra, our Supreme Court held that a
section 5985 hearing is not a critical stage of a criminal proceeding and, thus,
a defendant’s right “to be confronted with the witnesses against him,” as
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guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and
Article 1, Section 9 of the Pennsylvania Constitution, is not subject to
preservation or loss in a hearing to determine whether a child witness is
qualified to testify by alternative methods. Id. at 686-87. Accordingly,
Torres-Kuilan’ constitutional claims fail.
Moreover, Torres-Kuilan has failed to demonstrate that he suffered any
prejudice as a result of his absence during Hackenburg’s testimony. “To
demonstrate prejudice, [an] appellant must show there is a reasonable
probability that, but for counsel’s error, the outcome of the proceeding would
have been different.” Commonwealth v. Wright, 961 A.2d 119, 148 (Pa.
2008), citing Commonwealth v. Pierce, 786 A.2d 203, 213 (Pa. 2001).
Here, Torres-Kuilan’s sole argument is that he “could have contributed to the
questioning of the [w]itness [c]oordinator.” Brief of Appellant, at 8. However,
he does not suggest what questions he might have instructed counsel to ask
or explain how the result of his trial would have been different. Indeed, the
PCRA court concluded that, even without the testimony of the witness
coordinator, it would have allowed the child to testify remotely. See N.T.
PCRA Hearing, 5/1/18, at 5.3
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3 The court stated the following at the PCRA hearing:
[B]efore permitting the child to testify, . . . the [c]ourt must
determine that the child victim would suffer serious emotional
distress that would substantially impair the child victim[’s] . . .
ability to reasonably communicate. N[umber] 1 is to observe and
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Because Torres-Kuilan is unable to establish that he was prejudiced by
his physical absence during Hackenburg’s testimony, his ineffectiveness claim
must fail. Wright, supra.
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question the child victim either inside or outside the courtroom.
Based on that alone, the [c]ourt was able to make its
determination. So even if we totally struck everything Ms.
Hackenb[u]rg said, the [c]ourt was able to make that
determination by its own observations of the child.
N.T. PCRA Hearing, 5/1/18, at 4-5. In addition, immediately following the
section 5985 colloquy, the court noted the following:
The [c]ourt did have the opportunity to observe Ms. Hackenburg
attempt to bring the child into the courtroom. The back doors in
the courtroom have windows in them permitting the [c]ourt to see
out into the lobby area, and the child stopped short of the doors
and wouldn’t move. So Ms. Hackenburg’s testimony that the child
would not even come into the courtroom is not only credible just
accepting the word of Ms. Hackenburg, but it’s also consistent with
the [c]ourt’s own observations.
...
So the [c]ourt has had an opportunity to observe [the child victim]
before at prior proceedings where she’s extremely quiet and
bashful and does take her little time to warm up.
Based on all of that, I think that—and considering her responses
that the size of the courtroom and the fact that [Torres-Kuilan’s]
presence would make it scary for her, and given her physical
reactions to everything, the [c]ourt finds that being in the
presence of the fact finder and [Torres-Kuilan] or either one of
them would result in [the child victim] suffering serious emotional
distress and would substantially impair her ability to reasonably
communicate[.]
N.T. Trial, 3/25/15, at 46-47.
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Next, Torres-Kuilan claims that trial counsel was ineffective for not
objecting to the presence of the jury during the child victim’s competency
hearing. Torres-Kuilan asserts that counsel’s failure to request the jury’s
removal “was not designed to further the interests of the defense” and that
“in a case with utterly no physical evidence, even the unwitting endorsement
of a victim/witness by the [t]rial [c]ourt could and did turn the tide to the
prosecution.” Brief of Appellant, at 10. Torres-Kuilan relies on our Supreme
Court’s decision in Commonwealth v. Washington, 772 A.2d 643 (Pa.
1998), which created a per se rule that competency hearings should be held
outside the presence of the jury. Torres-Kuilan is entitled to no relief.
Although Washington did purport to establish a per se rule requiring
competency examinations to be held outside the jury’s presence, more than
ten years after its decision in Washington, the Court issued Commonwealth
v. Ali, 10 A.3d 282 (Pa. 2010), in which the facts were remarkably similar to
those of the case at bar. Ali was an appeal from the dismissal of a PCRA
petition in which the defendant had raised numerous claims of ineffectiveness,
including a layered claim regarding trial counsel’s failure to object to the trial
court conducting the competency examination of the murder victim’s minor
daughter in the presence of the jury. There, the court held a brief competency
hearing with the jury present. At the conclusion of counsel’s questioning of
the child witness, the court stated: “I find that [the child witness] is
competent and she is capable of having the intelligence and understands the
obligation of telling the truth.” Id. at 298-99.
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The Court began its analysis by discussing Washington,4 and noted
that “the fact that a child competency examination is conducted in front of the
jury is not inherently prejudicial—and certainly not in a heightened Strickland
sense. The Washington Court recognized as much; its per se rule was
adopted as a prophylactic measure.” Id. at 299. The Court further observed
that the appellant did not “claim that there was anything particularly
prejudicial about the substance of the brief in-court competency examination
and ruling . . ., beyond the bare fact that both the examination, and the court’s
finding of competency, were placed before the jury.” Id. The Court then
reviewed the trial court’s on-the-record statement regarding competency,
observing that the court did not vouch for the credibility of the child. Rather,
[T]the court’s ruling was stated in neutral terms: the court spoke
only of the child being “capable of having the intelligence and
understands the obligation of telling the truth.” This ruling did not
suggest that the court believed that the child—who had not yet
testified—would, in fact, accurately relate events and would tell
the truth; rather, the court spoke narrowly of capacity and
obligation. Although it is from the mouth of the judge, in
substance, this is what adult witnesses convey when they take an
oath—even if they intend to violate it.
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4 Ali’s trial occurred seven years before the Supreme Court issued its decision
in Washington. Thus, the Court noted that trial counsel could not have been
faulted for “failing to forward a request for the per se rule that the
Washington majority ultimately devised.” Ali, 10 A.3d at 298. On the other
hand, the Court conceded that “there was a basis in the law in 1991 for trial
counsel to request that the court, in its discretion, conduct the competency
examination outside the presence of the jury” and that “there was nothing to
prevent counsel from requesting an explanatory charge.” Id. Thus, for
purposes of its decision in Ali, the Court assumed arguable merit in the
underlying layered claim.
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Id. at 300.
The Court further noted that defense counsel’s cross-examination of the
child, as well as questioning by the court, exposed inconsistencies in her
statements and her memory. Because her testimony occurred immediately
following the competency examination, the Court could not discern any
prejudice from the competency examination alone. Moreover, on multiple
occasions, the trial court explicitly instructed the jury that it was the sole
arbiter of witness credibility. Finally, the Court noted that, while the child was
an important witness, her identification of the appellant as the killer and her
general account of the killing were echoed by adult witnesses. Thus, the Court
concluded that Ali had failed to establish a reasonable probability that, if only
the competency examination and ruling had occurred outside the presence of
the jury, the outcome of the trial would have been different.
Similarly to Ali, here, Torres-Kuilan has not claimed that there was
anything prejudicial about the substance of the brief in-court competency
examination and ruling, aside from the fact that they both occurred in the
presence of the jury. The Honorable Michael H. Sholley engaged in a brief
competency examination of the child victim. Judge Sholley asked her age,
her birthday, and whether she knew the difference between telling the truth
and telling a lie. The court asked her if one of them is good and one of them
is bad. The court then provided an example of a lie and asked the victim to
identify whether it was a lie, and why. Judge Sholley asked her if she would
get in trouble for telling a lie or for telling the truth, and whether she knew
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what a promise was. After the child victim answered these questions, the
court concluded as follows: “The [c]ourt finds [victim] is competent to
testify.” N.T. Trial, 3/25/15, at 55. This statement was even more neutral
than that made by the trial court in Ali.5
In addition, as in Ali, the child testified immediately following her
competency exam and was subject to cross-examination, which exposed at
least one inconsistency in her recall of events.6 Judge Sholley also instructed
the jury, both before the competency examination and during the jury charge,
that it was the sole judge of credibility. Finally, as in Ali, although the child
victim was a key Commonwealth witness, multiple adult witnesses
corroborated her testimony. The child’s mother testified that, when she first
confronted Torres-Kuilan about the allegation, “he went pale and dropped his
cell phone.” N.T. Trial, 3/25/15, at 81. At a later date, following a church
service, Torres-Kuilan hugged her and said “Forgive me for what I did.” Id.
at 84. He again asked her for forgiveness when they subsequently ran into
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5 In fact, at the PCRA hearing, Torres-Kuilan’s counsel conceded that the trial
court’s statement affirming the child’s competency was entirely neutral,
stating “I don’t think that you could be more mild or diffuse it [sic] more than
what happened here, which was simply the [c]ourt finds [the victim] is
competent to testify.” N.T. PCRA Hearing, 5/1/18, at 9.
6On direct examination, the child indicated that the molestation had occurred
at Torres-Kuilan’s house, see N.T. Trial, 3/25/15, at 57, while on cross-
examination, she indicated that it had occurred at her house. See id. at 64.
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each other at a Walmart.7 Id. at 85. Pennsylvania State Police Troopers Jose
Monroig and James Nizinski both testified that, during their interview with
Torres-Kuilan, he admitted that he had slid the victim’s panties down and
inserted his finger inside her vagina. Id. at 104, 114.
Based on the foregoing, Torres-Kuilan cannot establish that the outcome
of his trial would have been different had the competency examination of the
child victim been performed outside the presence of the jury. Ali, supra.
Accordingly, he is entitled to no relief and the PCRA court properly denied
relief.
Order affirmed.
Judgment Entered.
Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary
Date: 12/14/2018
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7These statements by Torres-Kuilan were corroborated by two additional adult
witnesses, each of whom witnessed one of the interactions between Torres-
Kuilan and the victim’s mother.
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