Commonwealth v. Rega
620 Pa. 640
| Pa. | 2013Background
- Appellant, sentenced to death after a 2002 capital trial for a Gateway Lodge robbery and murder in Jefferson County, pursued PCRA relief following direct appeal denial.
- PCRA court conducted evidentiary hearings and denied relief on eleven claims challenging trial and sentencing conduct.
- Claim I: alleged Brady/Giglio/Napue violations based on non-disclosure of verbal understandings with co-perpetrator witnesses; court found no agreements or incentives, only potential future cooperation.
- Claim II: search of Appellant's mother’s trailer and a second search warrant based on a separate affidavit; Franks v. Delaware challenge rejected; suppression arguments rejected.
- Claim IV: argument that after-hours court sessions violated public trial rights; court held no demonstrated denial of access and rejected prejudice-based relief.
- Claim VIII: claim of ineffective assistance for failing to investigate/present mitigating evidence; court concluded defense actions were reasonable given Appellant’s instructions and cooperation.
Issues
| Issue | Plaintiff's Argument | Defendant's Argument | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brady/Impeachment evidence withheld | Rega | Rega | No Brady/Giglio/Napue materiality error |
| Franks-based warrant challenge | Rega | Rega | Franks claim rejected; warrant-taint not shown |
| After-hours public trial | Rega | Rega | No denial of public trial; no prejudice from security measures |
| Mitigation investigation and presentation | Rega | Rega | Counsel's strategy reasonable; mitigation evidence not required against client’s directions |
| Aggravation and jury instructions (d)(6) | Rega | Rega | No reversible error; instructions adequately linked to evidence and theory |
Key Cases Cited
- Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (U.S. 1963) (duty to disclose favorable evidence)
- Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150 (U.S. 1972) (impeachment and bias evidence disclosure)
- Napue v. Illinois, 360 U.S. 264 (U.S. 1959) (truthful evidence; due process violation for false evidence)
- United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667 (U.S. 1985) (materiality standard for Brady claims)
- Markman, 591 Pa. 249 (Pa. 2007) (jury instruction clarity; in-perpetration-of-a-felony aggravator phrasing)
- Lassiter, 554 Pa. 586 (Pa. 1998) (accomplice-related aggravator interpretation)
- Sepulveda, 55 A.3d 1108 (Pa. 2012) (PCRA standards and deficient stewardship framework)
- Schriro v. Landrigan, 550 U.S. 465 (U.S. 2007) (mitigation investigation where defendant waives mitigation)