NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the
internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited . R. 1:36-3.
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
APPELLATE DIVISION
DOCKET NO. A-0756-18T2
STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
Plaintiff-Respondent,
v.
VICTOR CODY,
Defendant-Appellant.
_____________________________
Submitted April 21, 2020 – Decided May 22, 2020
Before Judges Yannotti, Currier and Firko.
On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law
Division, Essex County, Indictment No. 12-11-2741.
Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender, attorney for
appellant (Andrew P. Slowinski, Designated Counsel,
on the brief).
Theodore N. Stephens II, Acting Essex County
Prosecutor, attorney for respondent (Barbara A.
Rosenkrans, Special Deputy Attorney General/Acting
Assistant Prosecutor, of counsel and on the brief).
PER CURIAM
Defendant Victor Cody appeals the June 1, 2018 Law Division order
denying his petition for post-conviction relief (PCR), claiming he received
ineffective assistance of trial and appellate counsel. We affirm.
I.
We briefly summarize the relevant facts. Defendant was convicted of
second-degree conspiracy to commit robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2 and N.J.S.A.
2C:15-1(b); first-degree robbery, N.J.S.A. 2C:15-1; fourth-degree unlawful
possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5(d); and third-degree possession of a
weapon with an unlawful purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4(d), following a jury trial.
The convictions arose from the robbery of Surjit Singh, an attendant at a gas
station in Newark.
The trial court imposed a sentence of thirty-years imprisonment with an
eighty-five percent period of parole ineligibility, pursuant to the No Early
Release Act (NERA), N.J.S.A. 2C:43-7.2, and five years of parole supervision
upon release. The judge also imposed a discretionary extended term for
persistent offenders. We affirmed defendant's convictions and sentence. State
v. Cody, No. A-5204-13 (App. Div. June 20, 2016). The Supreme Court denied
defendant's petition for certification. State v. Cody, 228 N.J. 503 (2017).
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2
Thereafter, on April 10, 2017, defendant filed a pro se petition for PCR
alleging ineffective assistance of trial and appellate counsel and seeking an
evidentiary hearing. In his petition, defendant raised the following issues:
POINT I
APPELLATE COUNSEL WAS CONSTI-
TUTIONALLY DEFICIENT FOR FAIL[ING] TO
RAISE AND CHALLENGE THE INADMISSIBLE
EVIDENCE ADMITTED AGAINST APPELLANT
THAT WAS ILLEGALLY SEIZED FROM
PETITIONER DUE TO "FRUITS OF SUCH AN
UNLAWFUL ARREST," WHICH VIOLATED BOTH
THE UNITED STATES AND NEW JERSEY
CONSTITUTIONS['] GUARANTEE [AND] THE
RIGHT TO BE FREE FROM UNREASONABLE
SEARCHES AND SEIZURES. U.S. CONST.
AMEND. IV, N.J. CONST. ART.1, 7.
POINT II
TRIAL COUNSEL WAS INEFFECTIVE DURING
THE PLEA NEGOTIATIONS WHEN HE
MISADVISED PETITIONER THAT THE VIDEO
AND CLOTHING EVIDENCE WOULD NOT BE
USED AGAINST HIM AT TRIAL.
Specifically, defendant asserted: (1) appellate counsel failed to argue that
the evidence seized by the police officers effectuating his arrest, without a
warrant and absent probable cause, should have been excluded and was not
subject to a "good faith exception"; and (2) trial counsel was ineffective for
A-0756-18T2
3
misinforming defendant that evidence obtained from him at the time of arrest
would not be used against him at trial, leading to his rejection of a plea offer.
In support of his first contention, defendant argued that the Newark police
officers had reasonable suspicion to stop the gold Nissan he was riding in and
being operated by co-defendant Arthur Armstrong, but did not have probable
cause to arrest him. An off-duty fireman, Tashon Brown, was in the gas station's
convenience store when the robbery took place. Brown followed defendant and
co-defendant, his brother Joseph Cody, and observed them removing their
clothing and entering the Nissan driven by Armstrong. Brown called the police
and gave them the license plate number and the location of the vehicle.
Defendant claimed the evidence seized as a result of his arrest should have been
suppressed and appellate counsel's failure to raise this argument on appeal
constituted ineffective assistance.
Additionally, defendant asserted that his trial counsel was ineffective
during plea negotiations because counsel advised defendant that video evidence
would only be admissible for "show-up identification" and no other purpose at
trial. He also claimed trial counsel led him to believe that evidence obtained at
the time of his arrest would be inadmissible at trial because none of the witnesses
described the clothing he wore, and the $1319 in cash found on him was almost
A-0756-18T2
4
double the amount Singh said was stolen. According to defendant, if his trial
counsel had not misled him on these proofs, he likely would have accepted the
ten-year plea deal offered by the State instead of proceeding to trial.
Defendant was assigned PCR counsel. In addition to defendant's
arguments, PCR counsel argued that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to
call defendant's friend, Kim Burks, as a witness to explain the source of the
money found on defendant and failing to object to jury instructions after the jury
advised the trial court they were deadlocked. PCR counsel supplemented
defendant's argument that appellate counsel was ineffective for not raising the
above claims on appeal.
On April 16, 2018, the PCR court heard oral argument and reserved
decision. On June 1, 2018, the PCR court issued a comprehensive, twenty-five-
page written opinion denying defendant's petition without an evidentiary
hearing. The PCR court considered the merits of each of defendant's claims and
found defendant failed to demonstrate that either his trial counsel or appellate
counsel was ineffective.
The PCR court held that defendant "failed to establish a prima facie case
in support of any claim" and "an evidentiary hearing would not aid this court in
its decision to deny all of [defendant's] claims." The PCR court further
A-0756-18T2
5
determined that some of defendant's claims were raised, addressed on the merits,
and rejected on direct appeal.
Ultimately, the PCR court concluded defendant failed to demonstrate that
either his trial counsel or appellate counsel was ineffective. More specifically,
the PCR court found the restraint on defendant's liberty "arose to an
investigative detention, rather than a custodial arrest," pursuant to Terry v. Ohio,
392 U.S. 1 (1968). The PCR court noted that "[s]ome restraint of a suspect's
liberty is inherent in a 'show-up'" and the detention was no longer than
reasonably necessary to facilitate the identification process, which lasted fifteen
minutes. Therefore, the PCR court determined that defendant failed to establish
his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to move to suppress the show -up
identifications under Rule 3:5A.
The PCR court found defendant was not arrested until Singh identified
him and Joseph Cody as the perpetrators. The PCR court determined that, at
that point, the officer had probable cause to arrest defendant and the cash was
properly seized incident to the arrest. Defendant's clothing was observed under
the plain view exception, being visibly displayed inside the vehicle on the front
passenger floor, when defendant and the two occupants were removed.
A-0756-18T2
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The PCR court recounted that defendant fully understood the State's plea
offer, which set forth a cutoff date. The only outstanding motion at the time the
plea offer was made was a Wade1 motion challenging Singh's identification. On
the pretrial memorandum signed and initialed by defendant, the PCR court found
he acknowledged that if convicted, the sentence would be life imprisonment,
with a seventeen-year period of parole ineligibility.
The PCR court noted that had Burks testified at trial, she may have
explained why defendant had a large sum of cash on him at the time of his arrest,
however, her proffered explanation would not "add up." In her certification,
Burks stated she received money from an insurance settlement and gave
defendant $1000 to buy clothing. Singh testified only $600 to $700 was stolen
from him. Addressing trial counsel's decision not to call Burks as a witness, the
PCR court found that a jury could have considered the testimony as
arguably inculpatory. If [Victor Cody] needed money
from [Burks] to buy clothing, then he had a motive to
obtain money from any source, including [the gas
attendant], by any method, including armed
robbery. . . . Since her proffered testimony "cuts both
ways"—it is consistent with both innocence and guilt—
trial counsel's decision to not use it falls within the wide
range of presumptively reasonable professional
assistance.
1
United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218 (1967).
A-0756-18T2
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....
While larger dollar bills would be consistent with a cash
out, lower denominations would be consistent with
robbery proceeds.
[(Internal citation omitted).]
Moreover, the PCR court concluded that appellate counsel's failure to
raise these claims on direct appeal did not rise to the level of ineffective
assistance of counsel. On appeal, defendant raises the following points:
POINT I
THE PCR COURT SHOULD HAVE HELD THAT
DEFENDANT'S RIGHT TO EFFECTIVE
ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL WAS VIOLATED BY
HIS ATTORNEY'S FAILURE TO FILE A MOTION
TO SUPPRESS ALL EVIDENCE OBTAINED AS
THE RESULT OF AN UNLAWFUL ARREST. (U.S.
CONST., AMEND. IV, AMEND. VI; N.J. CONST.
ART. I, ¶ 10).
(a) Defendant Is Entitled To Relief Under
Controlling Legal Principles Governing
Petitions for Post-Conviction Relief
Pursuant to Rule 3:22-2 et seq.
(b) Defendant Was Arrested When He Was
Stopped, Frisked, Handcuffed, Isolated,
Placed in the Squad Car and Transported to
the Gas Station By Police.
POINT II
A-0756-18T2
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THE PCR COURT SHOULD HAVE HELD THAT
DEFENDANT ESTABLISHED A PRIMA FACIE
CASE OF INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE DURING
PLEA NEGOTIATIONS.
POINT III
THE PCR COURT SHOULD HAVE HELD THAT
DEFENDANT ESTABLISHED A PRIMA FACIE
CASE OF INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE DUE TO
TRIAL COUNSEL'S FAILURE TO CALL KIM
BURKS AS A WITNESS.
POINT IV
APPELLATE COUNSEL WAS INEFFECTIVE IN
FAILING TO RAISE THE FOURTH AMENDMENT
VIOLATIONS ON DIRECT APPEAL.
POINT V
THE PCR COURT ERRED BY DENYING
DEFENDANT'S REQUEST FOR AN EVIDENTIARY
HEARING.
II.
We first turn to defendant's contention that he was denied effective
assistance of trial counsel because his attorney did not file a motion to suppress
evidence obtained at the time of the stop. Defendant argues he was under arrest,
not merely detained, because he was placed against the car, patted down,
handcuffed, and subjected to a show-up identification. We disagree.
A-0756-18T2
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To prevail on a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, a defendant
must meet the two-prong test established in Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S.
668, 687 (1984), and adopted by our Supreme Court in State v. Fritz, 105 N.J.
42, 58 (1987). The first prong of the Strickland test requires a defendant to show
that his or her attorney's performance was deficient. Strickland, 466 U.S. at 687.
To do so, a defendant must establish that counsel's alleged acts or
omissions fell "outside the wide range of professionally competent assistance."
Id. at 690. This requires a showing "that counsel made errors so serious that
counsel was not functioning as the 'counsel' guaranteed the defendant by the
Sixth Amendment." Id. at 687.
To satisfy the second prong of Strickland, the defendant "must show that
the deficient performance prejudiced the defense." Ibid. The defendant must
establish "a reasonable probability that, but for counsel's unprofessional erro rs,
the result of the proceeding would have been different." Id. at 694. "These
standards apply to claims of ineffective assistance at both the trial level and on
appeal." State v. Guzman, 313 N.J. Super. 363, 374 (App. Div. 1998) (citations
omitted).
The test also applies to defendants who reject plea offers and go to trial,
alleging that their decision was due to an attorney's ineffective counseling.
A-0756-18T2
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However, in these cases, specific instances of attorney ineffectiveness existed,
such as assuring a client that the plaintiff had no proof of their case. Lafler v.
Cooper, 566 U.S. 156, 161 (2012).
Defendant bears the burden of establishing a prima facie case. State v.
Gaitan, 209 N.J. 339, 350 (2012). "[W]e consider [a] [defendant's] contentions
indulgently and view the facts asserted . . . in the light most favorable to him."
State v. Cummings, 321 N.J. Super. 154, 170 (App. Div. 1999).
In order to be entitled to an evidentiary hearing, the defendant must
establish a prima facie claim of ineffective assistance of counsel, that there are
material issues of disputed fact that cannot be resolved by reference to the
existing record, and that an evidentiary hearing is necessary to resolve the claims
for relief. R. 3:22-10(b). An evidentiary hearing shall not be granted "if an
evidentiary hearing will not aid the court's analysis of the defendant's
entitlement to post-conviction relief" or "if the defendant's allegations are too
vague, conclusory or speculative." R. 3:22-10(e).
We review the legal conclusions of a PCR court de novo. State v. Harris,
181 N.J. 391, 420 (2004) (citing Mickens-Thomas v. Vaughn, 355 F.3d 294, 303
(3d Cir. 2004); Hakeen v. Beyer, 990 F.2d 750, 758 (3d Cir. 1993)). The de
novo standard of review applies to mixed questions of fact and law. Ibid. Where
A-0756-18T2
11
an evidentiary hearing has not been held, it is within our authority "to conduct a
de novo review of both the factual findings and legal conclusions of the PCR
court . . . ." Id. at 421. We apply that standard here.
Having carefully considered defendant's arguments, we affirm
substantially for the reasons expressed by the PCR judge in his well-reasoned
written opinion. We add the following comments.
Defendant's contention that the PCR court erred in rejecting the claim that
his trial counsel was ineffective for not filing a motion to suppress evidence
lacks merit. Here, Brown was in the gas station's convenience store when the
robbery took place. He followed defendant and co-defendant Joseph Cody and
saw them enter the Nissan. Brown called the police and provided them with the
license plate number and the location of the vehicle.
The police stopped the Nissan and ordered defendant and his brother out
of the car. The PCR court noted that defendant failed to comply with the
officer's commands to show his hands until the officer produced a service
weapon. Defendants were brought back to the gas station for a show-up
identification. Singh identified defendant and his brother as the perpetrators of
the robbery and assault fifteen minutes after the acts were committed.
A-0756-18T2
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According to Singh, defendant held him while Joseph Cody struck him with a
metal object.
We are convinced the PCR court properly rejected defendant's argument
and denied the petition. The record supports the PCR court's finding that
defendant and his brother were not arrested until after Singh identified them as
the perpetrators. They were stopped and detained on reasonable suspicion
pending the identification procedure. The PCR court aptly found that the
detention was no longer than reasonably necessary to facilitate the identification
process.
We also reject defendant's argument that the PCR court erred in rejecting
the claim that his trial counsel was ineffective by failing to accurately inform
him of the severe sentence he faced if he turned down the plea offer. Defendant
asserted that if his attorney had been forthright about incriminating evidence
being admitted at trial, he would have accepted the State's plea offer and not
proceeded to trial. He claims his attorney told him that the evidence obtained
after his arrest would not be used against him at trial because none of the
witnesses had described the perpetrator's clothing.
Where it is claimed that trial counsel's mistaken advice regarding potential
sentencing exposure caused a defendant to reject a plea offer and proceed to
A-0756-18T2
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trial, the defendant establishes prejudice under the second prong of the
Strickland standard by demonstrating that he would have accepted the plea offer
if he had been aware of his sentencing exposure, that his guilty plea would have
been accepted by the court, and that the conviction and sentence he would have
received under the plea offer would have been less severe than those resulting
from the trial. Lafler, 566 U.S. at 161.
As the PCR court correctly found here, defendant "fully understood the
full extent of the plea offer before he decided to reject it." Page three of the pre-
trial memorandum was executed on the plea cutoff date and stated the only
outstanding pretrial motion was the Wade hearing. Additionally, the PCR court
noted there was no prejudice concerning defendant's understanding as to
whether he could continue to litigate the suppression of physical evidence seized
because "those motions lacked merit." The PCR court concluded that
defendant's clothing was properly obtained pursuant to the plain view doc trine.
The record supports the court's finding.
There is also no merit to defendant's contention that his trial counsel
should have called Burks as a witness. The record supports the PCR court's
finding that trial counsel reasonably decided, as a matter of trial strategy, not to
call Burks because the $1000 that she allegedly gave defendant would not have
A-0756-18T2
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explained where defendant got the other $319 found on his person. We discern
no error.
Finally, defendant contends the PCR court wrongly rejected his claim that
his appellate counsel was ineffective by not raising the alleged Fourth
Amendment violations on direct appeal. We are unpersuaded by this argument.
The PCR court determined appellate counsel was not obligated to raise a
meritless argument, including that the investigative detention violated
defendant's Fourth Amendment rights. The PCR court held that appellate
counsel was not required to assert "contentions that are palpably and clearly
unmeritorious." State v. Kyles, 132 N.J. Super. 397, 401 (App. Div. 1975). We
are convinced that the PCR court correctly determined that defendant had not
been denied the effective assistance of appellate counsel.
For these reasons, we conclude that defendant failed to establish a prima
facie claim of ineffective assistance of trial counsel and appellate counsel. As
to defendant's remaining arguments, we are convinced from our review of the
record that they are without sufficient merit to warrant discussion in a written
opinion. R. 2:11-3(e)(2).
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Accordingly, an evidentiary hearing was not necessary to resolve
defendant's petition, and we affirm the PCR court's denial of defendant's petition
for PCR.
Affirmed.
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