STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. EDARIEL MELENDEZ(08-11-0966, UNION COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) ( 2017 )

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE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-3940-15T1
STATE OF NEW JERSEY,
Plaintiff-Respondent,
v.
EDARIEL MELENDEZ, a/k/a
RIDDICK,
Defendant-Appellant.
__________________________
Submitted October 19, 2017 – Decided November 21, 2017
Before Judges Simonelli and Haas.
On appeal from Superior Court of New Jersey,
Law Division, Union County, Indictment No. 08-
11-0966.
Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender, attorney
for appellant (Louis H. Miron, Designated
Counsel, on the brief).
Thomas K. Isenhour, Acting Union County
Prosecutor, attorney for respondent (Meredith
L. Balo, Special Deputy Attorney
General/Acting Assistant Prosecutor, of
counsel and on the brief).
Appellant filed a pro se supplemental brief.
PER CURIAM
Defendant Edariel Melendez appeals from the April 1, 2016 Law
Division order, which denied his petition for post-conviction
relief (PCR) without an evidentiary hearing. We affirm.
We incorporate herein the procedural history and facts set
forth in State v. Melendez, No. A-3829-10 (App. Div. June 27,
2014), certif. denied, 220 N.J. 100 (2014). The following facts
are pertinent to the present appeal.
Following a second jury trial,1 defendant was convicted of
first-degree murder, N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3(a)(1) and (2) (counts two
and twenty-one);2 second-degree aggravated assault, N.J.S.A.
2C:12-1(b)(1) (counts three and six); third-degree aggravated
assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(b)(2) (counts four and seven); fourth-
degree aggravated assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-1(b)(4) (counts five and
eight); second-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful
purpose, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-4(a) (counts nine and twenty-five); third-
degree unlawful possession of a weapon, N.J.S.A. 2C:39-5(b)
(counts ten, twenty-six and thirty-three); third-degree hindering
apprehension, N.J.S.A. 2C:29-3(a)(3) (count thirty-four); and
1
The first trial ended in a mistrial because of juror misconduct.
2
The court dismissed count one charging defendant with second-
degree conspiracy, N.J.S.A. 2C:5-2.
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third-degree hindering apprehension, N.J.S.A. 2C:29-3(b)(1) (count
thirty-five).3 The charges stemmed from defendant's involvement
with co-defendants Bryant Lee and Monte Foster in two gang-related
murders.
The trial court imposed two consecutive forty-year terms of
imprisonment with an eighty-five percent period of parole
ineligibility pursuant to the No Early Release Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:43-
7.2. Defendant also received two consecutive seven-year terms of
imprisonment on his second-degree aggravated assault convictions,
concurrent with the four-year sentence he received on his weapons
conviction. In addition, the court imposed a four-year consecutive
sentence for the hindering conviction. Defendant's aggregate
sentence was 98 years with a 79.9-year period of parole
ineligibility.
Defendant appealed his conviction and sentence. We found no
abuse of discretion in the court's admission of evidence of
defendant's gang membership and photographs of his gang-related
tattoos, and no plain error in the prosecutor's summation comment
about defendant's tattoos. Melendez, supra, (slip op. at 14, 18).
3
Co-defendant Bryant Lee was charged in counts eleven through
nineteen, twenty-seven through thirty-two, and thirty-seven
through thirty-nine. Co-defendant Monte Foster was charged in
counts forty and forty-one.
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We specifically found the prosecutor's "comment was not so
egregious as to have denied defendant a fair trial." Id. at 18.
Defendant filed a PCR petition, arguing that trial counsel
rendered ineffective assistance by failing to call J.G.4 as a
witness, meet with defendant sufficiently to prepare for trial,
and object to the prosecutor's improper summation comment about
his tattoos. In a pro se supplemental brief, defendant added that
trial counsel failed to call Lee and Foster to testify and
investigate the biased testimony of two witnesses whose stepfather
interceded on their behalf with the court and the prosecutor.
In an April 1, 2016 order and written opinion, the PCR judge
denied the petition. The judge found the procedural bar of Rule
3:22-5 applied to defendant's argument about the prosecutor's
summation comment. The judge also found the State called J.G. as
a witness, trial counsel engaged in a lengthy cross-examination,
bringing to light inconsistencies between J.G.'s testimony and his
statement to the police, and counsel attacked the photo array in
which J.G. participated.
The PCR judge found there were no affidavits from Lee and
Foster, and trial counsel exercised reasonable strategy in not
calling them as witnesses. The judge noted that Lee and Foster,
4
We use initials to identify this witness to protect his privacy.
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who had pending charges relating to this matter, would have either
invoked their Fifth Amendment right not to testify, or their
testimony would have damaged the defense by presenting evidence
of co-defendants' shared gang membership with defendant. The
judge also found that, given the considerable amount of evidence
presented against defendant, Lee's and Foster's testimony would
not have changed the outcome.
The PCR judge determined defendant did not show that trial
counsel's alleged failure to meet with him sufficiently to prepare
for trial rose to the level of constitutionally-inadequate
representation. The judge noted that trial counsel argued
reasonably on defendant's behalf in pre-trial motions, sought a
directed verdict at the close of the State's case, cross-examined
witnesses, and called alibi witnesses. The judge emphasized there
were no affidavits or certifications showing that trial counsel
was objectively unreasonable in his trial preparation and
strategy. The judge concluded that defendant failed to establish
both prongs of Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668, 104 S. Ct.
2052, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674 (1984) to warrant an evidentiary hearing.
This appeal followed.
On appeal, defendant raises the following contentions:
I. THE INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF TRIAL
COUNSEL DEPRIVED [DEFENDANT] OF A FAIR
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TRIAL AND RENDERED THE JURY'S VERDICT AS
FUNDAMENTALLY UNRELIABLE.
A. Trial Counsel Failed to Represent
[Defendant] Effectively.
II. TRIAL COUNSEL'S ERRORS, CONSIDERED
CUMULATIVELY, AMOUNTED TO THE
INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL FOR
[DEFENDANT]. (Not Raised Below).
III. THE PCR COURT SHOULD HAVE CONDUCTED AN
EVIDENTIARY HEARING TO ADDRESS ALL OF
[DEFENDANT'S] CLAIMS.
Defendant argues that trial counsel's cross-examination of the
State's witnesses, particularly J.G., was "woefully inadequate,"
and counsel failed to called Lee as a witness and investigate and
prepare for trial.
Defendant raises the following contentions in his pro se
brief:
Point I
The Defendant was entitled to a New Trial
where he made a prima facie showing that trial
counsel failed to render effective assistance
of counsel and in particular counsel failed
to interview and prepare alibi witnesses for
trial, failed to pursue a dismissal because
of a mistrial and failed to explore any
challenges to statements, plea agreements and
sentencing of Mr. Lee and Mr. Foster.
Furthermore, a Charles Thomas wrote a letter
to a Judge seeking consideration for testimony
of his daughter. His daughter did in fact
testify at trial. I never saw the letter.
The content of the letter should have been
used for impeachment purposes.
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We decline to address defendant's argument that trial
counsel's cross-examination of the State's witnesses was "woefully
inadequate." We also decline to address defendant's argument in
his pro se brief that trial counsel failed to pursue a dismissal
because of a mistrial, explore any challenges to co-defendants'
statements, plea agreements, and sentencing, and use an
investigator to investigate his case. Defendant did not present
these arguments to the PCR judge and they do not involve the
court's jurisdiction or present a matter of great public interest.
State v. Robinson, 200 N.J. 1, 20 (2009); R. 3:22-4(a).
Accordingly, we focus on defendant's remaining arguments.
The mere raising of a claim for PCR does not entitle the
defendant to an evidentiary hearing. State v. Cummings, 321 N.J.
Super. 154, 170 (App. Div.), certif. denied, 162 N.J. 199 (1999).
Rather, trial courts should grant evidentiary hearings and make a
determination on the merits only if the defendant has presented a
prima facie claim of ineffective assistance, material issues of
disputed facts lie outside the record, and resolution of the issues
necessitates a hearing. R. 3:22-10(b); State v. Porter, 216 N.J.
343, 355 (2013). We review a judge's decision to deny a PCR
petition without an evidentiary hearing for abuse of discretion.
State v. Preciose, 129 N.J. 451, 462 (1992).
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To establish a prima facie claim of ineffective assistance
of counsel, the defendant
must satisfy two prongs. First, he must
demonstrate that counsel made errors "so
serious that counsel was not functioning as
the 'counsel' guaranteed the defendant by the
Sixth Amendment." An attorney's
representation is deficient when it "[falls]
below an objective standard of
reasonableness."
Second, a defendant "must show that the
deficient performance prejudiced the
defense." A defendant will be prejudiced when
counsel's errors are sufficiently serious to
deny him a "fair trial." The prejudice
standard is met if there is "a reasonable
probability that, but for counsel's
unprofessional errors, the result of the
proceeding would have been different." A
"reasonable probability" simply means a
"probability sufficient to undermine
confidence in the outcome" of the proceeding.
[State v. O'Neil, 219 N.J. 598, 611 (2014)
(quoting Strickland, supra, 466 U.S. at 687-
88, 694, 104 S. Ct. at 2064, 2068, 80 L. Ed.
2d at 693, 698).]
"[I]n order to establish a prima facie claim, [the defendant]
must do more than make bald assertions that he was denied the
effective assistance of counsel. He must allege facts sufficient
to demonstrate counsel's alleged substandard performance."
Cummings, supra, 321 N.J. Super. at 170. The defendant must
establish, by a preponderance of the credible evidence, that he
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is entitled to the required relief. State v. Nash, 212 N.J. 518,
541 (2013).
When a defendant claims that trial counsel inadequately
investigated his case, "he must assert the facts that an
investigation would have revealed, supported by affidavits or
certifications based upon the personal knowledge of the affiant
or the person making the certification." Porter, supra, 216 N.J.
at 353 (quoting Cummings, supra, 321 N.J. Super. at 170).
Defendant provided no affidavit or certification
In addition, deciding which witnesses to call to the stand
is "an art," and we must be "highly deferential" to such choices.
State v. Arthur, 184 N.J. 307, 321 (2005) (quoting Strickland,
supra, 466 U.S. at 689, 693, 104 S. Ct. at 2065, 2067, 80 L. Ed.
2d at 694, 697). Furthermore,
[d]etermining which witnesses to call to the
stand is one of the most difficult strategic
decisions that any trial attorney must
confront. A trial attorney must consider what
testimony a witness can be expected to give,
whether the witness's testimony will be
subject to effective impeachment by prior
inconsistent statements or other means,
whether the witness is likely to contradict
the testimony of other witnesses the attorney
intends to present and thereby undermine their
credibility, whether the trier of fact is
likely to find the witness credible, and a
variety of other tangible and intangible
factors.
[Id. at 320-21 (citation omitted).]
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Where the defendant asserts that his attorney failed to call
witnesses who would have exculpated him, "he must assert the facts
that would have been revealed, 'supported by affidavits or
certifications based upon the personal knowledge of the affiant
or the person making the certification.'" State v. Petrozelli,
351 N.J. Super. 14, 23 (App. Div. 2002) (quoting Cummings, supra,321 N.J. Super. at 170).
Finally, simple mistakes, bad strategy, or bad tactics "do
not amount to ineffective assistance of counsel unless, taken as
a whole, the trial was a mockery of justice." State v. Bonet, 132
N.J. Super. 186, 191 (App. Div. 1975). The simple fact that a
trial strategy fails does not necessarily mean that counsel was
ineffective. State v. Bey, 161 N.J. 233, 251 (1999) (citation
omitted), cert. denied, 530 U.S. 1245, 120 S. Ct. 2693, 147 L. Ed.
2d 964 (2000).
We have considered defendant's contentions in light of the
record and applicable legal principles and conclude they are
without sufficient merit to warrant discussion in a written
opinion. R. 2:11-3(e)(2). We discern no abuse of discretion in
the denial of defendant's PCR petition without an evidentiary
hearing, and affirm substantially for the reasons set forth in the
PCR judge's written opinion. We are satisfied that trial counsel's
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performance was not deficient, and defendant provided nothing more
than bald assertions to the contrary.
Affirmed.
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